Open pit Tyrone Copper Mine

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The open pit Tyrone Copper Mine is situated near Silver City, New Mexico, USA.
Silver City was founded as a mining town, and the nearby mining operations of Phelps Dodge are still the basis for the local economy. In 2006, the Chino and Tyrone mines produced 125,400 long tons (127,400 t) of copper. Mine employment was 1,250, with wages and salaries totaling $73 million. However, a Phelps-Dodge spokesman recently remarked that "based on current economic projections, our properties in New Mexico will not be operating in 25 years". Phelps-Dodge was acquired by international mining firm Freeport-McMoRan in March 2007, and operations at the Chino and Tyrone operations are continuing under the Freeport name.

Look at the footprint of this thing!

www.fcx.com/operations/USA_NewMexico_Tyrone.htm

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyrone,_New_Mexico
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver_City,_New_Mexico
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phelps_Dodge_Corporation
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freeport-McMoRan
Hayes, Brian: "Infrastructure: A field Guide to the Industrial Landscape". New York, W.W.Norton, 2005. p.22.
Haggard, C.J., "Reading the landscape: Phelps Dodge's Tyrone, New Mexico, in time and space {mining company town}," Journal of the West. 35:4, 29-39.