# Kennecott Bingham Canyon Mine

**Type:** work
**Status:** Draft
**Confidence:** High
**Focus:** mining, copper, mass-mining, industrial engineering, extractive industry
**Era:** 1906–present
**Location:** Bingham Canyon (Copperton), UT
**Updated:** 2026-06-25
**Pull:** *The largest open-pit mine ever excavated proved that low-grade porphyry copper could be mass-mined at world scale, supplying a significant fraction of U.S. copper demand through two World Wars and beyond.*
**Relates:** cites [Kennecott Utah Copper — History](kennecott-utah-copper-history.md)

## Summary

The Bingham Canyon Mine is the largest open-pit copper mine in the world by volume excavated — roughly 1.2 km deep and 4 km wide, visible from space. Operated by Kennecott Utah Copper (a subsidiary of Rio Tinto), it has produced more copper than any other mine in history: over 19 million tons since large-scale open-pit operations began in 1906. Gold, silver, and molybdenum are significant byproducts. The pit itself is designated a National Historic Landmark — the only mine so honored.

Mining engineer Daniel Jackling pioneered the mass-mining approach at Bingham Canyon starting in 1904. He recognized that the low-grade porphyry ore (roughly 0.3–0.5% copper) was uneconomic unless processed in enormous volumes cheaply, and introduced drill-blast-haul techniques at a scale the industry had not previously seen. His methods were exported to mines worldwide and became the foundation of modern large-scale open-pit mining.

The mine continues to operate today. Rio Tinto has invested in extending its life to 2032 and beyond. A 2013 landslide — one of the largest non-volcanic landslides in recorded history — destroyed much of the infrastructure but operations resumed, producing a notable case study in mine recovery engineering.

## Impact

Copper is foundational infrastructure: electrical wiring, plumbing, motors, and now EV powertrains and grid cables. Bingham Canyon's scale drove down copper prices in the early twentieth century and supplied a significant fraction of U.S. copper demand through both World Wars and into the postwar industrial expansion. The open-pit mass-mining template developed here became the standard approach for large copper, gold, and iron mines globally — the same techniques now dominate the industry worldwide.

## What Was Created

Jackling and his colleagues developed and industrialized mass-mining: drill-blast-haul at scale, concentrator technology capable of handling low-grade ore, and the logistics to move millions of tons of rock economically. The technical achievement was not just building a larger mine but proving that ore too dilute for conventional methods could support enormous industrial throughput.

The National Historic Landmark designation reflects this global influence on mining practice, not merely regional historical significance.

## Utah Context

The mine sits in a canyon in the Oquirrh Mountains 25 miles southwest of Salt Lake City. Utah's mineral wealth anchored Bingham Canyon's long operation, and the mine's economic relationship with the Wasatch Front shaped the region's industrial character throughout the twentieth century. The site's environmental footprint — tailings ponds, groundwater contamination, air quality concerns — has been a persistent presence in Utah's environmental history and continues to generate remediation costs.

## Evidence

- [Kennecott Utah Copper — History](https://www.kennecott.com/history) — [source record](kennecott-utah-copper-history.md)
- [USGS: Bingham Canyon Mine fact sheet](https://pubs.usgs.gov)
- Hyde, *Copper for America* (1998) — industry history

## Open Questions

- Precise production tonnage figures for the WWII contribution would strengthen the wartime impact claim.
- The 2013 landslide recovery timeline and lessons learned merit a separate source record if this page expands.
- Environmental remediation scope and cost are worth documenting more precisely.