Episode 8 of 12
Arizona: The Copper State
Morenci, ArizonaCopper
Copper to EVs with Morenci and Lucid: the clearest mine-to-product line in the most copper-rich state in the country.
The History
Arizona’s schoolbook economy ran on five C’s: cattle, cotton, citrus, climate, and copper, and copper towered over the rest. When electrification took off, the state’s enormous porphyry deposits made it the backbone of American copper, and today Arizona produces about 70 percent of the US supply. Freeport-McMoRan’s Morenci complex has been working more or less continuously since the 1870s and is the largest copper producer in North America, while down the road in Casa Grande, Lucid Motors builds copper-hungry electric vehicles.
The Dream Tour List for This Leg
The stops and companies we want on camera as the convoy works this ground. Proposed, not confirmed bookings, and growing as the dream tour list fills in.
Freeport-McMoRan · Morenci
North America’s largest copper producer: pits, mills, and leach pads at full scale.
Resolution Copper (Rio Tinto · BHP)
One of the world’s largest undeveloped copper deposits, and its permitting saga.
Lucid Motors · Casa Grande
The demand side next door: an EV plant in the most copper-rich state.
Want your operation on this leg of the route?
Hunting Hidden Treasures pairs every mine with the end users it powers. If your project belongs in this episode, let’s talk.
Become a Tour PartnerWho’s Working Nearby
Companies with active projects in Arizona, closest to this stop first. Compiled from public sources, each with its own link. Appearing here reflects public mining activity, not a tour partnership.
ArizonaArizona
Freeport-McMoRan · Morenci
ProducingMorenci, Arizona3 miles from this stopCopper
The largest copper producer in North America.
Source →Faraday Copper · Copper Creek
Drilling & buildingMammoth, Arizona80 miles from this stopCopper
Cleared federal permitting in January 2026 for 67 drill pads across under 200 acres.
Source →Gunnison Copper · Johnson Camp Mine
ProducingDragoon, Arizona81 miles from this stopCopper
Its copper is the first from Rio Tinto’s Nuton bioleaching process, bound for Amazon data centers.
Source →Resolution Copper · Resolution
Exploring & permittingSuperior, Arizona104 miles from this stopCopper
Rio Tinto and BHP JV on one of the world’s largest undeveloped copper deposits.
Source →Trekor Metals (formerly Taseko Mines) · Florence Copper
ProducingFlorence, Arizona119 miles from this stopCopper
The first greenfield copper production in the United States since 2008, dissolving copper underground instead of digging a pit.
Source →Arizona Sonoran Copper · Cactus Project
Drilling & buildingCasa Grande, Arizona145 miles from this stopCopper
A 1970s mine site being rebuilt to plate copper cathode on site, minutes from the Lucid Motors plant.
Source →