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There are three primary types of copper deposits:
- Volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) deposits
Formed millions or billions of years ago, VMS deposits are rich in copper, lead, and zinc. There are over 900 of them around the world. Because they are rich in more than one metal, they can reduce the cash cost profile for mining companies. VMS deposits generally range in size from 4Mt to 25Mt (with a few outliers up to 150 Mt) but exhibit grades in the vicinity of 5% for copper, 4% for zinc with <1% lead and potentially gold (less than 1gpt).
- Porphyry copper deposits
Porphyry deposits provide over 60% of the world’s copper. Porphyry orebodies are lower grade (typically 0.2% to >1% copper) than VMS orebodies but massive in scale ranging from 100Mt to 5,000Mt, allowing for economies of scale(Gray, 2023).
Historically, the world’s most profitable copper mines have been large-scale porphyry deposits with chalcopyrite mineralization extracted via open-pit mining. While they do not have the highest grades of ore and generally have more expensive refining costs, they tend to have large mineral resources(Types of Copper Deposits in the World | INN, n.d.).
- Sedimentary copper deposits
Sedimentary copper accounts for approximately 25% of the currently known copper resources globally. As the name suggests the deposits are hosted in sedimentary rocks or basins. The resulting ore bodies may be strata bound and either massive or disseminated. The Central African Copper Belt is a classic region hosting numerous sedimentary copper deposits(Gray, 2023).
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Reference:
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Gray, R. (2023, October 11). Minerals 101: Copper | Resource Capital Funds. Resource Capital Funds |. https://resourcecapitalfunds.com/insights/mining-and-minerals-101/copper/
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Types of Copper Deposits in the World | INN. (n.d.). Retrieved April 22, 2025, from https://investingnews.com/daily/resource-investing/base-metals-investing/copper-investing/types-copper-deposits-world/
