20.0 Human Actions and Earth’s Resources

It was once a mountain. Now it’s called the “richest hole in Earth.” It produces almost 2 billion dollars worth of metals each year. What is it? It’s the Kennecott Copper Mine in Utah. It’s the world’s biggest open-pit mine. In fact, it’s the biggest hole humans have ever dug on Earth’s surface. It’s so big that it can be seen from space. It’s 1.2 kilometers (0.75 miles) deep. If it were a stadium, it could seat more than 9 million people!

Metals such as those from the Kennecott Copper Mine are important natural resources. What other resources do we use? And how do we obtain them? Are metals and other resources in danger of being used up? In this chapter, you’ll find out.