Satellite photo of the Escondida Mine, courtesy of NASA

The Escondida Mine is a major open-pit mine located in the Atacama Desert of Chile, near 160 kilometers southeast of Antofagasta. In 1999, it produced over 800,000 tons of copper, 150,000 troy ounces (4,700 kg) of gold, and 3 million troy ounces (93,000 kg) of silver.