Copper is one of the most valuable metals on the planet. One of the largest copper mines in the world by reserve, Buenavista, also known as Cananea, is located approximately 35 km south of the US-Mexico border in Sonora state. The other top countries include China, the US, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Australia, Zambia and Indonesia. In Arizona, US copper giant Freeport McMoRan holds five copper operations including the Morenci Mine, one of the largest copper deposits in the country and in the world. It is the second-biggest mine in North America, and the fourth-largest in the world. Many times, the dollar signs involved in mining mean that these considerations get ignored or repealed as “government red tape”. Like most geologic resources, copper prices have had their ups and downs. Bingham Canyon mine The Muruntau gold mine located in the Navoi region of Uzbekistan is one of the world’s largest gold mines and, at 600 metres deep, is also one of the deepest open pit mines globally. Available to download in PNG, PDF, XLS format, Access to this and all other statistics on 80,000 topics from, Copper production in leading countries 2010-2019, Leading aluminum producers worldwide by production output 2019, Major countries in worldwide bauxite mine production 2015-2019, Nickel production in major countries 2010-2019. The world's 20 largest copper mines produce nearly 9 million metric tons of the precious metal a year, about 40% of the world's total copper mine capacity. Yet, without copper, the world as we know it would not operate. Accessed December 03, 2020. https://www.statista.com/statistics/254905/copper-production-of-the-us/, US Geological Survey. The mine produced 34.3 million tonnes of ore in 2012. Leading copper-producing mines in the U.S. in 2018, in order of output: The mines on this list account for more than 99% of U.S. mine copper production. Morenci, United States of America (520 000 tonnes) This mine, in the state of Arizona, is the biggest in North America. Most of the time, these fluids will cause minerals like chalcopyrite, bornite, chalcocite, covellite and more to form — and they’re all copper rich. This sulfur interacts with water to create sulfuric acid … and that leads to acid mine drainage. Sign up for our email newsletter for the latest science news. The depth of the Resolution mine means that the actual mining will happen were the ambient temperature is between 76-82°C (170-180°F)! The most effective way to get the rock is just to dig a big pit or a network of tunnels to get at the richest ore. Aitik is the largest copper mine in Sweden. US-based Freeport produced 1.47 million tonnes of copper in 2019. In 1865 copper was first discovered in Morenci, the discovery turned out to be part of a huge vein of copper spanning a whole mountain. If you wanted to extract that copper from your average chunk of Earth’s crust, and make money doing it, well, you’d be out of luck. Chile is the top copper-producing country in the world by a long shot, and many of the world’s largest copper mines are located there.. But in their core there’s what big mining companies are looking for: the precious ore. Join us as we explore the world of the largest man made canyons yet. Arizona is the United States’ largest source of copper, primarily mined from a type of ore body known as porphyry copper deposits. The mine would also be one of the deepest in the world, boring down more than 2 kilometers (7,000 feet). A proposed gold and copper mine at the headwaters of the world's largest sockeye salmon fishery in Alaska would cause "unavoidable adverse impacts," the U.S. Army Corps of … (Credit: Wikimedia Commons), The devastated landscape around Ducktown in Tennessee seen in 1939. How does that happen? Huge deposits in places like Butte, Montana, Bingham, Utah, Yerington, Nevada (which is reopening) and Morenci, Arizona helped drive the electrification of the country. You need a lot of ore to get the copper when only a few percent of the rock is the metal you seek. US Geological Survey. Please do not hesitate to contact me. How Old Is the Oldest Stuff in the Solar System? A preliminary study of the Cascabel mining project in northern Ecuador shows that it could become one of the world's largest copper, silver and gold mines, Ecuador's government said on Wednesday. (Copper Queen Mining later changed its name to Phelps Dodge in 1917.) Ducktown in Tennessee (see above) is a famous site still recovering from copper mining and smelting in the 1900s-60s. The c… If you are a Zinio, Nook, Kindle, Apple, or Google Play subscriber, you can enter your website access code to gain subscriber access. Resolution wouldn’t be a new open pit mine because most of the copper lies over 2 kilometers down, but lots of material from the mining would still make it to the surface. The U.S. makes the cut, as well, with two mines among the top 20. Sure, it lacks the cachet of gold, silver or platinum — those are “precious metals” after all. The company’s largest mine, Los Pelambres, is further south in Coquimbo. How Do Climate Models Predict Global Warming? A paid subscription is required for full access. "Insanely Warm" Arctic Ocean Waters Are Delaying Freeze-Up and Pouring Heat Into the Atmosphere, Dramatic Turnabout: 2020's Antarctic Ozone Hole Is Large, Deep, and Persistent, Tracking the Source of Illegal Sand Mining, The Next Pangea: What Earth’s Future Supercontinent Will Look Like, 20 Things You Didn't Know About Wilderness. Owned by Grupo Mexico, it is one of the oldest open-pit mines in North America. The question becomes: at what cost? facts. In fact, copper mines in … Leading copper-producing mines. First Evidence of a Recently Active Volcano on Mars. With copper comes sulfur — these two elements love each other and most copper minerals used in mining are sulfides. Then you can access your favorite statistics via the star in the header. All that copper is not evenly distributed. Yet, in order to live the lifestyles were are accustomed, we need raw materials from Earth. The open pit mine is owned and operated by Boliden. Then you will be able to mark statistics as favourites and use personal statistics alerts. Overview and forecasts on trending topics, Key figures and rankings about brands and companies, Consumer insights and preferences in various industries, Detailed information about political and social topics, All key figures about regions and countries, Everything you need to know about Consumer Goods, Identify market potentials of the digital future, Technology Market Outlook It produced 365,300t of copper in 2012. "Leading United States copper mines based on capacity in 2015 (in 1,000 metric tons)." On top of the destruction caused by the mining itself, there are a lot of byproducts from copper mining. Copper is expensive to mine and refine. To be built on the Frieda river, a tributary to the Sepik in the north of New Guinea island, it is forecast to yield gold, silver and copper worth an estimated US$1.5bn a year for more than 30 years. Get unlimited access when you subscribe. Aside from being the world’s biggest gold mine, Grasberg is also its second-largest copper mine. Freeport-McMoran’s Grasberg mine in Indonesia returns to full production after a transition to underground mining in 2022. Those copper deposits where you can make a profit extracting the metal are somewhat rare. Here is my list of the Top 15 largest and biggest mines in the world: They are economically big and physically large, taking a lot of time and power to excavate. Early U.S. copper was mined in Michigan, even before Europeans arrived. Escondida is owned by BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto, and Japan Escondida. Anglo American, holding a 50.1% interest, is the operator of Los Bronces. You need at least a Single Account to use this feature. Muruntau gold mine, Uzbekistan. The companies have already invested over $2 billion into the project, so you can imagine how much value the site has for the companies. Since 2010, the world’s largest copper producer has been Chile, thanks to the abundant porphyry copper in the Andes. The Bingham Canyon Mine, more commonly known as Kennecott Copper Mine among locals, is an open-pit mining operation extracting a large porphyry copper deposit southwest of Salt Lake City, Utah, in the Oquirrh Mountains. Since mining operations started in 1906, Bingham Canyon Mine has been the granddaddy of all copper mines. October 24, 2017. Hotel Near the Largest Copper Mine in the US. Please create an employee account to be able to mark statistics as favorites. The potential opening of the Resolution prospect should remind all of us that we need to be vigilant about such development — the demand might be there, but unfettered mining can be catastrophic. So, when you mine and extract the copper, you get a lot of leftover sulfur that can get into the environment. Lisbon Valley • When Mike Wilcox was a young man in the mid-1970s, he took a job at the Keystone-Wallace copper mine and mill near his home in Lisbon Valley, Utah. Your website access code is located in the upper right corner of the Table of Contents page of your digital edition. This feature is limited to our corporate solutions. Update, Insights into the world's most important technology markets, Advertising & Media Outlook The companies have already invested over $2 billion into the project, so you can imagine how much value the site has for the companies. Production from the mine started in 1968 with a modest production rate of two million tonnes of copper ore a year. This week, Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton, one of the world’s largest mining companies, were given permission from the U.S. Forest Service to move ahead with the Resolution prospect near Apache Leap in Arizona. How We Know What’s Deep Inside the Earth, Despite Never Traveling There. But mines are also destructive to the environment, especially operations like copper mines. (Credit: Library of Congress), were given permission from the U.S. Forest Service, Resolution prospect near Apache Leap in Arizona, president’s goal of resource independence, minerals like chalcopyrite, bornite, chalcocite, covellite and more, a lake that filled the mine pit with a pH of ~2.5, 2010 accident in the San José mine in Chile. Use the van in the bottom of the frame for scale. Politically, it fits with the president’s goal of resource independence as well. Want it all? If you have electricity, you need copper. Chile and Peru, alone, account for more than half of the copper mines on this list. Save up to 70% off the cover price when you subscribe to Discover magazine. The damage that can be done to the environment and communities due to irresponsible mining can be immense. Prahova Salt Mine in Romania. Your email address is used to log in and will not be shared or sold. Please contact us to get started with full access to dossiers, forecasts, studies and international data. The world’s largest copper producing countries, including Chile, Peru, China and the US are all expected to remain their leaders in the global copper production in 2018. So, if you want to open a copper mine in the United States, the higher cost of labor and permitting means you need one that has got lots of the metal. 3. (October 24, 2017). This has led to some of the largest man-made features on Earth, like the pits at Chuchiquamata or Collahausi in Chile. It is located about 2,300 metres above sea level in the Andes of central Chile. It boasts some 27 million tonnes of copper reserves. Statista. Careful consideration of the impact of the mine and the resources that come from it, the recovery of the area after the mine closes and the treatment of the workers is required to make sure we are mining responsibility. As soon as this statistic is updated, you will immediately be notified via e-mail. The barren land was caused by the sulfur released during copper smelting. Copper is a good conductor of electricity and heat, and it is a vital element of virtually all modern electronic devices. Directly accessible data for 170 industries from 50 countries This would become the largest copper mine in North America once the mine is operational in the 2020s. Los Bronces copper mine 65km north-east of Santiago in the Andean Mountains of Chile is the ninth largest copper mine in the world. As of 2017, it produced about 36% of the world’s lithium carbonate supply. It can be easy to say that all mining is wrong. (Credit: Resolution Copper), Mine operations at Chuquicamata, one of the largest copper mines on Earth. and over 1 Mio. The feasibility study envisages a mine producing 399,000ozpa of gold, 111,000tpa of copper, 6,800tpa of molybdenum, and 1.8Mozpa of silver over a 22-year mine life, but a large inferred resource (2.5Mt of copper and 9Moz of gold) shows it could potentially operate for almost 50 years. Leading United States copper mines based on capacity in 2015 (in 1,000 metric tons) [Graph]. Prices were low during the 1980s, but after a peak of ~$4.40 per pound in 2011, copper is currently selling for ~$2.85 per pound. This mine is more than a century old, and first started operations in 1899. The proposed mine in southwestern Alaska, which would tap one of the world’s largest undeveloped copper and gold deposits, has been dogged by … El Teniente is currently the world’s largest underground copper mine and one of the largest by reserve size. The mine is owned by Rio Tinto Group, a British-Australian multinational corporation. Arizona, United States $ 925000 In March 2007, Phelps Dodge was involved in a $29.5 billion takeover by Freepo… The Atacama Salt Flat is the worlds largest and purest active source of lithium, containing 2017% of the worlds lithium reserve base. If you took just the top one kilometer of the planet’s crust and crushed it all up, then sifted out the copper, you’d end up with roughly 1014 tons of copper. Facebook: number of monthly active users worldwide 2008-2020, Smartphone market share worldwide by vendor 2009-2020, Number of apps available in leading app stores 2020, Research Lead covering energy, environment, chemicals & resources, Profit from additional features with an Employee Account. The Resolution prospect in Arizona is just that: a copper deposit that could supply a quarter of the country’s current copper demand. The mine is 2.75 miles (4,5km) across and 0.75 mile (1,2km) deep. Learn more about how Statista can support your business. 10 Shaft in the Superior-Resolution copper prospect in Arizona. ", US Geological Survey, Leading United States copper mines based on capacity in 2015 (in 1,000 metric tons) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/254905/copper-production-of-the-us/ (last visited December 03, 2020), Leading United States copper mines based on capacity in 2015, Base metal mining market size worldwide 2019-2025, Global market size of selected metals 2019, Average prices for aluminum worldwide from 2014 to 2025, Average prices for copper worldwide from 2014 to 2025, Average prices for zinc worldwide from 2014 to 2025, Average prices for lead worldwide 2014-2025, Aluminum production top countries 2015-2019, Zinc production in major countries 2010-2019, Lead - major countries in mine production 2010-2019, World's leading aluminum exporters by country 2019, World's leading aluminum importers by country 2019, World's leading copper exporters by country 2019, World's leading copper importers by country 2019, World's leading zinc exporters by country 2019, World's leading zinc importers by country 2019, World's leading lead exporters by country 2019, World's leading lead importers by country 2019, Leading copper producers worldwide by production output 2018, Zinc production of selected leading zinc miners 2017, Leading lead producers worldwide by production output 2019, Leading companies based on nickel production worldwide 2019, Chalco's (Aluminum Corporation of China) revenue 2009-2019, Freeport-McMoRan's total revenue 2005-2019, Peru: refined copper consumption 2007-2018, Chile: value of copper exports 2018, by region of destination, Global demand for copper from 2007 to 2013, Refined copper - biggest producers worldwide based on output 2013, Refined copper - biggest producers worldwide by output share 2013, Global market capitalization of leading copper producers 2019, Ireland: monthly value of copper imports 2017, Copper bars and profiles - U.S. monthly exports 2016 / 2017, Copper bars and profiles - U.S. monthly imports 2016 / 2017, Germany: monthly value of copper imports 2017, Turkey: monthly value of copper exports 2017-2018, Russia: monthly value of copper exports 2017-2018, Share cathodes, sections cathodes, refined copper exports GDP Philippines 2009-2018, Elongated copper products production volume in Japan 2012-2019, Volume of unwrought refined copper and copper alloys exported by the UK 2010-2017, Copper export volume from Cyprus 2008-2014, Industry revenue of »treatment and coating of metals« in Greece 2011-2023, Leading United States copper mines based on capacity in 2015 (in 1,000 metric tons), Find your information in our database containing over 20,000 reports, Tools and Tutorials explained in our Media Centre. At peak production, this will be the biggest copper mine in the U.S., producing 100,000 tons of rock a day, and enough copper to meet a quarter of the country’s demand. As a Premium user you get access to background information and details about the release of this statistic. This would become the largest copper mine in North America once the mine is operational in the 2020s. If developed, the mine would be one of the largest producers of both copper and gold in the U.S., according to a recent presentation by Northern Dynasty, potentially producing an average of … As a Premium user you get access to the detailed source references and background information about this statistic. Read more "Leading United States Copper Mines Based on Capacity in 2015 (in 1,000 Metric Tons). When you’re talking about the actual size of the mine, Bingham Canyon is simply the largest copper mine in the USA. On top of that, underground mines can collapse like the 2010 accident in the San José mine in Chile, trapping 39 men over 700 meters (2,300 feet) from the surface. New, Everything you need to know about the industry development, Find studies from all around the internet. You need a Single Account for unlimited access. The Aitik mine was discovered in 1930. Are you interested in testing our corporate solutions? Most copper mines need the metal to be concentrated to over a few percent in the average rock of the deposit. The mine is the largest man-made excavation, and deepest open-pit mine in the world, which is considered to have produced more copper than any other mine in history – more than 19 million tons. Quick Analysis with our professional Research Service: Content Marketing & Information Design for your projects: Industry-specific and extensively researched technical data (partially from exclusive partnerships). Thing is, copper isn’t really that uncommon on Earth. In that year, the largest copper mine in the United States was Morenci in Greenlee, Arizona. The Prahova Salt Mine has the distinction of being the largest salt mine … The mine would also be one of the deepest in the world, boring down more than 2 kilometers (7,000 feet). Chile produces almost twice as much copper as the number two country, Perú. The United States has a long heritage of copper production. (Updates with prices in third paragraph) For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com Mining is also dangerous. Many of these mines have since closed, but the American Southwest still produces a lot of copper. The Detroit Copper Company started the Morenci mine 7 years later in 1872 and operated it until Copper Queen Mining bought the property in 1885. Chart. This statistic depicts the ten leading United States copper mines based on capacity in 2015. Profit from additional features by authenticating your Admin account. You can have copper in hot fluids that move around under volcanoes (known as porphyry deposits) or from black smokers on the ocean floor or even in sedimentary rocks. The average concentration of copper is only ~50 parts per million. Ever since 1995, when what is estimated to be one of the largest copper deposits in the world was discovered 7,000 feet beneath Oak Flat, a battle … Read our privacy policy. Please authenticate by going to "My account" → "Administration". New, Figures and insights about the advertising and media world, Industry Outlook 3. Lots of ways. For decades the Bingham Canyon Mine, now operated by Kennecott Utah Copper and Rio Tinto, has been one of the most spectacular sightseeing experiences for visitors to Salt Lake City. That’s over twice the mass of the asteroid Ida (in other words: a lot of copper!). 1. The mine also produces silver and gold. The Butte copper pit, once the mine closed, became one of the first Superfund sites thanks to a lake that filled the mine pit with a pH of ~2.5 … so acidic it killed birds that landed on it. In, US Geological Survey. Some big copper mines have devastated the surrounding countryside due to acid mine drainage. You can only download this statistic as a Premium user. According to the latest report from the ICSG (International Copper Study Group), global mine copper production reached 20.16 million tonnes in 2016, representing a substantial growth of 1 million tonnes or 5.3% year on year. The open-cut mine was estimated to contain 11.13Mt of copper as of December 2012. The largest is the Boddington mine in Australia, which produced 77 million pounds in 2018. Never Traveling there mine drainage operations like copper mines on Earth 10 Shaft in the 1900s-60s, well! Data for 170 industries from 50 countries and over 1 Mio contact US to get the mines... 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Detailed source references and background information about this statistic as a Premium user your email is., Los Pelambres, is the ninth largest copper producer has been the granddaddy of all copper mines since... Twice as much copper as of December 2012 largest copper mine in North America, and first operations! The second-biggest mine in North America once the mine is 2.75 miles ( 4,5km ) across and 0.75 mile 1,2km... Subscribe to Discover magazine, Perú like the pits at Chuchiquamata or Collahausi in Chile an! The second-biggest mine in Indonesia returns to full production after a transition to underground mining in.! Started with full access to dossiers, forecasts, studies and international data in 1,000 metric tons.! Access code is located in the Superior-Resolution copper prospect in Arizona Earth, Despite Never Traveling there contact US get... The detailed source references and background information and details about the release of this statistic south Coquimbo! 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Japan escondida average concentration of copper in 2019 in 1906, Bingham Canyon is simply largest! That all mining is wrong mine is more than 2 kilometers ( 7,000 feet ). 1899. Many times, the largest copper mine in North America, and first started operations in 1899 see )! Contain 11.13Mt of copper as of December 2012 operated by Boliden top of the most valuable on... Https: //www.statista.com/statistics/254905/copper-production-of-the-us/, US Geological Survey can get into the environment and communities to! A year background information about this statistic located about 2,300 metres above level!, Bingham Canyon mine has been the granddaddy of all copper mines based on capacity in (...
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