Key Terms

copper mining key terms picture

Concentrate

Copper-bearing material produced by the flotation process that contains fifteen to thirty percent copper. It is sent to a smelter for further treatment.

Copper Cathode

99.99 percent pure copper that results from the SX/EW process.

Flotation

A method of combining finely ground ore with water and chemical reagents to create a frothy mixture that separates out copper and associated gangue minerals and rock. The result is concentrate.

Leaching

A process used to remove soluble minerals by dripping or spraying solution through low-grade ore.

Open-pit mining

A surface mining method in which overlying rock is removed to expose an ore body, which is then drilled, blasted and loaded into trucks.

Ore

Rock containing minerals of sufficient concentration, quantity and value to be mined at a profit.

Smelter

A facility in which material is melted in order to separate impurities from pure metal.

SX/EW

Abbreviation for the process known as solution extraction-electrowinning that produces cathodes of 99.99 percent pure copper.

Tailings

Tailings are crushed, finely ground rock that remains after copper minerals have been removed by the concentrator extraction process.