Copper is full of properties suitable for a vast array of structural and decorative applications. Compared to the majority of non-ferrous elements, copper metal is more abundant. You will find traces of copper in almost every important corner of your space and resources. Even kitchen sinks, tabletops, jewelry, doorknobs, pull handles, railings, tools have some traces of copper in a distinctive form.
Copper plays an important role in bringing revolutionary change due to its durability, conductivity, and recyclability. Collective Mining (CNL.V) works hand-in-hand with its stakeholders to build a stronger and mutually beneficial future, while strictly adhering to a principled approach towards the environment, sustainability, and governance. The company is advancing exploration on large-scale copper-gold-molybdenum porphyry targets in the mining-friendly department of Caldas in Colombia.
Exploration
Copper has numerous useful properties that have made it a material of choice for varied domestic, industrial, and high technology purposes. The exploration process is complicated and challenging, but useful commodities might be obtained with the right strategies. The price of copper depends upon the spending on exploration.
Several resources, including drilling and geologist experts, are responsible for raising costs. The production and consumption of copper have increased in the past 25 years due to its versatility for application. The demand for copper is expanding as many developing countries are moving to the global market that requires mineral commodities. But the good thing is that the risk of disruption in global copper supply is very low as the copper production is dispersed, not limited to a region.
The importance of copper for construction, electrical, and power supply purposes is unmatchable to any other element. Various scientists of USGS are involved in research to explore how and where copper resources are concentrated on the earth’s crust. The knowledge obtained from research can be utilized to discover unknown copper resources. There are four stages in the life cycle of mines that includes prospecting and exploration, development, extraction, and reclamation. All these steps might be time draining and cost-effective.
Prospects and Exploration
Prospection and exploration are the very first process of finding and refining copper ore. This step may take two to eight years for completion and may cost up to $15 million in total. Primarily, pick and shovels were used to search the region for mineral resources. Nowadays, a variety of geological methods are used for modern prospecting. The concepts of geology, geophysics, geochemistry are used to discover the mineral source. Experts impart additional methodologies and techniques to determine the possible size and value of the discovered mineral deposit. Samples from the area containing minerals are collected with the help of drilling to test its qualities. The metallurgist is involved in determining the richness and extent of minerals. In this way, experts use to label a deposit “mineral ore” or “ore reserve.” Further, the economic value of the ore is stored, and estimation of mining cost is done.
Conclusion
Copper is extracted from multistage processes that begin from prospection and exploration of mineral deposits. Further, the process is followed by mining, concentrating, smelting, and electrolytic refining to obtain a pure copper cathode. Copper has become an essential element without which our normal lives seem monotonous.