El Teniente

El Teniente, mining settlement, O’Higgins región, central Chile. The site of the world’s largest underground copper mine, it lies in the Andes Mountains about 60 miles (100 km) southeast of Santiago. It accounts for much of Chile’s annual copper production. Copper is smelted at El Teniente, transported by rail to Rancagua, and exported through the port of San Antonio, west of Santiago. Molybdenum is found in association with the copper ores. In the early 20th century the Sewell Mining Town was founded by the Braden Copper Company at El Teniente. It fell out of use in the 1970s and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2006. El Teniente also has a hydroelectric plant.