What is the mammoth hole in the mountain west of Salt Lake City?
Kennecott Utah Copper’s Bingham Canyon Mine ranks as one of Utah’s most popular and fascinating tourist attractions. A Visitors Center inside the mine itself features informative exhibits and videos, allowing you to observe the operations of the world’s first open-pit copper mine, dating back to 1906. Known as “The Richest Hole on Earth,” this gigantic operation has yielded more than 15 million tons of copper metal, as well as vast quantities of gold, silver and molybdenum. It is the largest man-made excavation in the world. Since open-pit mining began, approximately six billion tons of material has been removed, creating a pit more than a half-mile deep and two-and-a-half miles wide. The mine was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1972 by the United States Dept. of the Interior. The Bingham Canyon Mine is located approximately 25 miles southwest of Salt Lake City. Inside the Visitors Center are historic photographs, interactive exhibits, and three-dimensional models. From t
