EARTH: Studies Re-examine How Major Copper Deposits Form

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Maureen Moses (mmoses@americangeosciences.org)

6/24/2015

Alexandria, VA - Humans depend on copper for everything from electrical wiring to water pipes. To meet demand, the metal has been largely mined from Porphyry Copper Deposits (PCDs). For decades, scientists generally agreed upon the geological processes behind PCD formation; now EARTH Magazine examines two new studies that suggest alternatives to these long-held understandings.

From enriched pulses of magmatic fluids creating copper concentrations, to remelted crust allowing deeper PCDs to rise up to shallower depths, these conclusions may better inform geologists about where large new copper deposits may be located. Get the  full perspective on this new research in the July Issue of EARTH Magazine: http://www.earthmagazine.org/article/studies-re-examine-how-major-copper...

 

The July 2015 Issue of EARTH Magazine is now available on the Digital Newsstand at www.earthmagazine.org and includes stories about the unique careers of science illustrators, how amateur radio users help scientists study space weather, and an investigation in Australia about what killed off Pleistocene megafauna. For the complete issue go to www.earthmagazine.org or subscribe in print to receive the July/August 2015 double issue.

 

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Keep up to date with the latest happenings in Earth, energy and environment news with EARTH magazine online at: http://www.earthmagazine.org/. Published by the American Geosciences Institute, EARTH is your source for the science behind the headlines.

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The American Geosciences Institute is a nonprofit federation of geoscientific and professional associations that represents more than 250,000 geologists, geophysicists and other earth scientists. Founded in 1948, AGI provides information services to geoscientists, serves as a voice of shared interests in the profession, plays a major role in strengthening geoscience education, and strives to increase public awareness of the vital role the geosciences play in society's use of resources, resiliency to natural hazards, and interaction with the environment.