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United States
Ray Mine

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 Location:
105 km N from Tucson, Arizona, United States

  Address:
27809 N. Mineral Creek Road
P.O. Box 8, Hayden, AZ 85135-1001
Kearny
Arizona, United States
85137
Phone  ...  Subscription required
Fax520-356-3802
WebsiteWeb
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  • Overview
  • Owners
  • Geology
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  • Production
  • Reserves
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  • Filings & News

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Overview

StageProduction
Mine TypeOpen Pit
Commodities
  • Copper
  • Silver
Mining Method
  • Truck & Shovel / Loader
Processing
  • Sulfuric acid (reagent)
  • Dewatering
  • Filter press plant
  • Smelting
  • Flotation
  • ROM/dump leach
  • Solvent Extraction & Electrowinning
Mine Life45 years (as of Jan 1, 2016)


Owners

Source: p. 234, 50
CompanyInterestOwnership
ASARCO LLC. (operator) 100 % Direct
Grupo Mexico S.A. de C.V. 100 % Indirect
The Mining Division of Grupo Mexico, S.A. de C.V. (GMéxico) is controlled by Americas Mining Corporation (AMC) which operates the United States subsidiary - Asarco LLC (Asarco).

Asarco LLC includes the Mission, Ray and Silver Bell Arizona mines.

Deposit Type

  • Porphyry


Summary:

The Ray Mine is located in eastern Pinal County, Arizona, about 80 miles southeast of the city of Phoenix. Ray consists of a large classical porphyry copper deposit.

The Ray sulfide system is developed in a variety of Precambrian rocks and Laramide intrusives. The bulk of the hypogene sulfides pyrite, chalcopyrite and molybdenite— occur in schist, the Ruin Granite (a quartz monzonite), quartzite and diabase, all Precambrian in age. Diabase is the youngest Precambrian rock and occurs as dikes and sills in all the older “country” rocks; it is the most receptive rock to copper mineralization and hosts the bulk of the ore at Ray. A series of Laramide (late Cretaceous) intermediate to acidic composition dikes and stocks, representing at least 12 different rock types, intruded all the older rocks. All Laramide rock types have been affected by the later Ray hypogene sulfide system and are cut by sulfide veinlets. Post-mineral Oligocene, Miocene and later volcanic and clastic rocks unconformably overlie part of the sulfide body. Major high-angle, northwest-trending normal faults extend through the deposit area, intersected by major northeast trending faults at the north end of the deposit with major deformation occurring before, after and perhaps during intrusion of ore-age dikes and stocks.

Hypogene mineral zoning is concentric, with a central low-grade core characterized by low total sulfides and a high cpy/py ratio. A higher grade zone (the “ore zone”) surrounds the low-grade core and is characterized by higher total sulfides but with a lower cpy/py ratio than the core. The increase in total sulfides continues regularly outward from the low-grade core but with a decreasing cpy/py ratio resulting in an outer high-sulfide, low copper, pyrite halo. Importantly, the center of this zonal pattern does not coincide with that of any of the porphyry stocks. Neither the deposit nor the intense depositassociated alteration coincides with the densest dike swarms and largest plutons of ore age exposed near the economic mineralization. Based on K-Ar dating from hydrothermal and igneous biotites, the alteration halos were developed at the same time as the Granite Mountain Porphyry which outcrops 4 miles S70°W from the orebody. Systematic changes of sulfide content and copper grade are related to rock type changes (quartzose Precambrian rocks, diabase, and Laramide porphyry) in the Ray orebody.


Mining Methods

  • Truck & Shovel / Loader


Summary:

Due to the site’s geography, the vast majority of the mine haulage operation involves lifting material out of the pit to the dumps or crushers (vertical hauls up to 1,800 ft.). The elevation change adds an additional complexity that must be accounted for to support communications, due to its depth.


Crushing and Grinding
Crusher / Mill TypeModelSizePowerQuantity
Gyratory crusher 1.5m x 2.3m 1
Gyratory crusher 1.4m x 1.9m 1
Cone crusher ....................... Subscription required 1
SAG mill 10.4m x 5.2m 1
Ball mill 5.5m x 9.4m 2
Ball mill 3.2m x 4.9m 2
Ball mill 1


Processing

  • Sulfuric acid (reagent)
  • Dewatering
  • Filter press plant
  • Smelting
  • Flotation
  • ROM/dump leach
  • Solvent Extraction & Electrowinning

Source: Subscription required

Summary:

The Ray Operations consists of a 250,000 ton/day open pit mine with a 30,000 ton/day concentrator, a 103 million pound/year solvent extraction-electrowinning operation, and associated maintenance, warehouse and administrative facilities. Cathode copper produced in the SX-EW operation is shipped to outside customers and the Asarco Amarillo Copper Refinery.

A local railroad, Copper Basin Railway, transports ore from the mine to the Hayden concentrator, concentrate from the Ray concentrator to the smelter, and sulphuric acid from the smelter to the leaching facilities.

Recoveries & Grades:

CommodityParameter2020201920182017201620152014
Copper Head Grade, %  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required0.240.30.330.30.33
Copper Recovery Rate, %  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required84.38785.184.384.9
Copper Concentrate Grade, %  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required2525.926.726.327.5

Production:

CommodityProductUnits2020201920182017201620152014
Copper Cathode kt  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required1815212831
Copper Metal in concentrate kt  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required3738464762
Copper Concentrate kt  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required153147172179228
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Operational Metrics:

Metrics202020192018201720162015
Total tonnes mined  ......  Subscription required40,971 kt44,422 kt31,867 kt29,673 kt51,316 kt
Ore tonnes mined  ......  Subscription required25,512 kt29,358 kt24,369 kt21,720 kt30,482 kt
Daily milling capacity  ......  Subscription required48.5 kt
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Reserves at December 31, 2020:
Cut-off grade 0.230% Cu

CategoryOreTypeTonnage CommodityGrade
Proven & Probable Heap leach 80,488 kt Copper 0.415 %
Proven & Probable Sulphide 368,883 kt Copper 0.522 %


Heavy Mobile Equipment:

Mine Management:

Job TitleNameEmailProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Oct 27, 2021
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Oct 27, 2021
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Oct 27, 2021
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Oct 27, 2021
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Oct 27, 2021
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Staff:

EmployeesYear
Subscription required 2020
Subscription required 2019
Subscription required 2018
Subscription required 2017
Subscription required 2016
Subscription required 2015
Subscription required 2014

Corporate Filings & Presentations:

DocumentYear
................................... Subscription required 2020
................................... Subscription required 2019
Annual Information Form 2018
Annual Information Form 2017
Annual Information Form 2016
Annual Report 2016
Annual Information Form 2015
Annual Report 2015
Other 2015
Annual Information Form 2014
Annual Report 2014
Fact Sheet 2014
Other 2012
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Aerial view:

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