The story of the Bingham Canyon Mine continues of the second level of the mine overlook.  Future underground mining will recover ore beneath the northwest corner of the pit (upper right in the photo above).

A guide at the mine overlook explains the history and operation of the Bingham Canyon Mine.

The mining process starts with drilling a pattern of 12-inch diameter and 55-feet deep holes into which 1200 pounds of explosives are placed.

After a blast, the broken ore or waste rock is loaded into haul trucks. The photo shows a P&H 2800 XPC 45 cubic yard electric shovel loading a CAT 794 AC 360-ton haul truck.  The electric blasthole drills are from Atlas-Copco.

Based on the type of material they carry, the loaded trucks are dispatched to the crusher or waste rock dumps. This P&H 4100 54 cubic yard electric shovel is loading a Komatsu 930 E 360-ton truck.

The loaded trucks make the long journey from the pit to their final destination. The typical average haul time is over one hour. 

Large equipment components are on display at the lower overlook.

Eleven loading shovels operate in the Bingham Mine.  Each bucket load weighs 120 tons of ore or waste rock.

The blade of a Caterpillar (CAT) bull doser.

A simulated mine adit with mucking machine is a reminder that early mining in Bingham Canyon was performed in several underground mines.

A piece of hi-grade chalcopyrite copper ore sits on the Eimco-type loading machine.

The Bingham Canyon Mine is a Registered National Historic Landmark.

A memorial plaque is dedicated to the pioneer Bingham family for whom the canyon is named.

CLICK HERE for a video of a large blast. 
Paul Spylhalski took this video of during his afternoon visit.

As the shuttle bus returned to the Visitor Center, we got an excellent view of the 5 mile-long

belt conveyor system carrying the ore from the Bingham Mine to the concentrator near Copperton. 

The view across the Salt Lake Valley was spectacular.

On the flight into Salt Lake City Airport, Jack and Carol Crawford got some 

great views. This aerial view shows most of the Bingham Canyon Mine and the

surrounding mine dumps. The conveyor to the concentrator can be seen

exiting the pit at the left center.

The Barneys Canyon gold mines (above) are located 5 miles north of Bingham Canyon.  They operated from 1989 to 2013 and produced 2 million ounces of gold. Gold recovery used cyanide heap leach pads which have been reclaimed.

The full expanse of the Rio Tinto/Kennecott Smelter and Refinery Complex near Magna is best seen from the air. This modern smelting facility uses the Outokumpu Kennecott Flash Smelting Process to produce copper anodes which are sent to the nearby Refinery to produce 99.99% pure copper and several byproducts.