A photo by Michael Lynch of the Kennecott Copper’s Bingham Canyon Mine from a commercial aircraft in December with snow cover. The mine is the world’s largest man-made excavation.

Located 28 miles southwest of Salt Lake City, the mine is 2 3/4-miles across and 3/4-mile deep. It is so big that it can be seen from outer space.

Kennecott is the second largest copper producer in the United States, providing approximately 13 percent of the country’s copper needs. It produces approximately 300,000 tons of refined copper each year. In addition to copper, the mine also produces about 400,000 ounces of gold, 4 million ounces of silver and 20 million pounds of molybdenum.