Bingham Canyon

Site Name

Primary: Bingham Canyon
Secondary: Bingham Open Pit

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Commodity

Primary: Copper
Secondary: Gold
Secondary: Molybdenum
Secondary: Silver

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Location

State: Utah
County: Salt Lake
District: West Mountain

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Land Status

Land ownership: Private
Note: the land ownership field only identifies whether the area the mine is in is generally on public lands like Forest Service or BLM land, or if it is in an area that is generally private property. It does not definitively identify property status, nor does it indicate claim status or whether an area is open to prospecting. Always respect private property.

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Holdings

Type: Patented

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Workings

Type: Surface

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Ownership

Owner Name: Rtz-Cra Corp.
Percent: 100.0
Home Office: United Kingdom
Info Year: 1996
Years: 1994 -

Owner Name: Kennecott Utah Copper Corp. (Sub Of Rtz)
Home Office: Utah
Info Year: 1996
Years: 1994 -

Owner Name: RIO TINTO

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Production

Year: 1996
Description: Ore Treated 51102000 Mt
Year: 1996
Description: Copper Produced 297700 Mt In Cons
Year: 1996
Description: Gold Produced 615000 Tr Oz/Yr
Year: 1996
Description: Moly Produced 11200 Mt In Cons
Year: 1996
Description: Silver Produced 4739000 Tr Oz/Yr
Year: 1995
Description: Copper Production 307500 Mt In Cons
Year: 1995
Description: Ore Treated 50986000 Mt Ore
Year: 1995
Description: Silver Production 4376000 Tr Oz/Yr Silver
Year: 1995
Description: Gold Production 525000 Tr Oz/Yr Gold
Year: 1995
Description: Moly Production 10800 Mt In Cons
Year: 1993
Description: Grade Of Ore Mined: 0.63% Cu 51493000 Mt Ore
Year: 1992
Description: Grade Of Ore Mined: 0.62% Cu 49465000 Mt Ore
Year: 1993
Description: Copper Production 307000 Mt Cu Produced From Ore
Year: 1992
Description: Copper Produced 288700 Mt Cu Produced From Ore
Year: 1991
Description: Grade Of Ore Mined: 0.65% Cu 38785000 Mt Ore
Year: 1991
Description: Copper Produced 236500 Mt Cu Produced From Ore
Year: 1990
Description: Copper Produced 236100 Mt Cu Produced From Ore
Year: 1990
Description: Grade Of Ore Mined: 0.67% Cu 37505000 Mt Ore
Year: 1989
Description: Grade Of Ore Mined: 0.66% Cu 36778000 Mt Ore
Year: 1989
Description: Copper Produced 229700 Mt Cu Produced From Ore
Year: 1988
Description: Grade Of Ore Mined: 0.687% Cu 31789400 Mt Ore
Year: 1987
Mined: 21271100.000 mt
Description: Copper Produced 122695 Mt Cu Produced From Ore
Year: 1988
Description: Copper Produced 179462 Mt Cu Produced From Ore
Year: 1986
Mined: 403600.000 mt
Material type: Mine Reopened 9/86
Description: Grade Of Ore Mined: 0.712% Cu 403600 Mt Ore Mine Reopened 9/86
Year: 1985
Mined: 2398800.000 mt
Material type: (Mine Closed 9/85)
Description: Grade Of Ore Mined: 0.748% Cu 2398800 Mt Ore (Mine Closed 9/85)
Year: 1984
Mined: 19925100.000 mt
Description: Copper Produced 110002 Mt Cu Produced From Ore
Year: 1983
Mined: 30218500.000 mt
Description: Copper Produced 151881 Mt Cu Produced From Ore
Year: 1982
Mined: 33454800.000 mt
Description: Copper Produced 169877 Mt Cu Produced From Ore
Year: 1981
Description: 0.582% Cu 35400000 Metric Tons Ore Mined
Year: 1980
Description: 0.575% Cu 28600000 Metric Tons Ore Mined
Year: 1979
Description: 0.586% Cu 34300000 Metric Tons Ore Mined
Year: 1977
Description: 0.617% Cu 29500000 Metric Tons Ore Mined
Year: 1978
Description: 0.600% Cu 32600000 Metric Tons Ore Mined

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Deposit

Record Type: Deposit
Operation Category: Plant
Deposit Type: Porphyry Cu-Mo
Plant Type: Beneficiation (Mill)
Plant Subtype: Flotation
Operation Type: Surface
Mining Method: Open Pit
Milling Method: Flotation
Year First Production: 1904
Year Last Production: 2009
Discovery Year: 1887
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: Y

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Physiography

General Physiographic Area: Intermontane Plateaus
Physiographic Province: Basin And Range Province
Physiographic Section: Great Basin

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Mineral Deposit Model

Model Name: Porphyry Cu, skarn-related
Model Name: Porphyry Cu-Mo

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Orebody

Not available

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Structure

Not available

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Alterations

Not available

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Rocks

Not available

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Analytical Data

Not available

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Materials

Unknown: Chalcocite
Unknown: Silver
Unknown: Molybdenite
Unknown: Gold
Unknown: Covellite
Unknown: Chalcopyrite
Unknown: Bornite

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Comments

Comment (Production): Annual Production Metal in concentrates: 265,600t Cu, 16,800t Mo, 523,000oz Au and 4.2Moz Ag (2006)

Comment (Identification): **** SEE ADDITIONAL RECORDS FOR DEPOSIT INFO:BINGNHAM OPEN PIT MINE- DEPOSIT ID 10069296CARR FORK MINE- DEPOSIT ID 10041786NORTH ORE SHOOT EXTENSION- DEPOSIT ID 10276611

Comment (Reserve-Resource): Reserve Base 960,000,000 tons grading 0.54% copper, 0.32g/t gold, 0.043% molybdenum and 2.59g/t silver (2005)

Comment (Development): From: http://www.ritchiewiki.com/wiki/index.php/Bingham_Canyon_Mine Today, the mining of chalcopyrite, or copper iron sulfide, is done in steps, causing the mine to resemble an inverted pyramid.Explosives are used to loosen the ore contained in the rocks. Holes measuring 55 feet (17 m) deep and 12 inches (30.5 cm) in diameter are made with rotary drills and packed with half-ton loads of explosives. Once detonation has occurred, electric shovels move the huge resulting piles of rubble into 240- to 320-ton rock trucks. Some shovels are capable of lifting almost 100 tons of rock in a single scoop. The rock trucks haul the ore to an on-site crusher and then five-mile (8-km) long conveyor transports the ore to the Copperton concentrator. After arriving at the Copperton concentrator, the ore is ground by steel balls in massive mills and then concentrated using the flotation separation process. The resultant 28 percent copper concentrate is moved in a slurry pipeline to the smelter, which is located 17 miles (27.4 km) away.At the smelter, a large rotating dryer is used to dry the slurry. Next, the slurry is separated into three products in the flash smelting furnace: sulfur-rich gases; a mixture of silica and iron known as slag; and copper matte, which is 70 percent copper. Once cooled, the copper matte is crushed and put in a flash converting furnace. This furnace removes most of the impure particles to produce blister, a molten copper that is approximately 98 percent pure. Anode furnaces are used for further refining. The copper is cast in plates called anodes, which are 99.6 percent copper and weigh about 700 pounds (317.5 kg). An acid solution and an electric current are used to remove remaining impurities and produce 99.99 percent pure copper. The operators of the Bingham Canyon mine thought they would have to use block cave mining to obtain copper from the mine after 2012. This would have required an investment of more than $1 billion in new infrastructure and the mine was slated for closure. Block cave mining entails digging tunnels under the ore body, forcing ore to fall either by the force of gravity or blasting.Instead, in 2005, Rio Tinto committed $170 million to a major mine expansion project known as the East 1 Pushback, which will extend the open-pit mine 600 feet to the east and keep it operational until at least 2013. Before the ore-rich zone is reached, approximately 1,700 vertical feet (518 m) of rock will be excavated.

Comment (Reserve-Resource): QUANTITY-GRADE MATRIX 2 IS LOW GRADE COPPER ORE (LESS THAN 0.4%) THAT IS PLACED ON LEACH DUMPS AT RATE OF 45,000 MTPD: QUANT. BASED ON FOLLOWING: 18.6-YR. MINE LIFE X ABOVE PRODUCTION RATE X 350 OPERATING DAYS PER YEAR. M9C5=M2C1 M9C4=M1C1.

Comment (Economic Factors): MILL TRANS COST FOR CONCENTRATE SLURRY FROM COPPERTON CONC TO SMELTER INCLUDED IN MILL OP. COSTS. BONNEVILLE/MAGNA SLURRY TRANS COST INCLUDED IN MILL OP. COSTS.

Comment (Production): RESERVES AS OF 112/31/96; PROVEN + PROBABLE ORE: 1979-1981 PRODUCTION DATA FROM STD OIL (OHIO) SEC FORM 10-K 1982 - 1988 PRODUCTION FROM U S BUMINES PROD. STATISTICS MINE SHUTDOWN TEMPORARILY IN MAR 1985; THEN REOPENED IN THE FALL OF 1986.

Comment (Development): From: http://www.ritchiewiki.com/wiki/index.php/Bingham_Canyon_Mine The underground mining boom in Bingham Canyon lasted through the 1870s and 1880s. By the early 1890s, the miners had exhausted the canyon?s supply of rich, oxidized pockets of gold, silver and copper carbonates. These ores could be smelted immediately, with no need for prior concentration. Low grade, unoxidized sulfides were all that remained?but mining those ores was not economical. In 1898, engineers Daniel Jackling and Robert Gemmell invented a new method of mining and milling that would revolutionize metal mining: flotation separation. This technique was based on the theory that oil-covered mineral particles would adhere to oil bubbles. The process of flotation separation involved mixing finely ground ores with an oily substance, then agitating and aerating this slurry in tanks. While mineral particles stuck to the rising bubbles, non-mineralized rock would fall to the bottom and be discarded. In 1903 Jackling established the Utah Copper Co. and erected a mill at Bingham Canyon with a capacity of 300 tons per day. In 1906, he began using steam shovels, making this the first mechanized open-pit mine in the U.S. He built a second mill in which to run a large-scale floatation separation operation; it turned out to be very successful.Due to the low cost flotation separation method, the mill was able to produce a concentrate containing 23 percent copper and byproduct metals (such as gold and silver). Flotation separation caught on across the country, although Bingham Canyon experienced the fastest growth rate. In 1912 an estimated 65 percent of the workers and residents in the canyon were immigrants. Distinct communities based on ethnicity began to form. By the 1920s, an ethnically diverse group of more than 15,000 people populated the canyon. In 1926, a purpose-built mining town called Copperton was built at the mouth of the canyon. In 1930, Kennecott Utah Copper Corp. purchased the mine property and began to expand the operation. The success of this expansion was evidenced in World War II, when the mine supplied more than one-third of the copper used by the Allied Forces.In the 1980s, the huge mine employed nearly 8,000 people. While 2,500 were responsible for drilling and blasting 370,000 tons of rock every day, 5,200 had the task of hauling, concentrating, smelting, and refining the product. The mine produced was 300,000 tons of pure copper annually. At the same time, Bingham Canyon was beginning to experience major competition from foreign copper producers that were able to supply the product for a fraction of the cost. In 1982, when copper prices dropped sharply, Bingham Canyon lost money and operations ceased for the first time since the mine's establishment. Kennecott Utah Copper Corp., recognizing that the mine still yielded a valuable product, invested $1.5 billion over the next decade to upgrade the mine, concentrator, smelter, and refineries in an effort to increase the operation's competitiveness. The mine is now recognized as one of the safest, cleanest, and most efficient in the world.

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References

Reference (Deposit): MOON, AMTHONY G., COPPERTON CONCENTRATOR GRINDING CIRCUIT DESIGN, SKILLINGS', 8/26/89, P.4-7.

Reference (Deposit): BP AMERICA, 1987 ANNUAL REPORT, P.59.

Reference (Deposit): SKILLINGS, D. N. BP MINERALS AMERICA MARKS COMPLETION OF BINGHAM CANYON MODERNIZATION SEPT. 23. SKILLINGS MINING REVIEW, OCT. 29, 1988, PP. 4-7.

Reference (Deposit): MINING ENGR. MAGAZINE. BP MINERALS COMPLETES $400 MILLION MODERNIZATION AT BINGHAM CANYON. NOV 1988, PP. 1017-1030.

Reference (Deposit): MAIO, T. S. & A. G. MOON. STARTUP OF KENNECOTT'S COPPERTON CONCENTRATOR. SME ANNUAL MEETING, LAS VEGAS, NV, FEB. 27- MAR. 2, 1989, (PREPRINT NO. 89-169), 17 PP.

Reference (Deposit): SUTTILL, K. R. EXCELLENCE AND STYLE. ENGR. & MINING J., AUG. 1989, PP. 32-36.

Reference (Deposit): AMERICAN METAL MARKET, MORRISON KNUDSEN LANDS PACT FOR KENNECOTT TAILINGS PROJECT, 3/28/94, P.4.

Reference (Deposit): METAL BULLETIN, BINGHAM CANYON MAY BECOME A SUPERFUND, 9/13/93, P.11.

Reference (Deposit): KENNECOTT UTAH COPPER, EPA MINE WASTE REGULATORY DEVELOPMENT JULY 8, 1993, 27PP PLUS TABLES AND FIGURES.

Reference (Deposit): MINING RECORD, KENNECOTT AWARDS CONTRACT FOR BINGHAM CANYON MINE, V 105/N 15, P.13.

Reference (Deposit): CARTER, RUSSELL A., KENNECOTT UTAH COPPER MODERNIZATION PAYS OFF, REPRINT FROM ENGINEERING AND MINING JOURNAL, 1/90,6 PP.

Reference (Reserve-Resource): RTZ CORP PLC CRA LIMITED 1995 ANNUAL REPORT, FORM 20-F,PP.16, 17.

Reference (Reserve-Resource): RTZ CORP.PLC SEC FRM 20-F, DEC. 31, 1993. PP. 12 & 13.

Reference (Reserve-Resource): R REC 3 COMPANY DATA GIVEN DURING SITE VISIT SEPT. 1994.

Reference (Production): PRODUCTION

Reference (Deposit): BIBLIOGRAPHY - MAGAZINE ARTICLES

Reference (Deposit): CORFIELD, R.J., ET AL, 1953, ELECTRICAL AMD METALLURGICAL IMPROVEMENTS AT KENNECOTTS UTAH COPPER DIV. MILLS, MIN.ENGR., PP. 274-6.

Reference (Deposit): ARTICLES FOR THE YEARS 1990-1994

Reference (Deposit): PAY DIRT, 7/88, P.4A,5A.

Reference (Reserve-Resource): RTZ-CRA 1996 ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 20-F, PP. 17-18.

Reference (Deposit): KENNECOTT CORPORATION, UTAH COPPER DIVISION. COPPERTON CONCENTRATOR, 1988, 21 PP.

Reference (Deposit): BP MINERALS AMERICA CORPORATION. A NEW BEGINNING (BINGHAMCANYON FACT SHEET), 1989, 8 PP.

Reference (Deposit): ARTICLES FOR THE YEARS 1985 - 1989

Reference (Deposit): PAYDIRT MAGAZINE (NEW MEXICO EDITION). KENNECOTT CONVERTING BINGHAM CANYON ORE HAULAGE TO TRUCKS, FEB. 1983, P. 18A.

Reference (Deposit): ENGINEERING & MINING JOURNAL. KEEPING EQUIPMENT ON LINE AND AVAILABLE, SEP. 1980, PP. 70-75.

Reference (Deposit): PUBLICATIONS DATED AFTER 1977

Reference (Deposit): KENNECOTT 1977 ANNUAL REPORT, P. 6.

Reference (Deposit): SUTULOV, ALEXANDER, MOLYBDENUM AND RHENIUM RECOVERY FROM PORPHYRY COPPERS. 1970, PP. 95-102.

Reference (Deposit): OF THE PORPHYRY COPPER DEPOSITS OF SOUTHWESTERN NORTH AMERICA, U. OF ARIZONA PRESS, TUCSON, PP. 166-75.

Reference (Deposit): PETERS, W C, ET AL, 1966, GEOLOGY OF THE BINGHAM PROPHYRY COPPER DEPOSITS, UTAH IN TITLEY AND HICKS (EDS), GEOLOGY OF THE PORPHYRY COPPER DEPOSITS OF SOUTHWESTERN NORTH AMERICA, U. OF ARIZONA PRESS, TUCSON, PP. 166-75.

Reference (Deposit): COOK, D R (ED.), 1961, GEOLOGY OF THE BINGHAM MINING DIST. NORTHERN OQUIRRH MTNS,UTAH, GEOL.SOC.GUIDBOOK,NO.16,P49-71

Reference (Deposit): BRAY, R E, AND JOHN C WILSON, (EDS), 1975, GUIDEBOOK TO THE BINGHAM MINING DIST, SOC. OF ECON. GEOL., 156 PP.

Reference (Deposit): BOUTWELL, J M, 1905, ECONOMIC GEOLOGY OF THE BINGHAM MINING DISTRICT, UTAH, USGS PROF. PAPER 38, 413 PP.

Reference (Deposit): BIBLIOGRAPHY - BOOKS AND SPECIAL PUBLICATIONS

Reference (Deposit): SKILLINGS MINING REVIEW, V.56, NO.33, PP.26-7.

Reference (Deposit): MINING RECORD, KENNECOTT ANNOUNCES PLANS TO EXPAND ITS UTAH COPPER OPERATION, 2/7/90, P.5.

Reference (Deposit): MINING MAGAZINE, KENNECOTT TO EXPAND UTAH COPPER OPERATION, 2/90, P.88.

Reference (Deposit): SKILLINGS', KENNECOTT TO FURTHER EXPAND AT UTAH COPPER,1/13/90, P.8.

Reference (Deposit): MINING JOURNAL, KENNECOTT EXPANSION, 1/12/90, P.37.

Reference (Reserve-Resource): RESERVES

Reference (Production): FACT BOOK 1997, THE RTZ CORP. PLC CRA LIMITED, P30.

Reference (Deposit): SKILLINGS, D.N., KENNECOTT NOW OPERATING FOURTH GRINDING LINE AT COPPERTON CONCENTRATOR, 4/18/92, P.4-7.

Reference (Deposit): DETAILING BINGHAM CANYON RESERVES REPORTED IN RTZ CORP. 1991 FORM 20-F REPORT.

Reference (Deposit): UTAH COPPER DIV. USE OF PRECIPITATION CONES, AUG.19, 1967,

Reference (Deposit): STEMMING MACHINE SAVES KENNECOTT TIME AND MONEY IN BLASTING OPERATIONS. MIN. ENGR. MAG., DEC., 1976, P. 12.

Reference (Deposit): LARGE TRUCK ENGINES, JUNE,1970, MIN.CON.J., V.56,N.5,PP.22-5

Reference (Deposit): NEWMAN, ELMER C., & WILLIAM I. BUSENBARK. BINGHAM CANYON SWITCHES TO BULK GREASE HANDLING. MIN. ENGR., SEPT.,1977 P. 33-5.

Reference (Deposit): KENNECOTT STARTS UP TAILING TREATMENT PLANTS, JULY 17, 1971 SKILLINGS MIN. REV., V. 60, N 29, P. 14.

Reference (Deposit): KENNECOTT COPPER, $100 MILLION EXPANSION AT UTAH COPPER DIV.FEB.4, 1967, SKILLINGS MINING REVIEW,V.56,N.5,P.1,4-5,22-5

Reference (Deposit): KENNECOTT GIVEN PATENT FOR PROCESS UPPING COPPER EXTRACTION FROM DUMPS, JULY 11, 1967, AM. METAL MKT., P.1.

Reference (Deposit): HAZARDOUS WASTE CONSULTANT, CASE: STATE OF UTAH V. KENNECOTT CORPORATION, MARCH/APRIL, 1993, P.3.12.

Reference (Deposit): ROCKY MOUNTAIN PAY DIRT, KENNECOTT, EPA AND STATE REACH AGREEMENT ON CLEANUP PLAN, 5/92, P.28A.

Reference (Deposit): KCC NOW IN FINAL PHASE OF UTAH EXPANSION PROGRAM, 1967, ENG. AND MIN. J., VOL. 168, NO. 6, PP. 142-44.

Reference (Deposit): STEVENSON, T.A., LETTER TO JANICE JOLLEY DATED JUNE 19, 1992

Reference (Deposit): KENNECOTT HAS 18,589,000 TONS OF COPPER IN PROVEN ORE, 1971 WORLD MIN., V. 7, NO. 6, P. 48.

Reference (Deposit): MULLON, DAVID A. JR., SNUGGLING WITH THE ENEMY, CLEMENTINE,WINTER, 1991, P.7.

Reference (Deposit): GOLDBERG, GARY J. AND REAM, BRUCE P., TOTAL STATION SURVEYING AT BINGHAM CANYON, MINING ENGINEERING, 4/90, P.339,340

Reference (General): mining-technology.com is a product of SPG Media Limited Copyright 2009 SPG Media Limited, a subsidiary of SPG Media Group PLC

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