Comes from the Greek words ‘chalkos’ and ‘pyrites’, which respectively mean ‘copper’ and ‘striking’. Chalcopyrite was the mineral upon which copper and bronze Age civilizations were built. Within the last century, it has also became the mineral foundation for our modern electrical age. Our primary source of copper, chalcopyrite’s name. With its metallic luster and bright golden color. It can fool people into thinking it really is gold. It is actually one of two minerals, the other being pyrite, that can trick people into thinking it is gold.
Chalcopyrite, gold and pyrite confusion
Pyrite and gold are the only natural materials that are easily confused with chalcopyrite. The three can be distinguished by their, colour and tone; hardness and response to stress.
Pyrite
At first glance, pyrite and chalcopyrite are similar color as well as shiny metallic luster. Being said, there hardness is different. Chalcopyrite can be scratched by a nail and is softer. While pyrite will not let you dig a nail into its surface.
The two minerals also usually occur in different forms. Pyrite is most often found as crystal masses that exhibit obvious at planes and cubic shapes. Although chalcopyrite can occur as crystals, it most often occurs as masses that lack flat planes or obvious geometric shapes.
Gold
Gold has much been confused with massive chalcopyrite, even deeming the name ‘Fool’s Gold’. However, chalcopyrite’s color and brittle nature make it different than gold. Different than golds buttery yellow. Chalcopyrite has a brassy yellow color. Gold is very ductile and will form under pressure, while chalcopyrite is brittle and will break if struck. Also, chalcopyrite exhibits iridescent tarnish that does not occur in gold.
Earth and the geological importance of chalcopyrite
Found in almost all sulfide deposits, chalcopyrite is easily the most widespread copper-bearing mineral. It usually occurs in medium-temperature and high- temperature hydrothermal veins of igneous rocks or metamorphosed igneous rocks. Some economic chalcopyrite deposits form as hydrothermal fluids dissolve copper from igneous rocks and then precipitate it in surrounding contact-metamorphosed sedimentary rocks. Chalcopyrite is most often found with pyrite and other sulfide minerals, as well as sphalerite, galena, dolomite, tourmaline or quartz. When it oxidizes, it can form a number of other minerals including as malachite, azurite, and cuprite.
Earth and the economic importance of chalcopyrite
Having a relatively low copper yield (only 25% of its atoms are copper) keeps the pencil pushers, miners and machinery manufactures busy. Unlike chalcocite and cuprite (both with 67% yields), or bornite and covellite (that have 50% yields) chalcopyrites copper yields are relatively low. However, including now and throughout history, chalcopyrite is much more abundant than the other copper-bearing minerals. And, it is far more widely distributed.
Copper was the first known metal to be widely used, and for over six thousand years copper mining has remained. Copper is easily worked and can be mixed with zinc to make brass, or with tin to make bronze. Before people learned to smelt iron, copper and bronze was the most durable, widely worked and economically most important metal. From its earliest civilizations to the Roman era. Human strength revolved around the control of copper.
More recently, in distributing electricity. Copper’s high conductivity, softness, and resistance to corrosion, have given it a critical role. It is easily worked, and not too hard to find as well.
Bibliography: Warr, L.N. (2021). “IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols”. Mineralogical Magazine. 85 (3): 291–320. Bibcode:2021MinM…85..291W. doi:10.1180/mgm.2021.43. S2CID235729616.
“Chalcopyrite”. http://www.esci.umn.edu. Minerals. University of Minnesota. Retrieved 2019-12-20.
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