Located at an elevation of 3 050 m (10 006 ft), Chile's Escondida Mine is an open-pit copper, gold, and silver mine and is also the largest copper minein the world. Isolated in the barren and arid Atacama Desert in the country's far north, the Escondida Mine relies heavily on external well fields for thewater used in its mining operations. Unlike similar mining operations, however, Escondida has a redeveloped tailings impoundment. Impoundments ofthis type help reduce water consumption and enhance water conservation, two areas where mining activities typically fall short. The Escondida Minealso minimizes the impact of its operation on the environment by means of a 170-km-long (106 miles) underground pipeline that carries copperconcentrate slurry from the mine to the port of Coloso. This underground scheme is efficient and ecologically sound, as the copper travels downhillwithout disrupting the environment. The images show how the Escondida Mine has grown and expanded while at the same time continues to minimizenegative impacts from its mining operations on the environment.According to a lawsuit filed by the Chilean State Defense Council before an environmental court, the extraction of groundwater by Minera Escondida,has resulted in a dramatic reduction of water levels in the Punta Negra salt flat. This has caused the surrounding wetlands and vegetation to dry out,and much of the wildlife native to the region has disappeared due to habitat loss. In early June 2021, the court announced that the parties in the casehad reached an unprecedented settlement. It includes 19 measures to try to repair and compensate for the damages.