Visiting the World's BIGGEST Copper Mines!

Copper is among the world's most valuable metals. It's primary use-conducting electricity for billions of people.
Without it, your phone, home, and car would be worthless. And as society evolves, demand is only going in one direction. And not only is it growing, but experts expect copper demand to double within the next decade.
Which brings me to Chile... The world's largest copper producer. Mining is a cornerstone of Chile's economy, as most of what it produces ends up in many other countries worldwide.
In June, we visited CODELCO's DMH mine outside of Calama in the Atacama Desert, thanks to the help of Finning Caterpillar. It was AWESOME.
As a hard rock operation, they drill, blast, load, and haul copper ore, finally processing it into copper concentrate.
To dig the ore, they use enormous rope shovels, and to haul it, they rely on a fleet of mostly Caterpillar's largest trucks-the 797F and 798AC. This is where we began our journey...
To learn more about CODELCO, check out their website at www.codelco.com/

[@skenzyme81]

Everything, EVERYTHING, is farmed or MINED. Thank you for bringing this to us!

[@richardinman8825]

What about love

[@BlackPill-pu4vi]

@@richardinman8825 Love is too fickle to be trusted as a valuable resource. What you thought was given freely and truly is often taken away at the point of a divorce court gun.

[@BlackPill-pu4vi]

Agriculture, mining, manufacturing, and infrastructure in support of the first three, are the only ways to CREATE wealth. Maintenance is the necessary interest on tangible capital represented by the aforementioned. How the wealth is distributed is the blood flow of the organism. Everything else is illusion, waste, theft, fraud, or deception. Pretty much the only things that run post-industrial America.

[@charliemcgee9803]

@@richardinman8825 Worked a below ground love operation. It's mined.

[@Patricio24601]

Mined, Farmed, or Synthesised.

[@foundryman1985]

As much as the trucks are your focus, and cool to see, the more impressive machine is the shovel. P&H or CAT rope shovels are truly modern masterpieces of mining technology.

[@guyneeser2029]

Thanks for showing us ALL how big these dump trucks ARE!!!....

[@mohammedalsaleh4324]

Absolutely thrilled to watch such machines working.. specially I work as maintenance engineer for fishing fleet and know how important to keep the fleet ready and seaworthy at any time .. thank you for the amazing work.. keep it up

[@samuelrich88]

Audio balancing is getting better between conversations and filler music. Much appreciated. Much easier to watch with kids

[@manishranamagar7073]

Aaron, please make a long video about the shovel loading trucks of this mine

[@Invertmini1212]

From a drone it looks like were little people in this big world... I remember playing with Tonka Trucks growing up and it reminded me of that.

[@BrendanDunne94]

Man I love these videos and I appreciate the time and effort but only 7 minutes long for the world's largest copper mine!?

[@nolanlander1919]

Nice editing and production value! Great vid

[@kahvac]

Thank you Codelco for the tour !

[@Dinoxt12]

Chilean...got it going on. Interesting hugh operation.

[@pappytron]

I spent a lot of time out at Chuqui. I was wondering where all the Liebherrs were. Then it dawned on me...I built those trucks 20 years ago. My how time flies. I do wonder how some of the people I knew in Calama made out.

[@ralmslb]

Was expecting more to be honest. The process from dirt to copper.

[@pappytron]

Let's see if I can remember...Dig it up, grind it up, soak it in Sulfuric acid, and refine through electrolysis. 99.3% pure...if I remember correctly? The smell is something you will never forget.

[@user-ye4dw5hs4t]

❤your videos and posts I work in heavy civil construction here in Florida

[@Mr.XYZ6775]

Great video, I noticed the Shovel has a hydroelectric cylinder instead of the rack and pinion on the loading arm. Wow that's new to me.

[@andrewrees8749]

They been using them a few yrs now, I live in the u.k we don't have any big equipment overe here

[@Mr.XYZ6775]

I have been out of the mining business for several years and retired from work. It's good to see the latest and greatest machines. @@andrewrees8749

[@dannycrooks8462]

Background music is over the top

[@robbiecooke8910]

Didnt really show us very much. like at all

[@stewatparkpark2933]

Style over substance .

[@jimsvideos7201]

If that was my shovel I'd call it Biggus Diggus.

[@glovester]

Itd be cool to be able to hear the machines instead of the corny rock and roll - even if you just splice in some separate audio from other takes without the drone noise - just sayin. Bad ass video! Thanks for posting this - epic.

[@jaypayne8363]

I work as a haul truck driver in the biggest copper mine in North America 😎

[@Timothy_Pitt]

Which mine is that, please?

[@79noel]

Like always, amazing. Thank you, Aaron and crew. Merry Christmas to everyone.

[@johnnymurff4137]

More video please awesome video, I like seeing the tons on the trucks, I would like to hear the sound of the material being loaded. Keep up the good work awesome

[@Another_Random_Dave]

Big kudos to the maintenance regime. Here in the us, you’ve got to fight 30 beancounters for the same. Production = Profits

[@koa818]

Amazing 👍

[@dannycrooks8462]

That's an impressive workshop

[@vincentgrinn2665]

hopefully with a mine that size theyre working on installing trolley lines and trolley assist systems for their 798acs, and well as replacing some of those old 797s with 798acs once theyre past their useful time

[@jascollinscork]

Cracking video 👌🏻 no half loads there 💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻

[@guyneeser2029]

Like one driver said it's like taking your house for a drive around the block!!!... LOL

[@kurtzbradley]

Insane!

[@OldGuyAdventure]

Imagine for just the US, the electrical grid will need a 30% increase to move to everyone having an EV, and some places in the US have not been upgraded since 1950. This upgrade will require new transformers, cables and more electrical generation systems. BTW, transformers require coolant fluid, which is oil-based.

[@vincentgrinn2665]

good, the us electrical grid is an outdated piece of crap like you said some parts havnt been upgraded in over 80 years, thats a disgrace its already struggling to handling the increasing demand for electricity *without* including any massive switch to renewables or ev's or whatever

[@rdallas81]

​@@vincentgrinn2665na. Just need more efficient devices.

[@tommiller7177]

Earth First! We will mine the other planets later. Luv seeing those big haul trucks. And I used to complain about a oil change on my dodge cummins. Lol. Great video.

[@guyneeser2029]

Like one driver said it a like taking your house for s drive!!!!....❤

[@thecatsupdog]

You never show the big machines filling their bucket. You just show them swinging and dumping into the haul truck. Please fix.

[@blueman5924]

Mmm. the power lines on my street are aluminum, as is the line that comes to my house. But yeh, copper wire is exclusive inside my home, and it’s doubled in cost over the last four years. Understandably too, looking at those big trucks and the vast scope of the mine. Safe travels. 🍁🤙

[@roblonsdale8927]

Hi, Aaron, can you do a video on that rope shovel please?

[@rdallas81]

I love rope shovels

[@localcrew]

Copper - YES!

[@ipankduffel7263]

nice Aaron

[@lastnamefirstname520]

This maintenance hangar reminds me a lot of what we do with airplanes on A-checks : ) Looks extremly organized. 10/10

[@wertyjax]

Antofagasta mencionada!!😊😊😂😂😂

[@michaelwillson6847]

Amazing to see but would be wicked to see the mine how its produced ( is it like gold mining etf?) 👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@Chris_at_Home]

I worked overseas 30 years ago for 8 months at a big mine in Iran Jaya, Indonesia. It was a huge mine and I remember seeing some numbers that one year they pulled 3/4 of a million ounces of gold in on year. I talked to one of the bosses and he told me the gold was pure profit as the copper they extracted in itself was profitable. I got to work all over from the port site to the mine at 13,000 feet above sea level. I was teaching and supervising Indonesians doing network installation and turn up.

[@Suzanne-dt1lj]

You have to work on perspective of absolute size

[@ross.neuberth]

5 year old me is giddy as heck!

[@73DiamondReo]

Only watched for the Shovel. I have 10 in my collection now

[@AndyFromBeaverton]

Can anyone explain the water truck load dispersal? Copper commodities are a great way to value a country's currency. World production rates are very stable and it doesn't have major swings in value.

[@keatonkinsey1322]

Man I was hoping you were gonna show the Bingham canyon mine in utah. That's where I work! :)

[@AaronWitt]

Coming soon…

[@keatonkinsey1322]

@@AaronWitt woohooo!!!

[@tylercolby6190]

Have you tried getting to see morenci?​@@AaronWitt

[@user-zj9ku6xo8e]

👍👍👍👍👍

[@dgsantafedave1]

Aaron where does the water come from to run the mine? I am thinking deep water wells?

[@dusttoyou4550]

Reverse osmosis seawater piped from the Pacific, although some of the mines in Atacama use untreated seawater.

[@ronblack7870]

biggest brake hoses i have ever seen .

[@charleslong9020]

You should tour SpaceX big shop

[@user-xs5jn3bl5q]

Hello, American, the most famous king construction machines, KZbinr brother, I follow your KZbin channel from Turkey and subscribed. Some of the videos on your channel are more long-term videos. It's good. So why don't you think about making action movies about Liebherr big digger excavator construction machines? I live in Turkey, because Liebherr is the biggest one in the world. I love digger excavator construction machines very much, because liebherr excavator construction machines have been an extreme illness and obsession in my life, my friend, brother, one day when I become president, can you shoot action movies of liebherr big digger excavators?

[@michaelt.9372]

Chile is one of the 5 “C”s of Arizona.

[@priztucker]

Not sure how I’ve never seen this channel before. I watch so many videos about heavy machinery so glad there’s a proper channel dedicated to it.

[@jimhanifer1177]

Really enjoy your videos just want to wish you guys a happy Christmas and a Happy New Year if you can next year can you do more videos on John Deere motor graders thank you 🇺🇸🚜🙏

[@michaelnewman5734]

So we see trucks and diggers .? I thought there was more to it than that .clearly not

[@Ramshorts88]

I have more then 5 years experience operating Komatsu 785HD Cat 777e dumper how can I apply for job here

[@jessemarks6793]

When are you coming up to the Elk Valley coal mines?

[@strobelightbrian]

Whoo!

[@philbertveissieres139]

Would be great to visit a coal mine I ‘ d love to see the mining operation of Arch Resources, they opened a new met coal mine a year ago called Leer South. It’s in West Virginia..

[@ronblack7870]

power lines on poles and towers are aluminum not copper . much lighter and cheaper . copper is heavier than steel.

[@dannycrooks8462]

Less talk more machines

[@MADEINNSW]

Bro managed to cut an hour long video down to 7min

[@daleolson3506]

But they added the crap music

[@AaronTheViking250]

They probably didn't want him filming everything or showing the full scale of the mines operation. And he probably didnt have full clearance due to safety Hazzards and high risk of theft etc and yes ppl would do that. I'm just saying plus chillie maybe beautiful but it isn't always a nice place either lots of shit happens there that we don't hear of.

[@yamfingaz5598]

Can we have less crap music and more of the machinery noise. Who wants to listen to ad music?

[@antonlueker9648]

Follow the money trail. Guarantee the Chinese own that land and operation.

[@michaelnewman5734]

Find it so annoying when people can't speak without the hand gestures.

[@daleolson3506]

The music junked another video 👎👎👎👎💩💩💩💩

[@garydavo07]

Ps they love red pick ups in Chile!