Description

Basic Overview

Copper ore is generally composed of sulfide or oxide of copper and other minerals, and react with sulfuric acid to produce blue-green copper sulfate. Natural copper minerals come in a variety of colors. Chalcopyrite is bright yellow, bornite is dark copper-red, and becomes bluish-violet speckle after oxidation. Chalcogenite (cupric sulfide) lead gray; Copper blue (copper sulfide) indigo blue; Tetrahedrite is steel gray; Azurite (formerly known as Zeng Qing or Shi Qing) is a brilliant blue. In ancient literature, cyan refers to dark blue. The world’s proven copper reserves are estimated at more than 600 million tons, the largest is Chile, accounting for about one-third of the world’s reserves. Our country has many famous copper mines, such as Jiangxi Dexing, Anhui Tongling area, Shanxi Zhongtiaoshan, Gansu Baiyin factory, Yunnan Dongchuan, Heilongjiang Duobaoshan, Jiangda County Yulong of Xizang, Mozhu Gongka County Chulong and so on. Copper is second only to silver in conductivity in the metal kingdom. Copper ore is more abundant and cheaper than silver ore. Today, more than half of the world’s copper is used in the power and telecommunications industries

Type of deposit

Types of copper deposits can be roughly divided into the following types:

(1) Marine volcanic pyrite type copper deposit: located in quartz keratophytes and fine jasper of the Lower Paleozoic. It is lenticular and lamellar. The ore minerals are chalcopyrite and pyrite. Copper grade is generally greater than 1%. Such as China Gansu Baiyin factory, Qinghai red ditch and other deposits.

(2) Molten copper-nickel sulfide deposits in ultrabasic rocks: they occur in the middle and lower parts of pure ureite, pyroxenite and ureite in the lower Paleozoic. It is lamellar and lenticular. The ore minerals are chalcopyrite and nickel pyrite. Copper grade is generally less than 1%. Such as China’s Gansu Jinchuan, Xinjiang Kalatunke and other mines.
(3) metamorphic rock – like copper deposit: occurring in Mesoproterozoic dolomite, marble, schist gneisses, along the bed. The ore bodies are stratified, stratified and lenticular. The ore minerals are chalcopyrite and bornite. Copper grade is generally greater than 1%. Such as Yunnan Dongchuan Tangdan, Shanxi Zhongtiaoshan Hujiayu and other mines.
(4) Skarn type copper deposit: located inside and outside the contact zone between medium acid intrusive rock mass and carbonate rocks. The ore bodies are mainly lamellar, lenticular and lentil shaped. The ore minerals are chalcopyrite and pyrite. Copper grade is generally greater than 1%. Such as Anhui Tongguanshan, Jiangxi Chengmenshan and other mines.
(5) Porphyry copper deposit: occurred in Mesozoic and Cenozoic granodiorite porphyry, monzonite porphyry, diorite porphyry and its surrounding rocks. The ore body is lamellar and lenticular. The ore mineral is chalcopyrite. Copper grade is generally less than 1%. The deposits are usually large and medium sized. Such as Jiangxi copper factory, Heilongjiang Duobaoshan, Xizang Yulong, drive dragon and other mines.

(6) Sandstone-type copper deposit: occurs in Mesozoic continental sandstone and sand shale. The ore body is lamellar and lenticular. The ore minerals are mainly chalcocite, followed by bornite, chalcopyrite and so on. Copper grade more than 1%. Such as Yunnan Haojiahe, Sichuan copper plant and other mines.

Type of copper ore

Porphyry copper deposit

Porphyry copper (bornite) has the first proven reserves, accounting for about 41% of the total reserves in China, and proved reserves are still growing in recent years. It mainly concentrates on three metallogenic belts: Alpes-Himalaya metallogenic belt (including Yunnan and Tibet regions), Central Asia-Mongolia metallogenic belt (including Xinjiang, Gansu and Heilongjiang provinces) and Pacific metallogenic belt (including the vast eastern region of China). The metallogenic age is from Cambrian to Tertiary, mainly Himalayan and Yanshanian.

Karnite copper mine

The skarn type copper mine is also a major type, with its proved reserves of about 27% of our country’s total reserves. Especially the Gangdisn type copper mine resources are increasing rapidly. Typical skarn copper deposits are mainly concentrated in the middle and lower reaches of Yangtze River. The ore-forming rock mass is dominated by granodiorite of Yanshanian period and the surrounding rock is dominated by carbonate strata since Paleozoic. High grade, different scale, often form large rich copper deposits.

Stratified copper ore

Stratified copper deposits, including metamorphic mesoform copper deposits and copper-bearing sand shale copper deposits, account for about 11 percent of the country’s total reserves. Metamorphic rock deposits are usually formed from early Marine sedimentary rocks by metamorphism, and their metallogenic ages are most important in Proterozoic and Paleozoic, concentrated in Kangdian, Wolfshan and Zhongtiaoshan areas. The ore-forming age of copper-bearing sand shale is concentrated from Mesozoic to Tertiary, and occurs in central Yunnan Basin. In addition to copper, this kind of copper ore is associated with lead, zinc, silver, cobalt, etc., and some of it is rich in a variety of scattered elements and radioactive elements.

Volcanic sedimentary copper ore

Volcanic sedimentary copper deposits account for 5.5% of the total reserves in China, and Marine volcanic copper deposits are more abundant than continental volcanic deposits. Ore bodies occur in the contact area of volcanic rock strata with different lithology, the top and vicinity of volcanic lava and pyroclastic rock strata, and the interface of overlying sedimentary rock strata. The ore bodies are layered, lenticular and often occur in groups. The metallogenic age is mainly Paleozoic and Paleoproterozoic, followed by Archean Eon.

Copper-nickel sulfide copper ore

Copper-nickel sulfide copper deposits account for 6.4% of the total reserves in China, and are closely related to basic-ultrabasic rock mass. Mainly concentrated in Longshoushan, East Tianshan, Zhangguangcailing and other areas, metallogenic age is mainly Proterozoic Eon.

Our company mainly supplies Copper ore from Laos, and the chemical indicators are as follows: