Mineral resource of the month: copper

The article provides information on copper and its various uses. It was the first metal used by humans and is considered as one of the materials that played an important role in the development of civilization. It is a major industrial metal because of its low cost, availability, electrical conductivity, high ductility and thermal conductivity. Copper has long been used in the circuitry of electronics and the distribution of electricity and is now being used in silicon-based computer chips, solar and wind power generation, and coinage.