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chalcopyrite
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chalcopyrite
chalcopyrite

chalcopyrite

mineral
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chalcopyrite, the most common copper mineral, a copper and iron sulfide, and a very important copper ore. It typically occurs in ore veins deposited at medium and high temperatures, as in Río Tinto, Spain; Ani, Japan; Butte, Mont.; and Joplin, Mo. Chalcopyrite (Cu2Fe2S4) is a member of a group of sulfide minerals that crystallize in the tetragonal system; the group also includes stannite. Both minerals have crystalline structures related to sphalerite. For detailed physical properties, see sulfide mineral (table).

This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.