Table of Contents
What are the ores for copper?
The main copper sulphide minerals are chalcopyrite (CuFeS2) chalcocite (Cu2S), covellite (CuS), bornite (Cu5FeS4), tetrahedrite ((Cu,Fe)12Sb4S13) and enargite (Cu3AsS4). The largest source of copper is from porphyry ore deposits in which one or a combination of the aforementioned minerals occurs.
What ore produces copper?
chalcopyrite
Copper – Most copper ore bodies are mined from minerals created by weathering of the primary copper ore mineral chalcopyrite. Minerals in the enriched zone include chalcocite, bornite, djurleite. Minerals in the oxidized zones include malachite, azurite, chyrsocolla, cuprite, tenorite, native copper and brochantite.
What ores are found together?
Many minerals are commonly found together (e.g. quartz and gold; molybdenum, tin and tungsten; copper, lead and zinc; platinum and palladium).
What type of rock is copper?
| Physical Properties of Copper | |
|---|---|
| Fracture | Hackly |
| Rock Type | Igneous, Sedimentary, Metamorphic |
| Crystal System | Isometric |
| Modern Uses | Electrical, construction, transportation, household appliances, investment |
How are copper ores formed?
Copper is a metal that has been deposited from hot sulphur solutions, created in volcanic regions. The hot solutions concentrated the copper up to a thousand times more than would normally be found in rocks. The resultant enriched rocks are called copper ores.
What rock contains copper?
Primary ore minerals of copper include malachite, azurite, chalcocite, bornite, and cuprite. One of the more familiar and beautiful minor ore minerals of copper is chrysocolla.
How is copper ore formed?
Is copper found in combined state?
Note: Copper and silver can be found in combined states even though they are least reactive. They can be found in their sulphide and oxide ores.
Is copper a stone?
Natural copper (symbol Cu), is a metallic mineral, a crystalline species of the native element category. With its crystals of red shades, it is an opaque, crystalline, brilliant and metallic-looking stone.
Which is the principal copper ore in the world?
The principal copper ore mineral is chalcopyrite (CuFeS2 ), which is commonly smelted to yield a matte containing ∼50% copper. In the presence of silica flux, iron is selectively oxidized to a slag. Figure 14 shows a PSD for the Cu–Fe–S–O system at 1 atm SO 2 as a function of temperature ( Rosenqvist 1978 ).
What are the two groups of metals found in nature?
Two groups of metals can also be found in nature: the gold group and the platinum group. The gold group consists of gold, copper, lead, aluminium, mercury, and silver. The platinum group consists of platinum, iridium, osmium, palladium, rhodium, and ruthenium.
What are the variable factors of copper ore?
Variable factors such as ore grain size, dosage, and addition sequence for water and acid, agglomeration, porosity and permeability, stacking in depths, regeneration of leachants, rate of irrigation, and duration of leaching cycles were studied systematically.
How are sulfide minerals collected in copper ore?
Reagents cause Cu–Fe sulfide and Cu sulfide minerals in the ore to attach to rising air bubbles, which are then collected in a short-lived froth. This froth is de-watered to become concentrate. The un-floated waste passes through several cells before being discarded as a final tailing.