Teniente and Sewell (11/5)

Copper is such a big part of the Chilean economy. And entire communities have been built to house the miners that work to unearth this element. Chile is home of the two biggest mines in the world. Chuquicamata, near Antofagasta, is the world's largest surface mine. And Teniente, our destination for the day, is the largest underground mine in the world and produces about 4% of copper exported from Chile since 1905.

Deb and I decided to take a tour to Teniente and its miner town, Sewell . We stopped several times to pick up passangers, and, in the end, our group was 21 people in all. After watching a safety video on the bus, we stopped and put on the required gear to enter the mine. And there was a lot!!! We wore orange jackets with reflectors and hard hats with lights attached to belts with battery packs. We had emergency oxygen packs on our belts as well. We wore masks with air filters and goggles. We had steel tip waders too.

So we drove 3 kilometers into the mine. It was like driving into a hole in the side of a hill -- a cave with a reinforced entrance. It was narrow and the minibus didn't have much room to spare. (Boy, am I glad I wasn't the driver.) Then we got out and reviewed conditions, like wires always run on the left side leading to a surface exit. Good way to start things, right?!? With a former miner in our group, we had good narration about the way things used to be. Though still active, technology has made the job easier and safer.

We were shown how, after excavation, rock and dirt are sent down shoots between layers and smashed in a giant applesauce masher. (That's what it looks like to me.) The auger in the middle pivots from a point, mashing even the biggest rocks into gravel no larger than a fist. It used to be that, if a rock got stuck before reaching the auger, someone had to drill a hole and insert explosives by hand. Now, there is a nifty arm complete with air hammer to chisel unwilling rocks.

From here it is farther smashed and washed in acid and water. This process actually abstracts the copper from the other elements. When removed copper is heated and formed into the bars that are loaded on trains and sent to the coast.



My favorite part of the mine was a crystal cavern that was discovered while excavating. Upon emptying water from the cavern, miners discovered huge quartz crystals, pyrite, and others. Colored lights allowed the observer to see the clarity and size of the crystals.


We went into Sewell to see how the mining families of Teniente lived. Teniente was an alcohol free community. And law enforcement was well respected. If you went "down" the mountain and came back drunk, you were given double duties. If you held someone's hand in public you were reported and asked to marry. For this reason, the crime rate was very low. They were quite advanced as far as entertainment is concerned. There were social halls, indoor pools, and a bowling alley. And all on the side of a beautiful mountain.

It wasn't bliss though. There were a few bummers too. One is the incredible amount of snow. Being so high in the Andes, I am sure they were dumped on. The mountains had special poles with netting in between to prevent snow avalanches. That, and the fact that no one had their own bathroom. You had to walk to a community bath building to take a shower. Can you say, "Brrrr!!!!"