Mining Intelligence and News
United States

Resolution Project

Click for more information

Categories

Summary

Mine TypeUnderground
StagePermitting
Commodities
  • Copper
  • Molybdenum
  • Silver
Mining Method
  • Block caving
  • Panel caving
Mine Life... Lock
SnapshotResolution Copper is one of the largest undeveloped copper projects in the world, with the potential to supply up to 25% of U.S. copper demand, making it a major future contributor to North American copper production.

The project continues to be studied and mine development activities remain subject to state and local permitting requirements.

In FY2025, Resolution Copper progressed engineering and permitting activities. In June 2025, the US Forest Service republished the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS), a prerequisite for the land exchange (LEX) with the US Government, to secure land critical for the project. The FEIS and LEX remain under ongoing litigation. Resolution Copper remains committed to engaging with Native American Tribes and other stakeholders to create shared value and long term benefits.
Latest NewsAppeals Court blocks Oak Flat land transfer to Resolution Copper     August 19, 2025

Owners

SourceSource
CompanyInterestOwnershipInvestor's Info
BHP Group Ltd. 45 % Indirect
Rio Tinto plc 55 % Indirect
Resolution Copper Mining, LLC (operator) 100 % Direct
Resolution Copper Mining is owned by Rio Tinto (55%) and BHP (45%), and managed by Rio Tinto.

Operator: Resolution Copper Mining LLC.

Contractors

Lock

- subscription is required.

Deposit type

  • Porphyry

Summary:

The project is located within a geological region known as the Basin and Range province, near the boundary with another geological region known as the Arizona Transition Zone.

Structural Geology
The Resolution ore deposit, lying about 4,500 to 7,000 feet below Oak Flat, is located in a structural feature called the “Resolution Graben.” A graben is an area that is bounded on the sides by normal faults and is downthrust below those faults. The Resolution Graben is bounded by the West Boundary, North Boundary, South Boundary, Conley Springs, and Rancho Rio Faults.

Resolution ore deposit
The Resolution ore deposit is approximately 64 million years old and is a porphyry copper-molybdenum deposit. It lies approximately 4,500 to 7,000 feet below Oak Flat. As defined by the 1 percent copper shell, the deposit extends over an area of at least 1.2 miles in an east-northeast direction, and 0.9 mile in a north-northwest direction.

Rock types with diabase, limestone, and local breccia host and control the strongest copper mineralization. Quartz-rich sedimentary rocks and Cretaceous-Tertiary intrusive rocks demonstrate the strongest molybdenum mineralization. The highest copper grades (greater than 3 percent) are located in the upper central portion of the deposit associated with a large hydrothermal breccia body and hosted primarily in breccia and diabase. The total mineral resource at the Resolution ore deposit is currently estimated (indicated and inferred) to be 1,970 million tons (1,787 million metric tonnes), with an average grade of 1.54 percent copper and 0.035 percent molybdenum (Rio Tinto 2018).

The location and geometry of the mineralization are structurally controlled by several generations of faulting that occurred before, during, and after mineralization. Chalcopyrite is the dominant copper mineral in the deposit, with lesser chalcocite and bornite. Molybdenum occurs primarily as molybdenite. The deposit is associated with hydrothermal alteration and includes a strong pyrite “halo” in the upper areas of the deposit, containing up to 14 percent pyrite.

Reserves

Lock

- subscription is required.

Mining Methods

Lock

- subscription is required.

Required Heavy Mobile Equipment

Lock

- subscription is required.

Comminution

Crushers and Mills

Lock

- subscription is required.

Processing

Lock

- subscription is required.

Commodity Production

CommodityProductUnitsDailyAvg. AnnualLOM
Copper Metal in concentrate M lbs 40,000
Molybdenum Concentrate kt 22

Operational metrics

Metrics
Daily ore mining rate  ....  Subscribe
Ore tonnes mined, LOM  ....  Subscribe
* According to 2021 study.

Production Costs

Commodity production costs have not been reported.

Personnel

Mine Management

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Oct 7, 2025
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Oct 7, 2025
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Oct 7, 2025
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Oct 7, 2025
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Oct 7, 2025

Workforce

Total WorkforceYear
...... Subscription required 2022

Aerial view:

Lock

- subscription is required.