The Morenci mine is an open-pit copper and molybdenum mining complex. The mine is located in Greenlee County, Arizona, approximately 50 miles northeast of the city of Safford on U.S. Highway 191.
The mine operates 365 days per year on a 24 hour per day schedule. Mining and ore processing operations are currently in production and the mine is considered a production stage property.
The Morenci mine is an unincorporated joint venture owned 72 percent by FCX, with the remaining 28 percent owned by Sumitomo Metal Mining Arizona, Inc. (15 percent) and SMM Morenci, Inc. (13 percent). Each partner takes in kind its share of Morenci’s production. FCX is the operator of the joint venture and holds registered title to the mineral claims.
As of December 31, 2023, the Morenci mine encompasses approximately 61,700 acres, comprising 51,300 acres of fee lands and 10,400 acres of unpatented mining claims held on public mineral estate and numerous state or federal permits, easements, and rights-of-way (TRS-Morenci.Pdf, n.d.).
The mineral deposits of the Morenci district consist of copper oxide, secondary sulfide, and primary sulfide mineralization associated with a large porphyry copper system. Geologic studies indicate that a complex series of Tertiary igneous intrusive rocks were emplaced within Precambrian-age granite and overlying Paleozoic and Mesozoic sedimentary rocks. A porphyry copper deposit formed and was associated with the emplacement and crystallization of intrusive rocks. Several cycles of leaching and enrichment of the primary sulfides formed the secondary sulfide enrichment blanket and copper oxide zones currently being mined. Mineralization spans approximately 5 miles in a north-south direction and 4 miles in an east-west direction.
The Morenci mine has the distinction of being the sole representative of the United States on this list. Owned by Freeport-McMoRan and located in the arid state of Arizona, this open-pit mine has been operational since the 1880s. Morenci generated 399,100 tonnes of copper in 2023 and has enough reserves to last until 2051. The historical significance of Morenci cannot be overstated, as the entire town of Morencu depends on the continuity of the Morenci Mine. In mid-June of this year, FreePort-McMorRan’s CEO stated her intention to aggressively increase production thanks to heightened global demand, in addition to receiving some of the federal government’s $475 million for clean energy projects.
Source:
TRS-morenci.pdf. (n.d.). Retrieved August 27, 2024, from https://www.fcx.com/sites/fcx/files/documents/operations/TRS-morenci.pdf
