Assessing the Relationship Between Production and Land Transformation for Chilean Copper Mines Using Satellite and Operational Data
2025
Junbin Xiao | Tim T. Werner | Takeshi Komai | Kazuyo Matsubae
Mining may cause devastating environmental impacts through large-scale land transformations. However, mining-induced land transformations are poorly understood relative to a mine&rsquo:s productivity or life cycle. We integrated satellite imagery, geographic information systems (GISs), and mine site production data (ore, concentration, and waste) to conduct a detailed spatiotemporal analysis of 15 open-pit copper mines in Chile, distinguishing six types of features. Although the occupied area (9.90 to 149.61 km2 in 2020) and composition vary across mines, facilities for waste storage occupy the largest proportion (>:50%) of the transformed land area, emphasizing the need for proper waste management. The analysis of land transformation factors (the transformed land area per unit production) showed high variation (0.006178 to 0.372798 m2/kg-Cu) between mines over time. This reveals a significant problem in the historical practice of using averages from life cycle assessment (LCA) databases. This research reveals the significance of geospatial analyses in assessing mining-induced land transformation, and it provides geospatial data for land-related LCA. Mining companies are encouraged to disclose GIS information regarding land transformation to foster transparency and social responsibility, as well as to promote responsible and sustainable mining.
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