The open pit accesses the Southern Oyu deposit, one of three deposits discovered at Oyu Tolgoi. Around 560 people work in 12-hour shifts with a production rate of 100,000 tonnes a day.

Ore is removed from a series of benches which are linked to the top of the pit by a 40 metre wide trench road. Each truck transports around 290 tonnes of excavated soil and ore to the top of the pit where it is stockpiled or sent to the primary crusher. The first ore from Oyu Tolgoi was mined at the open pit in April 2012.

History

• Stripping of the Southern Oyu deposits to prepare for open pit mining began in August 2011.
• The first ore from Oyu Tolgoi was mined at the open pit in April 2012.
• The open pit mine will eventually cover an area of 1.5×2.7 km and will be about 650 metres deep.