Huge 4,000-foot-deep mine that took 120 years to build and produced 715 tonnes of gold
The enormous man-made crater is visible from space and covers an area the size of 1,100 football pitches.
Overlooked by the towering peaks of the Oquirrh Mountains a vast almost-mile-deep crater has been carved over 120 years by miners seeking gold, copper and silver.
The Bingham Canyon Mine, Kennecott Copper Mine, covers an area of around 1,900 acres, which is the equivalent of around 1,187 football pitches.
Visible from space, the enormous hole burrowed out of the earth is estimated to have produced over 17 million tonnes of copper in its lifetime since mining began in 1903.
As well as copper, other precious metals which the mine has produced include 715 tonnes of gold, nearly 6,000 tonnes of silver and 425,000 tonnes of molybdenum.
The latter metal has a variety of uses but is most commonly used as an alloy to make structural steel.
Despite being on US soil, the massive mine is owned by the British-Australian global mining giant Rio Tinto.
A statement about the mine on the firm's website states powering the operation using renewable energy has now become a key motivator for the future.
It said: "Our Kennecott mine has operated for 120 years, providing domestically sourced copper to the United States and beyond.
"As we look towards the energy transition, Kennecott will continue to play an important role by responsibly mining and smelting this critical mineral for our electric vehicles, our renewable energy, and numerous other vital applications."
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Bingham Canyon mine employs 2,411 people and sits 30 miles south of Salt Lake City, a settlement in Utah home to around 200,000 people.
In 2023 Mining.com reported Rio Tinto Kennecott Managing Director Nate Foster said the company was giving some of the land back from the mine to the natural environment.
He said: “We’re investing in restoring hundreds of acres of land back to its natural beauty in areas we no longer need for active mining, as part of our long-term commitment to be responsible stewards in our community.
“Rio Tinto Kennecott is committed to leaving a lasting legacy with our neighbours that have shared our history for over 120 years now."
