In the history of mankind, the stone age was replaced by the copper one, and man made tools and weapons from this metal, without forgetting about stone and bone. The chemical element got its name in honor of the island of Cyprus, where there was a large center for the extraction and processing of copper. Today, our focus is on the largest copper deposits in the world.
1
Chukikamata. Chile
At one of the world's oldest and largest deposits, copper mining began in 1915, and a quarry is located at an altitude of 2,840 m in the central part of the Andes.
By the volume of ore mined, he lost the palm of Escondid, but remains one of the largest in size. The quarry is 4.3 km long and 3 km wide. At the same time, work is already underway at a depth of over 850 m.
At the turn of the 60-70s of the last century, the Chilean company CODELCO began to develop ore. It should be noted that the company’s employees conduct not only production, but also active intelligence research to find new deposits.
2
Escondida. Chile
Large deposits of copper ore were discovered on the northern edge of the Atacama desert in the second half of the twentieth century at an altitude of more than 3 thousand meters above sea level.
For several years, they developed the project, and in 1990 in this part of Chile, copper was mined open-pit. By 2011, this quarry has become the largest of all world deposits.
2007 was a record year when 1.5 million copper was extracted from the bowels of the earth. The deposit consists of two huge quarries, and more than 6,000 people are employed in the extraction and transportation of valuable metal.
3
Bingham Canyon. USA
The giant deposit, where starting in 1863, open-pit copper mining has been conducted. It is the deepest copper quarry with a depth of 1,200 m.
The size of the anthropogenic formation is truly amazing. It covers an area of 7.7 km2 and its width is 4 km. According to the estimates of geologists, ores with copper content will be enough for many more decades, because the reserves are estimated at 640 million tons.
450 thousand tons of rock are recovered daily to the surface, and 1,400 workers work on the extraction. In 2013, a landslide descended in his career, which suspended work for several months.
4
Kivino. USA
The mine is located on the peninsula of the same state in Michigan, and the first work began here back in 1854.
Over the entire history of operation, 5 million tons of copper have been extracted from the bowels of the earth. Extraction is carried out at several quarries, and the deposit itself is spread off the shores of the lake.
It is noteworthy that copper was also mined here by the Indian tribes Dakota and Hurons, who became the discoverers of this mine.
5
Grasberg. Indonesia
A large mine in terms of precious metal production takes third place, and it is also the highest quarry located on Mount Jai.
The mining and processing of rocks employs 20 thousand workers, and copper reserves, according to geologists, amount to 27 million tons. Annual production averages 600 tons of copper, and the giant quarry has become a kind of landmark and a symbol of the mining industry.
It is worth mentioning that the mine is developing both gold-bearing ores and the Indonesian quarry among world leaders in terms of gold production.
6
Kollahuasi. Chile
A large copper mine in northern Chile is being developed by several global companies. 44% are owned by Chilean and Canadian companies, and a small part is managed by the Japanese company Mitsui.
Copper reserves are estimated at 17 million tons, and development is carried out at several quarries. In 2004, a new quarry of Rosario was launched, which allowed to increase the extraction of copper ore to 400 thousand tons of mine copper.
Also, development continues on the career of Eugene, and ore reserves will last for another 50 years.
7
Anniversary. Russia
Copper mining began at Yubileiny in 1996, and, considering copper deposits in Russia, it is one of the largest. It was discovered back in 1966.
Geologists who discovered and explored this area in the Republic of Bashkortostan were awarded State Prizes. By the size of the quarry, it is one of the largest in the vastness of the Russian Federation, and in terms of production it is located in 4th place.
It is interesting that on Oktyabrsky there are also gold-bearing ores, but not in such a large quantity as ores with copper content are represented.
8
Udokan. Russia
The Udokan deposit, located on the mountain ridge of the same name in the Trans-Baikal Territory, in terms of copper reserves of 24.6 million tons, was honorably placed in third place in the world.
Copper on Udokan was discovered in 1949 during a forest exploration expedition, and the first mining operations began only at the beginning of the XXI century. Today, intelligence work has stopped at a depth of 1,200 m.
The difficulty of mining lies in the fact that copper ore deposits are located in the permafrost belt, and even in the earthquake-prone area of the planet.
9
Antamine. Chile
Another large copper mine located among the peaks of the South American Andes with reserves of approximately 15-17 million tons.
During the development, mining companies began to use new technologies to extract copper ores as little as possible from environmental damage.
Management also pays great attention to ensuring safety, since work is being carried out in a remote mountainous area. The copper ore mined in the Antamina mine is sent for processing both to national plants and to concerns located in other countries.
10
El Tesoro. Chile
The Chilean field was discovered in 2008, and by April 2009, the development company had completed all geological exploration work.
Reserves are estimated at 32 million tons with a high copper content, so the start of development will bring the Chilean mining industry to a new level.
Exploration work on El Tesoro once again proved that the largest reserves of copper are concentrated in the volcanic rocks of the Andes.
11
Vale Salobu. Brazil
In recent decades, Brazil has become a world leader in copper exports, including due to an increase in ore production at the Val Salobu mines.
The mine is located in the Brazilian state of Para, and the use of the latest technology has significantly increased the production of copper-bearing rocks.
This is the largest mine in the South American state, from which copper is exported to different parts of the world. In recent years, profitable contracts have been concluded with Poland and Ukraine.
12
Nurkazgan. Kazakhstan
The entire periodic table is collected in the bowels of the Kazakh steppes. And one of the largest copper mines in Kazakhstan is located in the north of the country, and is part of a single system of the Nurkazgan mining and processing corporation.
Exploration work has been carried out since the late 90s, and the mine was commissioned in 2006. Mining employs a little more than 700 workers.
Kazakhmys employees, which own the rights to develop and mine gold and copper, estimate Nurkazgan’s copper reserves of 1.8 million tons.
13
Uyu-Tolgoi. Mongolia
The Mongolian mine specializes in the extraction of gold and native copper. Experts consider the mine one of the most promising in terms of the use of new technologies that will increase production volumes.
In 2013, copper mining was suspended due to disagreements between the Mongolian authorities and the Austro-Belgian mining and mining company.
But the corporation "Rio Tinto PLC", which owns most of the shares, presented a new promising project in which it invested more than $ 5 billion.
14
Pebble. USA
In terms of resource potential, gold and copper reserves in Alaska are second only to the Grasberg Indonesian mine.
Exploration work was carried out by the Canadian company Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd, and active development will begin as soon as the preparatory work is completed. Pebble reserves are estimated at 36 million tons.
Canadians have approached the development of deposits thoroughly, and now there is an assessment of productivity and the price of transportation of mined minerals.
15
Shibai. Russia
The quarry located in Bashkiria was opened in 1913, and copper mining began in the 30s of the twentieth century. The first reconnaissance work was carried out in 1915, and already at that time a small smelter began to function nearby.
The largest Novo-Sibaysky site consists of 3 large lenses, interconnected by a common ore column. The depth of the quarry is slightly more than 500 m, and its dimensions are 1.4 km per 1.3 km.
The deposit is considered to be the benchmark for deposits of pyritic ores of the Ural group. In addition to copper, zinc is mined in the mines, and experts estimate that reserves will last for many decades.
By the way, on our site thebiggest.ru there is an informative article about the highest mountains of Bashkortostan.
Finally
Copper is an important material in industrial production, because copper alloys are used in the manufacture of the latest electronic equipment, and are widely used in the electric power industry. Well, to get a copper medal in sports or intellectual competitions is also an honor.