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Copper. face-centered cubic (fcc) (cF4) Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orange color. Copper is used as a conductor of heat and electricity ...
Production trends in the top five copper-producing countries, 1950-2012. This is a list of countries by mined copper production. Copper ore can be exported to be smelted so that a nation's smelter production of copper can differ greatly from its mined production. See: List of countries by copper smelter production.
Following is a list of minerals that serve as copper ores in the copper mining process: [1] Image Name Formula % Copper when pure Chalcopyrite: CuFeS 2: 34.5 Chalcocite:
Copper extraction refers to the methods used to obtain copper from its ores. The conversion of copper ores consists of a series of physical, chemical and electrochemical processes. Methods have evolved and vary with country depending on the ore source, local environmental regulations, and other factors. [1]
Porphyry copper deposits represent an important resource and the dominant source of copper that is mined today to satisfy global demand. [6] Via compilation of geological data, it has been found that the majority of porphyry deposits are Phanerozoic in age and were emplaced at depths of approximately 1 to 6 kilometres with vertical thicknesses on average of 2 kilometres. [6]
Rank Mine County and State Owner Source of copper Annual production (thousand tonnes) 1 Morenci: Greenlee County, Arizona: Freeport-McMoRan (72%), Sumitomo Group (28%): Open pit, copper-molybdenum ore, producing copper cathode, copper and molybdenum concentrates
In the United States, copper mining has been a major industry since the rise of the northern Michigan copper district in the 1840s. In 2017, the US produced 1.27 million metric tonnes of copper, worth $8 billion, making it the world's fourth largest copper producer, after Chile, China, and Peru. Copper was produced from 23 mines in the US.
Copper is an important component of solar thermal heating and cooling systems because of its high heat conductivity, resistance to atmospheric and water corrosion, sealing and joining by soldering, and mechanical strength. Copper is used both in receivers and primary circuits (pipes and heat exchangers for water tanks). [34]