Mineralogical report on a copper ore sample from Gaspé Copper Mines Ltd., Murdochville, Quebec

1963 ◽  
Author(s):  
M R Hughson ◽  
S Kaiman
Keyword(s):  
Copper Ore ◽  
Copper Mines

Eastern and Central Mediterranean

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
William O'Brien
Keyword(s):  
Bronze Age ◽  
Lead Isotope ◽  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Ore Deposits ◽  
Central Mediterranean ◽  
Northern Greece ◽  
Copper Ore ◽  
Lead Isotope Analysis ◽  
Aegean Islands ◽  
Copper Mines

Copper objects first circulated on the Greek mainland during the fifth millennium BC and shortly after in the islands of the southern Aegean (Zachos 2007). The earliest metalwork of Late Neolithic date comprised small objects such as awls, beads, and bracelets. Metal use gradually expanded during the Chalcolithic stage that followed, with production of larger items such as axeheads. There are parallels with the development of early metallurgy in the Balkans, however there was much less copper in circulation. This may be explained by the absence of early copper mines comparable to Rudna Glava or Ai Bunar in either Greece or the Aegean islands. The use of metal in the Aegean expanded significantly during the third millennium BC, with the emergence of a flourishing culture that had extensive seafaring contacts (Renfrew 1972). The importance of maritime trade in this region dates from the Neolithic when the island of Melos was a major source of obsidian across the east Mediterranean. Lead isotope analysis confirms that the copper, lead, and silver used by the Cycladic culture of the Early Bronze Age came from ore sources on many of those islands (Stos-Gale 1989). These metals were traded widely across the Aegean, with supply also into mainland Greece. While no copper mines have been identified, lead/silver workings of this period are recorded at Lavrion and at Ayios Sostis on Siphnos (Wagner et al. 1980). There are numerous deposits of copper ore and other metals in mainland Greece. No prehistoric copper mines have been identified; however, the potential has been examined by lead isotope analysis. An examination of various ore deposits in northern Greece, including examples in Thrace and eastern Macedonia, Thasos, the Pangeon Mountains, and Chalkidki did not reveal any likely sources of copper in prehistory. Samples were also taken in east-central Greece, from mineralization in the Othrys Mountains where there are several indications of ancient mining. Radiocarbon dates indicate copper mining at various locations there during the first millennium BC (Gale and Stos-Gale 2002: table 3).

Aibunar—a Balkan copper mine of the fourth millennium BC: (Investigations of the years 1971, 1972 and 1974)

1978 ◽  
Vol 44 ◽  
pp. 203-217 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. N. Černych
Keyword(s):  
Spectral Analysis ◽  
Balkan Peninsula ◽  
Classical Antiquity ◽  
Mining Activities ◽  
Medieval Period ◽  
Copper Ore ◽  
North Eastern ◽  
History Of ◽  
Copper Mines ◽  
The Moment

As a result of surveys carried out by the Bulgarian-Soviet archaeological expedition, Eneolithic copper mines were discovered in southern Bulgaria in October 1971. The most interesting of these mines, Aibunar, constitutes, without doubt, one of the rarest discoveries in the history of mining not only of Europe, but also of other parts of the Old World. In the same year, Jovanović published news of finds, unique for the Balkan peninsula, of characteristic Vinač pottery found together with a zoomorphic figurine at the Rudna Glava mine in north-eastern Serbia. On the basis of these finds, he suggested an Eneolithic date for the mine. However, the remains of ancient shafts at Rudna Glava were very small, and extensive and historically well-documented mining activities of the Classical Antiquity and the Medieval period made the dating of the extant areas of ancient mining very problematic.In contrast to this, from the moment of its discovery, the large amounts of Eneolithic pottery of Karanovo VI—Gumelnitsa type and antler tools, which were found in the mine at Aibunar, and in particular the well-dated shafts were startling. Interest in Aibunar was further increased by the discovery of seven settlement sites in an area of 15 km around the mine, with Eneolithic layers containing more than 100 pieces of oxidic copper ore. Spectral analysis showed that these pieces of ore came from Aibunar.

scholarly journals III. Analysis of a new species of copper ore

1814 ◽  
Vol 104 ◽  
pp. 45-50
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Chemical Analysis ◽  
Copper Ore ◽  
The Press ◽  
Copper Mines ◽  
Eastern Border ◽  
The Subject ◽  
A New Species

The mineral which constitutes the subject of this paper was discovered by Dr. Benjamin Heyne about the year 1800 in the peninsula of Indostan, near the eastern border of the Mysore. From Dr. Heyne's description, it is probable that it occurs in nests in primitive rocks, which seem to be green stone, or at least connected with primitive trap. These rocks appear to be subordinate to mica slate. But I purposely omit all particular details, because I understand Dr. Heyne has himself a work in the press, in which the mineralogy of this country will be particularly described. Copper mines had been wrought in these mountains some centuries ago; but they had been abandoned probably on account of the various revolutions to which this part of India has been subjected. The most common ore which occurs in these mountains is malachite, and it seems to occupy very extensive veins; but the species which I propose to describe here, occurs also in considerable quantity. It had been already made the subject of various experiments, with a view to determine how much copper it contained, but I am not aware that any person had subjected it to a regular chemical analysis, or recognised it as a new species.

France and The Western Alps

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
William O'Brien
Keyword(s):  
Bronze Age ◽  
Eastern Alps ◽  
Western Alps ◽  
Copper Production ◽  
Late Bronze Age ◽  
Copper Ore ◽  
Mining Sites ◽  
Copper Mines ◽  
The Alps ◽  
Difficult Terrain

The use of copper was first established in the western Alps during the late fifth/ early fourth millennia BC. There were several metal-using groups in what is now modern Switzerland during the fourth millennium, including the Cortaillod and Pfyn cultures, followed in the third millennium BC by groups of the Saône-Rhône culture (Strahm 1994). The first direct evidence of copper production, however, only dates from the Late Bronze Age. This is based on the dating of smelting slag heaps in the valley of Oberhalbstein in the canton of Graubünden (Fasnacht 2004). These slags derive from the smelting of chalcopyrite ore derived from pillow lavas of the ophiolite geology in that area (Geiger 1984). The ability to smelt iron-rich copper ore involved a furnace technology that seems to have been first developed in the eastern Alps (see Chapter 7). No prehistoric mines are known; however, their existence may be inferred from the smelting of local ore at Late Bronze Age sites such as Savognin-Padnal and Marmorera-Stausees in the Oberhalbstein valley. Potential mining sites have been identified (see Schaer 2003), however, these have yet to be investigated in any detail. There are numerous deposits of copper mineralization in many parts of France. These occur in Brittany, the Pyrenees, the Corbières, on the margins of the Massif Central, the Maures, and the Alps. Research over the past 30 years has identified prehistoric copper mines in several of these areas. Further discoveries are possible in the difficult terrain of the Alps and Pyrenees, and also in areas where early copper mines have not been discovered, such as Brittany where deposits of steam tin and gold are also known. The oldest metal objects in France are recorded in the Paris Basin, where a small number of sheet copper beads date to the second half of the fourth millennium BC. These include the burial at Vignely (Seine-et-Marne) where a necklace of nine such beads was found with the burial of a five-year old child dated to 3499–3123 BC (Allard et al. 1998).

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