Copper Basin, Mining district in Copperhill, Tennessee.
The Copper Basin extends across 60,000 acres of southeastern Tennessee, featuring exposed red earth surrounded by the Cherokee National Forest and mountain ranges.
Mining operations in the Copper Basin began in 1843, supplying 90 percent of copper for Confederate military needs during the American Civil War.
The Ducktown Basin Museum, established in 1978, preserves mining artifacts and documents the technological evolution of copper extraction methods in Tennessee.
Environmental restoration programs utilize biosolids and specialized techniques to rehabilitate soil conditions affected by previous mining activities in the basin.
The landscape transformation from mining created a 50-square-mile area of red, barren earth visible from space, making it the largest industrial-caused environmental disaster in the South.
GPS coordinates: 35.02000,-84.36000
Latest update: December 10, 2025 08:39
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