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- Asarco Ray Mine
- Hayden, Arizona
- Text edited by Rob Vugteveen, Director, Asarco
Mineral Discovery Center
- Ray Copper Mine:
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- Hayden
Copper Smelter Home Page - graphic
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- Ray Copper Mine is located about 20 miles south of Superior,
Arizona. Photos by C. Ophardt.
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- The left graphic shows the extensive amount of overburden,
rock, and tailings from the mining operation. The pictures also
show how the tailing banks erode, even though the climate is
quite dry.
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- Ray Copper Mine:
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- The left graphic (taken with a telephoto lens) shows the
extensive "hole" that is dug - hundreds of feet deep
and perhaps up to 3/4 mile long. A close up insert also shows
the relative size of the large "shovel" and truck to
haul the crushed rock. The truck tires are 10-15 feet in diameter
to give an idea of the scale.
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Ray Mine Copper Smelter:
- The left graphic shows several buildings associated with
the Hayden Copper Smelter. The blue "pools of water"
are actually sulfuric acid solutions containing copper sulfate
concentrate. Copper sulfate is a bright blue color.
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- The smelter is the building with the tall smoke stack which
was originally built to simply disperse the sulfur dioxide gas
higher into the atmosphere where it would be dilute more down
wind. This was the first method of air pollution control, which
was really no solution at all except for areas near the plant.
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- More extensive pollution controls are now used to "scrub"
or remove the sulfur dioxide from escaping. This sulfur dioxide
in now converted into sulfuric acid which is a valuable by product.
At the Hayden smelter, 2,500 tons of sulfuric acid are produced
each day.
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