Chino Copper Mine
AA-2026-8ECD75
On the image
This is what it looks like when humanity decides a mountain has something valuable inside it. Someone, probably a mining engineer with a calculator and a very thick mustache, determined that moving this much earth was a fiscally sound way to get at whatever was hidden beneath. The desert landscape, always known for its subtle beauty, was simply a temporary inconvenience.
Terraces carved into the earth demonstrate the methodical approach required when you plan to dig a hole that could be seen from low-orbit space missions, if they existed back then. A few tiny buildings huddle in the distance, providing a sense of scale and a reminder that these operations are managed by people who commute to work. It’s the kind of project that makes you wonder how many earthmoving vehicles it takes to permanently alter a horizon.
In the 1970s, projects like this represented ingenuity and economic output. The primary goal was to get the resource out of the ground, and the idea of 'reclamation' was mostly a footnote in a very large budget. The landscape, once it had given up its treasures, was left to figure out its own long-term plans.
The historian's note
This panoramic view depicts the Chino Copper Mine, an open-pit porphyry copper operation near Santa Rita, New Mexico, during the 1970s. The mine is situated within the Chino mining district, an area rich in copper deposits that have been exploited since pre-Columbian times. Production at this site began in 1910 under the Chino Copper Company, becoming one of the earliest and most significant large-scale open-pit copper mines in the United States.
By the 1970s, the mine, then operated by Kennecott Copper Corporation, was a major producer of copper, playing a crucial role in the national and global supply of the metal. The extensive terracing visible in the image illustrates the vast scale of earth removal required for extracting low-grade ore through this method. The process involved drilling, blasting, and hauling millions of tons of rock annually.
This operation had a profound impact on the local environment and economy. While providing employment and economic stimulus, the mining activities also led to significant landscape alteration and environmental challenges, issues that gained increasing public awareness and regulatory attention later in the century. The distinct coloration of the exposed rock faces reflects varying mineral compositions within the ore body and waste rock.
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Chino Copper Mine, New Mexico, 1970s. 1970–1979. Archive & Atlas, Historical Image Library, AA-2026-8ECD75. https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/chino-copper-mine-new-mexico-1970s.
@misc{aaAA20268ECD75,
title = {Chino Copper Mine, New Mexico, 1970s},
year = {1970–1979},
howpublished = {Archive \& Atlas, Historical Image Library},
note = {Accession AA-2026-8ECD75},
url = {https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/chino-copper-mine-new-mexico-1970s}
}TY - ART TI - Chino Copper Mine, New Mexico, 1970s PY - 1970–1979 PB - Archive & Atlas, Historical Image Library AN - AA-2026-8ECD75 UR - https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/chino-copper-mine-new-mexico-1970s ER -
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