Mining Tailings Viewed from Aloft

August 04, 2016

Wiggins-01

PhotographerPatrick Wiggins
Summary AuthorPatrick Wiggins

TailingsGoogleEarthThe photo above shows tailings where waste from mining is stored, just south of Great Salt Lake, Utah. These are tailings from the Kennecott Utah Copper Mines. Consisting mostly of ground rock, they're what's left behind during the ore extraction process. Some 60 million tons of tailings are deposited here each year. This photo includes just a small portion of a huge tailings pond. At left is a Google Earth image of the area with the pond outlined in red. Photo taken from a small aircraft flying about 350 meters above the surface on July 14, 2016.

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