Hi, welcome to this hall on the mining of copper in Africa, the methods, importance and some of the problems of copper mining.
Table Of Contents
- Mining of copper
- Major mining areas
- Methods of mining copper.
- Transportation and marketing
- Importance of copper
- Problems of copper mining
- Revision Questions
Mining Of Copper
Copper is another metallic mineral produced in Zambia, Zaire, South Africa and Zimbabwe.
Major Mining Areas Of Copper
- Ndola, Nchanga and Chibuluma in Zambia.
- Shaba province e.g. Lumumbashi and kolwezi in Zaire.
- Messing in South Africa.
- Uwkundu and Nankia in Zimbabwe.
Methods Of Mining Copper
Two methods are used for the mining of copper, depending on the depth of the mineral.
1. Open cast method of mining
- Explosives are used to remove the over-burden rocks.
- A powerful machine called a dragline is then used to pile the copper washed into heap.
- A monitor is then used to direct a strong jet of water towards the heap.
- The water washes the soil through a series of sluice boxes.
- The copper ore sinks to the bottom of the sluice boxes while the water carries the dirt away.
- The copper concentrate formed is later sent to the factory for smelting.
2. The underground or shaft method
- In this method, vertical shafts or holes are dug to reach the ore bearing rocks from where holes are drilled. Explosives are used to fill the holes to shatter the rocks by blasting. The broken rocks are then taken to the surface from where they are taken to the concentrator that filters out the copper. The copper is later sent to the smelters for further refining.
Transportation And Marketing
(1) Copper is transported by rail to the port of Beira in Mozambique through Zimbabwe because of Zambia is a landlocked country.
(2) Roads are also used to transport copper to the port of Dar-es-salaam in Tanzania for export. Major market for copper include European countries Japan and America.
Importance Of Copper
- Provision of electrical equipment: Copper is used in electrical equipment because it is a good conductor of electricity.
- Provision of good alloys: It can be used to produce good alloys, e.g. copper and zinc produce brass while copper with tin produce bronze.
- Provision of cobalt: Cobalt, an important mineral is a by-product of copper.
- Employment: The mining of this mineral provide jobs for many people.
- Revenue generation: Taxes paid by mining companies including export and import duties are sources of revenue to the government.
- Foreign exchange earning: The export of copper serves as foreign exchange for the country.
- Improvement in the standard of living: Money earned from copper is used to provide social and basic amenities which improve the standard of living of the people.
- Acquisition of skills: The presence and extraction of copper enable people to acquire different skills.
- Infrastructural development: The presence of minerals like copper in an area leads to the development of infrastructure like roads, electricity, telephone and pipe-borne water in such area.
- Growth of towns: Towns like Ndola, Nchanga and Chibuluma in Zambia have grown to the presence of copper.
- Production of geological maps: The exploration of minerals in the country have led to the production of certain geological maps.
Problems of Copper Mining in Africa
- Inadequate capital to exploit the mineral.
- Poor transport network.
- Outdated topographical maps are used.
- Lack of, or inadequate trained personnel in mining and exploitation of the mineral.
- Difficult terrain increases operational costs.
- Fluctuations in world price of minerals.
- There is a problem of constant conflict with the local people and the prospecting companies.
- It causes environmental pollution, e.g. air pollution.
- High rate of sabotage by unpatrotic people in the mining area.
- Poor management.
Revision Questions
- Outline five importance of copper mining.
- List and discuss the methods of mining copper in Africa.
- State the problems of copper mining
- Mention the major mining areas of copper in Africa stated above.