This was a big open-pit copper mine. The photo shows how it looked a few years ago. I understand that an Australian company was mining the tailings in the 1990's but then closed up shop. With copper now approaching $4 a pound, it may be economic to open this mine again. Silver is usually found with copper, so the explosion of the silver price would add to the viability of getting more metal out of the ground (or at least the tailings). Of course, environmentalist emotions today will enter into any attempt to reactivate an open pit.
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