April 15 (Reuters) - A Native American group has asked

all members of a U.S. appeals court on Monday to overturn an

earlier ruling that granted land to Rio Tinto

for a copper mine in Arizona, saying the land was sacred and

culturally significant.

A ruling from a smaller group of the San Francisco-based 9th

U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had earlier this month ruled that

the federal government may give away thousands of acres in U.S.

state Arizona to Rio Tinto and minority partner BHP for

the Resolution Copper project.

Apache Stronghold, a nonprofit group comprised of the San

Carlos Apache tribe and others has long opposed the mine, which

would destroy a site where Indigenous ceremonies have been held

for generations.

If developed, the mine would supply more than a quarter of

U.S. copper demand for the renewable energy transition. However,

it would create a crater 2 miles (3 km) wide and 1,000 feet (304

m) deep that would destroy that worship site.

"If any case warrants full-court review, it is this one,"

said Luke Goodrich, a Becket Law attorney who represents Apache

Stronghold.

Rio and BHP did not immediately return requests for comment.

When the U.S. appeals court approved the land swap, it had

essentially deferred to a 2014 decision by the U.S. Congress and

then-President Barack Obama.

The decision comes amid the U.S. presidential election

season, in which former President Donald Trump, who supports the

mine, is likely to face off against President Joe Biden, who

narrowly won Arizona in the 2020 election thanks to Native

American votes.