RANKED! World’s biggest silver mines are in…, country that tops the list is…, not US, China, or UK – it is…

10 Biggest Silver Mines In The World: The prices of gold and silver are at an all-time high not only in India(BHARAT) but across the world. Silver prices have surged to record highs as it is used in several electronic equipment apart from conventional jewellery use. Investors are also turning to silver as it is giving better returns than gold. Do you know which is the biggest silver-producing country in the world? Mexico is the world’s biggest silver-producing country and the country which houses three of the globe’s ten biggest silver mines. Mining-technology.com profiles the ten biggest silver mines in the world, based on contained silver reserves.

Here Are The Top 10 Biggest Silver Mines In The World

Penasquito, Mexico

Penasquito, which is located in the north-eastern part of the state of Zacatecas, is the biggest siler mines in the globe by reserve. As per reports, the proven and probable silver reserve here, as of December 2012 study, stood at 911.8 million ounces (Moz). The mill ore was estimated to contain 869.52 million ounces of silver, while the heap leach ore reserves were assessed to hold 42.28 million ounces of silver.

The poly-metallic mine which contains precious metals like – gold, silver, lead and zinc – is owned and operated by Goldcorp.

Polkowice-Sieroszowice, Poland

The mine is located in the Legnica-Glogów Copper Belt. It is ranked as the second biggest silver mine in the world. This mine which has major reserve of copper and silver is owned and operated by state-owned mining enterprise KGHM. It extracted over 14Moz of silver in 2012.

As per several reports, the proven and probable silver reserves here were estimated at 545Moz (as of December 2011 study).

San Cristobal, Bolivia

The silver-lead-zinc mine is located 500km south of La Paz. As per a study conducted in December 2011, the mine has 533.38Moz of silver reserves, making it the third biggest silver mine in the globe. The San Cristobal mine is owned by Minera San Cristobal (MSC) which is the subsidiary company of Sumitomo Corporation of Japan.

Pitarrilla, Mexico

Located in the State of Durango, Pitarrilla mine ranks as the fourth biggest silver mine in the world. As per the study conducted in December 2012, the probable silver reserves of the mine were estimated at 478.7Moz. The world’s fourth biggest silver mine is owned by Vancouver-based mining company Silver Standard

Lubin, Poland

The Lubin mine, situated 347 km southwest of Warsaw, ranks as the fifth largest silver mine globally. As per December 11 study, the mine was estimated to contain 442.4Moz of silver. It also has major reserve of copper. It is one of the three mines owned by KGHM.

Rudna, Poland

This mine is also owned by KGHM in the Legnica-Glogow copper belt. Rudna is the sixth biggest silver mine in the world. The mine was estimated to contain 357Moz of silver as of December 2011. Operational since 1974, the mine produced over 21Moz of silver in 2011.

Gumuskoy, Turkey

It is located in the Kutahya province and ranks as the seventh biggest silver mine in the globe by reserve. Also known as the Eti Gumus silver mine, the open-pit silver mine is estimated to contain 335Moz of silver. It is owned and operated by the Turkish state-owned mining company Eti Mine Works.

Fresnillo, Mexico

Located about 60km north-west of Zacatecas, Fresnillo mine is the eighth biggest silver mine in the world. It is estimated to contain 308.47Moz of silver as of December 2012.

Antamina, Peru

The ninth biggest silver mine in the world is Antamina mine. It is located 200km from Huaraz in the Andes Mountains. The mine has great reserves of silver and zinc. As of December 2012, the mine had confirmed and estimated silver reserves amounting to 285.7 million ounces.

Cannington, Australia

Located in north-west Queensland, the Cannington mine was estimated to contain 217.9Moz of silver as of June 2013. It is currently the biggest silver producing mine and has produced 31.062Moz silver in 2013. The mine is owned by BHP Billiton.