Chalcopyrite

Chalcopyrite is a brass-yellow copper iron sulfide mineral, CuFeS₂, and the most abundant primary ore of copper.

Sulfide mineral: A mineral in which sulfur is combined with one or more metals or metalloids. Chalcopyrite belongs to this mineral class because sulfur bonds with copper and iron.
Froth flotation: A mineral-separation process that uses bubbles and surface chemistry to concentrate valuable particles. Flotation commonly separates chalcopyrite from less valuable minerals before smelting.
Copper mining: The extraction of copper-bearing minerals and ores from the ground. Chalcopyrite is the principal mineral source for much of the world's mined copper.
Escondida mine: A major copper mine in Chile's Atacama Desert, exploiting a large porphyry copper system. Chalcopyrite is among the copper-bearing minerals mined in this deposit.
Tetragonal crystal system: A crystal system with three mutually perpendicular axes, two equal in length and one different. Chalcopyrite crystallizes in a tetragonal structure that shapes its physical properties.
Copper smelting: The high-temperature extraction of copper from sulfide ores and concentrates. Smelting converts chalcopyrite concentrate into copper-rich matte and sulfur dioxide.
Porphyry copper deposit: A large, low-grade copper deposit associated with porphyritic igneous intrusions and hydrothermal alteration. Chalcopyrite is a major copper ore mineral in many porphyry deposits.
Bingham Canyon Mine: A large open-pit copper mine in Utah, developed within the Bingham porphyry system. Its ore includes chalcopyrite in a classic, extensively studied porphyry deposit.
Copper: A reddish, conductive metallic element with atomic number 29. Copper is the economically valuable metal contained in chalcopyrite.
Copper matte: A molten mixture of copper sulfides and iron sulfides produced during copper smelting. It is an intermediate product formed after chalcopyrite concentrate is smelted.

Linked from 10 pages