Buried Treasure: World's Biggest Mines

They're massive; they exist in some of the remotest and most exotic landscapes in the world; and they generate the metals -- billions of tons each year -- that go into everything from rebar to electrical wire to car engines to iPhones to airplane wings to the gold vaults of central banks.

Still, few outside the world of mining know where, precisely, these metals comes from, and what it takes to bring it all out of the earth. Environmentally contentious, politically fraught (see: Australia's mining tax), mining goes to the core of the problems (and the blessings) of modern civilization.

Freeport McMoRan's(FCX) Grasberg, Rio Tinto's(RTP) Hamersley, BHP Billiton's(BHP) Olympic Dam, Teck Resource's(TCK) Red Dog -- all the usual suspects are here.

In this interactive map, discover the basic facts behind the mines that produce the world's basic materials. And be sure to check back; our guide to the planet's buried treasure is far from finished. TheStreet will continue to update, refine and expand the map with new information and additional mines as time goes on.

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