kopparmineral

Kopparmineral is the term used in mineralogy and geology to describe a mineral in which copper is a dominant element. In practice the term covers a range of minerals that either are copper sulfides, copper oxides, or copper carbonates and arsenates, including both primary ore minerals and secondary alteration products. The most economically important copper mineral is chalcopyrite (CuFeS2), followed by bornite (Cu5FeS4) and chalcocite (Cu2S). Other common copper-bearing minerals include covellite (CuS), cuprite (Cu2O) and enargite (Cu3AsS4). Copper carbonates such as malachite (Cu2CO3(OH)2) and azurite (Cu3(CO3)2(OH)2) are typical secondary minerals formed by weathering and oxidation of copper sulfides.

Copper minerals occur in a variety of geological environments, most notably in hydrothermal ore veins and porphyry copper deposits. They can form early in the hydrothermal system as sulfide phases or later during oxidation and supergene enrichment, which concentrates copper into secondary minerals on the surface or near-surface. Localities include major copper belts around the world, with ore deposits in the Americas, Africa, and Asia.

Economically, copper minerals are mined as copper ores. The specific mineralogy influences processing methods, grade, and refining, as sulfide ores are typically processed by flotation and smelting, while oxide and carbonate minerals may be amenable to hydrometallurgical approaches.

Notes: The Swedish term kopparmineral is a general label and not a single mineral species; it is used to refer to any mineral with copper as a major constituent.