Lavender Pit facts for kids
The Lavender Pit is a huge, old open pit copper mine. It's located near a town called Bisbee in Arizona, United States. This mine was named after Harrison M. Lavender. He was a smart manager who figured out how to get copper from rock that wasn't very rich in it. He helped turn this low-grade rock into useful copper ore.
History of the Lavender Pit
The company Phelps Dodge Corporation started digging the Lavender Pit in 1950. It was built where an older mine, called Sacramento Hill, used to be. From 1950 to 1974, the mine produced a lot of copper. They dug up about 86 million tons of rock! This rock contained about 0.7% copper. That means they got around 600,000 tons of pure copper.
They also found other valuable things. Gold and silver were found as byproducts. Turquoise was another special find. The turquoise from Bisbee, often called Bisbee Blue, is known as some of the best in the world. Mining stopped in the pit in 1974. There's still more copper-rich rock nearby that might be mined in the future.
How Big is the Pit?
The Lavender Pit is a very impressive size. It covers an area of about 300 acres (1.2 square kilometers). That's like 227 football fields! The pit is also very deep, going down 900 feet (274 meters). That's taller than a 90-story building!
Because the rock around the pit is very strong, the sides of the pit are much steeper than other open pit mines. Large amounts of leftover rock, called "dump rock," were placed around Bisbee. You can see these piles of rock in areas like north of the Warren neighborhood.
Location of the Mine
The Lavender Pit is located at coordinates 31°25′55″N 109°53′57″W / 31.43194°N 109.89917°W. It sits high up, about 4,941 feet (1,506 meters) above sea level.
See also
In Spanish: Mina Lavender para niños
