CHEMISTRY: cu
COLOR: rusty red tarnished green.
LUSTER: metallic.
TRANSPARENCY: opaque.
CRYSTAL SYSTEM: isometric.
CLEAVAGE: absent.
FRACTURE: jagged.
STREAK: reddish.
HARDNESS: 2.5-3
SPECIFIC GRAVITY: 8.9+
ATOMIC NUMBER: 29
ATOMIC WEIGHT: 63.546
MELTING POINT: 1,083 degrees C
BOILING POINT: 2,567 degrees C
TENSILE STRENGTH: approx. 19,000 psi
CRYSTAL HABITS: massive, wires, cubes
and octahedrons.
As you can see from the above list.Copper is found
in allot of minerals. Some Of the family, like Turquoise.
Which has been so extensively used as a gem stone. Require a whole article
of their own. Others may not be so well known or as interesting. But
rest assured, we will be researching and putting new information on
our site, as we add new items.
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES:
Copper is a reddish chemical element. It is an extremely ductile metal
and is second only to silver as a conductor of electricity and heat.
It has a pleasing color and luster, it takes a high polish, and it forms
alloys readily with almost all metals. Copper found in the free metallic
state in nature is called "native
copper." It is found throughout the world as a primary mineral in
basaltic lava's. The greatest known deposit of copper is in porphyries
formed by volcanic activity in the Chile's Andean Mountains.
Copper is usually found in nature in association with sulfur. Pure copper
metal is generally produced from a multistage process, beginning with
the mining and concentrating of low-grade ores containing copper sulfide
minerals, and followed by smelting and electrolytic refining to produce
a pure copper cathode. An increasing share of copper is produced from
acid leaching of oxidized ores. Nearly as much copper is recovered from
recycled material as is derived from newly mined ore.
Copper is easily worked and is remarkably ductile. It can be cold-rolled
down to one one-thousandth inch in thickness, and, by cold drawing,
its length can be increased as much as 5,000 times. Hence it is an ideal
metal for making wire.
Copper is one of the oldest metals ever used and has been one of the
important materials in the development of civilization. Because of its
properties, singularly or in combination, of high ductility, malleability,
and thermal and electrical conductivity, and its resistance to corrosion,
copper has become a major industrial metal, ranking third after iron
and aluminum in terms of quantities consumed.
Copper usually has impurities, but can be found pure. Native copper
is found only in small quantities throughout the world, but there are
a few areas that produce substancial amounts, such as the Keweenaw Peninsula
in Michigan. Well crystallized specimens are not common,
and are very much sought after. The interlocking Copper and Silver masses
that are commonly found in the Keweenaw Peninsula are known as "Halfbreeds".
LOCALITIES:
For many years, Chile has been the world's largest producer of copper,
with the United States a close second. Other major producers include
Canada, Zambia, Russia, Poland, China, Mexico, Kazakhstan, and Indonesia.
After Arizona, the leading copper-producing states in the U.S. are New
Mexico, Montana and Utah.
Most of the copper mined in Utah comes from Kennecott's Bingham Canyon
mine in the Oquirrh Mountains on the west side of the Salt Lake Valley.
The Bingham Canyon mine is the world's largest open-pit copper mine,
measuring 0.5 miles deep and 2.5 miles wide. For perspective, the world's
tallest building, the Sears Tower, is l,454 feet tall and would reach
only half way up the side of the pit. The mine has produced 12 million
tons of copper since open-pit operations began in 1906. This production
figure is eight times the total metallic mineral yield from the Comstock
Lode, Klondike, and California Gold Rushes combined.
HISTORICAL FACTS:
Copper was named for the island of Cyprus, where the Romans obtained
their supply.
Neolithic humans about 10,000 years ago first used
native copper as a substitute for stone. The Egyptians and the Sumerians
invented metallurgy, first reducing ores with fire and charcoal about
4000 BC. Copper was intentionally alloyed with tin as bronze about 3500
BC, and this harder metal was so universal in early history that one
period is known as the Bronze Age. Archeologists have recovered a portion
of a water plumbing system from the Pyramid of Cheops in Egypt. The
copper tubing used was found in serviceable condition after more than
5,000 years.
When Columbus sailed to the Americas, his ships, Nina,
Pinta and Santa Maria, had copper skins below the water line. The copper
sheathing extended hull life and protected against barnacles. Paul Revere,
produced the bronze cannon, spikes and pumps for the famous ship, Old
Ironsides. Revere was one of the earliest American coppersmiths. An
average single family home uses 439 pounds of copper. There's about
9000 pounds of copper in a Boeing 747 The Statue of Liberty contains
179,000 pounds of copper
Copper remained the second most utilized metal (after
iron) until the 1960s when cheaper and more plentiful aluminum surpassed
it in world production. The first mineral boom in the United States
occurred in 1843 when people from all over the continent began to hunt
for the copper, silver and iron of Michigan’s upper peninsula. These
mines were in commercial operation for more than a hundred years. Michigan
has produced over 14 billion pounds of copper since mining began in
1845. Silver is often extracted along with the copper deposits. The
copper mined in Michigan helped fuel the industrial revolution that
occurred in the US. Native Copper was the only source of copper until
the turn of the century, when extraction methods were improved. All
mining of native copper in this area ceased in 1969. Currently, Arizona
leads the nation in copper production.
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