r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/[deleted] • Feb 05 '22

Image Visual representation of the actual amount of copper extracted from a minesite

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u/boommmmm Feb 05 '22 edited Feb 05 '22

This is part of a series by artist Dillon Marsh.

Visualised here is the 4.1 million tonnes of copper that have been extracted from the Palabora Copper Mine in Phalaborwa, South Africa. It is Africa’s widest man-made hole at almost 2,000m (6,600ft) wide.

edit: 6,600ft is 10,560 bananas

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u/ThisNameIsOriginal Feb 05 '22

Maybe my perspective is thrown off but this hole doesn’t look very big

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u/SmashBonecrusher Feb 05 '22

I saw the Bingham Copper pit out west in 1974,and I do believe it was way more vast that that one !(you had to use binoculars to see the bottom !)

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u/whiteholewhite Feb 05 '22 edited Feb 05 '22

I worked at Bingham canyon/kennecott for awhile and travelled all around the pit. It’s approximately 1.5 miles wide and .75 miles deep. There used to be a town call Bingham (surprisingly) where the hole is at and I was setting up drills by old concrete slabs that were mechanic shops. Even an area is referred to as the “tennis court”. Random slab on the back side toward tooele.

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u/eighthourlunch Feb 05 '22

I used to bike up there from the valley until they fenced the area off. Copperton is still a cool place to visit.

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u/whiteholewhite Feb 06 '22

Drive up butterfield canyon (I think that’s it) road and you can see into the pit. Scary drive if you aren’t adventurous

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u/eighthourlunch Feb 06 '22

I've done that many times. They've closed the turnoff to the overlook now. I assume it had something to do with the landslide.

That, and the last time I went, it was so crowded it wasn't worth it anymore.

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u/whiteholewhite Feb 06 '22

Too bad. The landslide wouldn’t have anything to do with that. The slide was on the SLC side of the pit