Overall, the top 20 mines have the capacity to produce nearly nine million tonnes of copper annually-representing 44% of global production in 2020. It produces both gold and copper on a massive scale and has the world’s largest known reserve of gold and the second-largest reserve of copper. Indonesia’s Grasberg Mine is another notable name on this list. It’s also the largest man-made excavation on Earth, spanning 4 km wide.Ĭhuquicamata and Escondida are the second and third-deepest open pits, respectively. The Bingham Canyon Mine (seen below) in Utah, United States, is the deepest open pit with a depth of 1.2 km. As a result, some of the top copper mines are also among the world’s largest open pits. Porphyry copper deposits are often characterized by lower grade ores and are mined in open pits. Its annual capacity of 1.4 million tonnes means that it can produce more copper than the second and third-largest mines combined. The Escondida Mine in Chile is by far the world’s largest copper mine. *Mines with equal capacities have the same rankings. These three regions combine the capacity for nearly 36% of global copper production in 2020. North, South, and Central America collectively host 15 of the 20 largest copper mines. Therefore, many of the world’s largest copper mines operate in this region. These deposits are formed when copper-bearing fluids mix with permeable sedimentary and volcanic rocks.Ĭopper is primarily sourced from porphyry deposits, which are concentrated in the Americas. These are copper ore bodies formed from hydrothermal fluids from magma chambers that lie deep below the deposit. There are two main types of copper deposits: The location of mines ultimately depends on the occurrence and discovery of copper deposits. So where are the world’s largest copper mines, and just how large are they? Types of Copper Deposits
Copper’s demand comes from various industries, ranging from construction to renewable energy.īut before copper reaches its array of end-uses, miners have to extract and refine from deposits within the ground. Global copper production has expanded with populations and economies, especially in China, which consumed 54% of the world’s refined copper in 2020. Copper is one of the most-used metals in the world, for good reason.