Mining in Sonora

Sonora is rich in minerals and precious metals and is likely to continue to face threats of new and bigger mines in the future. Building new mines in Arizona is getting more politically tricky and costly. Expect more foreign mining companies to get serious about exploration and mining in Sonora.

Dolores Mine, Roger FeatherstoneMinefinders Corporation LTD

Minefinders Corporation LTD is beginning to work a large gold and silver mine in the upper Rio Aros/Yaqui watershed just across the Sonoran border in Chihuahua. The plans for this mine call for enormous water use from the Aros/Yaqui watershed and it's not likely they will be very cautious about contamination of the largest watershed in Sonora. They were pulling 18,000 tonnes per day to a heap leach facility in the fourth quarter of 2007. See more photos of this mine from the air.

The same company has holdings in the areas to the West of Nogales as well. Test drilling and further study are underway in this area near Planchas de Plata canyon and in the upper Rio Altar watershed. This area is remote and currently has ranching and drug running as the primary sources of revenue for the few locals. This area is just across the border from an area well known for plant and bird diversity and a large proposed wilderness area -- the Tumacacori Highlands. See a map of the area from the company here.

Pediment Gold Corp.

From Pediment: "Pediment's exploration focus has been principally for gold in Sonora and Baja California Sur because of the region's: a) identified favorable geological environment for large gold deposits, (some with co-product silver), b) generally mining supportive state governments and reasonable social-rural populations (ejidos and ranches), and c) excellent widespread infrastructure. Mexico in general has low fuel costs, low labor costs, and well trained technical workers available."

La Colorada is Pedimont's primary active Sonoran mine. It is located approximately 40 km southeast of Hermosillo and is a Gold and Silver mine. Photos of La Colorada

Map of they're other project locations

Frontera Copper Corporation

The Piedras Verdes mine is located north of Alamos, which was originally built around a silver mine. Mine site development began with the successful relocation of an Ejido village, which was originally situated directly over and around the ore body. Location map.

Cananea MineCananea Mine from Google Maps

The Cananea Mine is one of the largest open-pit copper mines in the world. The Cananea Mine produced 163,804 tons of copper in 2006. Grupo Mexico S. A. B. de C. V., is the indirect majority stockholder of Southern Copper Corporation. The company plans to invest $1.14 billion over the next five years in a major expansion to more than double Cananea's production capacity.

The Cananea mine has a long history of labor problems, the most recent being a strike threat in June 2007.

Large amounts of ground water are pumped to operate this mine, much of it coming from the upper San Pedro watershed, famous for being the last free flowing river in the southwest U.S.