Cananea, Sonora open-pit copper mine
Data released on January 31 from Mexico’s statistical agency, the Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía (INEGI) show that year-over-year, from November 2018 to 2019, Sonora maintained its national first-place position in mined volume of gold and copper in 2019. And it was fourth nationally in the production of silver.
In 2019, Sonora contributed 36 percent of Mexico’s national mining output.
To demonstrate the solidity of its first-place position, Sonoran production of gold remained first nationally despite a drop of 6.9 percent (223 kilograms) in 2019, to 3,049 kg from 3,272 kg.
The production of copper, Sonora’s preeminent mined metal, had a slight increase of 1,376 tons (2.7 percent) in 2019, to 52,897 tons from 51,521 tons.
And the state’s silver mining production jumped by 3,832 kg (12 percent) during the same period, to 36,053 kg from 32,221 kg. By municipality, silver production was led by Cananea with 15,951 kg and Nacozari de Garcia with 5,198 kg.
Nationally, Mexico’s minerals output dipped by 1.6 percent, despite increases in the production of copper, iron pellets and sulfer.