El Chino Mine

El Chino Mine
Chino (or Santa Rita) Mine
Chino copper mine.jpg
Chino mine
Location
Chino Mine is located in New Mexico
Chino Mine
Location in New Mexico

32.7917425°N 108.0672635°W / 32.79174°N 108.06726°W / 32.79174; -108.06726Coordinates: 32.7917425°N 108.0672635°W / 32.79174°N 108.06726°W / 32.79174; -108.06726

Location Santa Rita
State New Mexico
Country United States
Owner
Company Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold
History
Opened 1909

The Chino Mine ("Chino" is Spanish for the "Chinaman"), also known as the Santa Rita mine, is an open-pit copper mine located in the town of Santa Rita, New Mexico 15 miles (24 km) east of Silver City. The mine was started as the Chino Copper Company in 1909 by mining engineer John M. Sully,[1] and is currently owned and operated by Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold subsidiaries. The area where the mine is located is at an average elevation of 5,699 feet (1,737 m).

Native copper from Chino (size: 11.2 x 9.3 x 0.4 cm)

The huge open-pit mine was once the largest in the world, but has been surpassed by Chuquicamata, and is perhaps the oldest mining site still being used in the American southwest. Apaches, Spaniards, Mexicans, and Americans have all obtained native copper and copper ore from this site, once known as the Santa Rita mine, and in the 19th century, a tunnel mine. The present-day open-pit mining operation was begun in 1910. It is the third oldest open pit copper mine in the world after the Bingham Canyon Mine and Chuquicamata.

A mill to process the low-grade copper ore was established in 1911 in nearby Hurley but was replaced by a new (current) Ivanhoe concentrator facility in 1982. Milling operations recently (January 2004) restarted at the Chino Concentrator after a three-year hiatus caused by low copper prices. SX/EW operations started in 1988 and have run continuously since. Reserves of copper ore at Chino are expected to last until 2015.

A smelter in Hurley was commissioned in 1939 and was modernized in 1985 to increase capacity and achieve compliance with the Clean Air Act. In 2005, the smelter was permanently closed.

December 3, 2008, Chino's parent company, Freeport-McMoRan, announced it plans to suspend mining and milling activities at Chino, but will continue reclamation activities and copper production from its SX-EW plant. About 600 people from the current work force of 830 will be laid off beginning about Feb. 13, 2009.

Freeport-McMoRan announced in October 2010 that they would be restarting operations at the mine ramping production up to a planned mining and milling rate by 2013. They are also planning $150 million in refurbishments and new equipment.

References

Notes
  1. ^ Stuckwisch, Michelle., Patricia Padilla, Gretchen Dickey and Ruth Vise. "Mining Became Big Business in Southwest". - El Paso Community College.

External links


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Chino Moreno — en un concierto de Deftones en 2006. Datos generales Nombre real Camilo Wong Moreno …   Wikipedia Español

  • Chino Moreno — Moreno performing with Deftones at Maquinária Festival, São Paulo on November 6, 2009. Background information Birth name Camillo Wong Moreno …   Wikipedia

  • Chino Moreno — en live en 2006. Surnom Chino Moreno Nom Camillo Wong Moreno Naissance …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Mine (matériaux) — Mine (gisement) Pour les articles homonymes, voir Mine. Une mine est un gisement exploité de matériaux (par exemple d or, de charbon, de cuivre, de diamants, de fer, de sel, d uranium, etc.). Elle peut être à ciel ouvert ou souterraine ;… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Chino Moreno — live auf der Bühne im Jahr 2006 Chino Moreno (* 20. Juni 1973 in Sacramento, Kalifornien), eigentlich Camillo Wong Moreno, ist ein seit 1988 aktiver US amerikanischer Musiker. Zu Bekanntheit gelangte er als Frontmann, Sänger und zweiter Gitarrist …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Chino Hills State Park — Coordinates: 33°57′16″N 117°42′07″W / 33.954325°N 117.701855°W / 33.954325; 117.701855 …   Wikipedia

  • Mine (gisement) — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Mine. Une mine est un gisement exploité de matériaux (par exemple d or, de charbon, de cuivre, de diamants, de fer, de sel, d uranium, etc.). Elle peut être à ciel ouvert ou souterraine ; Dans les années… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • 2008 Chino Hills earthquake — 2008 Chino Hills earthquake …   Wikipedia

  • Copper mining in the United States — US primary copper production 1900 2008. Source: USGS …   Wikipedia

  • Open-pit mining — El Chino, located near Silver City, New Mexico, is an open pit copper mine …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”