copper ore

In an opencast copper mine in Chile, an explosion is used to break up the deposit of ore, which can then be removed in trucks or by railway to the mill, where it is crushed and any waste material removed. The ore is then taken to the smelting plant. Chile has established itself as a leading copper producer.

Any mineral from which copper is extracted, including native copper, Cu; chalcocite, Cu₂S; chalcopyrite, CuFeS₂; bornite, Cu₅FeS₄; azurite, Cu₃(CO₃)₂(OH)₂; malachite, Cu₂CO₃(OH)₂; and chrysocolla, CuSiO₃.2H₂O.

Native copper and the copper sulphides are usually found in veins associated with igneous intrusions. Chrysocolla and the carbonates are products of the weathering of copper-bearing rocks. Copper was one of the first metals to be worked, because it occurred in native form and needed little refining. Today the main producers are the USA, Russia, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Uzbekistan, Armenia, Zambia, Chile, Peru, Canada, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire).