Huge mountains of waste rock loom over Ruth, Nevada, in the Robinson Mining District.
Miners have removed the rock to uncover copper ore (and that of other metals) so it can be mined, as shown in this photo of a mining pit at Robinson.
There are three Robinson District mining pits, all on Route 50 just west of Ely, Nevada. They are being worked by a Polish company, KGHM Polska Miedz, the latest of a string of owners who have come and gone as metal prices and mining technology have made ore extraction here more or less profitable.
The district is named for Thomas Robinson, a prospector who discovered gold, silver, and copper here in 1868. Gold mining was unsuccessful in the late 1800′s, and serious copper mining began in 1907. Today the district yields 120 million pounds of copper and 75,000 ounces of gold a year.
The mining industry can estimate the probable life of a mine given its current extraction rate. As of 2016, and using today’s mining technologies, Robinson is roughly halfway through its productive life.
