Once largest open pit mine in the world

Utah: Kennecott's Bingham Canyon Copper Mine (largest open pit mine in the world actually the largest man made hole in the world) located 25-miles southwest of Salt Lake City.

May 29, 2007.

We spent the night with Cabella's I-15 exit 287 Lehi, UT about 25-miles south of Salt Lake City. Free with a dump station!

We stopped in this area so that I could visit Kennecott's Bingham Canyon Mine. Kennecott Utah Copper's Bingham Canyon Mine is one of Utah's most popular tourist attractions. There is a Visitors Center inside the mine that features informative exhibits and videos. Outside, from a viewing area, you can observe the operations of the world's first open pit copper mine.

Known as "The Richest Hole on Earth," this gigantic operation has yielded more than 17 million tons of copper metal, as well as vast quantities of gold, silver and molybdenum. It is the largest man-made excavation in the world.

Since open-pit mining began in 1906, more than 7 billion tons of material have been removed, creating a pit more than 3/4 of a mile deep and 2.5 miles wide. To put this in perspective the world's tallest building, the Sears Tower, 1454' tall, would reach only half way up the mine.

The mine was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1966 by the United States Department of the Interior and in 1972 by the National Park Service.

Kennecott's Bingham Canyon Copper Mine

We have passed over the lip and we can see where the mountain has been removed and the hole has begun. Remember, this is an open pit mine where all rock on top of the valuable ore bearing rock is removed in order to reach the ore bearing rock instead of tunneling into the mountain to the ore bearing rock.

Kennecott's Bingham Canyon Copper Mine

A view of the other side of the "hole" from where we crossed over the lip. Remember there used to be a mountain here. Now there is a hole, a BIG hole.

Kennecott's Bingham Canyon Copper Mine

A mountain once stood where this huge bowl is now located. Over 6-billion tons of material have been removed since open-pit operations began in 1906.

Over 2/3 of all Utah mineral production has come from this Bingham Canyon Mine.

Bingham Canyon ore has yielded more than 17-million tons of copper, 23 million ounces of gold, 190 million ounces of silver and 850 million pounds of molybdenum, whose cumulative value far exceeds the yields of the Comstock Lode, Klondike and Canifornia gold rushes combined.

It is 2 and 1/2 miles across the top of this hole that used to be a mountain.

Kennecott's Bingham Canyon Copper Mine

This is a closer look at the far side of the mine. Visualize, if you can, that this is what the side of this great hole looks like where for a hundred years miners have removed layers and layers of rock in order to access the valuable ore. Totally awesome is the only way I can describe it.

Kennecott's Bingham Canyon Copper Mine

Kennecott's Bingham Canyon Copper Mine

The building in the picture to your right is an oar crusher located deep within the mine. The snout snaking its way out of that building toward the bottom of the picture is a 5-mile ore conveyor system that transports ore bearing rock to the "Concentrator" facility.

Kennecott's Bingham Canyon Copper Mine

In the picture to the left a large shovel is loading ore onto those huge trucks to be transported to the "in pit" oar crusher.

These trucks and that shovel are almost 3/4 of a mile deep in this hole.

Kennecott's Bingham Canyon Copper Mine

The tall "drilling rig" on the right is drilling holes for explosives.

In this picture a large shovel is loading ore onto a huge truck transporting ore to the "in pit" oar crusher.

These trucks and that shovel are almost 3/4 of a mile deep in this hole.

In addition to that large shovel in the picture to the right is a drilling machine. Drill rigs like this drill a series of 55' deep holes into the levels of the mine called "benches." Each hole is filled with 1,000 pounds of ammonium nitrate (explosive). Two to four times a day the explosives are detonated. After the rock is blasted and broken, it can be picked up by the huge shovels like the ones in both of these pictures.

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Until next time remember how good life is.

Mike & Joyce Hendrix