Wanderlust World Wanderlust World The Andes Mountains, formed by the subduction of the Nazca Plate under the South American Plate, host 70% of global copper reserves and one-third of silver reserves.
Chile's central valley alone contains the world's largest copper deposits (e.g., Chuquicamata, Escondida). This mineral wealth drives the economies of Chile, Peru, and to a lesser extent, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Colombia.
Other Andean resources include gold, molybdenum, lithium (in brine flats), and tin.