About 1.5 lb of copper for every 1000 lbs rock ore tailings The concentrating and smelting process adds a whole other layer of environmental problems. tailings But first.. The earth that is moved to get the ore Mining changes the landscape Butte Montana in Underground mining was the first type of industrialized mining in Butte June 8th, 1917 underground fire took 168 lives, the nation's worst hard rock mining disaster. Then came open pit mining.And the pits NASA image Angela Brown Arsenic and other heavy metals, including copper, zinc, cadmium and lead. Tailings pond look like mountain lakes from afar but have same heavy metals The concentrating and smelting process adds a whole other layer of environmental problems. Silver Bow Creek was used as a conduit for mining, smelting, industrial and municipal wastes for more than a hundred years. Vast mine tailings deposits are found along the creek. These deposits contain elevated levels of metals and have been dispersed over the entire flood plain. Cool Water Hula