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Odd ObservationsSouthern Arizona
Home›Odd Observations›One of the World’s Largest Open Pit Mines in Sahuarita

One of the World’s Largest Open Pit Mines in Sahuarita

By Sam Lowe
May 16, 2014
4533
1

SAHUARITA — The Asarco Mineral Discovery Center, a tourist attraction south of Tucson, shows guests how big things get in Arizona.

Asarco Mineral Discovery Center

Big wheel at Asarco Mineral Discovery Center. Photo Credit: Sam Lowe

The center is affiliated with the Asarco Mission Mine, an open-pit operation that has been around since 1911. The hole measures more than 2.3 miles long, 1.76 miles wide, nearly a quarter of a mile deep and covers more than five acres. All that makes it the fourth-largest pit in the nation, and it’s still growing.

The center hosts about 30,000 visitors per year, and hosts five tours of the mine every day. They take guests to a spot overlooking the mine, which is the best place for taking pictures of the pit but a good shot requires a wide-angle lens because the hole is so big it won’t all fit into a point-and-shoot camera.

The tour bus also stops at a site where the riders can climb onto a 7,600-pound tire that stands 11-feet-8. It’s from one of the huge ore trucks that can haul 320 tons at a time. Another stop lets passengers watch rock being pulverized into more manageable powder.

The tour costs are minimal and reservations are recommended. For information, call 520-625-7513 or visit Asarco Mineral Discovery Center.

(Visited 1,234 times, 1 visits today)

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Tagsminesminingmuseumsahuarita

1 comment

  1. Glenn Baxter 16 May, 2014 at 14:42 Reply

    How many acres?

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