Rio Huaypetue mine [SEP] product
Rio Huaypetue mine
The Rio Huaypetue mine is a large open-pit gold mine in south-eastern Peru, inside the Cusco Region and close to the border with the Madre de Dios and Puno regions. It has been estimated that at the peak of production in 1998, some 2 percent of the world's annual gold production may have come from Huaypetue.
Due to the remoteness of the area in the Peruvian Amazon where the mine is located the mining operations are poorly regulated, with many reports of child labor and
surface mining operations have sprawled to cover over 100 square kilometers, an area previously covered by primary rainforest. Mercury contamination from the mines is widespread, posing a risk for fish and other aquatic life downstream of the mine. The sediment and runoff from the mine can be traced for hundreds of kilometers along the river.
See also.
List of mines in Peru 
Zinc mining 
External links.
- Areal photos of the Huaypetue mine
- ParksWatch: Threats to the Amarakaeri Communal Reserve