Copper ore. Minerals: Copper ores Guide to collecting ore WWII 3.3 5

The question: where to find copper ore worries many geologists, but few people know that archaeologists can tell a lot of interesting things about this and their finds are sometimes more interesting than geological surveys. So in Chelyabinsk they summed up the results of archaeological research that was carried out in Chelyabinsk region- Varensky district. A joint group of archaeologists took part in the research, which included representatives from Sheffield (Great Britain) and Pittsburgh (USA), as well as specialist archaeological students from Chelyabinsk State Pedagogical University. These young archaeologists were conducting research on one of the most famous settlements in this area, dating back to Bronze Age. This settlement is called "Mouth". Other cultural monuments that belong to the Nizhny Toguzak river valley were also explored. Chelyabinsk State Pedagogical University has been interested in this archaeological monument for quite some time.

It has been studied since 1984, and this process is constantly led by university professor Nikolai Vinogradov. During the excavations, a large settlement with powerful fortifications was discovered, in which one could find large number objects made of metal. As a survey of the settlement showed, approximately thirty metallurgical furnaces were located in 26 rooms found by researchers. This could only mean one thing: for local residents, metal products were an integral part of their life. But until today it was not clear where the ore deposit was located, which was used for smelting. Also, no places were discovered where the primary melting of this metal took place. Main doctoroff.ru Medicine portal

To help their colleagues find the missing “puzzle pieces,” colleagues from Sheffield and Pittsburgh arrived at the excavation site, armed with the most modern tools that allow them to carry out the necessary research in geochemistry and geophysics. It was necessary to check chemical composition soils that make up the cultural layer in such a way as not to damage them, without subjecting them to destruction. Thanks to these modern devices, the expedition members still managed to discover copper mines, which were located at a short distance from the settlement - at a distance of 1-5 kilometers from the fortifications. According to researchers, these may be the remains of the very same mines where ore was mined. But there is no further evidence that these assumptions are true, so it cannot be assumed for sure that this is true, which means additional research will be required. This is what students and their leaders will do next year. There are already preliminary agreements to continue working together.

Copper ore is a compound of minerals in which copper is present in sufficient concentration for its further processing and use for industrial purposes. In production, it is advisable to use enriched ore with a metal content of at least 0.5-1%.

Copper- a plastic element of a golden-pink hue. In the open air, the metal is immediately covered with an oxygen film, which gives it a specific red-yellow color.

Characteristic properties: corrosion resistance, high thermal and electrical conductivity.

At the same time, the element has high antibacterial properties, destroys influenza viruses and staphylococci.

In the industrial complex, copper is most often used in alloys with other components: nickel, zinc, tin, gold, etc.

Thanks to the low resistivity Copper is actively used in the electrical field for manufacturing power cables and wires. Good thermal conductivity allows this metal to be used in cooling radiators and air conditioners.

The following manufacturing sectors cannot do without copper:

• mechanical engineering (window lifters, bearings);
• shipbuilding (plating of hulls and structures);
• construction (pipes, roofing and facing materials, plumbing equipment, etc.).

For the jewelry industry, alloys with gold are relevant, which increase mechanical strength and abrasion resistance.

Experts predict large-scale use of metal as antibacterial surfaces in medical institutions (railings, doors, handles, handrails, etc.).

Interesting! The famous Statue of Liberty is made of copper. Its construction required about 80 tons of material. And in Nepal this metal is considered sacred.

Statue of Liberty

Groups of copper ores

All copper ores are usually divided into nine industrial-geological types, which in turn are divided into six groups according to origin:

Stratiform group

This group includes copper shales and sandstones. These materials are represented by large deposits. Their characteristic features: simple reservoir shape, uniform distribution of useful components, flat surface bedding, allowing the use of open mining methods.

Pyrite group

This includes native copper, vein and copper-pyrite compounds. Native metal is most often found in the oxidation zones of copper sulfide mines, along with other oxidized minerals.

Copper pyrite metals differ in shapes and sizes. The main mineral in the ore is pyrite; chalcopyrites and sphalerites are also present.

Vein ores are characterized by a vein structure with inclusions. Such ores, as a rule, occur in contact with porphyries.

Porphyry copper (hydrothermal)

These deposits, together with copper and molybdenum, contain gold, silver, selenium and other useful elements, the presence of which is significantly higher than normal.

Copper-nickel

The deposits are presented in sheet, lens-shaped, irregular and vein forms. The metal has a massive texture interspersed with cobalt, platinum group metals, gold, etc.

Skarn Ore

Skarn ores are local deposits in limestones and calcareous-terrigenous rocks. They are characterized by small sizes and complex morphology. The copper concentration is high, but uneven - up to 3%.

Carbonate

This group includes iron-copper and carbonatite ore. So far, the only deposit of this type of copper has been discovered in South Africa. This complex mine belongs to the alkaline rock massif.

What ores do copper come from?

Interesting! Copper is very rarely found in nature in the form of nuggets. To date, the largest such find is considered to be a nugget discovered in North America in the United States weighing 420 tons.

There are almost 250 types of copper, but only 20 types are used in industry. The most common of them:

Chalcozine

A compound of minerals containing sulfur (20%) and copper (80%). It is called “copper luster” because of its characteristic metallic luster. The ore has a dense or granular structure of black or gray hue.

Chalcopyrite

The metal is of hydrothermal origin and is found in skarns and greisens. Most often it is part of polymetallic ore along with galena and sphalerite.

Bornite

A common mineral of the sulfide class in nature, one of the main elements of copper ores. It has a characteristic bluish-purple tint. Contains copper (63.33%), iron (11.12%), sulfur (25.55%) and silver impurities. It occurs in the form of dense, fine-grained masses.

Copper ore mining methods

Depending on the depth of the mine, open and closed methods of metal extraction are used.

In closed (underground) mining, mines are built several kilometers long. The mines are equipped with elevators to move workers and equipment, as well as to transport minerals to the surface.

Underground, the rock must be crushed using special drilling equipment with spikes. Then, with the help of buckets, the ore is collected and loaded.

The open method is relevant when the deposits are located at a depth of 400-500 meters. First, the top layer of waste rock is removed, after which the copper ore is removed. To make it easier to get hard rocks, it is first destroyed with explosive devices.

Open pit method of copper ore mining

There are two main methods for producing copper:

• pyrometallurgical;
• hydrometallurgical.

The first method involves fire refining of metal and allows you to process any raw material with the extraction of all useful elements. Using this technology, it is possible to obtain copper even from poor rock, in which the metal content is below 0.5%. The second method is used, as a rule, only for processing oxidized or native ore with a low copper content.

Mining of copper ores in the world

Copper mines are not concentrated in certain areas geographical areas, and were found in different countries. In America, chalcocite deposits are being developed in the states of Nevada and Arizona. Deposits of copper oxide, cuprite, are common in Cuba. Copper chloride is mined in Peru.

There are almost no sources of enriched ores left in the world; copper has been mined for several hundred years, so all the rich mines have long been developed. In industry it is necessary to use low-grade minerals (up to 0.5% copper).

Interesting! In terms of global production, copper is in third place after iron and aluminum.

Leading countries in copper ore reserves and production

The list of countries rich in copper ores includes: Chile, America, China, Kazakhstan, Poland, Indonesia, Zambia. The Russian Federation's share in world ore production is 9% (this is third place after Chile and the USA). Chile is the leader in mineral reserves, containing 33% of the world's copper.

The largest mines are:

• Chuquicamata mine (Chile). Development has been carried out for more than 100 years, during this period 26 million tons of metal were developed;

• Escondida mine (Chile). Mining has been carried out since 1990;

• Grasberg mine (Indonesia).

Recently, large mines were discovered in Peru (Antamina), Brazil (Salobu), and Kazakhstan (Nurkazgan).

Experts say that the volume of economically viable copper is more than 400 million tons. all over the world.

Copper ore mining in Russia

The structure of the copper raw material base in Russia differs significantly from the world market. The main share in it falls on sulfide copper-nickel (40%) and pyrite (19%) mines. While in other countries porphyry copper deposits and cuprous sandstones predominate.

Copper ore deposits in Russia

Answering the question of where copper ores are mined in Russia, the Taimyr Autonomous Okrug should first be highlighted. More than 60% of all copper ore deposits in Russia are concentrated in the Oktyabrsky, Tapakhninsky and Norilsk deposits. About one third of the mineral is mined in the Ural copper mining region.

A large Udokan mine has been discovered in the Chita region, which has not yet been developed due to undeveloped transport infrastructure. According to expert data, the exploited deposits in the Russian Federation will last no more than 30 years.

The first profession I started earning gold from in WoW was mining. When I asked older comrades about what kind of craft to do, I, as a beginner, was advised to take mining professions, since others did not bring such income (which was a controversial statement), and for a beginner who is leveling up his first character, they are an excellent help for strengthening financial situation(which was true).

Important : This guide has been updated for patch 8.0.1 (current version of World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth). But for those who download mining on the official classic WoW servers, it will also be useful. The locations and places where you can find this or that ore have not changed, so you can use the maps without problems.

Yes, indeed, if you are on a quest and spend most of your time in locations, then one way or another you will come across flowers and ore veins, and even more so animals from which you can skin. Now there is another reason why it makes sense for a new character to engage in mining - they give you experience for it, that is, by hammering with a pickaxe you can level up.

Miners provide raw materials for many productive professions. The metals that miners smelt are used by engineers and blacksmiths, and the ore is sifted by jewelers. If you choose mining, you will definitely not be left without income; the demand for ore of all levels is constant. The disadvantages of this profession are that it is a farming profession by definition and you will have to spend quite a lot of time to earn money. Therefore, many players, after reaching the level cap, reset mining and change their profession.

Mining is carried out using two methods, which can be used both together and separately - ore mining and metal smelting. Both add points, so, unlike herbalism or skinning, you can upgrade your mining without leaving the city, simply by buying ore and smelting it into metal ingots. True, only up to level 525.

Mining is not one of the professions that developers have changed frequently, but a few things are worth noting:

• in the Cataclysm add-on, they began to give experience for digging ore;
• In the Mists of Pandaria expansion, the ability to mine any ore was introduced, regardless of skill level. In this case, the amount of ore mined depends on what its level is. Therefore, it is still recommended to upgrade the skill the old fashioned way, so as not to lose in the amount of raw materials produced.
• The Warlords of Draenor expansion dealt a critical blow to mining (and herbalism too). Each garrison had its own mine, in which a character without mining skills could mine ore for his needs. Additional ore could be obtained by placing orders with followers. In addition, there was no need to melt ingots. Blacksmiths and engineers began to make objects directly from ore. Finally, jewelers stopped sifting ore to obtain rough precious stones. In short, the value of the skill has dropped significantly.
• in the Legion expansion everything was returned to normal. There were no mines in the strongholds, and jewelers would again need the ore to obtain precious stones.

One of the innovations in the Battle for Azeroth add-on, which seriously affects leveling, is that the skill is now divided into shooting ranges. Each tier corresponds to an add-on. The most important thing is that the shooting ranges are independent of each other. If you want to improve your mining skill in Northrend, then you don’t need to run around the locations of the Old World and Outland, digging for ore. You simply find a teacher in Northrend, learn from him and upgrade your skill. The distribution by range is outlined below. In general, we can say that this did not particularly affect the pumping routes. The total number of skill points is now 950.

• 1-300 - mining
• 1-75 - Outland Mining
• 1-75 - Northrend Mining
• 1-75 - mining during the Cataclysm
• 1-75 - Pandarian Mining
• 1-100 - Draenor Mining
• 1-100 - Mining Legion
• 1-150 - Kul Tiran/Zuldazar Mining

For other innovations regarding professions in Battle for Azeroth, watch this video

Thus, now (patch 8.0.1) there are several ways to level up your mining skill:

• If you are not interested in the amount of ore mined, then you do not need to follow the recommended sequence of locations. In this case, you need to remember the following important point. If you have not learned the mining skill for a certain tier, then in some cases it will not be leveled up. Let's say the Legion mining skill unlocks after you hit ore for the first time in the Broken Isles. Whereas for Outland ores such a mechanism does not work. Yes, you will be able to mine ore, but you will not receive any points for it. Perhaps this is a bug that will be fixed, but for now it’s better to first fly to a mining teacher and learn the skill, and then dig ore.
• if the amount of ore is important to you, then the order of passing the locations must be observed. In other words, pumping is done the old fashioned way.
• The skill can still be upgraded by smelting ore, although not for all tiers either. Let's say there is no metal smelting in Draenor and Legion mining. You can only smelt into ingots up to Pandarian ores. That is, you can level up your skills for the classic game shooting ranges, Outland, Northrend, Cataclysm and Pandaria without leaving the city. For the Draenor mining ranges and beyond, you need to go out into the field and hit the ore veins.

Yes, now the skill can be upgraded without being tied to specific zones, but you will receive significantly less ore, so in principle it is recommended to stick to of a certain order zones

Before moving on to specific routes and the pumping algorithm, information regarding what ore veins and metals are in Azeroth.

Ores of Azeroth, Draenor and Outland

Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms
Copper core
Tin vein
Bronze (smelting, copper and tin only)
Silver vein
Iron vein
gold mine
Steel (smelting, iron and coal only)
Mithril deposit
True silver deposit
Dark iron deposit
Small thorium vein
Rich thorium vein

Outland (The Burning Crusade)
Fel Iron Deposit
Adamantite deposit
Fel Iron (Smelting only)
Rich adamantite deposit
Corium vein

Northrend (Wrath of the Lich King)
Cobalt deposit
Rich cobalt deposit
Saronite deposit
Rich Saronite Deposit
Titanium deposit

Ore veins available after Cataclysm
Obsidium deposit
Deposit of pure saronite
Rich obsidium deposit
Elementium Vein
Rich elementium vein
Pyrite deposit
Rich pyrite deposit

Mists of Pandaria
Ghost Iron Ore
Rich Ghost Iron Ore
Black and white trillium ore

Draenor (Warlords of Draenor)
Blackrock Ore
True Iron Ore

Broken Isles (Legion)
Leystone Ore
Felslate

Leveling up mining in Battle for Azeroth

In the Battle for Azeroth expansion, three, rather than two, as usual, types of ore were introduced:

• Monelite Ore;
• Storm Silver Ore;
• Platinum Ore;

The first two types are the lowest tier of ores, and platinum, accordingly, is rarer and therefore valuable.

As in the Legion expansion, mining this ore can be done with varying degrees of efficiency depending on your mining skill level for the specific ore. Yes, these same notorious stars. Moreover, you can increase your skill level, just like in Legion, by completing quests. By the way, the developers left quests in Battle for Azeroth only for mining and herbalism.

See the maps below for the best routes to take to find more ore.

Monelite Ore

Tiragarde Sound

Storm Valley

Drustvar

Nazmir

Vol'dun

Zuldazar

Storm Silver Ore

Tiragarde Sound

Storm Valley

Drustvar

Nazmir

Vol'dun

Zuldazar

Platinum Ore

Tiragarde Sound

Storm Valley

Drustvar

Nazmir

Vol'dun

Zuldazar

Leveling up mining in early tiers

So let's begin. The cards have been brazenly stolen from this resource.

Mining (1-300)

1-60. Copper ore

The first ore we can mine is copper and the metal we can smelt is copper. Found mainly in noob locations of levels 10-20. Below are the optimal routes for various factions and races. Leveling up copper ore mining lasts until about skill level 66.

Horde

Durotar

Azshara

Mulgore

Forest of Eversong

Tirisfal Glades

Alliance

Azuremyst Island

Dark Shores

Dun Morogh

Elwynn Forest

60-100. Tin and silver ore

Hillsbrad Foothills

Ashen Forest

100-150. Iron and gold ore

Feralas

Cape of Stranglethorn

Western Plaguelands

150-200. Truesilver Ore and Mithril Ore

Badlands

Felwood

200-300. Thorium Ore

Un'Goro Crater— there is a lot of thorium ore at the edges of the crater, we just run in circles.

Blasted Lands

Winter Springs

The most common copper ore on our planet is bornite. But besides it, copper is also mined from other ores, which we will talk about in this article.

1

This ore refers to accumulations of minerals in which copper is present in such quantities that are considered suitable for processing for industrial purposes. A generally accepted indicator of the reasonableness of developing a deposit is considered to be a situation when copper accumulations in it are at least 0.5–1%.

Moreover, about 90% of the reserves of this metal on earth are found in ores containing not only copper, but also other metals (for example, nickel).

Large-scale copper mining in Russia is carried out in Eastern Siberia, in the Urals and Kola Peninsula. The largest deposits of this metal are present in Chile (according to experts, about 190 million tons). Other countries engaged in the development of such ores include the USA, Zambia, Kazakhstan, Poland, Canada, Zaire, Armenia, Congo, Peru, and Uzbekistan. In total, the planet's total reserves of copper in explored deposits are approximately 680 million tons.

All copper deposits are usually divided into six genetic groups and nine industrial geological types:

• stratiform group (copper shales and sandstones);
• pyrite (native copper, vein and copper-pyrite type);
• hydrothermal (porphyry copper ores);
• igneous (copper-nickel ore);
• skarn;
• carbonate (iron-copper and carbonatite type).

In our country, the main extraction of copper is carried out on cuprous shales and sandstones, from copper pyrites, copper-nickel and porphyry copper ores.

2

In nature, copper is quite rare in its native form. Most often, it “hides” in various connections. The most famous of them are the following:

3

Other copper minerals are much less common, among which are the following:

4

This metal, whose characteristics (for example, high ) have led to its wide demand) is obtained from the minerals and ores described by us in three ways - hydrometallurgical, pyrometallurgical and electrolysis. The most common is pyrometallurgical technology, which uses the mineral chalcopyrite as a feedstock. The general scheme of the pyrometallurgical process includes several operations. The first of them is the enrichment of copper ore by oxidative roasting or flotation.

The flotation method is based on different indicators wetted gangue and copper containing particles. Due to this, some mineral elements adhere (selectively) to the air bubbles and are transported to the surface by them. This simple technology makes it possible to obtain a powdered concentrate, in which the copper content varies from 10 to 35 percent.

Oxidative roasting (not to be confused with) is more often used when the initial raw material contains sulfur in large quantities. In this case, the ore is heated to a temperature of 700–800 degrees, which leads to the oxidation of sulfides and a halving of the sulfur content. After this, smelting is performed for matte (an alloy with iron and copper sulfides, produced in reverberatory or shaft furnaces) at a temperature of 1450 degrees.

The copper matte, which is obtained after all these operations, is blown in horizontal converters without supplying additional fuel ( chemical reactions provide the heat necessary for the process) with side blast for the oxidation of iron and sulfides. The resulting sulfur is converted into SO2, and the oxides into slag.

As a result, what comes out of the converter is so-called black copper, in which the metal content is approximately 91%. Subsequently, it is purified using fire refining (removing unnecessary impurities) and an acidified solution of vitriol (copper). This purification is called electrolytic, after which the copper content reaches 99.9%.

In the hydrometallurgical method of copper production, it is obtained by leaching the metal with sulfuric acid (a very weak solution) and separating copper, as well as other precious metals, from the resulting solution. This technique is recommended for working with low-grade ores.

Copper is a ductile metal of golden-pink color, which pure form found in nature more often than gold or silver nuggets. But copper is mainly mined from copper ores - natural mineral formations. Most copper is found in sulfide ores. In oxidation zones, copper is found in most silicates, carbonates and oxides. Copper is also found in sedimentary rocks: shales and cuprous sandstones.

Modern science knows more than 200 minerals containing copper. In industry, metal extracted from sulfates is most often used, including:

• Chalcocite (79% copper);
• Bornite (up to 65%);
• Chalcopyrite, or copper pyrite (about 35%).

Copper is also contained in copper-nickel compounds. The most famous of them is cubanite (up to 45% copper). Of the oxidized ores, it is worth noting cuprite (88%), malachite (up to 58%), azurite (up to 56%). Sometimes there are deposits of native copper.

Characteristics and types of copper

Copper is one of the first metals that people began to use. The chemical symbol is Cu (cuprum). This metal has high thermal conductivity, corrosion resistance, and electrical conductivity. Copper melts at low temperatures, excellent solderability, metal is easy to cut and process.

Some copper compounds can be toxic to humans. High levels of copper in water and food can cause liver and gallbladder diseases. Quarries left behind after copper mining become sources of toxins. For example, Berkeley Pit Lake, formed in the crater of a former copper mine, is considered the most toxic lake in the world. But the bactericidal properties of copper are disproportionately higher. It has been proven that copper helps fight influenza viruses and destroys staphylococci.

In industry, copper is rarely used in its pure form. The following alloys have found greater use:

• Brass (an alloy of copper and zinc);
• Bronze (with tin);
• Babbitts (with lead);
• Cupronickel (with nickel);
• Dural (with aluminum);
• Jewelry alloy (with gold).

Copper deposits and mining

The most large deposit copper in the world is located in Chile - this is the Esconida quarry. Huge deposits of native copper were discovered here.

Other large deposits:

• Mines on the Keweenaw Peninsula (USA, Michigan);
• Chuquicamata mine in Chile (up to 600 thousand tons per year);
• Corocoro mine in Bolivia;
• Mine Gumishevsky ( Middle Urals, Russia) - now exhausted;
• Valley of the Levikha River (Middle Urals, Russia);
• Gabbro massif (Italy).

According to the US Geological Survey, the largest copper deposits belong to Chile. Next come the USA, Russia, Peru and Mexico.

Copper mining methods:

• Open;
• Hydrometallurgical - when copper is leached from the rock with a weak solution of sulfuric acid;
• Pyrometallurgical - consists of several stages (concentration, roasting, smelting for matte, purging and refining).

Careful handling of copper ores

Copper ores are non-renewable resources, and therefore their development requires careful attitude, both in extraction methods and in industrial processing.

Industry is increasingly becoming more demanding of constant volumes of resources received, which leads to their gradual depletion. To do this, the extraction of copper ores needs to be more carefully controlled, along with other non-renewable resources such as oil, natural gas, is used more carefully and rationally, both in industrial and household consumption.

Copper Applications

Copper is one of the most important non-ferrous metals, which has found application in almost all spheres of human activity.

• Electrical industry (wires, wire);
• Mechanical engineering (starter, power windows, radiators, coolers, bearings);
• Shipbuilding (hull plating);
• Construction (pipes, pipelines, roofing and facing materials, bathtubs, faucets, sinks);
• In art ( jewelry, statues, coinage);
• In everyday life (air conditioners, microwave ovens, coins, food additives, musical instruments).

Interestingly, the Statue of Liberty is made of copper. Its construction required about 80 tons of metal. And in Nepal, copper is considered a sacred metal.