Out there in the desolate, lunar like desert of northern Chile is a mineral-rich ore called caliche -- once known as white gold.

FORBES: Patricio Contesse's white gold

Depending on whether it was just a fluke occurrence or a sign that the constitution of the oil sands it processes is changing, the company could either retool its extraction process or, if the problem is a short-term one, blend the rich ore with more normal inputs.

FORBES: Suncor Invests In Redemption

Suncor has run into an extra rich piece of ore with a high coal component, he said, which caused problems in the extraction process.

FORBES: Magazine Article

Chhattisgarh is rich with minerals such as iron ore and bauxite.

WSJ: India Antiterror Agency to Probe Deadly Maoist Attack

The court halted mining of the ore in the mineral-rich state in 2011 after social activist group Samaj Parivartan Samuday alleged that rampant illegal mining had damaged the environment.

WSJ: Court Eases Mining Ban in Karnataka

Mes Aynak is one of dozens of known sites across Afghanistan brimming with rich deposits of other minerals iron ore, lithium and cobalt.

WSJ: In Afghanistan, a Rush to Save Buried Treasure