Bingham Canyon Open-Pit Copper Mine [No Visitors]
Posted by: 
brwhiz
N 40° 32.124 W 112° 08.900
12T E 402747 N 4487817
On 4/10/2013 a massive landslide totally destroyed the Mine Visitor Center. Because of advance warning everything at the Visitor Center had been removed to a safe location. A new Visitor Center will probably not be available until after 2014.
Waymark Code: WMFW08
Location: Utah, United States
Date Posted: 12/05/2012
Views: 7
Waymarking on a Giant Scale!!
Every piece of equipment in the mine has not one, but three, Global Positioning Devices (GPD). These devices constantly report the position of the equipment to a computer in Production Control. Every 15 to 20 minutes each giant drill is given the (extremely accurate)waypoint of the next 12 inch diameter, 55 foot deep hole to be drilled for blasting agent that will break up the rock. And the computer knows the location of all the waste rock or ore in the areas currently being worked. As each giant shovel scoops up another 56 yards of rock weighing about 98 tons, the computer knows if it is scooping overburden (waste) or ore. When the shovel operator completes loading a truck, he/she pushes a button on a console, notifying the computer that the load is complete. Since the computer knows which truck is being loaded at each shovel, it can direct the truck to the proper destination via a computer screen in the truck, based on the contents of the truck. And then the computer tracks the truck to its destination, alerting the driver if they take a wrong turn.
If you are lucky and your timing is right you may get to witness one of the 2 to 4 blasting operations that are conducted every day of the week. If the blast is within 1500 feet of the Visitors Center you will be asked to temporarily leave the Center and retreat to a safe distance as directed by security personnel.