Bingham Canyon, Utah

Steven Dutch, Professor Emeritus, Natural and Applied Sciences, Universityof Wisconsin - Green Bay

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1987

	En route to the mine, approaching the waste pile.
	In 1987, the road to the overlook ran up a valley north of the main waste pile.
	That upper terrace with the poles is about where the road runs as of 2005.
	Left and below: views of the pit. In 1987 they were still using rail to transport materials.

1999

By 1999 the road to the overlook had been rerouted well to the south and up the tailings pile. The valley where the road used to run was partly filled in.

	Views of the pit. The north wall has been squared off since 1987.
	Left: The earthmover tire Below: Views of the Salt Lake Valley.

2005

	The Kennecott smelter on the shores of Great Salt Lake.
	Lake Bonneville shorelines near the smelter.
	Closer view of the smelter.
	Pipeline to the tailings disposal area.
	Left of the highway is the tailings disposal area, rimmed by a high dike.
	Salt Lake Valley from the highway to the mine.
	Left and below: views of the waste pile.
	Left and below: the road to the overlook now climbs around the waste pile.
	Left and below: Salt Lake Valley and the Wasatch Range.
	Left and below: the pit in 2005.
	The tire is still there. They never get tired of it.
	Left and below: outcrops behind the visitor area.
	The large structure is the crusher. From here, ore runs two miles by conveyor belt through a tunnel to the concentrator (shown below.)
	Oops! That green stain means somebody slipped up. Copper is weathering out of the waste pile, which means it didn't get completely separated. The general absence of green stain on the waste pile is testimony to how thoroughly the copper gets extracted.

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Created 17 November 2005, Last Update 06 June 2020