TOP 10

By TJBlackwell – Own work . Original copy is available in its full resolution at this address ., CC BY 3.0

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Located in Arizona , Morenci is one of the world ’ s largest copper ore producers with an estimated reserve of 3.2bn tonnes of ore containing 0.16 % copper . The mine is majority-owned by Freeport-McMoRan , with Sumitomo owning 28 % across various business units . Since 1939 , the mine has undergone continuous operation with the open-pit operations producing around 102mn kilos of copper ore per year . The mine was initially underground , with a transition to open-pit operations beginning in 1937 . Morenci was a pivotal component of the US ’ s wartime operations , with its production almost doubling during the Second World War . Its two historial smelters have been discontinued and reclaimed , and the second smelter ceased operations in 1984 . A mill expansion project was completed in 2015 , boosting mill capacity to around 115,000 metric tonnes each day . The mine is expected to run until 2044 .

SUMMER / AUTUMN 2020