The Bingham Canyon copper mine in Utah is the world's largest human-made excavation. Like most large open-pit mines, Bingham's walls are terraced to reduce landslide risk and enable heavy equipment to reach mineral-bearing rock. Vertical faces are called "batters," horizontal surfaces are "benches."

OK Tedi Mine in Western Province (Fly), was the largest mine in Papua New Guinea, producing approximately 23.58 million metric tons per annum (mmtpa) of Run-of-Mine (ROM) in 2024. The OK Tedi Mine is owned by Mineral Resources Development Co Ltd;Government Of Papua New Guinea, and is due to operate until 2030.