Overview
Stage | Production |
Mine Type | Open Pit |
Commodities |
- Copper
- Molybdenum
- Gold
- Silver
|
Mining Method |
|
Production Start | ... |
Mine Life | 2086 |
Sierrita mine is an open-pit copper and molybdenum mining complex. The Sierrita operation includes a concentrator that produces copper and molybdenum concentrate. Sierrita also produces copper from a ROM oxide-leaching system. The Sierrita operation also has molybdenum facilities consisting of a leaching circuit, two molybdenum roasters and a packaging facility. The molybdenum facilities process molybdenum concentrate produced by Sierrita, from Freeport's other mines and from third-party sources. |
Source:
p. 4,16,219
Company | Interest | Ownership |
Freeport-McMoRan Inc.
|
100 %
|
Indirect
|
Freeport-McMoRan Sierrita Inc.
(operator)
|
100 %
|
Direct
|
Freeport-McMoRan owns 100% of the Sierrita mine through its wholly-owned subsidiary Freeport-McMoRan Sierrita.
Contractors
- Subscription is required.
Summary:
The Sierrita mine is a porphyry copper deposit that has oxide, secondary sulfide and primary sulfide mineralization. The predominant oxide copper minerals are malachite, azurite and chrysocolla. Chalcocite is the most important secondary copper sulfide mineral, and chalcopyrite and molybdenite are the dominant primary sulfides.
Sierrita is located in the Basin and Range physiographic province, on the west margin of the Santa Cruz Basin and along the east flank of the Sierrita Mountains (ELMA 2001, ELMA and Dames and Moore 1994). The principal geologic/hydrogeologic units at the Site include the alluvial deposits, the basin fill deposits, and the bedrock complex.
Alluvial Deposits
Unconsolidated Quaternary and late Tertiary deposits cover most of the eastern base (the piedmont) of the Sierrita Mountains. The term “piedmont” is used in the Esperanza Mill Quadrangle (Spencer et al. 2003) and refers to the area east of the immediate mine area. The alluvium was deposited by larger streams that originated in the mountains and then was reworked by smaller streams that originate on the piedmont. Alluvial deposits occur as thin, discontinuous deposits throughout the Site, typically within natural drainage channels including Demetrie Wash, Amargosa Wash, Esperanza Wash, and Tinaja Wash. However, there are unconsolidated deposits across the mine site that overlie bedrock; the soil and sediment samples were collected from the unconsolidated deposits (Arcadis 20 ........
Summary:
Sierrita mine has been in operation since 1959 and is an open-pit copper and molybdenum mining complex located in Pima County, Arizona, approximately 20 miles southwest of Tucson and 7 miles west of the town of Green Valley and Interstate Highway 19. The site is accessible by a paved highway and by rail.
The Sierrita property consists of two operating open-pits: the Sierrita-Esperanza pit and a molybdenum satellite pit; the backfilled Ocotillo open-pit.
The available mining fleet consists of twenty-four 235-metric-ton haul trucks loaded by four electric shovels with bucket sizes ranging from 34 to 56 cubic meters, which are capable of moving an average of 200,000 metric tons of material per day.
Sierrita is located in a desert environment with rainfall averaging 14 inches per year. The highest bench elevation is 1,387 meters above sea level and the ultimate pit bottom is expected to be 427 meters above sea level. The Sierrita operation, including the adjacent Twin Buttes site, encompasses approximately 47,700 acres, comprising 38,700 acres of fee lands including split estate lands and 9,000 acres of unpatented mining claims held on public mineral estate.
Source:
Summary:
- subscription is required.
Source:
- subscription is required.
Reserves at December 31, 2023:
Mineral Reserves Cut-off grade is 0.16% CuEq for Sulphide.
Mineral Resources Cut-off grade is 0.14% CuEq for Sulphide.
Category | OreType | Tonnage | Commodity | Grade | Contained Metal | Recoverable Metal |
Proven & Probable
|
Stockpiles
|
650 Mt
|
Copper
|
0.15 %
|
B lbs
|
0.2 B lbs
|
Proven & Probable
|
Sulphide
|
2,398 Mt
|
Copper
|
0.23 %
|
B lbs
|
9.8 B lbs
|
Proven & Probable
|
Sulphide
|
2,398 Mt
|
Molybdenum
|
0.02 %
|
B lbs
|
0.99 B lbs
|
Proven & Probable
|
Sulphide
|
2,398 Mt
|
Gold
|
|
M oz
|
0.1 M oz
|
Proven & Probable
|
Sulphide
|
2,398 Mt
|
Silver
|
1.08 g/t
|
M oz
|
41 M oz
|
Total Resource
|
Sulphide
|
2,114 Mt
|
Copper
|
0.18 %
|
8.3 B lbs
|
|
Total Resource
|
Sulphide
|
2,114 Mt
|
Molybdenum
|
0.02 %
|
0.96 B lbs
|
|
Total Resource
|
Sulphide
|
2,114 Mt
|
Gold
|
|
0.1 M oz
|
|
Total Resource
|
Sulphide
|
2,114 Mt
|
Silver
|
0.85 g/t
|
57.8 M oz
|
|
Heavy Mobile Equipment as of December 31, 2023:
HME Type | Size | Quantity |
Shovel
|
56 cu. m
|
.......................
|
Truck (haul)
|
235 t
|
.......................
|
- Subscription is required.
Corporate Filings & Presentations:
- Subscription is required.
- Subscription is required.