A Chilean mining company lays claim to Minnesota's water

Beneath the dense and dusky hush of the Superior National Forest is a sprawling fortune of copper- and nickel-bearing ores weighing more than 4.4 billion tons.

Our smart phones and computers rely on these metals. They’re used in our water and power infrastructure, as well as the wind turbines and solar cells ushering in the world’s green revolution.

Although northeastern Minnesota’s reserves are considered low-grade, with the desired minerals composing just .4 percent of their host rock, Chilean copper conglomerate Antofagasta believes they’re profitable enough to mine.

Much of what the company has in store is closely guarded information. Antofagasta wants to secure federal land leases prior to publishing formal plans.

Read more: http://www.citypages.com/news/a-chilean-mining-company-lays-claim-to-minnesotas-water/509288371