The most stunning "deceptive photo" I've seen is the one below, featuring a magnificent and vibrant lake.

Because of installing a certain browser extension, I have viewed countless strange and beautiful landscapes on Earth from above.
  This lake is one of the most impressive ones to me.

-- Under the cover of snow and ice, layer by layer, with excellent texture and form, like a silk scarf around the neck of a runway model...

This is a lake in a remote area of Chile, I guess none of my friends know about it
  Once, I secretly rejoiced, always feeling it was a fun thing known only to me

I have even imagined more than once that I would definitely choose to visit this lake in the snowy winter

The photo shows that there is a complete circular lake road, probably built for tourists to admire the lake from all angles
  So why not start by cycling or hiking around the lake?

Then at the pier slightly to the left above, face the lake for a picnic... tsk tsk tsk tsk...


Until one day, out of curiosity to find the name of this lake, it was revealed to be a "deceptive photo."

I have located this on more than one map website, but none of them label the name of the lake

  At this point, I already sensed that something was off
  After all, tourist attractions are all eager to stand out more on the map

The cafe below the lake can be displayed, but the lake itself is considered "no comment" by the map
  Is it private property, where idle people are not allowed to enter, and outsiders are not welcome to pay attention?


This instead aroused my damn competitive spirit, determined to figure out what you mean

The process of "unveiling" was very difficult, especially at the beginning, when there was almost no way to start
  I used the similar image search on the search engine, but found nothing
  Search for nearby place names, but it leads you astray

Nearby there is a small town, the name of which is in Spanish, the official language of Chile

It's like when you travel to Qingdao, after walking through "Beijing Road," you might end up at "Shanghai Road."

Then the foreigner wanted to learn about this place, so they searched for "Beijing" and "Shanghai"…

Once completely at a loss, but fortunately, the spirit of exploration in my heart remains unextinguished, and I am ultimately unwilling to give up

Decide to start by understanding the country of Chile and the region where the lake is located, and looked up information from various sources
  Finally, several possibilities are derived:
  1. Naturally formed salt flats: In the desert climate of Chile, there are many salt flats.

2. Lithium mine: Chile is the world's second-largest lithium producer, but in terms of the shape of the lake, it doesn't seem like it.

3. Copper mine water-related: Chile is the world's largest copper producer, and there is a mine 1 kilometer north of Hubei.
  4. Privately owned lake, kept confidential

  In fact, at this point, it is very difficult to make further progress

Because there is no name of the lake, it is impossible to find information, let alone determine which of the above situations it is

I boldly speculate that there is a mine near Hubei, so the mine is the most likely suspect

As long as it can be confirmed that the lake is directly related to the mine, the other three possibilities can be ruled out

So I compared the satellite images of this area frame by frame from 1985 to 2020, a period of 35 years
  Expecting to find connections between the formation of the lake and the establishment of the mine
  The result really did surprise me~

It can be seen that in 1989 and 1990, a piece of land was suddenly cleared, and the 雏形 of the mine appeared. (Note: "雏形" is a Chinese term that means "initial form" or "prototype." For a more natural English translation, it could be replaced with "the initial form" or "the beginnings.") However, to strictly adhere to the instruction, here is the direct translation without modification: It can be seen that in 1989 and 1990, a piece of land was suddenly cleared, and the 雏形 of the mine appeared
  In 91, a small pool of water appeared in the low-lying area next to the mine

Since 1994, this area of water has been managed by constructing dams, and it has gradually expanded

Until 2001, the mine extended downward (south) with several roads suddenly branching out

And the road made a loop below, enclosing an area (suspected to be a low-lying area)

Then, in the following year, 2002, a "small lake" appeared within the fenced area~!!

The scale of the mine has been gradually increasing, and the small lake has also been gradually expanding since its appearance, but until 2020, it has never exceeded the surrounding road

Since the appearance of this lake, the size of the water pool next to the mine has never expanded, and it seems that there has been no significant change in the following years

And this lake changes every year, especially its "texture" is constantly changing

Therefore, it can be fully confirmed that the lake and the mine are closely related, and were constructed with human planning


Then I searched for "Chile copper mine" and found the largest copper mine in the country (and the world): Chuquicamata Mine

Just search for it on the map website, and guess what I saw?

  Chile, as the largest copper mining and exporting country, is full of copper mines

Just below (to the south) of Chuquicamata, two other copper mines can be easily seen with the naked eye
  Guess what, I've discovered something new?

  Sure~! Each copper mine is equipped with a "colorful" large pool~!!


Next, it's simple; just need to figure out the function of the large pools that come standard with copper mines
  But reality slapped me in the face, it was damn me who thought it was simple

Because I have searched through various materials, I even watched many copper mining tutorials, learning the entire process of copper mining and initial smelting

Don't say you don't know the function of the large lake, not even a single clue has been found

Finally, my efforts were rewarded, and I found the answer in a documentary discussing the dark side of copper mining

  ——wastewater pond
  Copper mining and initial smelting processes require the use of large amounts of water in countless stages
  But the wastewater pond has little to do with these process operations
  It is the ultimate destination for the wastewater produced by wet refining
  The main component of water is chemically reacted substances
  There are also various substances in the ore that are difficult to extract
  The metals that cause the most harm to human health are lead, copper, arsenic...

The elements in the periodic table are basically all present, just in different amounts

  So, this lake probably emits a pungent and sour smell all year round
  And the lake water is highly toxic

Chile is next to the Andes Mountains, and beside it is the Atacama Desert

The air here is very dry, and it is one of the sunniest places in the world

So the water in the wastewater pond evaporates quickly, and once the water has evaporated, the toxic waste is left behind on the lake bed in solid form

Layer upon layer, with a very textured feel, I once mistook it for snow and ice. It is precisely these layers of mineral slag crystals accumulated on the riverbed, unknown how many layers deep

This well explains why the "ice and snow" texture on the lake keeps changing

New wastewater is injected into the lake, and under the dry desert air and intense sunlight, it quickly dries up, forming a new layer of texture

  This feels like..

When you are traveling abroad and encounter a girl who is beautiful, has a good personality, gets along well in conversation, and is full of enthusiasm for you
  You are overjoyed, and have even thought of what to name your future children
  Then you suddenly realize that the person opposite is a ladyboy...

  Although the mystery has been solved, a bigger question has arisen in my mind

The documentary that helped me finally determine the wastewater lake has the theme "Exposing the Dark Side of Chile's Copper Mining."

So, what do other countries, especially those developed countries that place a high emphasis on environmental protection, do?

Because the spirit of exploration in my heart is not extinguished, I have conducted a series of research

But because there are so many details, those dramatic and scheming plots really can't be elaborated in this answer

I will discuss it in a separate post later (I'll post the link here when it's ready)
  Now, let's simply summarize the conclusion


Lake, definitely a wastewater lake. Another applicable name is tailings, which refers to waste mine residue.

Not only is it toxic pollution, but it also cannot degrade naturally. Artificial treatment methods are not particularly effective either.

However, Chile is considered good because its unique geographical conditions cause these wastewater to evaporate and turn into solids

This way, it is fixed in this lake, instead serving to isolate it, so it does not affect the surrounding areas

Especially, these lakes are well planned and maintained, you can check out the photos from previous years for comparison

The scope of the wastewater lake has been strictly controlled within the 预定的 range for decades. (Note: "预定的" is a Chinese phrase that means "pre-determined" or "pre-set". The correct translation would be: "The scope of the wastewater lake has been strictly controlled within the pre-determined range for decades.")

The biggest pollution and toxicity in copper mining does not come from the wastewater lakes, but from air pollution

Many miners suffer from lung diseases, and the incidence of lung cancer and kidney cancer among residents of surrounding cities is several times higher than in other parts of Chile


Chile is the largest copper producer and exporter, with 40% of its copper exports going to China

In various interviews, Chileans never fail to mention CHINA, and they will proudly say that the world's factory, China, is increasingly in demand for copper

China's rapid development over the past few decades has consumed a large amount of copper, after all, products related to electricity generally cannot do without copper

And the rapidly developing new energy vehicles are no exception, with the copper used in the production of an electric vehicle being four times that of a gasoline car
  (In fact, the same is true for Chile, which is also a major producer and exporter of lithium.)


Looking deeper, both China and Chile are countries that have created a "reversal miracle" within one or two generations, over a few decades

Decades ago, in the real world, poor countries had no realistic option for "environmentally friendly mining"!
  Those developing countries that refuse to lie down have chosen to strive, endure, and sacrifice
  We have all made numerous sacrifices in the dilemma between pollution and development

And after development, it did not forget to continue improving and making up for the past
  "Waste water lake" is precisely the best testimony to all of this

It seems to remind me that many of the readily available conditions we now take for granted as "deserved."
  It is not a result that comes easily or naturally
  So from another perspective, the vibrant lake of Chile
  ——Still the "most beautiful lake" in my heart

  BTW, I must recommend a browser extension that can show you beautiful scenery from all over the Earth
  These satellite images always leave me in awe
  If you also have an adventurous spirit like me
  There must be many stories hidden behind the photos
  The name of the browser extension is "Daydreaming"
  The official installation address is posted here, take it~ no thanks~