mine was reopened. Apache raids in the area continued until 1886 when Geronimo surrendered. A mill to process the low-grade copper ore was established in 1911 in nearby Hurley but was replaced by a new (current) Ivanhoe concentrator facility in 1982. Milling operations recently (January 2004) restarted at the Chino Concentrator after a three-year hiatus caused by low copper prices. Solvent extraction and electrowinning (SX/EW) operations started in 1988 and have run continuously since. Reserves of copper ore at Chino are expected to last until 2015. A smelter in Hurley was commissioned in 1939 and was modernized in 1985 to increase capacity and achieve compliance with the Clean Air Act. In 2005, the smelter was permanently closed. Current operations In 2008, Chino's parent company, Freeport-McMoRan, announced that it planned to suspend mining and milling activities at Chino, but would continue reclamation activities and copper production from its SX/EW plant. About 600 people from the work force of 830 would be laid off beginning about Feb. 13, 2009. The mine reopened in 2011. As of January 2014, the operations employed approximately 1,035 people. References External links Chino Mine at Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Chino Mine geology at New Mexico Bureau of Geology & Mineral Resources Buildings and structures in Grant County, New Mexico Copper mines in the United States Freeport-McMoRan mines Geography of Grant County, New Mexico Mines in New Mexico Open-pit mines Phelps Dodge Surface mines in the United States