Owner: Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc.

Description: Safford is an open-pit copper mining complex.  

 

Did you know? The Safford mine is a zero-discharge facility and one of the most environmentally advanced copper mines ever built.

 

Location:  Southeast Arizona, 170 miles east of Phoenix.

 

Ores: The Safford mine consists of two copper deposits that have oxide mineralization overlaying primary copper sulfide mineralization. The predominant oxide copper minerals are chrysocolla and copper-bearing iron oxides with the predominant copper sulfide material being chalcopyrite.

 

Processes and facilities: Safford is a mine-for-leach operation and produces copper cathodes. The operation consists of two open pits feeding a crushing facility with a capacity of 103,000 metric tons-per-day. The crushed ore is delivered to a single leach pad by a series of overland and portable conveyors. Leach solutions feed a solution extraction/electrowinning (SX/EW) facility. A sulphur burner is also in operation at Safford, providing a cost-effective source of sulphuric acid used in SX/EW operations.

 

Background: The Safford mine has been in operation since 2007, with full production beginning in 2008.

 

Ownership: 100%.