What is it and where is it formed?  Copper is a metal that is found in copper pyrite ore and chalcopyrite.  It forms in volcanic rock and is usually not found by itself [a ‘native element’].  It is found in an ore with other minerals most of the time.  It is found in igneous rock.

How and where is it mined?  Copper is mined using open-pit mining [picture on left] and underground mining.  It used to be closer to the surface but many of those places have been mined already and miners need to go deeper now. The copper is taken out of the ore by using heat to melt it.  First it is crushed into small pieces and water is added to it. It is then crushed into tiny pieces and then it is heated until it melts.  Once it melts, anything that isn’t copper is taken out.  Then electricity is run through the melted copper and purifies it.  It is then poured into molds so that it can cool and become solid again.  Copper is found in the U.S.A.(Michigan and Arizona), Germany, Russia, and Australia.

What is it used for?  Copper is used for wire, pipe, coins, electrical machinery, ornamental decorations, cooking utensils, and to make bronze and brass. Copper is easy to pound into other shapes, pulled to form wires, and mold into things.  This is why it is so useful to industry.

This is an element on the Periodic Table of Elements.