SAFFORD — Freeport-McMoRan is expected to complete pre-feasibility studies of its Safford mining operation to determine if the operation can support mining of sulfide deposits.
The mining operator recently completed evaluation of expansion of its operation in Chile to exploit sulfide resources and is looking at Safford as having that same possibility.
In 2022, geologists at the Safford operation said that two retired pits — Dos Pobres and San Juan — contained “deep pockets of sulfide material,” which could possibly be milled in the future. The sulfide deposits in the San Juan pit, like the active Lone Star pit, contains copper and molybdenum, while the sulfide in the Dos Pobres pit contains copper and gold.
Freeport was founded as Freeport Sulphur in 1912, before being renamed as Freeport Minerals in 1971. It merged with McMoRan Oil and Gas in 1981. Freeport-McMoRan Copper and Gold acquired Phelps Dodge in 2007 and started construction of the Safford mine that same year.
