Arizona is the leading nonfuel mineral producer in the U.S., according to figures released by the U.S. Bureau of Mines for 1988.
The value of mineral production reported for Arizona was in excess of US$2.7 billion. The strong price of copper, along with an estimated 64% increase in the state’s gold production, accounts for the bulk of production value. Of the 156,000 oz. of gold produced, Cyprus Gold’s Copperstone mine near Quartzsite accounted for 63,000 oz.
Arizona ranks first in the U.S. in copper production with 1.89 billion lb of copper produced in 1988, some 60% of the nation’s total. The state also ranks first in molybdenum and is among the top producers of silver, gold, rhenium, lime, tin, sulphuric acid, gemstones, coal, uranium, lime, and sand and gravel.
Employment data indicate the smallest active mine to be Devils Wash, a placer gold mine near Quijotoa, which employs two. The largest employer, with 3,800 employees, is Magma Copper’s San Manuel mine — also the largest underground metal mining operation in the U.S.
A breakdown by commodity groups the 99 mines in the state as follows: 58 industrial mineral, 22 copper, 11 precious metal, five uranium, two coal and one gemstone mine.
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