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List of copper mines in the United States

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Mines producing copper in the US in 2003. (Alaska and Hawaii produced no copper in 2003.) Source: USGS

The following lists of copper mines in the United States:

Leading copper-producing mines

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Leading copper-producing mines in the U.S., 2018–2021, in order of output:[1] The mines on this list account for more than 99% of U.S. mine copper production.

Rank Mine County and State Owner Source of copper Annual production (thousand tonnes)
1 Morenci Greenlee County, Arizona
33°05′26″N 109°22′00″W / 33.09056°N 109.36667°W / 33.09056; -109.36667 		Freeport-McMoRan (72%), Sumitomo Group (28%) Open pit, copper-molybdenum ore, producing copper cathode, copper and molybdenum concentrates 286 (2021)[2]
2 Bingham Canyon Salt Lake County, Utah
40°31′23″N 112°09′04″W / 40.523°N 112.151°W / 40.523; -112.151 		Rio Tinto Open pit copper-molybdenum ore, producing copper cathode, molybdenum concentrate, gold, silver, sulfuric acid 202 (2021)[3]
3 Safford Graham County, Arizona
32°56′50″N 109°39′03″W / 32.9472°N 109.6509°W / 32.9472; -109.6509 		Freeport-McMoRan Copper ore, leached 120 (2021)[2]
4 Sierrita Pima County, Arizona
31°52′26″N 111°08′02″W / 31.87389°N 111.13389°W / 31.87389; -111.13389 		Freeport-McMoRan Copper-molybdenum ore, concentrated and leached 86 (2021)[2]
5 Bagdad Yavapai County, Arizona
34°35′05″N 113°12′43″W / 34.58472°N 113.21194°W / 34.58472; -113.21194 		Freeport-McMoRan Copper-molybdenum ore, concentrated and leached 83 (2021)[2]
6 El Chino Grant County, New Mexico
32°47′30″N 108°04′02″W / 32.7917425°N 108.0672635°W / 32.7917425; -108.0672635 		Freeport-McMoRan Copper-molybdenum ore, concentrated and leached 56 (2021)[2]
7 Pinto Valley Gila County, Arizona
33°25′55″N 110°57′27″W / 33.43194°N 110.95750°W / 33.43194; -110.95750 		Capstone Mining Corp. Copper-molybdenum ore, concentrated and leached 54 (2020)[4]
8 Ray Pinal County, Arizona
33°08′58″N 110°59′14″W / 33.14944°N 110.98722°W / 33.14944; -110.98722 		Grupo México Copper ore, concentrated and leached 56 (2018)[5]
9 Robinson White Pine County, Nevada
39°15′33″N 114°58′24″W / 39.25917°N 114.97333°W / 39.25917; -114.97333 		KGHM Polska Miedź Copper-gold-molybdenum ore, open pit, concentrate products 51 (2018)[6]
10 Mission Complex Pima County, Arizona Grupo México Copper-molybdenum ore, concentrated 44 (2018)[5]
11 Continental Pit Silver Bow County, Montana Montana Resources LLP Copper-molybdenum ore, concentrated 33 (2015)[7]
12 Tyrone Grant County, New Mexico Freeport-McMoRan Copper ore, leached 55 (2021)[2]
13 Silver Bell Pima County, Arizona Grupo México Copper ore, leached 19 (2018)[5]
14 Eagle Mine Marquette County, Michigan
46°44′47″N 87°52′50″W / 46.74639°N 87.88056°W / 46.74639; -87.88056 		Lundin Mining Underground mine producing nickel and copper concentrates 18 (2018)[8]
15 Phoenix Lander County, Nevada Newmont Mining Corporation Gold-copper ore, concentrated and leached 16 (2018)[6]
16 Lisbon Valley San Juan County, Utah Lisbon Valley Mining Company Copper ore, open pit, heap leached 10–15 (2018)[9]
17 Miami Gila County, Arizona Freeport-McMoRan Copper ore, leached 5 (2021)[2]
18 Carlota Gila County, Arizona KGHM Polska Miedź Porphyry copper open pit, producing copper cathode 3.2 (2018)[10]
19 Pumpkin Hollow
(see Anaconda) 		Lyon County, Nevada Nevada Copper IOCG skarn, underground, producing copper concentrate - (2019)[11]

Copper-mining projects not yet in production

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Mine County (Borough) and State Operator Type of Deposit Status
Pebble Lake and Peninsula Borough, Alaska
59°53′50″N 155°17′43″W / 59.89722°N 155.29528°W / 59.89722; -155.29528 		Northern Dynasty Minerals Porphyry copper-gold-molybdenum Pre-feasibility[12]
Rosemont Pima County, Arizona
31°51′05″N 110°45′26″W / 31.85139°N 110.75722°W / 31.85139; -110.75722 		Hudbay Minerals Porphyry skarn Permitting[13]
Resolution Pinal County, Arizona
33°18′11″N 111°06′00″W / 33.3031115°N 111.1001195°W / 33.3031115; -111.1001195 		Rio Tinto 55%, BHP 45% Porphyry copper deposit beneath the inactive Magma Mine Permitted[14]
Back Forty Mine Menominee County, Michigan
Gold Resource Corp. Volcanogenic massive sulfide
Northmet St. Louis County, Minnesota Polymet Mining Copper-nickel-PGM deposit in disseminated and massive sulfides in layered mafic intrusion All state and federal permits issued for an open pit mine[15]
Black Butte Meagher County, Montana Sandfire Resources America SEDEX copper-cobalt-silver Permitting[16]

Inactive or defunct copper mines

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There are hundreds of inactive or defunct copper mines in the United States. The list below includes only those with Wikipedia articles.

Mine County and State Operator Type of Deposit Status
New Cornelia Ajo, Pima County, Arizona Phelps Dodge Porphyry copper Inactive since 1983
Copper Queen Bisbee, Cochise County, Arizona Phelps Dodge Manto (replacement) in limestone Mining stopped in 1975; now open for tours
Lavender Pit Bisbee, Cochise County, Arizona Phelps Dodge Porphyry copper Closed in 1974
United Verde Mine Jerome, Yavapai County, Arizona Phelps Dodge Closed in 1953
Iron Mountain Shasta County, California Volcanogenic massive sulfide Operated 1860s to 1963; now a superfund site
Minesota Ontonagon County, Michigan Native copper Mined from 1848 to 1870
Nonesuch Ontonagon County, Michigan Native copper Closed since 1912
Quincy Hancock, Houghton County, Michigan Quincy Mining Co. Strataform native copper Closed since 1945. Now part of Keweenaw National Historical Park
Cliff Keweenaw County, Michigan Pittsburgh & Boston Mining Co. Vein native copper Productive 1845 to 1887
Victoria Mine Victoria, Ontonagon County, Michigan Victoria Copper Mining Company Closed in 1921
C&H Calumet, Houghton County, Michigan C&H Mining Co. Native Copper Closed in the late 1960s
Anaconda Butte, Silver Bow County, Montana Anaconda Copper Closed since 1947
Berkeley Pit Butte, Silver Bow County, Montana Anaconda Copper Porphyry copper Closed in 1982; now a superfund site and tourist attraction
Troy Mine Troy, Lincoln County, Montana Revett Minerals, Hecla Mining Closed 2015; active between 1981 and 1983, and 2005–2015
Yerington - Anaconda Lyon County, Nevada Anaconda Copper Closed since 1978
Pahaquarry Warren County, New Jersey Closed since 1928
Schuyler Bergen County, New Jersey Closed since 1901
Burra Burra Ducktown, Polk County, Tennessee Tennessee Chemical Company Volcanogenic massive sulfide Closed in 1987; now part of a state-owned historical site
Elizabeth Orange County, Vermont Volcanogenic massive sulfide Open 1809–1957; now a federal superfund site
Tubal Cain Washington Tubal-Cain Copper & Manganese Mining Co. Operated 1902–1906
Flambeau Mine Ladysmith, Wisconsin Kennecott Minerals Copper, gold, and silver Operated 1993-1997

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Brininstool, Mark and Flanagan, Daniel M. 2015 Minerals Yearbook: Copper - U.S. Geological Survey - U.S. Department of the Interior - October 2017 - (Adobe Acrobat *.PDF document)
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "Freeport-McMoRan 2021 Form 10-K". Freeport-McMoRan Inc. Phoenix, AZ. 15 February 2022. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
  3. ^ "2021 Annual Report" (PDF). Rio Tinto. Melbourne. p. 56. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
  4. ^ "Capstone Mining Corp. 2020 Annual Report" (PDF). Capstone Mining. p. 15. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
  5. ^ a b c "Informe Anual 2018" (PDF). Grupo México (in Spanish). Mexico City. 31 March 2019. p. 166. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
  6. ^ a b Perry, Rick; Visher, Mike (2019). "Major Mines of Nevada 2018" (pdf). Nevada Division of Minerals. Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
  7. ^ "Reporter's notebook: Visiting depths of Butte's Continental Pit". Montana Standard. Butte, Montana. 31 May 2015. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
  8. ^ "Eagle". Lundin Mining. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
  9. ^ "Operations Overview". Lisbon Valley Mining Company. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
  10. ^ "The Management Board's Report on the activities of KGHM Polska Miedź S.A. and of the KGHM Polska Miedź S.A. Group in 2018" (PDF). Lubin, Poland: KGMH Polska Miedź. March 2019. p. 13. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
  11. ^ Schmidt, Donna (6 January 2020). "Pumpkin Hollow carving begins". Mining Magazine. London. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
  12. ^ "Condensed consolidated interim financial statements for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019 and 2018" (PDF). Vancouver, BC: Northern Dynasty Minerals. 2019. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
  13. ^ "Hudbay Announces Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2019 Results and Provides Annual Guidance" (PDF). Toronto, Canada: Hudbay Minerals. 20 February 2020. p. 15. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
  14. ^ Klemetti, Erik (13 August 2019). "North America is About to Get Its Largest Copper Mine". Discover Magazine. Waukesha, Wisconsin. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
  15. ^ Black, Zachary J. (6 March 2018). "NorthMet Project - Form NI 43-101F1 Technical Report" (PDF). Polymet Mining, Inc. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
  16. ^ Thompson, Brad (29 January 2020). "Sandfire anxiously awaits news on US copper project". Australian Financial Review. Sydney. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
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