Escondida in Chile is the biggest copper producer in the world, accounting for 5% of global production. (Courtesy of BHP Billiton)
This Copper Development Association resource provides a comprehensive account of the mining and extraction of copper from oxide and sulfide ores. This includes the an overview of copper bearing minerals, historical overview of copper mining, modern open-cast mining and extraction techniques.
There are two separate resources suitable for use with pupils ages 11-16. You can download and save this resource as a Zip folder.
Click on the following link and choose the
'save' option.
Copper_mining_and_extraction_sulfide_ores.zip
Copper_mining_and_extraction_oxide_ores.zip
To use the files, you will need to extract them by right clicking on the Zip folder and choosing the 'extract all' option.
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