Operations at Rio Tinto's flagship copper mine, the Kennecott Utah Copper Bingham Canyon complex near Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, have been severely curtailed by a massive pit-wall failure that occurred April 10. Latest estimates from the company indicate the slide, which took place in the northeast corner of the pit, involved at least 150 million tons of material and filled the bottom of the pit to a depth of 300 ft (91 m) in some areas. The landslide was described by KUC's president and CEO, Kelly Sanders, as one of the largest in mining history. KUC said it had been aware of increasing ground movement in the area of the slide and was monitoring the rate of slippage closely for weeks before it occurred. By the time the slide took place, the mine's visitor-center facility had been closed and removed, employees had been evacuated, control facilities had been relocated and mobile equipment had been shifted to locations considered safe. Even with these precautions, the unexpected magnitude of the slide resulted in burial or damage involving three shovels, 14 haul trucks, and some ancillary equipment including drills, bulldozers and graders.
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