Previous Year Question
Given below are two statements, one is labelled as Assertion (A) and the other as Reason (R).
Assertion (A): Chile is the leading producer of copper in the world.
Reason (R): Andes Region of North Chile is enriched with the largest deposits of Porphyry copper.
Select the correct answer from the code given below:
Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).
(A) is true but (R) is false.
Both (A) and (R) are true but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).
(A) is false but (R) is true.
Correct Answer: A
Detailed Solution
Assertion (A) is correct. Chile has long been the world's largest mined copper producing country. In 2025, Chile produced about 5.42 million tonnes of mined copper, accounting for approximately 22.9% of total world mine production, the highest share of any country.
Reason (R) is also correct. The Chilean Andes contain some of the world's largest porphyry copper deposits. Giant copper deposits such as Chuquicamata, Escondida, El Teniente and Collahuasi are associated with this Andean copper belt.
Porphyry copper deposits are generally extremely large. Although their copper concentration may be comparatively low, the enormous size of the ore bodies makes sustained large-scale mining possible.
Most of Chile's major porphyry copper deposits occur in a long mineral belt along the western side of the Andes. The Antofagasta–Atacama region of northern Chile is particularly important for copper mining.
This enormous geological resource base has enabled Chile to produce copper on such a large scale.
Current context: Here, “leading producer” refers to copper mine production. China ranks first in refined copper production, so mine production and refined production should be distinguished.