Resumen

VERGARA, Angela. "IF THE RIVER SOUNDS IT IS BECAUSE IT IS CARRYING ROCKS": COPPER TAILINGS IN THE BAY OF CHAÑARAL, 1938-1990. Cuadernos de Historia [online]. 2011, n.35, pp. 135-151. ISSN 0719-1243.  http://dx.doi.org/10.4067/S0719-12432011000200005.

From the perspective of environmental history, this article focuses on the impact ofthe Large Scale Copper Industry on the province of Chañaral between 1938 and 1990. More specifically, it looks at the history beyond the 350 tons ofcopper tailings disposed in the Salado river and the Pacific ocean, first by the U.S. company Andes Copper and later by Codelco-Chile. While local authorities decided to ignore the problem, local residents articulated a critical discourse, denouncing the polluting practices of the company. Moreover, this article raises questions about the traditional assumption that the nationalization represented a break in the history of the copper industry, showing -from the perspective of environmental history- the existence of important continuities.

Palabras llave : copper; tailings; environmental history; Chañaral; pollution.