On Thursday, BHP Group bid $38.8-billion for smaller rival Anglo American, offering a deal to forge the world's biggest copper miner.

Here is a list of some previous big-ticket deals in the mining sector:

* Precious metals producer Polymetal International sold its Russian assets to Siberian gold miner Mangazeya Plus in March, for about $3.7-billion.

* Teck Resources agreed last year to sell its coal business to a consortium led by Swiss miner Glencore for $9-billion. It expects the sale to close no later than the third quarter of 2024, its CEO said in February.

* The world's top gold producer Newmont bought Australia's Newcrest Mining for $16.8-billion in late 2023.

* The world's fourth largest steelmaker Nippon Steel proposed to buy US Steel late last year in a $14.1-billion deal which is awaiting regulatory approval and expected to close in the second or third quarter of this year.

* Whitehaven Coal last year bought mining giant BHP Group's Blackwater and Daunia mines, part of the BHP Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA) metallurgical coal joint venture in Queensland, Australia, for $4.1-billion.

* In November 2022, Canada's Yamana Gold agreed to a $4.8-billion takeover bid from Agnico Eagle Mines and Pan American Silver.

* In December 2022, Rio Tinto completed its more than $3-billion acquisition of Canada's Turquoise Hill Resources, buying the 49% stake it did not already own.

* In 2022, BHP bid $6.5-billion for copper and gold producer OZ Minerals. The deal was completed in May 2023.

* In 2018, Canada's Barrick Gold agreed to buy Randgold Resources in an all-stock deal valuing the Africa-focused miner at $6.5-billion at the time.

* In 2017, China's top coal miner Shenhua Group took over China Guodian Group Corp to create a global powerhouse worth $280-billion.

* In 2013, Glencore completed the all-share $31-billion takeover of Anglo-Swiss mining company Xstrata.

* Rio Tinto acquired Canada's Alcan in July 2007 in a deal worth $38.1-billion, making it the world's largest producer of aluminium and bauxite at the time.