Copper ore

Chalcopyrite, a type of copper ore.

Copper ore is a rock containing copper that can be extracted. Copper ores have a variable copper content depending on the copper mineral. In the modern era, copper sulfide minerals such as chalcocite are the most commercially important copper ores, while carbonites such as malachite offer alternative sources. Native copper, consisting of pure or almost-pure copper, has been used since around 7500 BCE near the Great Lakes of North America, and is still mined in the 21st century. Though copper ore is more difficult to use than native copper, requiring the mastery of copper smelting, it is available in larger quantities and in more locations around the world.

Dependencies

• Copper ore
  • Copper
• Bloomery furnace
• Kiln

See also

• Copper wire
• Iron ore

Further reading

• F. Payne, Arthur (1914). Art Metalwork With Inexpensive Equipment. The Manual Arts Press

External links

• List of copper ores, Wikipedia

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article List_of_copper_ores, which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License (view authors).