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The Chino open-pit copper mine in New Mexico Chalcopyrite specimen from Huarón mine, Peru. 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.
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]
A number of byproducts are recovered from American copper mining. In 2013, American copper mining produced 28,500 metric tons of molybdenum, worth about $700–800 million, which was 47% of total US production. [3] In 2014, copper mining produced about 15 metric tons of gold, worth $600 million, which represented 7% of US gold production. [4]
Companies that mine land often mismanage waste, rendering the area sterile for life. Additionally, nearby rivers and forests are also negatively impacted. The Philippines is an example of a region where land is overexploited by mining companies. [53] Copper mining waste in Valea Şesei, Romania, has significantly altered nearby water properties.
The Ray mine has one of the largest copper reserves in the United States, with proven and probable reserves of 835.7 million tonnes (822,500,000 long tons; 921,200,000 short tons) of ore grading 1.73% copper, as of December 31, 2018. [2] [3] [4] Copper from the Ray mine goes to the Hayden Smelter.
Copper mining in the Upper Peninsula boomed, and from 1845 until 1887 (when it was exceeded by Butte, Montana) the Michigan Copper Country was the nation's leading producer of copper. In most years from 1850 through 1881, Michigan produced more than three-quarters of the nation's copper, and in 1869 produced more than 95% of the country's copper.
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Mining began in 1848, and from 1855 through 1862, the Minesota was the most productive copper mine in the United States. [1] The mine had ten shafts, the deepest of which extended to a depth of 1200 feet (366 m). In 1856, miners tunneled into a 527-ton (478 mt) mass of native copper, the second-largest such mass found in the Copper Country.