a2014-06-04 Peru Cajamarca JCGanter_G3_4353_HDR-Edit-2500

The colossal 23-year-old Yanacocha gold mine spans nearly 1,600 square kilometers (600 square miles) across the summits of the Andes highlands. The mine, a geography of commanding industrial persistence, also is a permanent scar on the incomparably beautiful mountain terrain.