Rio Tinto in North America (PDF 957 KB

The Resolution project
is in the historic
Pioneer Mining District
just three miles east
of Superior, Arizona.
3 Rio Tinto in North America
Kennecott Minerals Company
Kennecott Minerals (KMC) produces
gold, silver, zinc, copper and other base
metals from wholly owned and joint
venture operations in the US.
Kennecott Minerals manages the
Kennecott Greens Creek Mine
(70.3 percent ownership) in Alaska,
which produces silver, zinc, gold
and lead. The Cortez Gold Mines
operation in Nevada is 40 percent
owned by Kennecott Minerals.
Kennecott Minerals is in the process
of permitting the Eagle project,
an underground nickel/copper mine
in northern Michigan.
Kennecott Minerals has successfully
closed and reclaimed several mining
operations and is in the process of
rehabilitating another in Nevada. Both
the Flambeau Mine in Wisconsin and the
Ridgeway Mine in South Carolina have
achieved closure with ongoing benefits
to the local communities
The Flambeau Mine located near Ladysmith, Wisconsin, produced over more than 1.8 million short tons of copper and gold ore during
operations from 1991 to 1996. Final reclamation and seeding was completed by 1999. The reclaimed mine site includes a system of
hiking and recreational trails, prairie and woodland habitat and more than ten acres of wetlands.
Upper left: 1991 – before mining. Lower left: 1996 – during mining. Right: 2005 – after closure and reclamation.
Both facilities have received the US
Department of Interior Reclamation and
Sustainable Minerals Development
Award (2003 and 2005, respectively).
Mining at the Rawhide Mine (51 percent
ownership) in Nevada ceased in 2003,
and reclamation at the mine is partially
completed. A sustainable development
plan to utilize the open pits as a landfill
for community benefit is progressing.
All KMC operations are
ISO 14001:2004 registered.
www.kennecottminerals.com
Resolution Copper Company
The Resolution project is in the historic
Pioneer Mining District just three miles
east of Superior, Arizona. Exploration
conducted from 2001 to 2003 indicates a
large copper orebody more than 7,000
feet below the surface. If developed, the
project will be an underground mine that
will have positive environmental impacts
through programs including a voluntary
cleanup initiative and ISO 14001:2004
registration. The project is under
evaluation and if feasibility studies are
successful, production would likely begin
in the next decade.
www.resolutioncopper.com