Among the most common ore on the earthly surface, Copper is a rare mineral to obtain a concentration of 55 grams per extracted ton.
We mainly find it by three aspects, which are, by decrescent order of Copper percentage : sulphurated ores, oxidized ores, and native Copper.

Most sulphurated ores have a deep geological origin, and are issued from airproof cristallization of compounds of Copper and other metals. They are denominated primary ores. Main ore is chalcopyrite or copper pyrite (double sulphide of Copper and iron) which more often contains 4% Copper. Other more used ores are Chalcosine, Freibergite, Bornite and Enargite, together with Copper iron pyrites. They contain nearly 1 to 2% Copper. These ores are minly exploited in the USA, in Japan and Russia.

Oxidated ores are carbonates which have suffered an oxidation during the time, by air or water. Main ores are : Cuprite, Malachite, Azurite, Hydrous silicate, and hydrous oxychloide. Ther copper rate is about 1,5 to 2,2 %. They are got in the USA, Chili and Zimbabwe.

Native copper, which has been exploited since the origin of metallurgy, has become rare, except in the USA (lake copper) and Bolivia (corocoro). These native copper ores include about 1 % of pure copper.

Also, don´t forget the enormous reserves in the bottom of the seas, in the aspect of polymetallic nodules, and which are not exploited presently for political and economical reasons.

Hereunder, extract from the endlless varieties of these ores (the book collects about fourty).