Mining Method

The most viable way to recover the ore body is by a well-established underground mining method called block caving. Block caving is safe, environmentally sound, and cost-effective for mining a large, deep orebody.

In block caving, a large section of ore is initially undercut by drilling and blasting, causing it to collapse under its weight. The blasted ore breaks apart and falls into a series of pre-constructed funnels and access tunnels to form ore extraction drawpoints. From the drawpoints, ore will pass through a series of handling systems to an initial crushing circuit underground before transferring to the above surface Concentrator Complex.

Concentrating

In the second step of the production process, we convert the ore from a low-grade material into a concentrate of high-grade copper inside the Concentrator Complex.

The technique all begins with a wet grinding process that turns the crushed ore into a slurry and transports it to flotation cells. When mixed with water, reagents, and air, the copper minerals produce a bubbly froth. The bubbles with copper are skimmed and filtered to produce copper concentrate.

The concentrate, which contains about 29-31% copper, will then be sent to customers for further processing.

Smelting and Refining

When the concentrate leaves our facility, it will complete the smelting and refining phases to separate the copper from other metals. The final result is a 99.999% pure copper cathode, which is an essential raw material for the processing industry. Copper originating from 7,000 ft below the surface will eventually find its way into electrical wiring, electronics, power generation and transmission, automotive applications, and antimicrobial medical products.

Our Work

Resolution Copper Names Victoria Peacey As President and General Manager

A longtime copper and mining industry veteran who has served as acting Project Director since the summer, Peacey has held a number of leadership roles at

Arizona Mining Association Awards Resolution Copper 2022 SPADE Award

The Arizona Mining Association (AMA) awarded Resolution Copper the 2022 Sustainability, Preservation, and Diversity in the Environment Award (SPADE) for Public Education.

9th Circuit Ruling Statement

We understand that the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has decided to rehear the case brought by Apache Stronghold. We respect the legal process and will await the 9th Circuit Court's decision.

Resolution Copper Receives Rocky Mountain Mining Institute Safety Award

Resolution Copper accepted the Rocky Mountain Mining Institute’s (RMMI) 2022 Safety Award for Small Underground Mine.

Ninth Circuit Ruling Statement

Resolution Copper notes the 9th Circuit’s decision to uphold the lower court ruling denying the request for injunctive relief. Over the past 11 years, the U.S. Forest Service has shaped the Resolution Copper project through a rigorous, independent review under the National Environmental Policy Act,

Resolution Copper partners with the University of Arizona on Reclamation

Resolution Copper has partnered with The University of Arizona since 2014 on research of revegetation methods for mining reclamation purposes

National Transportation Week: A Reminder of Our Rare Mineral Needs

Last week the U.S. recognized National Transportation Week, a time dedicated to the appreciation of our nation’s key infrastructure

Understanding of a Unique Native Plant Species in Arizona

At Resolution Copper, we take special care to proactively minimize environmental impacts of the project and we do that in consultation

Vandalism at Oak Flat

A member of the Resolution Copper team discovered that a number of crosses located at the Oak Flat Campground had been removed from their place and left on site. We are dismayed by this disrespectful act and have notified the U.S. Forest Service of the incident.