Comment
Author: Admin | 2025-04-28
Introduction The Chino mine, an open-pit porphyry copper mine, is 15 miles east of Silver City near the village of Hanover in southwestern New Mexico (Figure 1). An overlook of the pit, complete with educational displays, is located on the south side of New Mexico Highway 152 east of Hanover (Figure 2). The excavation is also known as the Santa Rita Mine or Santa Rita del Cobre, named for the former village of Santa Rita, which was removed in the 1950s as mining operations in the area expanded. Concern has been expressed about the stability of the famed landmark on the southeast side of the mine, the spire known as the Kneeling Nun, as the modern-day mining operation moves to the southeast. The Chino mine is the largest porphyry copper deposit in New Mexico. The pit is currently ~1.75 miles across and 1,350 feet deep. The Apaches were the first to notice native copper lying on the ground in a valley northwest of Santa Rita Mountain. The open-pit mining operation began in 1910. The mine became part of Freeport-McMoRan in 2007. Figure 1 – Index map showing the geography of southwestern New Mexico and the location of the Chino Mine. Figure 2 – View of the Chino Mine from the overlook on NM-152. Kneeling Nun Tuff forms the prominent reddish-brown cliff on the skyline. The Kneeling Nun landmark located at the base of the cliff is hard to see from this vantage point. Regional Setting Figure 3 – Location of porphyry copper deposits in the southwestern United States (modified from Titley and Anthony, 1989). The Chino mine is in the Basin and Range province along the southern margin of the Mogollon-Datil volcanic field. The Mogollon-Datil volcanic field straddles the transitional boundary between the tectonically stable Colorado Plateau to the north
Add Comment