Growth of the Escondida Mine, Chile

  • Released Sunday, August 30, 2026
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Located in the arid Atacama Desert of northern Chile, the Escondida Mine is the highest-producing copper mine in the world. Since operations began in the late 1980s, the mining complex has undergone massive expansion to meet global resource demands. This Landsat time series captures over four decades of landscape alteration, showcasing the continuous growth of its massive open pits carved into the desert.

A natural-color Landsat time series of the Escondida Mine in Chile spanning from 1985 to 2026, highlighting the massive expansion of open-pit mining operations and infrastructure in the Atacama Desert.

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NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

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This page was originally published on Sunday, August 30, 2026.
This page was last updated on Monday, August 31, 2026 at 4:27 PM EDT.