Interesting dichotomy in the news this week. With lawmakers in Argentina moving to attract new mines — while Philippines regulators are striving to shut them down. Just shows how people are one of the most important aspects of any mineral project. Equal to geology, infrastructure and all the other things that go into making a profitable operation.
And people were one of the remarkable aspects I had the pleasure to witness these past few weeks — on a trip through one of the world’s most storied copper districts. The place is Zambia. A part of the world I’d never been to before — but have read about nearly from day one as a geologist.
That’s because Zambia is host to the southern portion of the African Copperbelt. A geologic feature that, for rock hounds, is on the same level as Graceland is for Elvis fans. The Copperbelt, as it’s simply known, is arguably the world’s most famous mining region.
Being discovered over a century ago — and hosting the world’s go-to copper mines prior to the discovery and widespread development of the Chilean Andean deposits.
Today, the Copperbelt still produces nearly 10% of the world’s copper supply — from mines in Zambia and its neighbor, the Democratic Republic of Congo. And for this geologist, getting to see these mines was a dream come true.
For the rest of this article, click here: http://www.valuewalk.com/2016/09/copper/