What are the four types of ore deposits?
Four important ore deposits are commonly hosted in volcanic successions: volcanic-hosted massive sulfide (VHMS) deposits, komatiite-hosted nickel sulfide deposits, epithermal gold–silver deposits, and kimberlite-hosted diamonds. There are different reasons why these ore deposit types occur in volcanic successions.
What are the 3 ores of copper?
List of copper ores
| Name | Formula | % Copper when pure |
|---|---|---|
| Malachite | CuCO3•Cu(OH)2 | 57.7 |
| Azurite | 2CuCO3·Cu(OH)2 | 55.1 |
| Cuprite | Cu2O | 88.8 |
| Chrysocolla | (Cu,Al)2H2Si2O5(OH)4·n(H2O) | 37.9 |
How are copper deposits formed?
Most nonrecycled supplies come from porphyry copper deposits (PCDs), which form when hot, metal-bearing fluids percolate up through Earth’s crust. These fluids bubble up through the crust and collect in pores in the rock, where they sit, waiting for the final step that will allow them to form copper minerals.
What is copper ore?
Copper ores Copper minerals are found in over one hundred varieties, although only a few have been worked for copper on a large scale. The most abundant ores are chalcopyrite and bornite, which contain both copper and iron sulphides. These account for about 80% of the world’s known ores.
What are the different types of ores?
There are mainly four kinds of ores like Ores Oxides; Ores Carbonate; Sulphide Ores; Ores Halides.
What are the different types of copper ore?
There are two main types of copper ore of interest: copper oxide ores and copper sulfide ores. Both ore types can be economically mined, but they are processed in different ways. Copper sulfide ores are typically the most profitable copper ore type to mine.
What are copper ores?
Principal forms in which copper ores are found include native copper, porphyry copper, massive deposits, and mixed ores. Native copper is simply the metal found unadulterated in nature….Ores.
| copper (percent)* | |
|---|---|
| Native copper ore | |
| chalcocite | 79.9 |
| covellite | 66.5 |
| chalcopyrite | 34.6 |
What types of rock is copper in?
Copper minerals and ores are found in both igneous and sedimentary rocks.
Where are copper deposits found?
The largest copper mine is found in Utah (Bingham Canyon). Other major mines are found in Arizona, Michigan, New Mexico and Montana. In South America, Chile, the world’s largest producer, and Peru are both major producers of copper.
What type of ore is copper ore?
copper oxide ores
There are two main types of copper ore of interest: copper oxide ores and copper sulfide ores. Both ore types can be economically mined, but they are processed in different ways. Copper sulfide ores are typically the most profitable copper ore type to mine.
How much copper is in a copper ore?
In most cases copper ores contain between 0.6 and 1 per cent of copper. Consequently one tonne of ore generates a maximum 6 to 10 kilograms of copper. In the case of platinum the yield is much lower: 1 tonne of ore usually contains between 3 and 6 grams of platinum.
What are the different types of copper deposits?
A variety of deposit types are spatially, if not genetically, related to porphyry copper mineralization, including skarns, polymetallic veins and replacements, and epithermal veins.
What makes a copper deposit worth so much?
Grade is a significant factor in how much a deposit is worth. Most copper ores contain only a small percentage of copper metal bound up within valuable ore minerals. The remainder of the ore is simply unwanted rock. Exploration companies conduct drill programs to extract samples of rock called cores.
How much copper does a porphyry copper deposit contain?
They typically contain between 0.4 and 1 percent copper in concert with smaller amounts of other metals, such as molybdenum, silver and gold. Porphyry copper mineral deposits are usually massive, with extraction taking place by open-pit mining.
Which is the most profitable type of copper to mine?
Both ore types can be economically mined, but they are processed in different ways. Copper sulfide ores are typically the most profitable copper ore type to mine. That is because they have high copper content, and the copper in them can more easily be separated from unwanted minerals.
