The Invisible Risks of Extractive Infrastructure Networks and Mining

This article uses Actor‐Network Theory to analyze mining infrastructures in Chile and develop a concept of “extractive infrastructure networks.” Focusing on the port of Punta Chungo and its connection to the Los Pelambres mine, we explore how these infrastructures, along with human and non‐human actors, create networks that sustain the extractivist economy while hiding environmental and social risks. Through a photographic essay, we show how these infrastructures are both visible and forgotten in everyday life, and how they often hide the long‐term dangers they pose to nearby communities. This paper introduces a new way to understand the complex relationships between infrastructure, environment, and society in Chile's mining industry.