How Is Copper Ore Mined?
Finding Copper Sources of copper ore have varied over the centuries. The mineral chalcopyrite provides about half of the world’s copper ore. In general, sulfide minerals provide copper–bornite, covelite and chalcocite. So do carbonates including azurite and malachite, and the oxide called cuprite. The United States and South America provide much of the world’s copper yield. Native copper, or nuggets, aren’t found in abundance and therefore aren’t generally mined; the more difficult it is to find, the more expensive it is to produce. Instead, ore–the combination of a mineral and a metal–is collected and crushed to be more easily handled, and to begin the separation of mineral from metal. It’s then put through a smelting process that further separates them. The metal is then subjected to a purification process to obtain the cleanest product. Copper Mining Methods Copper mining usually takes place in very large, open pits. Although the figures vary from location to location, it can tak
