Staff writer Anthony Vaccaro travelled to the swaths of desert stretching alongside the southern Peruvian coast to see first-hand one of the largest copper deposits discovered in Peru during the past decade.

The Marcona copper project's combination of robust mineralization and ideal location has Chariot Resources' president and chief executive, Ulli Rath, thinking big.

Chariot is simultaneously conducting feasibility and environmental impact studies, as well as lining up financing, all to make sure that the mine cashes in on copper's historic bull run -- if it doesn't become a takeover target.

The following are some images from Mr. Vaccaro's site visit.