Bingham Canyon, Utah

The Kennecott Copper Mine near Salt Lake City is the largest man-made ditch on earth

Depending on how you slice your "biggest in the world" pie (square feet versus cubic yardage, open versus underground), the Kennecott Copper Mine just southwest of Salt Lake City, Utah, is the largest human excavation on Earth…and they're still digging (to the rough tune of 100 feet deeper each year).

The world's biggest open pit mine yawns 2-3/4 miles wide and sinks more than 3/4 of a mile deep. You could stack two Sears Towers (OK, OK: "Willis Buildings") on top of each other at the bottom and still be able look down on them from the rim. Since 1906, more than six billion tons of rock have been moved from this pit to extract more than 18.1 million tons of copper.

It is, along with Great Wall of China, one of only two man-made objects distinctly visible from space. However, staring down into the gaping maw from the visitor's overlook, it's actually hard to fathom how big this hole is… That is, until you realize that the barely-visible little yellow ants that creep along the long roadway spiraling 500 miles down against the walls to the bottom are actually haulage trucks that are 23 feet tall, larger than most houses, heavier than a jumbo jet, and capable of carting 360 tons of rock at a time.

Yes, this gaping wound in the landscape is a massive affront to Mother Nature, a manmade eyesore of gargantuan proportions, and environmentally speaking…well, let's just say it's not up for any Sierra Club awards.

On the other hand, the mine has never passed a law requiring racial profiling, either.

A tour of Kennecott from Salt Lake City:

• Kennecott Copper Mine and Great Salt Lake Tour from Salt Lake City

Info: www.kennecott.com, www.utahoutdooractivities.com/kennecott.html

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