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Native Copper

A valid IMA mineral species - grandfathered
This page kindly sponsored by Paul Brandes
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About Native CopperHide

Formula:
Cu
Colour:
Copper-red. Tarnishes to black or green in air.
Lustre:
Metallic
Hardness:
2½ - 3
Specific Gravity:
8.94 - 8.95
Crystal System:
Isometric
Member of:
Name:
From Greek "kyprios", of Cyprus, the location of ancient copper mines; Latin "cuprum".
Copper Group.

Native Copper is the preferred name here to avoid confusion, the formal IMA name is simply 'copper'.

Copper was one of the first metals to be worked into implements and the first metal to be smelted from ores. Its excellent ductility and high conductivity assure its use in modern society.


Unique IdentifiersHide

Mindat ID:
1209
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:1:1209:2

IMA Classification of Native CopperHide

Approved, 'Grandfathered' (first described prior to 1959)

Classification of Native CopperHide

1.AA.05

1 : ELEMENTS (Metals and intermetallic alloys; metalloids and nonmetals; carbides, silicides, nitrides, phosphides)
A : Metals and Intermetallic Alloys
A : Copper-cupalite family
Dana 7th ed.:
1.1.1.3
1.1.1.3

1 : NATIVE ELEMENTS AND ALLOYS
1 : Metals, other than the Platinum Group
1.1

1 : Elements and Alloys (including the arsenides, antimonides and bismuthides of Cu, Ag and Au)

Mineral SymbolsHide

As of 2021 there are now IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols (abbreviations) for each mineral species, useful for tables and diagrams.

SymbolSourceReference for Standard
CuIMA–CNMNCWarr, L.N. (2021). IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols. Mineralogical Magazine, 85(3), 291-320. doi:10.1180/mgm.2021.43

Physical Properties of Native CopperHide

Metallic
Transparency:
Opaque
Colour:
Copper-red. Tarnishes to black or green in air.
Streak:
Copper-red
Hardness:
2½ - 3 on Mohs scale
Hardness:
VHN100=77 - 99 kg/mm2 - Vickers
Tenacity:
Malleable
Cleavage:
None Observed
None
Fracture:
Hackly
Density:
8.94 - 8.95 g/cm3 (Measured)    8.93 g/cm3 (Calculated)

Optical Data of Native CopperHide

Reflectivity:
WavelengthR1 (%)R2 (%)
400nm45.0%35.3%
420nm47.9%39.1%
440nm51.3%42.4%
460nm54.4%45.5%
470nm55.7%46.8%
480nm56.9%48.0%
500nm58.9%50.0%
520nm60.5%51.9%
540nm63.0%55.0%
546nm64.6%56.0%
560nm70.5%64.0%
580nm86.1%82.5%
589nm92.2%89.9%
600nm95.9%94.6%
620nm98.5%97.9%
640nm98.7%98.2%
650nm98.8%98.3%
660nm98.7%98.2%
680nm98.7%98.2%
700nm98.7%98.3%


Graph shows reflectance levels at different wavelengths (in nm). Peak reflectance is 98.8%.
R1 shown in black, R2 shown in red
Comments:
Reflectivity data from Criddle & Stanley (1993).

Chemistry of Native CopperHide

Mindat Formula:
Cu
Element Weights:
Element% weight
Cu100.000 %

Calculated from ideal end-member formula.
Cu

Crystallography of Native CopperHide

Crystal System:
Isometric
Class (H-M):
m3m(4/m32/m) - Hexoctahedral
Space Group:
Fm3m
Cell Parameters:
a = 3.615 Å
Unit Cell V:
47.24 ų
Z:
4
Morphology:
Cubes, dodecahedra, and as tetrahexahedra; rarely as octahedra and complex combinations. Filiform, herringbone, arborescent, wires and massive.
Twinning:
Spinel twins {111}

Crystallographic forms of Native CopperHide

Crystal Atlas:
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Copper no.1 - {111} - Goldschmidt (1913-1926)
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Copper no.2 - {100} - Goldschmidt (1913-1926)
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Copper no.5 - {100} - Goldschmidt (1913-1926)
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Copper no.7 - {111} - Goldschmidt (1913-1926)
View 3D crystal model
Copper no.65 - {100} - Goldschmidt (1913-1926)
3d models and HTML5 code kindly provided by www.smorf.nl.

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Crystal StructureHide

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IDSpeciesReferenceLinkYearLocalityPressure (GPa)Temp (K)
0013087Native CopperSuh I-K, Ohta H, Waseda Y (1988) High-temperature thermal expansion of six metallic elements measured by dilatation method and X-ray diffraction Journal of Materials Science 23 757-7601988synthetic0293
0012903Native CopperOtte H M (1961) Lattice parameter determinations with an X-ray spectrogoniometer by the Debye-Scherrer method and the effect of specimen condition Journal of Applied Physics 32 1536-15461961synthetic0293
0015122Native CopperDavey W P (1925) Lattice constants of twelve common metals Physical Review 25 753-7611925synthetic0293
0014944Native CopperOwen E A, Yates E L (1933) Precision measurements of crystal parameters Philosophical Magazine 15 472-4881933synthetic0291
0013088Native CopperSuh I-K, Ohta H, Waseda Y (1988) High-temperature thermal expansion of six metallic elements measured by dilatation method and X-ray diffraction Journal of Materials Science 23 757-7601988synthetic0577
0013089Native CopperSuh I-K, Ohta H, Waseda Y (1988) High-temperature thermal expansion of six metallic elements measured by dilatation method and X-ray diffraction Journal of Materials Science 23 757-7601988synthetic0680
0013090Native CopperSuh I-K, Ohta H, Waseda Y (1988) High-temperature thermal expansion of six metallic elements measured by dilatation method and X-ray diffraction Journal of Materials Science 23 757-7601988synthetic0777
0013091Native CopperSuh I-K, Ohta H, Waseda Y (1988) High-temperature thermal expansion of six metallic elements measured by dilatation method and X-ray diffraction Journal of Materials Science 23 757-7601988synthetic0874
0013092Native CopperSuh I-K, Ohta H, Waseda Y (1988) High-temperature thermal expansion of six metallic elements measured by dilatation method and X-ray diffraction Journal of Materials Science 23 757-7601988synthetic0979
0013093Native CopperSuh I-K, Ohta H, Waseda Y (1988) High-temperature thermal expansion of six metallic elements measured by dilatation method and X-ray diffraction Journal of Materials Science 23 757-7601988synthetic01076
0013094Native CopperSuh I-K, Ohta H, Waseda Y (1988) High-temperature thermal expansion of six metallic elements measured by dilatation method and X-ray diffraction Journal of Materials Science 23 757-7601988synthetic01179
0013095Native CopperSuh I-K, Ohta H, Waseda Y (1988) High-temperature thermal expansion of six metallic elements measured by dilatation method and X-ray diffraction Journal of Materials Science 23 757-7601988synthetic01275
0013096Native CopperSuh I-K, Ohta H, Waseda Y (1988) High-temperature thermal expansion of six metallic elements measured by dilatation method and X-ray diffraction Journal of Materials Science 23 757-7601988synthetic01343
0011145Native CopperWyckoff R W G (1963) Second edition. Interscience Publishers, New York, New York Cubic closest packed, ccp, structure Crystal Structures 1 7-8319630293
CIF Raw Data - click here to close

X-Ray Powder DiffractionHide

Powder Diffraction Data:
d-spacingIntensity
2.088 Å(100)
1.808 Å(46)
1.278 Å(20)
1.0900 Å(17)
0.8293 Å(9)
0.8083 Å(8)
1.0436 Å(5)
Comments:
Synthetic

Geological EnvironmentHide

Paragenetic Mode(s):
Paragenetic ModeEarliest Age (Ga)
Stage 2: Planetesimal differentiation and alteration4.566-4.550
5 : Primary asteroid phases4.566–4.560
6 : Secondary asteroid phases4.566-4.560
Stage 3a: Earth’s earliest Hadean crust>4.50
8 : Mafic igneous rocks
Stage 3b: Earth’s earliest hydrosphere>4.45
12 : Hadean hydrothermal subsurface sulfide deposits (see also #33)
High-? alteration and/or metamorphism
33 : Minerals deposited by hydrothermal metal-rich fluids (see also [#12])
Stage 4b: Highly evolved igneous rocks>3.0
36 : Carbonatites, kimberlites, and related igneous rocks
Stage 5: Initiation of plate tectonics<3.5-2.5
38 : Ophiolites
Stage 7: Great Oxidation Event<2.4
45b : [Other oxidized fumarolic minerals]
47h : [Near-surface oxidized, dehydrated minerals]
Stage 10a: Neoproterozoic oxygenation/terrestrial biosphere<0.6
49 : Oxic cellular biomineralization (see also #44)<0.54
50 : Coal and/or oil shale minerals<0.36
51 : Pyrometamorphic minerals (see also #54 and #56)<0.36
Stage 10b: Anthropogenic minerals<10 Ka
54 : Coal and other mine fire minerals (see also #51 and #56)
Geological Setting:
In the oxidation zone above sulfide copper deposits, basalts, and sedimentary rocks (Red Bed deposits), rarely in meteorites.

Synonyms of Native CopperHide

Other Language Names for Native CopperHide

Afrikaans:Koper
Albanian:Bakri
Arabic:نحاس
Armenian:Պղինձ
Aymara:Anti
Azeri:Mis
Basque:Kobre
Belarusian:Медзь
Belarusian (Tarashkevitsa):Медзь
Bengali:তামা
Bosnian:Bakar
Bulgarian:Мед
Catalan:Coure
Chuvash:Пăхăр
Cornish:Kober
Corsican:Ramu
Croatian:Bakar
Czech:Měď
Dutch:Koper
Erzya:Пиже
Esperanto:Kupro
Estonian:Vask
Farsi/Persian:مس
Finnish:Kupari
French:Cuivre
Friulian:Ram
Galician:Cobre
Haitian:Kuiv
Hebrew:נחושת
Hungarian:Réz
Icelandic:Kopar
Ido:Kupro
Indonesian:Tembaga
Irish Gaelic:Copar
Italian:Rame
Japanese:自然銅
Javanese:Tembaga
Kongo:Mutako
Korean:구리
Kurdish (Latin Script):Mis
Latvian:Varš
Limburgian:Koper
Lithuanian:Varis
Lojban:Tunka
Low Saxon/Low German:Kopper
Luxembourgish:Koffer
Macedonian:Бакар
Malay:Tembaga
Manx:Cobbyr
Maori:Konukura
Min Nan:Cu
Mongolian:Зэс
Norwegian:Gedigent Kobber
Norwegian (Nynorsk):Kopar
Occitan:Coire
Polish:Miedź
Portuguese:Cobre
Quechua:Anta
Ripuarian:Koffer
Romanian:Cupru
Russian:Медь
Scottish Gaelic:Copar
Serbian:Бакар
Serbo-Croatian:Bakar
Sicilian:Rami
Simplified Chinese:自然铜
Slovak:Meď
Slovenian:Baker
Spanish:Cobre
Swahili:Shaba
Swedish:Koppar
Tagalog:Tanso
Tajik (Cyrillic Script):Мис
Turkish:Bakır
Ukrainian:Мідь
Uzbek (Latin Script):Mis
Vietnamese:Đồng
Welsh:Copr
Yiddish:קופער
Zulu:Umthofu

Varieties of Native CopperHide

Gold and Zinc-bearing CopperA gold- and zinc-bearing copper. Compare with UM2003-03-E:AgAuCuZn.
Nickel-bearing CopperNatural copper-nickel alloys with structure of α-Cu. Copper predominates, and nickel content may range from minimal to 10% or more by mass. Iron may also be present in minor amounts.
Palladium-bearing CopperPalladium-bearing (commonly 2<5%) native copper. Sometimes much higher Pd contents have been reported (eg: Kapsiotis et al, 2010 - up to Cu4Pd) but some of these may be structurally distinct species (eg: Nielsenite).
Tin-bearing CopperNatural copper-tin alloys (i.e. bronzes). Tin contents may vary in a wide range, from a few percents up to 35% and more by mass. Subordinate contents of lead are also often present.

The material reported by Xu et al. (1987) corresponds to α-CuSn in the ...
WhitneyiteArsenic-bearing variety of copper. High arsenic content (up to 11.5% As) in initial description was connected with some intimately associated Algodonite. Modern microprobe analyses of homogeneous As-bearing copper shows contents in the range 1.5-6.6 mass%...

Relationship of Native Copper to other SpeciesHide

Member of:
Other Members of Copper Group:
MaldoniteAu2BiIso. m3m(4/m32/m) : Fd3m
Native GoldAuIso. m3m(4/m32/m) : Fm3m
Native SilverAgIso. m3m(4/m32/m) : Fm3m

Common AssociatesHide

Associations Based on Photo Data:
2,151 photos of Native Copper associated with CupriteCu2O
1,354 photos of Native Copper associated with CalciteCaCO3
1,088 photos of Native Copper associated with MalachiteCu2(CO3)(OH)2
814 photos of Native Copper associated with PrehniteCa2Al2Si3O10(OH)2
735 photos of Native Copper associated with QuartzSiO2
714 photos of Native Copper associated with Native SilverAg
305 photos of Native Copper associated with Epidote(CaCa)(AlAlFe3+)O[Si2O7][SiO4](OH)
187 photos of Native Copper associated with ChrysocollaCu2-xAlx(H2-xSi2O5)(OH)4 · nH2O, x < 1
148 photos of Native Copper associated with 'Chalcotrichite'Cu2O
145 photos of Native Copper associated with GypsumCaSO4 · 2H2O

Related Minerals - Strunz-mindat GroupingHide

1.AA.JonlarseniteAl4Cu9Iso. 43m : P43m
1.AA.PratesiiteAgCuTe2Orth. mm2 : Pmm2
1.AA.05Native LeadPbIso. m3m(4/m32/m) : Fm3m
1.AA.05aAuricupride Subgroup
1.AA.05Native NickelNiIso. m3m(4/m32/m) : Fm3m
1.AA.05Native SilverAgIso. m3m(4/m32/m) : Fm3m
1.AA.05'UM2004-08-E:AuCuPd'Cu2PdAu
1.AA.05'UM1991-06-E:AuCu'Au3Cu
1.AA.05Native AluminiumAlIso. m3m(4/m32/m) : Fm3m
1.AA.05SteinhardtiteAl0.38Ni0.32Fe0.30Iso. m3m(4/m32/m) : Im3m
1.AA.05Native GoldAuIso. m3m(4/m32/m) : Fm3m
1.AA.05Copper Group
1.AA.10aCuproaurideCu3Au
1.AA.10bTetra-auricuprideAuCuTet. 4/mmm(4/m2/m2/m) : P4/mmm
1.AA.10aAuricuprideCu3AuIso. m3m(4/m32/m) : Pm3m
1.AA.10Nickel Group
1.AA.15AnyuiiteAuPb2Tet. 4/mmm(4/m2/m2/m) : I4/mcm
1.AA.15NovodnepriteAuPb3Tet. 42m : I42m
1.AA.15'UM1985-02-E:AlZn'(Zn,Cu)Al2
1.AA.15Khatyrkite(Cu,Zn)Al2Tet. 4/mmm(4/m2/m2/m) : I4/mcm
1.AA.20Cupalite(Cu,Zn)AlOrth.
1.AA.25HunchuniteAu2PbIso. m3m(4/m32/m)
1.AA.30StolperiteAlCuIso. m3m(4/m32/m) : Pm3m
1.AA.35HollisteriteAl3FeMon. 2/m : B2/m
1.AA.40IcosahedriteAl63Cu24Fe13Icos. 53m : Fm35
1.AA.45Kryachkoite(Al,Cu)6(Fe,Cu)Orth. mm2 : Cmc21
1.AA.50ProxidecagoniteAl34Ni9Fe2Orth. mmm(2/m2/m2/m) : Pnma

Other InformationHide

Notes:
Completely soluble with Gold.
Health Risks:
No information on health risks for this material has been entered into the database. You should always treat mineral specimens with care.
Industrial Uses:
Electrical wire, cooking utensils, in alloys such as brass and bronze.

Native Copper in petrologyHide

An essential component of rock names highlighted in red, an accessory component in rock names highlighted in green.

    Internet Links for Native CopperHide

    References for Native CopperHide

    Localities for Native CopperHide

    Showing 4,684 localities.

    This map shows a selection of localities that have latitude and longitude coordinates recorded. Click on the symbol to view information about a locality. The symbol next to localities in the list can be used to jump to that position on the map.
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