If you want to get some idea of the size of the hole that the Pebble Mine would create you just head 28 miles southeast of Salt Lake City and take a look at the Bingham Canyon Mine.
Visible from space, the Bingham mine is the nations largest polluter and is reponsible for ground water contamination in the Salt Lake Basin. You can see the mine in the lower right corner of the image above, in the upper left is a disposal pond. The mine is also owned by Rio Tinto, one of the Pebble project's shareholders.
Nunamta Aulukestai, which represents Alaska Native corporations that oppose development of the Pebble project recently took a group on a tour of what's in store for Bristol Bay.
Several Alaskans from the salmon-dependent Bristol Bay region toured Utah’s Bingham Canyon Mine on Monday for a look at the kind of tourist attraction they hope never to see back home.
LINK (Via: The Salt Lake Tribune)