A few years back, I had the opportunity to travel to the beautiful country of Chile, specifically the iron mining region of the Atacama Desert. This area is unique, in that extracting iron ore from Andesitic rock (a type of volcanic rock that was formed within this ancient Island Arc environment) is typically not feasible from an economic standpoint. This has been an exception to the rule and one of the few places in the world where this is being done successfully.
The group I was working with was contracted to extract in excess of 250,000 meters of rock core over the next couple of years in exploration efforts to expand the mining operation. It seemed like an overwhelming feat to accomplish! When I arrived to see the 15-plus diamond core rigs spread across the toe of the Andes in a spectacular panoramic view, I knew at that moment they meant business.