About 1 .5 lb of copper for every 1000 lbs rock

ore

tailings

The concentrating and smelting process adds a whole other layer of environmental problems.

tailings

But first…..

The earth that is moved to get the ore

Mining changes the landscape

Butte Montana in 19421985

Underground mining was the first type of industrialized mining in Butte

June 8th, 1917 underground fire took 168 lives, the nation's worst hard rock mining disaster.

Then came open pit mining….And the pits

NASA image

Angela Brown

Arsenic and other heavy metals, including copper, zinc, cadmium and lead.

Tailings pond look like mountain lakes from afar but have same heavy metals

The concentrating and smelting process adds a whole other layer of environmental problems.

Silver Bow Creek was used as a conduit for mining, smelting, industrial and municipal wastes for more than a hundred years. Vast mine tailings deposits are found along the creek. These deposits contain elevated levels of metals and have been dispersed over the entire flood plain.

Cool Water Hula