Worldwide Production and Use

Principal producers of copper worldwide are Chile, the United States, Australia, China and Peru. (See U.S.G.S. Copper Statistics Information, Mineral Commodity Summaries 2013).  Rapid growth in developing nations has generated an incredible need for copper. Copper is an essential ingredient in everything from power lines and piping systems, to automobiles and consumer electronics, and many countries around the world are in the midst of an historic urbanization and industrialization boom, and China is the most prominent example of how copper demand has increased in the developing world.

United States Production

According to U.S.G.S., the principal mining states, in order of descending production, are Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, Nevada and Montana. The mines in these states together accounted for 99 percent of domestic production.

New Mexico Production

Copper has been produced in New Mexico since prehistoric times, but it is part of New Mexico’s recorded history.  Copper deposits in Santa Rita were the first to be developed in the 1800s, and numerous districts were subsequently discovered and mined for precious metals and copper.  The most significant open pit copper mines all over the world occur as a copper porphyry deposits and there are eight known copper porphyry deposits identified in Southwestern New Mexico (Potential for Laramide Porphyry Copper Deposits in Southwestern New Mexico – McLemore, 2008).  Today two properties are in production with copper as the primary product in New Mexico—the Tyrone Mine (including Little Rock) and the Chino mine. The Cobre and Copper Flat mines are also copper porphyry deposits (Copper in New Mexico – McLemore, 1996).  With more exploration the potential for additional deposits can be verified (McLemore, 2008).

In addition to the two active mines, three other projects are at various stages of state and federal permitting.  Those mines include:

• Copper Flat project near Hillsboro; operated by THEMAC Resources Grouplist_li] [list_li] Lone Mountain located near Silver City; operated by Copper One
• Cobre located near Silver City; operated by Freeport-McMoRan Cobre Mining Company