In Arizona, copper mining has been a major industry since the 19th century. In 2007, Arizona was the leading copper-producing state in the country, producing 750 thousand metric tons of copper, valued at $5.54 billion. Arizona's copper production was 60% of the total for the United States.

Mined mineral resources in Arizona (Fig. 1) range from metals, chiefly copper with minor production of gold, silver, iron ore, lead and zinc (Fig. 2), to a broad suite of industrial minerals dominated by aggregate (sand, gravel, and building stones) complemented by cement and lime, flagstone, gemstone, cinders, and gypsum, among other mineral ...

Tour of Arizona's Copper Mines. In 2020 these 9 active copper mines here in Arizona produced 74% of all the copper mined in the United States. That was 888,000 metric tons of copper (over 1.9 billion pounds!) valued at over $5.5 billion.

Arizona has nine active copper mines, which together account for 68% of the country’s copper output. Anything with an on/off switch uses copper. Arizona copper mines also produce the economically important trace metals rhenium and molybdenum, which are primarily used in steel and other alloys.

In 2007, Arizona's copper mines produced more than 750,000 tons of copper with a value of 5.5 billion dollars. Most of the copper mined in Arizona stems from porphyry-copper deposits, which are associated with intrusive igneous rocks similar to granite.

Copper Mining on Tribal Lands in Arizona. Twenty-one federally-recognized tribes own lands that cover 19.7 million of Arizona’s 72.9 million acres, or 27% of the state. Currently, there is only one active copper mine on designated tribal lands in Arizona, the Mission Mine (see Case Study #1).

By far most of the copper produced in Arizona is found combined with sulphur, or iron and sulphur, and is a grayish black mineral appearing in little specks or veinlets in the rock of the earth's crust. The copper ore mined in the large mines of Arizona looks for all the world like ordinary rock that you would pick

Discover the minerals and mines of Arizona from the comfort of your couch! In 2020, 9 active copper mines here in Arizona produced 74% of all the copper mined in the United States. That was 888,000 metric tons of copper (over 1.9 billion pounds!) valued at over $5.5 billion.

In 2017, Arizona provided 68% of domestic copper production in the U.S. Arizona has two major types of copper deposits: Porphyry Copper in southern and central Arizona; and, the Volcanogenic Massive Sulfide Copper of the United Verde Mine in Jerome of central Arizona.

The Morenci Mine is a large copper mine located near Morenci, Arizona, United States. Morenci represents one of the largest copper reserves in the United States and in the world, having estimated reserves of 3.2 billion tonnes (3.5 × 10 9 short tons) of ore grading 0.16% copper.