| Show underground industry ON 1 1 wow C ww aft R N 11 1 X 6 V I 1 aft 14 leaching in place at ohio copper in bingham one of the most unique mining operations in the world is that of the ohio copper company of utah at dinham binham where it is winning copper from a disseminated ore body years ago the company mined its copper ores in the usual manner driving tunnels and drifts through the underground this was expensive and could only be done during high market prices tor for the metal owing to the low grade character of the product mined in addition to the product mined there was a vast amount of lo 10 low grade crade copper ore in the porphyry on which the property is located the propriety pro was not adaptable to the open cut methods so a process of Ie leaching aching was adopted using the old workings to collect the copper in solution in the process water is sprinkled on en the surface and collected in tunnels deep down in the deposit after the water has percolated through t the ore masses picking up certain amounts of 0 the copper in ther the ground it is diverted to tanks io in the tunnels these tanks contain tin which again attracts the copper from the water and eventually eventual IT turns the tin to copper the water Is then pumped back to the surface to rework the ore again precipitating copper from water which percolates through copper deposits is a common practice but ohio copper is the only place where it is known to be mine mined in such a manner 0 the precipitation of copper Is ia said to have been discovered by a ai miner living near a stream which i originated in the hills of a copper deposit tin cans that he be dispo disposed of in the stream astrea in soon turned to copper and to his amazement he be had disco discovered verea a process which has tor for years played an important part in ia the production of the red metal |
