Originally an underground operation, open-pit mining became increasingly important after 1993, temporarily putting an end to underground mining in 1997.
The park is at an elevation of 148 ft (45 m) and the property was once an open-pit mine.
The mine proved to be profitable, and open-pit mining of low-grade copper deposits came to dominate the industry by mid-century.
The present-day open-pit mining operation was begun in 1910.
A former open-pit coal mine, it was flooded in 1999 with groundwater and developed in 2006 as a tourist area.
In mining, a bench is a narrow, strip of land cut into the side of an open-pit mine.
It is an open-pit mine, and is one of the largest mines of that type.
The mine is an open-pit mine producing copper, molybdenum, rhenium and silver with minor gold and zinc.
