Scientists and some government officials are questioning plans for a massive potassium-chloride mine in Argentina’s Mendoza province, arguing salt waste from the operation would harm water resources. The US$900 million mine planned by the Anglo-Australian company Rio Tinto would be developed in the south of Mendoza near the Colorado River, which flows 600 miles (1,000 kms) through five provinces from the Andes to the Atlantic Ocean. Mendoza, a wine-making and tourism center, has been the site of a growing environmental movement that recently prompted passage of a law prohibiting the use of toxic substances such as cyanide, sulfuric acid and mercury in metals mining. While the law has steered mineral exploration to other provinces, it has not deterred Rio Tinto, which... [Log in to read more]
