John Madsen scans a hillside littered with a layer of softball-size pinkish stones, pointing out what’s missing from the scene – larger rocks that had been darkened by age and decorated by a long-vanished civilization.

An entire hillside of Hohokam rock art had been stolen.

Copper-Bearing Hills • The public can view Asarco’s Ray Mine off state Highway 177, northwest of Kearny.

The state’s massive copper industry had an estimated total impact of $6.8 billion to Arizona’s economy in 2007, including $385 million in revenues for state and local governments, according to a report by the Western Economic Analysis Center. Another [...]

Where Copper is King • Solvent-extraction tanks of the BHP Billiton SX-EW facility sit below the hilltops of Miami, Ariz.

The main driver behind the price increase for metals is increasing demand in emerging economies in the world. Even as the U.S. economy slows, demand for commodities remains strong worldwide.“Commodities offer an opportunity that’s non-correlating to [...]