Monthly Archives: October 2004

The Morenci mine in the south eastern
part of Arizona started its life in
the late 1800s under ground. Today,
it is a major open pit operation and the
largest copper mine in North America.
It is a massive operation covering an
area of 3,055 acres, which will increase
to 4,683 acres in 2006. A total of 4.37
million feet of blast hole drilling is
carried out annually including 570,000
feet in ore – the ideal proving ground for
the rotary rig Pit Viper 351.
Weighing 375,000 pounds, measuring
53 feet long and equipped with seven
on-board computers, the Pit Viper 351
was the largest and most advanced rig of
its kind on the market when it was introduced
at the MINExpo show in Las Vegas
in 2000.