Rio Tinto chairman steps down over destruction of 46,000-year-old sacred Indigenous caves 3 Mar, 2021 12:16 AM 2 minutes to read Rio Tinto blasted the 46,000-year-old sacred Juukan Gorge caves in May last year. Photo / Puutu Kunti Kurrama And Pinikura Aboriginal Corporation news.com.au By: Gerard Cockburn Rio Tinto's chairman has resigned after mounting shareholder pressure over the mining giant destroying sacred Indigenous caves last year in Western Australia. In a statement to the Australian Stock Exchange today, chair Simon Thompson announced he would step down from the board and not seek re-election at its 2022 annual general meeting. "[Rio Tinto's] successes were overshadowed by the destruction of the Juukan Gorge rock shelters at the Brockman 4 operations in Australia and, as chairman, I am ultimately accountable for the failings that led to this tragic event," Thompson said in statement.