Each type of ore has a method to process and extract. If the ore is parallel with the surface, it is best to use an open pit mine because it would be more economical to strip the top off the ore until it's able to mine across the top of the ore. If the ore is at a steep angle to surface, you can dig down right into the ore, as an underground mine. When the ore has been exposed, it is to be removed to the processing site. The easiest way in doing that is to drill holes into the ore, then pour explosive mixture into the open holes. Once the mixture has exploded, the ore would be broken down into smaller pieces. Then, a giant loader with a huge bucket moves into the ground to scoop up the ore. The large trucks are loaded right at the site, from there they take the ore to the appropriate processing site, depending whether it is oxide or sulfide.
Sulfide ore, which is copper ore chemically combining with mostly sulfur, usually is found deeper in a deposit, where only little oxygen is available. Sulfide ore is transported to the in pit crusher, which is an enormous pit with giant rotating steel pommel that crushes the ore as it falls beneath the crusher, onto the conveying system. Under the crusher are magnets that detect samples of sulfide ore that contains too much iron. The detected junk is sent off on a conveyor and is dumped. The remained materials are sent on a different conveyor to a giant pile next to the mill for further refinement. Several conveyors then take the ore into the mills, huge rotating drums that tumble the ore to crush it, to crush the ore into dust-sized particles. Large, flat mills tumble rocks against each other to crush the ore down while longer mills that contain steel balls are used for crushing harder ore. Once it's ground down enough the ore is sent to floatation vats next door to the mill. There, it is mixed with water and organic compounds. These compounds are bonded to copper, making it rise and run off into vents.
