Company: RTNTF
Filing Date: 2025-02-20
Form Type: 20-F
Source: 0001628280-25-006642
Chunk: 519

Company: RIO TINTO LTD
Filing Date: 2025-02-20
Form: 20-F
Chunk 519
---
 optical televiewer image data is collected in specific RC and diamond holes throughout the deposit for structural analyses.

| Annual Report on Form 20-F 2024 | 346 | riotinto.com |

Additional information | US Disclosure Escondida Property Overview Escondida is a leading producer of copper concentrate and cathodes located in the Atacama Desert in northern Chile, 170km southeast of Antofagasta, Chile at an elevation of approximately 3,100m above sea level. It is a non-managed joint venture operated by Minera Escondida Limitada (MEL) consisting of the Escondida deposit and Escondida Norte deposit. The location of the operations centred upon the two pits are listed and shown in the location map: – Escondida: Latitude 24°16’ S, Longitude 69° 04’ W – Escondida Norte: Latitude 24°13’ S, Longitude 69° 03’ W Escondida consists of a series of porphyry deposits containing copper, gold, silver and molybdenum and includes two active surface open pit mines in production (the Escondida deposit and Escondida Norte deposit) with ore being processed through three processing options (oxide leach, sulphide run of mine leach and conventional flotation concentrators). The processing plants at Escondida include the Los Colorados, Laguna Seca Line 1 and Laguna Seca Line 2 concentrators. Escondida also includes the oxide leach facility, SL run of mine leach facility and SX/EW facility. For SEC reporting purposes, Escondida is considered a production stage property. In addition to mining activities, MEL conducts both exploration and development activities across the property. History Utah International Inc. (Utah) and Getty Oil Co. (Getty) commenced geochemical exploration in the region in 1978 which led to the discovery of the Escondida deposit in 1981. In 1984 through corporate acquisitions, BHP acquired the Escondida property. Ownership changed in 1985 to a joint venture between BHP (57.5%), Rio Tinto Zinc (30%), JECO Corporation (10%) and World Bank (2.5%). The joint venture undertook all the subsequent exploration and development work to bring Escondida into operation in 1990. The first cathode was produced in 1998 from the oxide leach plant, and in 2006 the sulphide leach plant was inaugurated,