the Rio Tinto borax mine is the largest open-pit mine in California, the largest borax mine in the world, and the source of almost half the world’s borates (Center for Land Use Interpretation). on maps, its location is labeled Boron, CA. when we view this location, it appears as a site of labor from which borax, intended for use in products such as detergents, glass, insulation, and ceramics, is collected. simple: site + humans = borax = commercial products = $$

 

but what if we view this location as a place? a place with its own agency? Jane Bennett casts doubt on our equation; after all, “in the long and slow time of evolution, mineral material appears as the mover and shaker, the active power, and the human beings, with their much-lauded capacity for self-directed action, appear as its product” (11). our tools, our products, are very bones are made of minerals. we activate them as much as they activate us, intra-acting with them in our various world-building projects.

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like all things, the mine is intricately connected with the nonhuman world. the Mojave is home to many rare and endangered species, and industry and military infrastructure interacts in complex ways with the area's ecology. the company operating the mine, Rio Tinto, has recently established a 'Wildlife Rescue Center' onsite. presumably, it is intended to manage both mine-wildlife interactions as well as the environmental optics of the company: "waterfowl in California have found a friend in Rio Tinto," their website proclaims.