Core Sampling

What is a core sample?

A vertical column of rock

obtained with a hollow
drill

Core samples help us find

out what is beneath

Earths surface

Mineralogists and mining

companies want to know

what types of minerals
can be found beneath
the surface before they
commit to mining that
land

Core Sampling Process

1. Core samples
are drilled and
removed from the
Earth.

2. Core samples are

used to make a
prediction of what the
subsurface looks like.

Titanium Oxide
Pigment

Minerals are
so valuable
because
theyre used
to make just
about
everything!

Mining Companies and

Core Samples
How do mining

companies use core

samples?

Core samples help

them determine
where valuable
mineral deposits exist
so they know where
to build their mine

 Mineral deposits from

Ore=

which metals and

nonmetals can be
removed for a profit

Many mines remove valuable METALS

from minerals in the ground

Some metals can exist as nuggets of

pure metal

GOLD nuggets in the gold rush

Other metals, like Iron (Fe) and Copper

(Cu), have to removed from mineral

deposits in which the metal forms a
compound with other elements

Chalcopyrite (CuFeS2) = COPPER ORE

Michigan Trivia Question

Where is the Copper

Country?

Why is it called the

Copper Country?

The Copper Country is in

the U.P.
(Keweenaw Peninsula)

Mrs. Felsings
Home

Its called the

Copper
Country due its
abundance of
Copper!

Mrs. Felsing was a

Calumet Copper
King in high
school!

Quincy Mine in
Hancock, Michigan
Between 1863 and 1867, the mine was
the leading producer of Copper in the
United States.
The mine earned the nickname "Old
Reliable" by returning millions in
dividends for investors between 1862 to
1920.
The Quincy No. 2 Shaft for the mine was
the world's deepest, featuring 92 levels
and stretching 9,260 feet (1.75 miles)
underground.
The Quincy Mine produced 726 million
pounds of copper from 1856 to 1925,
and after nearly 100 years, mining
operations stopped in 1945.

The amount of copper used in a car

Ranges from 44 lbs (in an economy car) to
99 lbs (in a luxury car).

The Statue of Liberty is

made from 80 tons of copper.
Copper is
Used
ror wires
and
plumbing
(pipes)

What should be
done
with a mining
site,
once mining
operations come
to an end?

CLAIM

RECLAMATION
Again

the state of

The state of beingclaimed again

Reclamation is returning the land to a state that is AS
GOOD or BETTER than it was before mining occurred

BEFORE

AFTER