Meet a Nevada Mineral: Copper

Copper has been an essential mineral in human society for close to 10,000 years. Today, we are constantly surrounded by it. Whether at home, work, school, in a car, or flying 30,000 feet above ground, copper is instrumental to our daily life. Meet a Nevada mineral: Copper.

Electronics:

Copper is an excellent conductor of electricity, making it the ideal mineral to power electronics. While silver is technically a better conductor, copper’s lower price and availability make it a more popular option.

At home:

A 2,100 square-foot single family house uses 439 pounds of copper! In addition to electrical wiring, copper is used in plumbing, appliances, and even in door knobs and key holes.

On the road:

Transportation requires a ton of copper. Conventional cars, on average, use anywhere from 18-49 pounds. Electric vehicles use even more, most requiring at least 85 pounds.

And in the air:

Airplanes also demand a huge amount of copper. 747 airplanes use 9,000 pounds of copper wiring!

In Nevada

Nevada is one of the top copper producers in the United States, mining 146 million pounds in 2017. The state is currently home to one primary copper mine, KGHM Robinson, with a few gold mines also producing small amounts. A new copper mine, Nevada Copper’s Pumpkin Hollow Project near Yerington is expected to begin operation in 2019.