Molybdenum is a chemical element with the symbol Mo and atomic number 42 which is located in period 5 and group 6. The name is from Neo-Latin molybdaenum, which is based on Ancient Greek Μόλυβδος molybdos, meaning lead, since its ores were confused with lead ores. Molybdenum minerals have been known throughout history, but the element was discovered in 1778 by Carl Wilhelm Scheele. The metal was first isolated in 1781 by Peter Jacob Hjelm.
The Town of Crested Butte is a home rule municipality located in Gunnison County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 1,639 at the 2020 United States Census. The former coal mining town is now called "the last great Colorado ski town". Crested Butte is a destination for skiing, mountain biking, and a variety of other outdoor activities.
Copper mining in the United States has been a major industry since the rise of the northern Michigan copper district in the 1840s. In 2017 the United States produced 1.27 million metric tonnes of copper, worth $8 billion, making it the world's fourth largest copper producer, after Chile, China, and Peru. Copper was produced from 23 mines in the US. Top copper producing states in 2014 were Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, Nevada, and Montana. Minor production also came from Idaho, and Missouri. As of 2014, the US had 45 million tonnes of known remaining reserves of copper, the fifth largest known copper reserves in the world, after Chile, Australia, Peru, and Mexico.
Centerra Gold Inc. is a Canadian mining company that owns and operates the Kumtor Gold Mine in the Kyrgyz Republic, the Mount Milligan copper-gold mine in British Columbia, Canada, and the Öksüt gold mine in Turkey. Through its Thompson Creek Metals subsidiary company, it also own the Endako and Thompson Creek molybdenum mines in British Columbia and Idaho, respectively, though they have been inactive since Centerra's acquisition. The company formerly owned and operated the Boroo Gold Mine in Mongolia. Headquartered in Toronto, Centerra Gold is a public company with shares traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange and New York Stock Exchange.
Tajikistan has rich deposits of gold, silver, and antimony. The largest silver deposits are in Sughd Province, where Tajikistan's largest gold mining operation also is located. Russia's Norilsk nickel company has explored a large new silver deposit at Bolshoy Kanimansur. More than 400 mineral deposits of some 70 different minerals have been discovered in Tajikistan, including strontium, tungsten, molybdenum, bismuth, salt, lead, zinc, fluorspar, and mercury. These minerals have been found suitable for mining. Uranium, an important mineral in the Soviet era, remains in some quantity but is no longer extracted. The Tajikistan Aluminium Company (TALCO), an aluminium smelter, is the country's only large-scale production enterprise in the mining sector. Tajikistan hosts the annual Mining World Tajikistan, an international exhibition on mining in Dushanbe.
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 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.
The Henderson molybdenum mine is a large underground molybdenum mine west of the town of Empire in Clear Creek County, Colorado, USA. The Henderson mine, which has produced molybdenum since 1976, is owned by Freeport-McMoRan.
The Myszków mine is a large mine in the centre of Poland in Myszków, Myszków County, 258 km south-west of the capital, Warsaw. Myszków represents one of the largest copper and silver reserve in Poland having estimated reserves of 1,334 million tonnes of ore grading 0.15% copper and 2.37 g/tonnes silver. The 1.334 billion tonnes of ore contains 2 million tonnes of copper metal and around 3,200 tonnes of silver but the deposit also grades 0.07% molybdenum that contains 934,000 tonnes of molybdenum metal and 0.05% tungsten that contains 667,000 tonnes of tungsten metal.
The Munka mine is one of the largest molybdenum mines in Sweden. The mine is located in Rappen geological district of the Arjeplog Municipality in northern Sweden. It is currently owned by Beowulf Mining and has reserves amounting to 1.7 million tonnes of molybdenum ore grading 0.156% molybdenum thus resulting 2,652 tonnes of molybdenum. All exploration work at the mine has been carried out by the Geological Survey of Sweden (SGU).
Thompson Creek Metals Company Inc. was a full cycle mining company with acquisition, exploration, development, and operation in North America. The corporate office was located in Denver, Colorado. The company primarily produced copper, gold, and molybdenum. Over its history, the Company evolved from being a major primary molybdenum producer to becoming a copper and gold mining company with the construction and development of the Mount Milligan mine and concentrator in British Columbia, Canada. Mount Milligan was Thompson Creek Metals principal operation and the company owned 100% of this property. The company also owned 100% of its Thompson Creek Mine in Idaho. Thompson Creek Metals owned 75% joint venture interest in two other properties, including its Endako Mine in British Columbia, and its Langeloth Metallurgical Facility (roaster) in Pennsylvania. Thompson Creek Metals had additional development projects, including the Berg property in British Columbia.
The Bruno Creek Tailings Impoundment is a tailings dam on Bruno Creek, 19 mi (31 km) southwest of Challis in Custer County, Idaho. It serves to store tailings for the nearby Thompson Creek Mine. At 550 ft (168 m) tall, it is the second tallest center-line tailings dam in the world. In 2008, Phase 8 of the mine was approved which includes a raising of the dam to 750 ft (229 m). The dam is mainly composed of cycloned sand. Currently, the dam stores 100,000,000 t of tailings and the raise would increase storage to 125,000,000 t. The downstream slope of the dam will be steepened from 3:1 to 2.75:1. In 1994, it was discovered that acid mine drainage had been forming on the embankment since 1987. Since seepage does occur at the dam, a system of wells was installed to monitor groundwater and a seepage return dam was constructed downstream.
The Surdulica mine is one of the largest molybdenum mines in Serbia. The mine is located near Surdulica in south Serbia in Pčinja District. The Surdulica mine has reserves amounting to 125 million tonnes of molybdenum ore grading 0.05% molybdenum thus resulting 62,500 tonnes of molybdenum.
The Mačkatica mine is one of the largest molybdenum mines in Serbia. The mine is located near Mačkatica in south Serbia in Pčinja District. The Mačkatica mine has reserves amounting to 181 million tonnes of molybdenum ore grading 0.07% molybdenum thus resulting 126,000 tonnes of molybdenum.
The Lobash mine is one of the largest molybdenum mines in Russia. The mine is located in north-west Russia in Republic of Karelia. The Lobash mine has reserves amounting to 128.1 million tonnes of molybdenum ore grading 0.14% molybdenum thus resulting 132,000 tonnes of molybdenum. A-Z Gaming
The Yangjiazhangzi mine is one of the largest molybdenum mines in China. The mine is located in north-east China in Liaoning. The Metrekskoye mine has reserves amounting to 22.8 million tonnes of molybdenum ore grading 0.15% molybdenum thus resulting 32,145 tonnes of molybdenum.
The Ajax mine is one of the largest molybdenum mines in Canada. The mine is located in western Canada in British Columbia. The Ajax mine has reserves amounting to 552.1 million tonnes of molybdenum ore grading 0.061% molybdenum, thus resulting in 337,000 tonnes of molybdenum.
The Sierrita Mine is a large copper mine located in the Sierrita Mountains of Arizona, in the southwestern part of the United States. The mine is located in southern Pima County, southwest of Tucson and west of Green Valley-Sahuarita.
The Lucky Jack mine is one of the largest molybdenum deposits in the United States. The mine is located West of Crested Butte, Colorado in Gunnison County, Colorado. The Molybrook mine has reserves amounting to 220 million tonnes of molybdenum ore grading 0.37% molybdenum thus resulting 814,000 tonnes of molybdenum.
The Endako mine is one of the largest molybdenum mines in North America. The mine is located near Fraser Lake, British Columbia, Canada. The Endako mine has reserves amounting to 448.4 million tonnes of molybdenum ore grading 0.033% molybdenum thus resulting 148,000 tonnes of molybdenum.
Molybdenum mining in the United States produced 65,500 metric tons of molybdenum in 2014, worth US$1.8 billion. The US was the world's second-largest molybdenum producer, after China, and provided 25% of the world's supply of molybdenum.
