Episode 7 of 12
Utah: Copper, Lithium & Processing
Bingham Canyon, UtahCopper · Lithium
The largest man-made excavation on the planet, feeding fabricators, lithium, and processing nearby.
The History
Miners started working Bingham Canyon in 1863, but the revolution came in 1906, when Utah Copper bet that mining vast amounts of low-grade ore in an open pit could beat chasing rich veins underground. The bet invented modern open-pit mining. More than a century later, Bingham Canyon is the largest man-made excavation on Earth, has produced more copper than any mine in history, and still runs ore body to finished metal in one place through Rio Tinto’s Kennecott mine, concentrator, smelter, and refinery.
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.
Rio Tinto Kennecott · Bingham Canyon
America’s ore-to-metal copper flagship, from pit rim to refinery.
Materion · Spor Mountain
Most of the world’s beryllium, from Utah’s west desert.
US Magnesium
The country’s only primary magnesium, pulled from Great Salt Lake brine.
Energy Fuels · White Mesa Mill
The only operating conventional uranium mill in the United States.
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 Utah, closest to this stop first. Compiled from public sources, each with its own link. Appearing here reflects public mining activity, not a tour partnership.
UtahUtah
Rio Tinto Kennecott · Bingham Canyon
ProducingSalt Lake County, Utahat this stopCopper · Molybdenum · Tellurium
The largest man-made excavation on Earth.
Source →Materion · Spor Mountain
ProducingJuab County, Utah79 miles from this stopBeryllium
Supplies most of the world’s beryllium.
Source →Redmond Minerals · Redmond Salt Mine
ProducingRedmond, Utah106 miles from this stopSalt
One underground seam supplies both kitchen salt and the grit that de-ices Utah highways.
Source →Heliostar Metals · Goldstrike
Exploring & permittingWashington County, Utah234 miles from this stopGold · Antimony
Heliostar bought this oxide gold project from Liberty Gold in April 2026; antimony occurs alongside the gold.
Source →Energy Fuels · White Mesa Mill
ProducingBlanding, Utah251 miles from this stopUranium · Rare earth processing
The only operating conventional uranium mill in the United States.
Source →