Asarco Mineral Discovery Center Vision Statement:"The Asarco Mineral Discovery Center shall communicate the vital importance of the mining industry in our civilization, educate students and teachers in the earth sciences, and preserve part of the mining history of Arizona and the Western United States.

Location:Eighteen miles south of Tucson.

Size:20,000 acres.

Main Product:Copper.

Facilities:Open-pit and underground mines; two mills with crushing, grinding, and flotation facilities.

Production Capacity:475,000 tons per year copper ore; 130,000 tons per year copper. At the Mission Mine, the ore body has an average grade of .67% copper. For every ton of ore, there are thirteen pounds of copper. However, for every ton of ore, three tons of waste rock must be removed. When copper prices are high, low-grade ores such as this can be cost-effectively mined along with higher-grade ore.