Minera Escondida is a mining company that operates two open pit copper mines in the Atacama Desert, 170 km southeast of Antofagasta in northern Chile. It is currently the highest producing copper mine in the world. Its 2007 production of 1.483 million tons of the metal was worth US$10.12 billion, mainly as metal in concentrate, but some as cathode, and was 9.5% of world output and 26% of Chilean production, according to the US Geological Survey's preliminary estimates of 2007 world mine output.
Chuquicamata is the largest open pit copper mine in terms of excavated volume in the world. It is located in the north of Chile, just outside Calama, at 2,850 m (9,350 ft) above sea level. It is 215 km (134 mi) northeast of Antofagasta and 1,240 km (770 mi) north of the capital, Santiago. Flotation and smelting facilities were installed in 1952, and expansion of the refining facilities in 1968 made 500,000 tons annual copper production possible in the late 1970s. Previously part of Anaconda Copper, the mine is now owned and operated by Codelco, a Chilean state enterprise, since the Chilean nationalization of copper in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Its depth of 850 metres (2,790 ft) makes it the second deepest open-pit mine in the world, after Bingham Canyon Mine in Utah, United States.
Codelco is a Chilean state-owned copper mining company. It was formed in 1976 from foreign-owned copper companies that were nationalised in 1971.
Kennecott Utah Copper LLC (KUC), a division of Rio Tinto Group, is a mining, smelting, and refining company. Its corporate headquarters are located in South Jordan, Utah. Kennecott operates the Bingham Canyon Mine, one of the largest open-pit copper mines in the world in Bingham Canyon, Salt Lake County, Utah. The company was first formed in 1898 as the Boston Consolidated Mining Company. The current corporation was formed in 1989. The mine and associated smelter produce 1% of the world's copper.
Antofagasta plc is a Chilean multinational. It is one of the most important conglomerates of Chile with equity participation in Antofagasta Minerals, the railroad from Antofagasta to Bolivia, Twin Metals in Minnesota and other exploration joint ventures in different parts from the world. Antofagasta is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.
Mining in Iran is still under development, yet the country is one of the most important mineral producers in the world, ranked among 15 major mineral-rich countries, holding some 68 types of minerals, 37 billion tonnes of proven reserves and more than 57 billion tonnes of potential reserves worth $770 billion in 2014. Mineral production contributes only 0.6 percent to the country's GDP. Add other mining-related industries and this figure increases to just four percent (2005). Many factors have contributed to this, namely lack of suitable infrastructure, legal barriers, exploration difficulties, and government control.
Mining in the United Kingdom produces a wide variety of fossil fuels, metals, and industrial minerals due to its complex geology. In 2013, there were over 2,000 active mines, quarries, and offshore drilling sites on the continental land mass of the United Kingdom producing £34bn of minerals and employing 36,000 people.
The Bagdad Mine is a large copper mine located in Arizona, in the southwestern part of the United States. Bagdad represents one of the largest copper reserves in the United States and in the world, having estimated reserves of 873.6 million tonnes of ore grading 0.36% copper. It is located in Yavapai County, Arizona, just west of the company town of Bagdad. It is currently owned by Freeport-McMoRan. Copper is produced from chalcopyrite and molybdenum from molybdenite. Copper oxides include chrysocolla, malachite and azurite. The mine's concentrator has a capacity of 75,000 metric tons per day using stockpile leaching, with pressure leaching for molybdenum.
Ivanhoe Mines is a Canadian mining company focused on advancing its three principal projects in Southern Africa: the development of new mines at the Kamoa-Kakula copper discoveries in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the Platreef palladium-platinum-nickel-copper-rhodium-gold discovery in South Africa, and the extensive redevelopment and upgrading of the historic Kipushi zinc-copper-germanium-silver mine, also in the DRC. Ivanhoe also is exploring for new copper discoveries on its wholly owned Western Foreland exploration licences in the DRC, near the Kamoa-Kakula Project.
Los Pelambres mine is a copper mine located in the north-central of Chile in Coquimbo Region. It is one of the largest copper reserves in the world, having estimated reserves of 4.9 billion tonnes of ore grading 0.65% copper.
The Esperanza mine is a large copper mine located in the central-northern of Chile in Coquimbo Region. Esperanza represents one of the largest copper reserve in Chile and in the world having estimated reserves of 1.61 billion tonnes of ore grading 0.39% copper.
The El Morro mine is one of the largest gold mines in Chile and in the world. The mine is located in the north of the country in the Atacama Region. The mine has estimated reserves of 6.7 million oz of gold. The mine also holds reserves amounting to 449.5 million tonnes of ore grading 0.49% copper.
The Majdanpek mine is a large copper mine located in the east of Serbia in Bor District. Majdanpek represents one of the largest porphyry copper reserves in Serbia and in the world having estimated reserves of 619.5 million tonnes of ore grading 0.33% copper. The mine also has gold reserves amounting to 7.68 million oz and silver reserves of 56 million oz.
The Dumitru Potok mine is a large copper mine located in the east of Serbia in Bor District. Dumitru Potok represents one of the largest copper reserve in Serbia and in the world having estimated reserves of 790 million tonnes of ore grading 0.2% copper.
The Agua Rica mine is a large copper mine located in northwest Argentina, in Catamarca Province. Agua Rica represents one of the largest copper reserve in Argentina and in the world having estimated reserves of 384.9 million tonnes of ore grading 0.56% copper and 0.033% molybdenum.
The Mantoverde mine is a large copper mine located in northern Chile in the Atacama Region. Mantoverde represents one of the largest copper reserves in Chile and in the world having estimated reserves of 580 million tonnes of ore grading 0.5% copper. In February 2020, Mitsubishi Materials Corp stated that it bought a stake worth 30% in the company for $236 million.
The Mantos Blancos mine is a large copper mine located in northern Chile in Antofagasta Region. Mantos Blancos represents one of the largest copper reserves in Chile and in the world having estimated reserves of 500 million tonnes of ore grading 1% copper.
The Los Bronces mine is a large copper mine located in central Chile, on the border of the Santiago Metropolitan Region and the Valparaíso Region with a height above sea level from 3000 to 4200 its approximate limit. Los Bronces represents one of the largest copper reserves in Chile and in the world having estimated reserves of 3.13 billion tonnes of ore grading 0.32% copper.
The Inca de Oro mine is a large copper mine located in northern Chile in Atacama Region. Inca de Oro represents one of the largest copper reserves in Chile and in the world having estimated reserves of 769.7 million tonnes of ore grading 0.36% copper.
