U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

Scientific Investigations Report 2018–5160

Version 1.1, May 24, 2019

Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources 

of the World, 2015
Cover: Map showing permissive tracts for porphyry copper and sediment-hosted stratabound 

copper deposits color coded by world region. For more information, see chapter A, figure A3.
Assessment of Undiscovered Copper 

Resources of the World, 2015

By Jane M. Hammarstrom, Michael L. Zientek, 

Heather L. Parks, Connie L. Dicken, and the 

U.S. Geological Survey Global Copper 

Mineral Resource Assessment Team

Scientific Investigations Report 2018–5160

Version 1.1, May 24, 2019

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey
U.S. Department of the Interior

DAVID BERNHARDT, Secretary

U.S. Geological Survey

James F. Reilly II, Director

U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia

First release: May 10, 2019, online

Revised: May 24, 2019 (ver 1.1), online and in print

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Suggested citation:

Hammarstrom, J.M., Zientek, M.L., Parks, H.L., Dicken, C.L., and the U.S. Geological Survey Global Copper

Mineral Resource Assessment Team, 2019, Assessment of undiscovered copper resources of the world, 2015

(ver. 1.1, May 24, 2019): U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2018–5160, 619 p.

(including 3 chap., 3 app., glossary, and atlas of 236 page-size pls.), https://doi.org/10.3133/sir20185160.

ISSN 2328-031X (print)

ISSN 2328-0328 (online)

ISBN 978-1-4113-4281-1
iii

Preface

Most of the world’s population relies on copper. The physical and chemical qualities of copper 

make it the material of choice for a variety of industrial and high-technology applications. 

Copper is used in building construction, power generation and transmission, electronic product 

manufacturing, and the production of industrial machinery. Copper wiring and plumbing are 

integral to appliances, heating and cooling systems, and telecommunications links used every 

day in homes and businesses. It is an essential component in cars and trucks, mobile phones, 

renewable energy systems, and green technologies.

As global population rises and more countries improve standards of living, demand for copper 

increases. The U.S. Geological Survey led a cooperative international study from 2002 to 2012 to 

address questions about the global distribution of current and potential future copper supplies. 

This first-ever global assessment of undiscovered copper resources used a geology-based 

methodology to assess undiscovered copper resources in the two types of mineral deposits that 

provide more than 70 percent of mined copper: porphyry copper deposits and sediment-hosted 

stratabound copper deposits. This report presents assessment results (1) in chapters including 

tables summarizing how much copper is estimated to be contained in undiscovered deposits and 

(2) in an atlas of 2-page plates presenting summary results, graphs, and maps that show where 

copper deposits are known to exist and where undiscovered copper resources may exist.

Chapter A summarizes the methods used in the assessment, reports the results, and explains 

the format of the 236 plates that compose the atlas. Chapter B provides detailed technical 

information on the assessment of undiscovered copper resources associated with porphyry 

copper deposits. The application of a simple economic filter to undiscovered mineral resource 

assessment results is reported for the first time in this chapter. The economic filter indicates 

how much undiscovered copper is likely to be economic in the reasonably foreseeable future. 

Chapter C describes varieties of sediment-hosted stratabound copper deposits, explains 

approaches used for their assessment, and summarizes assessment results. The data 

summarized in this report are derived from a series of regional and topical publications that are 

available online at https://minerals.usgs.gov/global/.
iv

Acknowledgments

The cooperation and contributions of many individuals and institutions throughout the world 

made it possible to complete this first-ever global assessment of undiscovered copper 

resources (see appendix 1 of this volume). As Program Coordinator of the U.S. Geological Survey 

(USGS) Mineral Resources Program, Kathleen M. Johnson formulated the idea for the project, 

provided unwavering support for it throughout her tenure, and saw the project to completion 

as a series editor after she retired. We thank her successor, Larry Meinert, and Associate 

Program Coordinator Jeff Doebrich for their continued support and enthusiasm for this massive 

undertaking. USGS colleagues Klaus Schulz and Joseph Briskey provided leadership and 

established contacts with international collaborators during the first years of the project. The 

staff of the USGS Office of International Programs provided invaluable assistance and logistical 

support.

The authors of this summary report are grateful for helpful and constructive technical reviews 

provided by USGS colleagues Jeff Doebrich and Sharon Swanson. Ruth Schulte of the USGS 

and student interns Shyla A. Hatch, Cassandra Hennings, and M. Christopher Jenkins of Eastern 

Washington University, Cheney, Wash., assisted with figures for the text and plates in this 

report. The USGS Science Publishing Network staff guided publication of the global assessment 

products. We are especially grateful to Carolyn Donlin, Sarah Nagorsen, Jim Hendley, and 

Peter Stauffer in Menlo Park, Calif., and Kate Schindler, Elizabeth Good, D. Paul Mathieux, 

and Jeannette Foltz in Reston, Va. We appreciate the support of Bruce Taggart, USGS Bureau 

Approving Official. We also thank Dave Frank (USGS) for creating and maintaining the global 

mineral resource assessment project’s website.
v

Contents

Preface ...........................................................................................................................................................iii

Acknowledgments........................................................................................................................................iv

Abstract—Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015...............................1

Chapter A. Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015—

Summary of Methods and Results ................................................................................................3

Introduction............................................................................................................................................3

Types of Copper Deposits—Why Does It Matter?..........................................................................6

Porphyry Copper Deposits .........................................................................................................7

Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper Deposits ...................................................................7

Mineral Resources—Identified Versus Undiscovered ..................................................................8

Deposits Versus Prospects .................................................................................................................8

Assessment Methods—An Overview...............................................................................................8

Geologic Maps and Map Scale........................................................................................................10

Results of the Global Copper Assessment .....................................................................................10

Regional Highlights.............................................................................................................................13

Plates ....................................................................................................................................................17

Assessment Results in Perspective ................................................................................................19

Timing of Development.......................................................................................................................20

Will We Face a Copper Supply Crisis in the 21st Century?..........................................................22

Significance of the First Global Copper Assessment ...................................................................24

References Cited.................................................................................................................................24

Chapter B. Porphyry Copper Deposits..................................................................................................37

Introduction..........................................................................................................................................37

Formation of Porphyry Copper Deposits................................................................................38

Permissive Tracts.......................................................................................................................41

Grade and Tonnage Models.....................................................................................................41

Undiscovered Resources .........................................................................................................41

Economic Filter...........................................................................................................................42

Depth Distributions...........................................................................................................42

Cost Settings......................................................................................................................44

Understanding the Results................................................................................................................44

Tract Results ...............................................................................................................................44

Regional Results ........................................................................................................................45

South America Region .....................................................................................................45

Central America and Caribbean Region .......................................................................45

North America Region .....................................................................................................45

Northeast Asia Region.....................................................................................................45

Central and Eastern Asia Region ...................................................................................45

Southeast Asia Region.....................................................................................................46

Southeast Asia Archipelagos Region............................................................................46

Eastern Australia Region.................................................................................................46

Middle East Region...........................................................................................................46

Europe Region ...................................................................................................................46

Global Results.............................................................................................................................57
vi

References Cited.................................................................................................................................60

Chapter C. Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper Deposits............................................................79

Introduction..........................................................................................................................................79

Deposit Types ......................................................................................................................................79

Deposit Type Assessed—Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper Deposits............................79

Deposit Subtypes.......................................................................................................................81

Depositional Environments ......................................................................................................81

Areas Covered in this Report............................................................................................................83

Methodology........................................................................................................................................88

Permissive Tract Delineation...................................................................................................88

Probabilistic Estimation ............................................................................................................89

Qualitative Ranking....................................................................................................................89

Discussion............................................................................................................................................93

The “Look” of Permissive Tracts on Maps ............................................................................93

Probabilistic Assessment Results...........................................................................................93

Qualitative Assessment Results..............................................................................................97

Lessons Learned and Future Research Opportunities ........................................................97

References Cited.................................................................................................................................97

Glossary.......................................................................................................................................................110

References Cited...............................................................................................................................113

Appendix 1. Individuals and Institutions Who Contributed to the Studies 

Summarized in this Volume, the “Assessment of Undiscovered Copper 

Resources of the World, 2015”...................................................................................................116

U.S. Geological Survey Scientists and Contractors (*) on the U.S. Geological 

Survey Global Copper Mineral Resource Assessment Team......................................116

Scientific Collaborators ...................................................................................................................117

Cooperating Institutions ..................................................................................................................119

Appendix 2. Mineral Resource Assessment Methods and Procedures Used in 

the U.S. Geological Survey Global Mineral Resource Assessment ....................................121

Introduction........................................................................................................................................121

Technical Language and the Assessment Process ....................................................................121

Mineral Resources and Reserves.........................................................................................122

Mineral Deposits......................................................................................................................122

Deposit Types ...........................................................................................................................122

Undiscovered Mineral Resources and Mineral Deposits.................................................123

Assessment Methodology—Parts and Procedures...................................................................123

Mineral Systems Models........................................................................................................123

Descriptive Mineral Deposit Models....................................................................................124

Grade and Tonnage Models...................................................................................................124

Assessing Location (Mineral Resource Potential Maps) .................................................125

Assessing Probable Amounts of Undiscovered Metal......................................................125

Estimating Undiscovered Resources by Estimating Numbers of 

Undiscovered Deposits ....................................................................................125

Number of Undiscovered Deposits..............................................................................125

Monte Carlo Simulation .................................................................................................126

Estimating Undiscovered Resources Using Geostatistical Methods ....................126
vii

Metal Surface Density ..........................................................................................126

Interpolation and Simulation Techniques ..........................................................127

Working with Assessment Results ................................................................................................128

Aggregation of Assessment Results ....................................................................................128

Economic Filters.......................................................................................................................128

Depth Percentages.........................................................................................................129

Cost Settings....................................................................................................................129

Operational Procedures ..................................................................................................................129

Conclusion..........................................................................................................................................130

References Cited...............................................................................................................................131

Appendix 3. Geologic Time Chart.........................................................................................................134

References Cited...............................................................................................................................134

Plates

[Plates 1–236 follow appendix 3]

1–188. Porphyry copper assessment for—

1. Tract 005pCu1020, Cretaceous Turbio—Chile and Argentina..............................138

2. Tract 005pCu1019, Late Triassic to Middle Jurassic Bajo de la Leona—

Argentina .....................................................................................................................140

3. Tract 005pCu1013d, Miocene Coastal—Chile and Argentina..............................142

4. Tract 005pCu1015, Late Cretaceous–Middle Eocene Campana 

Mahuida—Argentina and Chile...............................................................................144

5. Tract 005pCu1014b, Miocene–Pliocene El Teniente—Chile................................146

6. Tract 005pCu1013b, Miocene–Pliocene Los Pelambres—Argentina 

and Chile ......................................................................................................................148

7. Tract 005pCu1016ab, Permian San Jorge—Argentina and Chile .......................150

8. Tract 005pCu1014a, Miocene Paramillos—Argentina..........................................152

9. Tract 005pCu1012, Eocene–Oligocene La Fortuna—Chile and Argentina ........154

10. Tract 005pCu1013c, Miocene–Pliocene—Argentina and Chile ..........................156

11. Tract 005pCu1014d, Miocene–Pliocene Nevados de Famatina—

Argentina .....................................................................................................................158

12. Tract 005pCu1017, Cretaceous Antucoya—Chile..................................................160

13. Tract 005pCu1008, Paleocene–Eocene Toquepala—Chile and Peru .................162

14. Tract 005pCu1013a, Miocene–Pliocene Cerro Casale—Argentina 

and Chile ......................................................................................................................164

15. Tract 005pCu1014c, Miocene–Pliocene Bajo de la Alumbrera—

Argentina .....................................................................................................................166

16. Tract 005pCu1011, Eocene–Oligocene Taca Taca Bajo—Argentina..................168

17. Tract 005pCu1018, Permian El Loa—Chile ..............................................................170

18. Tract 005pCu1010ab, Eocene–Oligocene Chuquicamata—Chile .......................172

19. Tract 005pCu1009, Eocene–Oligocene Antapaccay—Peru.................................174

20. Tract 005pCu1007, Cretaceous Almacen—Peru and Ecuador............................176

21. Tract 005pCu1006, Miocene La Granja—Peru and Ecuador................................178

22. Tract 005pCu1005, Miocene Chaucha—Colombia and Ecuador ........................180
viii

 23. Tract 005pCu1003, Jurassic San Carlos—Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru
ix

 58. Tract 003pCu5006, Alaska Peninsula and Aleutian Islands— 
x

 95. Tract 142pCu7021, Sukhothai—Cambodia, China, Laos, Burma, 
xi

 132. Tract 009pCu8004c, East Tasmanide (South)—Australia
xii

170. Tract 150pCu6004, Northern Carpathians—Hungary, Romania, 

Slovakia, and Ukraine................................................................................................482

171. Tract 150pCu6002, Dinaride-Aegean Region—Eastern Europe ..........................484

172. Tract 142pCu8202, Tagil-Polar Urals—Russia ........................................................486

173. Tract 142pCu8201, Magnitogorsk—Russia and Kazakhstan................................488

174. Tract 142pCu8203, East Uralian—Russia and Kazakhstan...................................490

175. Tract 142pCu8204, Transuralian—Kazakhstan and Russia ..................................492

176. Tract 150pCu6006, Southern and Central European Variscan—

France, Italy, and Poland...........................................................................................494

177. Tract 150pCu6005, Western Peri-Mediterranean Region—

Italy, Morocco, Algeria, and Spain..........................................................................496

178. Tract 150pCu6007, Western European Caledonian—Belgium 

and United Kingdom...................................................................................................498

179. Tract 150pCu6108, Southern Ostrobothnia—Finland ............................................500

180. Tract 150pCu6104, Häme—Finland...........................................................................502

181. Tract 150pCu6101, Central Finland—Finland..........................................................504

182. Tract 150pCu6105, Mäntsälä—Finland....................................................................506

183. Tract 150pCu6107, Ruokolahti—Finland..................................................................508

184. Tract 150pCu6110, Tampere—Finland .....................................................................510

185. Tract 150pCu6109, Southern Savo—Finland...........................................................512

186. Tract 150pCu6102, Central Ostrobothnia—Finland................................................514

187. Tract 150pCu6103, Haaparanta—Finland................................................................516

188. Tract 150pCu6106, Nilipää—Finland ........................................................................518

189–236. Sediment-hosted stratabound copper assessment for—

189. Tract 005ssCu5100, Neuquén Basin—Argentina and Chile.................................522

190. Tract 005rfCu5101, Salta Rift System—Argentina .................................................524

191. Tract 003rfnbCu3002, Great Plains (GP04), Anadarko-Palo Duro-Midland 

Permian Basin—United States................................................................................526

192. Tract 003rfnbCu3003, Lake Superior (LS07), Midcontinent Rift—

United States...............................................................................................................528

193. Tract 003ssCu3100, Belt-Purcell Basin—United States and Canada.................530

194. Tract 003rfCu3000, Redstone Copperbelt—Canada..............................................534

195. Tract 003rfnbCu3004, Southern Appalachian Mountains (SA18), 

Culpeper Basin—United States...............................................................................536

196. Tract 003shCu1000, Maritimes Basin—Canada.....................................................538

197. Tract 003rfnbCu0004, Ravnefjeld Formation (CE 2 and CE 4–15), 

Central European Basin System—Greenland.......................................................540

198. Tract 003rfnbCu0001, Pingel Dal Beds (CE 1B), Jameson Land Basin—

Greenland ....................................................................................................................542

199. Tract 003rfnbCu0005, Pingel Dal Beds (CE 1A), Jameson Land Basin—

Greenland ....................................................................................................................544

200. Tract 003ssCu0001, Huledal Formation (CE 15), Jameson Land Basin—

Greenland ....................................................................................................................546

201. Tract 003ssCu0002, Huledal Formation (CE 13–14), Jameson Land Basin—

Greenland ....................................................................................................................548

202. Tract 003ssCu0003, Huledal Formation (CE 2), Jameson Land Basin—

Greenland ....................................................................................................................550
xiii

203. Tract 003ssCu0004, Huledal Formation (CE 8–12), Jameson Land Basin—

Greenland ....................................................................................................................552

204. Tract 003ssCu0005, Huledal Formation (CE 4–7), Jameson Land Basin—

Greenland ....................................................................................................................554

205. Tract 003rfnbCu0002, Eleonore Bay Supergroup (CE 7–8), Eleonore 

Bay Basin—Greenland .............................................................................................556

206. Tract 003rfnbCu0003, Eleonore Bay Supergroup (CE 1–6 and CE 9–16), 

Eleonore Bay Basin—Greenland ............................................................................558

207. Tract 150ssCu0001, Sulban, Kodar-Udokan Trough—Russia...............................560

208. Tract 150ssCu0002, Saku, Kodar-Udokan Trough—Russia..................................562

209. Tract 150ssCu0003, Ingamakit, Kodar-Udokan Trough—Russia .........................564

210. Tract 150ssCu0004, Unkur, Kodar-Udokan Trough—Russia.................................566

211. Tract 150ssCu0005, Krasnoe, Kodar-Udokan Trough—Russia............................568

212. Tract 150ssCu0006, Burpala, Kodar-Udokan Trough—Russia.............................570

213. Tract 142ssCu8001, Dzhezkazgan Subbasin, Chu-Sarysu Basin—

Kazakhstan ..................................................................................................................572

214. Tract 142ssCu8002, Tesbulak Subbasin, Chu-Sarysu Basin—

Kazakhstan ..................................................................................................................574

215. Tract 142ssCu8003, Kokpansor Subbasin, Chu-Sarysu Basin—

Kazakhstan ..................................................................................................................576

216. Tract 142ssCu8004, Muyunkum Subbasin, Chu-Sarysu Basin—

Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan......................................................................................578

217. Tract 142ssCu8050, Teniz Basin—Kazakhstan .......................................................580

218. Tract 142rfCu4000, Dongchuan Group Rocks, Yangtze Block, 

South China Craton—China .....................................................................................582

219. Tract 142ssCu6000, Chuxiong Basin—China..........................................................584

220. Tract 150rfnbCu0001, Hercynian-Thüringian Basin, Southern 

Permian Basin—Germany........................................................................................586

221. Tract 150rfnbCu0002, Hessian Depression, Southern Permian 

Basin—Germany........................................................................................................588

222. Tract 150rfnbCu0003, North Sea, Southern Permian Basin—

Netherlands and United Kingdom ...........................................................................590

223. Tract 150rfnbCu0004, Dolny Śląsk (Lower Silesia), Southern 

Permian Basin—Poland and Germany...................................................................592

224. Tract 150rfnbCu0005, Spremberg-Wittenberg, Southern Permian 

Basin—Germany........................................................................................................594

225. Tract 150rfnbCu0006, Baltic Basin, Southern Permian Basin—

Lithuania, Poland, and Russia ..................................................................................596

226. Tract 150rfnbCu0007, Jutland Peninsula, Southern Permian Basin—

Denmark and Germany..............................................................................................598

227. Tract 142rfCu4001, Aynak (sedcu01), Kabul Block—Afghanistan.......................600

228. Tract 142rfCu4002, Kundalyan (sedcu02), Kundalyan Area—Afghanistan .......602

229. Tract 002rfCu2001, Egypt-Israel-Jordan Rift—Egypt, Israel, and Jordan..........604

230. Tract 002rfceCu1000a, Southern Carbonate Écaille, Katanga Basin—

Democratic Republic of the Congo .........................................................................606

231. Tract 002rfceCu1000b, Central Carbonate Écaille, Katanga Basin—

Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia ...................................................608
xiv

232. Tract 002rfceCu1000c, Northern Carbonate Écaille, Katanga Basin—

Democratic Republic of the Congo .........................................................................610

233. Tract 002rfnbCu1001, Ore Shale, Katanga Basin—Democratic Republic 

of the Congo and Zambia ..........................................................................................612

234. Tract 002ssCu1002, Roan Arenite, Katanga Basin—Democratic Republic 

of the Congo and Zambia ..........................................................................................614

235. Tract 002rfCu2002, Northwest Botswana Rift—Botswana and Namibia ..........616

236. Tract 002rfCu2000, Benguela and Cuanza Basins—Angola ................................618

Figures

[Figures A3, A5, A6, A8, and A9 follow the References Cited for chapter A]

A1. Pie chart showing the distribution of identified copper resources by deposit

type in selected recently active mining projects ....................................................................6

A2. Schematic cross section of the uppermost layers of the Earth illustrating the

distribution of porphyry copper deposits and sediment-hosted stratabound

copper deposits in relation to the main types of tectonic plate boundaries ......................7

A3. Map showing permissive tracts for porphyry copper and sediment-hosted

stratabound copper deposits color coded by world region................................................32

A4. Pie charts showing identified copper resources and mean estimates of

undiscovered copper resources in both porphyry copper and sedimenthosted stratabound copper deposits in the 11 world regions defined for

the U.S. Geological Survey global copper assessment .......................................................12

A5. Map showing the global distribution of world-class porphyry copper

deposits along with permissive tracts color coded by world region.................................33

A6. Map showing the global distribution of world-class sediment-hosted

stratabound copper deposits along with permissive tracts color coded

by world region ...........................................................................................................................34

A7. Diagram identifying the types of information presented on the left halves of

plates 1–236 in this volume .......................................................................................................18

A8. Map showing permissive tracts assigned to three size classes on the basis

of mean undiscovered copper resources ..............................................................................35

A9. Map showing the expected economic value categories of permissive tracts

for two types of copper deposits based on the grade and tonnage and depth

distribution characteristics of the deposits and the remoteness and cost

settings of the locations ............................................................................................................36

A10. Bar graph showing the years from discovery of porphyry copper deposits to

mine startup for mines brought on stream between 1989 and 2008...................................21

A11. Graph of primary global copper mine production and world population from

1850 to 2050 (estimate)...............................................................................................................22

A12. Bar graph summarizing global copper assessment results by category and

region............................................................................................................................................23

B1. Map showing permissive tracts for porphyry copper deposits, color coded

by world region, and locations of known Precambrian porphyry copper

deposits ........................................................................................................................................39

B2. Generalized model of a porphyry copper system..................................................................40

B3. Illustration of depth distributions for undiscovered porphyry copper deposits

used in the economic filter........................................................................................................43
xv

B4. Map showing locations of 26 permissive tracts for porphyry copper deposits

in the South America region (pls. 1–26)..................................................................................47

B5. Map showing locations of seven permissive tracts for porphyry copper

deposits in the Central America and Caribbean region (pls. 27–33)..................................48

B6. Map showing locations of 27 permissive tracts for porphyry copper deposits

in the North America region (pls. 34–60) ................................................................................49

B7. Map showing locations of five permissive tracts for porphyry copper

deposits in the Northeast Asia region (pls. 61–65)................................................................50

B8. Map showing locations of 20 permissive tracts for porphyry copper deposits

in the Central and Eastern Asia region (pls. 66–85) ..............................................................51

B9. Map showing locations of 12 permissive tracts for porphyry copper deposits

in the Southeast Asia region (pls. 86–97)................................................................................52

B10. Map showing locations of 31 permissive tracts for porphyry copper deposits

in the Southeast Asia Archipelagos region (pls. 98–128).....................................................53

B11. Map showing locations of nine permissive tracts for porphyry copper

deposits in the Eastern Australia region (pls. 129–137)........................................................54

B12. Map showing locations of 30 permissive tracts for porphyry copper deposits

in the Middle East region (pls. 138–167)..................................................................................55

B13. Map showing locations of 21 permissive tracts for porphyry copper deposits

in the Europe region (pls. 168–188)..........................................................................................56

B14. Bar chart showing amounts of identified copper resources and mean

estimates of undiscovered copper resources in porphyry copper deposits by

world region and selected data on U.S. and world copper resources in all

deposit types ...............................................................................................................................58

B15. Pie charts comparing the relative percentages of identified porphyry copper

resources and mean estimates of undiscovered porphyry copper resources

by world region ...........................................................................................................................59

C1. Map showing 23 basins containing permissive tracts for sediment-hosted

stratabound copper deposits, color coded for 7 world regions .........................................80

C2. Schematic section of a sedimentary basin showing the local geologic

settings and essential ore-system components required to form the

reduced-facies copper subtype and sandstone copper subtype of

sediment-hosted stratabound copper deposits ....................................................................82

C3. Map showing permissive tracts in the Chu-Sarysu Basin, Kazakhstan, that

were defined for quantitative assessments of sediment-hosted stratabound

copper deposits ..........................................................................................................................84

C4. Map showing permissive tracts in the Katanga Basin, Democratic Republic

of the Congo and Zambia, that were defined for quantitative assessments of

sediment-hosted stratabound copper deposits ....................................................................85

C5. Map showing permissive tracts in the Kodar-Udokan Trough, Russia, that

were defined for quantitative assessments of sediment-hosted stratabound

copper deposits ..........................................................................................................................86

C6. Map showing permissive tracts in the Southern Permian Basin in Europe

that were defined for quantitative and qualitative assessments of sedimenthosted stratabound copper deposits ......................................................................................87

C7. Chart showing criteria hierarchy used for the analytic hierarchy process

(AHP) analysis for 10 areas containing sediment-hosted stratabound copper

deposits throughout the world .................................................................................................90

C8. Bar graph showing qualitative ranking of 10 basins determined by the

analytic hierarchy process (AHP)............................................................................................90
xvi

C9. Graphs showing for each permissive tract mean estimates of undiscovered

copper resources plotted on a logarithmic scale, probabilities of the mean

estimated amount of copper existing, and probabilities of zero undiscovered

copper resources existing ........................................................................................................94

C10. Boxplots showing results of Monte Carlo simulations for sediment-hosted

stratabound copper deposits aggregated by sedimentary basin and plotted

on a logarithmic scale................................................................................................................96

3–1. Reproduction of version 2013/01 of the “International Chronostratigraphic

Chart”..........................................................................................................................................135

Tables

[Tables B2–B11 follow the References Cited for chapter B. Tables C3 and C4 follow the

References Cited for chapter C]

A1. Source reports for the global copper assessment .................................................................4

A2. Typical characteristics of porphyry copper deposits and sediment-hosted

stratabound copper deposits......................................................................................................6

A3. Aggregated assessment results for identified and undiscovered copper

resources in porphyry copper and sediment-hosted stratabound copper

deposits by world region ...........................................................................................................11

A4. World-class porphyry copper deposits by world region .....................................................14

A5. World-class sediment-hosted stratabound copper deposits by world region ................16

A6. Global copper assessment results from this study compared with other

measures of global and U.S. copper endowment, production, and consumption...........20

B1. Aggregated assessment results for identified and undiscovered copper

resources in porphyry copper deposits by world regions...................................................38

B2. Summary of assessment results for identified and undiscovered copper

resources in porphyry copper deposits in the South America region...............................66

B3. Summary of assessment results for identified and undiscovered copper

resources in porphyry copper deposits in the Central America and

Caribbean region ........................................................................................................................67

B4. Summary of assessment results for identified and undiscovered copper

resources in porphyry copper deposits in the North America region...............................68

B5. Summary of assessment results for identified and undiscovered copper

resources in porphyry copper deposits in the Northeast Asia region ..............................69

B6. Summary of assessment results for identified and undiscovered copper

resources in porphyry copper deposits in the Central and Eastern Asia

region............................................................................................................................................70

B7. Summary of assessment results for identified and undiscovered copper

resources in porphyry copper deposits in the Southeast Asia region..............................71

B8. Summary of assessment results for identified and undiscovered copper

resources in porphyry copper deposits in the Southeast Asia Archipelagos

region............................................................................................................................................72

B9. Summary of assessment results for identified and undiscovered copper

resources in porphyry copper deposits in the Eastern Australia region ..........................74

B10. Summary of assessment results for identified and undiscovered copper

resources in porphyry copper deposits in the Middle East region....................................75
xvii

B11. Summary of assessment results for identified and undiscovered copper

resources in porphyry copper deposits in the Europe region.............................................77

C1. Aggregated assessment results for identified copper resources and

estimates of undiscovered copper resources in sediment-hosted

stratabound copper deposits by world regions.....................................................................91

C2. Aggregated assessment results for identified copper resources and

estimates of undiscovered copper resources in sediment-hosted

stratabound copper deposits by sedimentary basins for 13 basins that

were quantitatively assessed...................................................................................................92

C3. Summary of assessment results for identified copper resources and mean

estimates of undiscovered in-place copper resources in sediment-hosted

stratabound copper deposits in the Western Hemisphere by permissive

tract.............................................................................................................................................104

C4. Summary of assessment results for identified copper resources and mean

estimates of undiscovered in-place copper resources in sediment-hosted

stratabound copper deposits in the Eastern Hemisphere by permissive tract..............106
xviii

Conversion Factors

Multiply By To obtain

Length

centimeter (cm) 0.3937 inch (in.)

meter (m) 3.281 foot (ft) 

kilometer (km) 0.6214 mile (mi)

mile (mi) 1.609 kilometer (km)

Area

square meter (m2) 10.76 square foot (ft2)

square kilometer (km2) 0.3861 square mile (mi2)

Volume

cubic meter (m3) 35.31 cubic foot (ft3)

Mass

gram (g) 0.03215 ounce, troy (troy oz)

kilogram (kg) 2.205 pound avoirdupois (lb)

megagram (Mg) 1.102 ton, short (2,000 pounds, lb)

megagram (Mg) 0.9842 ton, long (2,240 lb)

metric ton (t) 1 megagram (Mg)

million metric tons (Mt) 1.102 million short tons

Bulk density of ore

metric ton per cubic meter (t/m3) 0.03613 pound per cubic inch (lb/in3)

Grade

gram per metric ton (g/t) 0.02917 troy ounce per short ton

Other conversions used in this report

percent (%) 10,000 part per million (ppm) or 

gram per metric ton (g/t)

Temperature in degrees Celsius (°C) may be converted to degrees Fahrenheit (°F) as follows:

°F = (1.8 × °C) + 32.
xix

Abbreviations

% percent

Ag silver

AHP analytic hierarchy process

Au gold

CEBS Central European Basin System

Co cobalt

CRIRSCO Committee for Mineral Reserves International Reporting Standards

Cu copper

ESRI, Esri a software development and services company providing geographic 

information system software and geodatabase management applications; 

company name changed from ESRI to Esri around 2010

GDP gross domestic product

g/t gram per metric ton

GIS geographic information system

Ltd. limited

Ma mega-annum or millions of years before the present

Mo molybdenum

Mt million metric tons

NA not applicable

NPV net present value

ppm part per million

SSIB small-scale digital international boundaries

USGS U.S. Geological Survey

Country Names

[For ease in labeling maps, this report uses short-form names for the countries listed below]

Short form Long form

China People’s Republic of China

Laos Lao People’s Democratic Republic

North Korea Democratic People’s Republic of Korea

Russia Russian Federation

South Korea Republic of Korea

Abstract—Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources 

of the World, 2015

By Jane M. Hammarstrom, Michael L. Zientek, Heather L. Parks, Connie L. Dicken, and the 

U.S. Geological Survey Global Copper Mineral Resource Assessment Team

The U.S. Geological Survey completed the first-ever 

global assessment of undiscovered copper resources for 

the two most significant sources of global copper supply: 

porphyry copper deposits and sediment-hosted stratabound 

copper deposits. The geology-based study identified 236 areas 

for undiscovered copper in 11 regions of the world. Estimated 

amounts of undiscovered copper resources are reported at 

different levels of probability. The results of the assessment 

indicate that a mean of at least 3,500 million metric tons (Mt) 

of undiscovered copper associated with these deposit types 

may exist worldwide, exceeding the 2,100 Mt of identified 

copper resources tabulated for these deposit types.

Porphyry copper deposits contain 1,800 Mt of identified 

copper resources and are estimated to contain a mean of at 

least 3,100 Mt of undiscovered copper resources. South America is the dominant source for both identified and undiscovered 

porphyry copper resources. However, several regions of Asia, 

including China, have significant potential for undiscovered 

porphyry copper resources. The amount of mean undiscovered 

porphyry copper resources that may be economic to extract 

varies as a function of likely depth to a deposit and quality of 

local infrastructure that could support mining.

Sediment-hosted stratabound copper deposits contain 310 

Mt of identified copper resources and are estimated to contain 

a mean of at least 420 Mt of undiscovered copper resources. 

The sedimentary basins that may contain significant undiscovered copper resources are the Katanga Basin in central Africa, 

the Southern Permian Basin of Poland and Germany, the 

Chu-Sarysu Basin of Kazakhstan, and the Kodar-Udokan area 

of Russia. Sedimentary basins in the Northwest Botswana Rift 

in Botswana and Namibia, the Benguela and Cuanza Basins of 

Angola, and the Cambrian rocks of Egypt, Israel, and Jordan 

are recognized as having significant potential for undiscovered copper resources in sediment-hosted stratabound copper 

deposits; however, these areas require additional research, 

analysis, and evaluation before quantitative resource estimates 

can be made.

The estimate of at least 3,500 Mt of undiscovered copper 

in two deposit types provides a basis for long-range planning 

for this important commodity. U.S. copper consumption is 2 

Mt per year, world consumption is about 20 Mt per year, and 

global production from these two deposit types is about 12 Mt 

per year. Total global copper production from all deposit types 

from 1879 to 2012 was about 600 Mt. The world’s use of mineral resources, such as copper, will continue to increase in the 

foreseeable future to support a growing world population and 

increasing standards of living. The world has sufficient copper 

to last for decades. However, increases in exploration and 

growth in mining capacity will be necessary to identify and 

develop undiscovered resources to supply projected demand.

Chapter A. Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources 

of the World, 2015—Summary of Methods and Results

By Jane M. Hammarstrom, Gilpin R. Robinson, Jr., and Michael L. Zientek

Introduction

Production and consumption of minerals create wealth 

and jobs, improve the quality of life for many people, and 

sustain prosperity. A nation’s economic security depends on 

access to adequate mineral supplies from many domestic and 

international sources. The demand for minerals poses obvious 

questions. What is the current inventory of mineral resources 

available to society? Where will new mineral resources be 

found? How much of a particular mineral commodity is likely 

to be present in a given area? What will be the benefit of 

developing these resources? How soon can they be developed? 

Mineral resource assessment studies are done to begin to 

answer these questions.

In 2015, the first geologic assessment of global undiscovered copper resources was completed by the U.S. Geological 

Survey (USGS). Copper was one of the first metals used by 

people, and it continues to be a major industrial metal because 

of its high ductility, malleability, thermal and electrical 

conductivity, and resistance to corrosion. Copper ranks third 

in global metal consumption after iron and aluminum (U.S. 

Geological Survey, 2017).

The global copper assessment was coordinated by the 

USGS as part of a cooperative international project to estimate 

the regional locations and probable quantity and quality of 

the world’s undiscovered nonfuel mineral resources (Briskey 

and others, 2001, 2007; Schulz and Briskey, 2003; Johnson 

and others, 2014). This assessment was the first globally 

consistent and comprehensive analysis of copper from the 

two types of copper deposits (porphyry copper deposits and 

sediment-hosted stratabound copper deposits) that together 

account for more than 70 percent of the world’s copper supply. 

Its results provide a regional and global context for evaluating copper resources; planning for future sources of copper; 

anticipating the economic, environmental, and social effects 

of copper mine development; and making land-use decisions. 

The assessment process included compilation of geologic 

data and characterization of identified deposits for each area 

considered, delineation of geographic areas (permissive tracts) 

in which the geology is permissive for specific types of copper deposits, consideration of the amounts of metal in typical 

deposits, and quantitative or qualitative evaluations of undiscovered copper resources within each delineated permissive 

tract. For some geographic areas, where data were sufficient, a 

simple economic filter was applied to evaluate the amount of 

undiscovered copper resources that might be economic.

This chapter is a general overview of the assessment, 

with an explanation of plates 1–236, which summarize the 

assessment results for 236 geographic areas in maps, graphs, 

and tables. More details on the assessment of the porphyry 

copper deposits and sediment-hosted stratabound copper 

deposits are presented in chapters B and C, respectively. The 

assessment is based on geology rather than geography. Therefore, some permissive tracts cross country and regional boundaries. Table A1 lists the 11 regions adopted for this report 

along with the principal countries included in each region.

The assessment was done by USGS scientists working 

with mineral resource experts from government geological 

surveys, the exploration and mining industry, and academia 

throughout the world. Appendix 1 of this volume lists the 

USGS participants, the international contributors, and the 

cooperating institutions. The assessment results summarized 

here are derived from multiple sources (table A1): 

1. A series of regional reports published as separate 

chapters of USGS Scientific Investigations Report 

2010–5090 (Zientek and others, 2010–16)

2. A 1998 assessment of undiscovered deposits of gold, 

silver, copper, lead, and zinc in the United States 

(U.S. Geological Survey National Mineral Resource 

Assessment Team, 2002); permissive tracts that border 

Mexico and Canada were updated for the global assessment and the identifier ends with an “x” to indicate tracts 

extended across country borders

3. A quantitative assessment of copper, molybdenum, gold, 

and silver in undiscovered porphyry copper deposits in 

the Andes Mountains of South America (Cunningham 

and others, 2008)

4. A preliminary mineral resource assessment of Afghanistan 

(Ludington and others, 2007; Peters and others, 2007)

5. Reports by cooperators

6. Spatial databases for the global copper assessment (Dicken 

and others, 2016). Global copper assessment results are 

available as files that can be used in a geographic information system (Esri format), including the permissive tract 

outlines (polygons) and attributes as well as point data for 

deposits and prospects (Dicken and others, 2016).
4 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Table A1. Source reports for the global copper assessment.—Continued

[The 11 regions adopted for this report are listed according to the order of plate numbering for the porphyry copper tracts. The last part of the table lists a 

global source. The main countries and other geographic entities included in each region are listed in the headnote for that region. Some source reports discuss 

multiple regions and are cited under several regions in the table. Some permissive tracts extend into adjacent regions. Different parts of China are discussed in 

source reports for three regions: Northeast Asia region, Central and Eastern Asia region, and Southeast Asia region. Greenland is included in the North America 

region. Parts of Mexico are included in the North America region and parts are in the Central America and Caribbean region. Afghanistan is included in the 

Middle East region. Colors are those used in figure A3]

Source report Reference

South America region (pls. 1–26, 189–190)

[Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela]

Quantitative mineral resource assessment of copper, molybdenum, gold, and silver in 

undiscovered porphyry copper deposits in the Andes Mountains of South America

Cunningham and others (2008)

Qualitative assessment of selected areas of the world for undiscovered sediment-hosted 

stratabound copper deposits

Zientek, Wintzer, and others (2015)

Central America and Caribbean region (pls. 27–33)

[Cuba, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, 

Lesser Antilles, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Puerto Rico, and Virgin Islands]

Porphyry copper assessment of Central America and the Caribbean Basin Gray and others (2014)

Porphyry copper assessment of Mexico Hammarstrom, Robinson, and others (2010)

North America region (pls. 34–60, 191–206)

[Canada, Greenland, Mexico, and United States]

Porphyry copper assessment of British Columbia and Yukon Territory, Canada Mihalasky, Bookstrom, and others (2013)

Porphyry copper assessment of Mexico Hammarstrom, Robinson, and others (2010)

Assessment of undiscovered deposits of gold, silver, copper, lead, and zinc in the United States U.S. Geological Survey National Mineral Resource 

Assessment Team (2002)

Sediment-hosted copper in Greenland—Assessment of potential and undiscovered Cu deposits Stensgaard (2011)

Quantitative mineral resource assessment—Sedimentary-hosted copper in Greenland Stensgaard and others (2011)

Qualitative assessment of selected areas of the world for undiscovered sediment-hosted 

stratabound copper deposits

Zientek, Wintzer, and others (2015)

Northeast Asia region (pls. 61–65)

[China and Russia]

Porphyry copper assessment of northeast Asia—Far East Russia and northeasternmost China Mihalasky, Ludington, Alexeiev, and others (2015)

Central and Eastern Asia region (pls. 66–85, 207–217)

[China, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, North Korea, Russia, and South Korea]

Porphyry copper assessment of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt and eastern Tethysides—

China, Mongolia, Russia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and India

Mihalasky, Ludington, Hammarstrom, and others 

(2015)

Porphyry copper assessment of East and Southeast Asia—Philippines, Taiwan 

(Republic of China), Republic of Korea (South Korea), and Japan

Hammarstrom, Bookstrom, DeMarr, and others 

(2014)

Porphyry copper assessment of western Central Asia Berger and others (2014)

Porphyry copper assessment of the Mesozoic of East Asia—China, Vietnam, North Korea, 

Mongolia, and Russia

Ludington, Mihalasky, and others (2012)

Assessment of undiscovered sandstone copper deposits of the Kodar-Udokan area, Russia Zientek, Chechetkin, and others (2014)

Sandstone copper assessment of the Chu-Sarysu Basin, central Kazakhstan Box and others (2012)

Sandstone copper assessment of the Teniz Basin, Kazakhstan Cossette and others (2014)
Chapter A. Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015—Summary of Methods and Results 5

Source report Reference

Southeast Asia region (pls. 86–97, 218–219)

[Burma, Cambodia, China, India, Laos, Tajikistan, Thailand, and Vietnam]

Porphyry copper assessment of the Tibetan Plateau, China Ludington, Hammarstrom, and others (2012)

Porphyry copper assessment of the Mesozoic of East Asia—China, Vietnam, North Korea, 

Mongolia, and Russia

Ludington, Mihalasky, and others (2012)

Porphyry copper assessment of Southeast Asia and Melanesia Hammarstrom, Bookstrom, Dicken, and others (2013)

Porphyry copper assessment of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt and eastern Tethysides—

China, Mongolia, Russia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and India

Mihalasky, Ludington, Hammarstrom, and others 

(2015)

Qualitative assessment of selected areas of the world for undiscovered sediment-hosted 

stratabound copper deposits

Zientek, Wintzer, and others (2015)

Southeast Asia Archipelagos region (pls. 98–128)

[Fiji, Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Islands, Taiwan, and Vanuatu]

Porphyry copper assessment of East and Southeast Asia—Philippines, Taiwan 

(Republic of China), Republic of Korea (South Korea), and Japan

Hammarstrom, Bookstrom, DeMarr, and others 

(2014)

Porphyry copper assessment of Southeast Asia and Melanesia Hammarstrom, Bookstrom, Dicken, and others (2013)

Eastern Australia region (pls. 129–137)

[Australia]

Porphyry copper assessment of eastern Australia Bookstrom and others (2014)

Middle East region (pls. 138–167, 227–229)

[Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Egypt, Georgia, Iran, 

Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Pakistan, Russia, and Turkey]

Preliminary mineral resource assessment of selected mineral deposit types in Afghanistan Ludington and others (2007)

Porphyry copper assessment of the Tethys region of western and southern Asia Zürcher and others (2015)

Qualitative assessment of selected areas of the world for undiscovered sediment-hosted 

stratabound copper deposits

Zientek, Wintzer, and others (2015)

Preliminary non-fuel mineral resource assessment of Afghanistan Peters and others (2007)

Europe region (pls. 168–188, 220–226)

[Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Kazakhstan, 

Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, and United Kingdom]

Porphyry copper assessment of Europe, exclusive of the Fennoscandian Shield Sutphin and others (2013)

Quantitative assessment of undiscovered resources in volcanogenic massive sulphide deposits, 

porphyry copper deposits and Outokumpu-type deposits in Finland

Rasilainen and others (2014)

Undiscovered porphyry copper resources in the Urals—A probabilistic mineral resource 

assessment

Hammarstrom, Mihalasky, and others (2017)

Assessment of undiscovered copper resources associated with the Permian Kupferschiefer, 

Southern Permian Basin, Europe

Zientek, Oszczepalski, and others (2015)

Africa region (pls. 230–236)

[Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Namibia, and Zambia]

Sediment-hosted stratabound copper assessment of the Neoproterozoic Roan Group, Central 

African Copperbelt, Katanga Basin, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia

Zientek, Bliss, and others (2014)

Qualitative assessment of selected areas of the world for undiscovered sediment-hosted 

stratabound copper deposits

Zientek, Wintzer, and others (2015)

Global

Spatial database for a global assessment of undiscovered copper resources Dicken and others (2016)

Table A1. Source reports for the global copper assessment.—Continued
6 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

This volume also includes a glossary of terms used 

and a concise summary of the assessment methodology 

(appendix 2). Divisions of geologic time and boundaries of 

age assignments are based on the International Stratigraphic 

Chart (International Commission on Stratigraphy, 2010, 2013). 

The 2013 chart is reproduced in appendix 3.

Types of Copper Deposits—Why Does 

It Matter?

Copper is the major commodity in several types of mineral deposits (Singer, 1995). Porphyry copper deposits and 

sediment-hosted stratabound copper deposits are the focus 

of the USGS global assessment because they are the sources 

of most of the world’s copper (Singer and Menzie, 2010; 

Mudd and others, 2013) (fig. A1). These two deposit types 

occur in different kinds of rocks that were formed by different 

geologic processes. Each deposit type has characteristic ore 

tonnages, copper grades, and associated metals (table A2). 

The following features of the two deposit types are distinct: 

locations and geologic settings, deposit geometries and sizes, 

copper contents, guidelines for exploration and development, mining and processing methods, and environmental 

signatures.

Table A2. Typical characteristics of porphyry copper deposits and sediment-hosted stratabound copper deposits.

[Porphyry copper characteristics from John and others (2010); sediment-hosted stratabound copper characteristics from Zientek, Hayes, and Hammarstrom 

(2013) and Zientek, Hayes, and Taylor (2013). km, kilometer; m, meter]

Characteristic Porphyry copper Sediment-hosted stratabound copper

Geologic setting Magmatic arcs along convergent 

plate margins

Intracontinental sedimentary basins formed in failed rifts 

that contain copper source rocks (typically red beds) in 

stratigraphic units at least 300 m thick

Tonnage 100 million metric tons or more 100 million metric tons or less

Copper grade 0.3 to 2.0 percent copper 0.5 to 5 percent copper

Byproducts Molybdenum, gold, silver Silver, cobalt

Orebody shape Circular, pipelike Sheetlike or tabular

Orebody dimensions 0.1 to 1 km in diameter Thousands of meters long, widths from 500 to 2,000 m, 

a few to 50 m thick

Ore minerals (listed from most 

common to least common)

Chalcopyrite, bornite Chalcocite, bornite, chalcopyrite

Host rocks Porphyritic calc-alkalic or alkalic 

intrusive igneous rocks

Sedimentary rocks such as black shale, siltstone, and 

dolomite with organic matter, or sandstone petroleum 

reservoir rocks

Figure A1. Pie chart showing the distribution of identified copper 

resources by deposit type in selected recently active mining 

projects. Information is based on 730 mining projects around the 

world as of 2010 and is based on data compiled by Mudd and 

others (2013). Mt, millions of metric tons; %, percent.

Porphyry copper

(1,316 Mt)

74%

Sediment-hosted

stratabound copper

(176 Mt)

10%

Other

(288 Mt)

16% 
Chapter A. Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015—Summary of Methods and Results 7

Porphyry Copper Deposits

Porphyry copper deposits consist of copper minerals in 

disseminations and veins that are distributed throughout large 

volumes of igneous rock that range from less than 1 to 10s of 

cubic kilometers (John and others, 2010). Copper ore minerals, typically chalcopyrite (CuFeS2

) or bornite (Cu5FeS4), were 

deposited from high-temperature fluids associated with magmas as they cooled. The fluids that carried copper in solution 

interacted with and altered rocks, forming new assemblages 

of alteration minerals and depositing copper. Porphyry copper 

deposits are large-tonnage, low-grade deposits that typically 

are mined in large open pits. Tonnages are on the order of 10s 

to 10,000s of millions of metric tons of ore; copper grades 

typically are less than 1 percent. Molybdenum, gold, and silver 

are also recovered from many porphyry copper deposits.

Deposits mainly formed in island or continental magmatic 

arcs along active or ancient tectonic plate margins (fig. A2). The 

huge porphyry copper deposits in the Andes of South America 

formed in a continental arc setting. Deposits in the islands of 

the Philippine archipelago formed in an island arc setting.

Although porphyry copper deposits probably formed 

throughout Earth’s history, most known deposits are Mesozoic or Cenozoic in age (John and others, 2010). Paleozoic 

deposits are preserved in parts of Europe, Asia, Australia, and 

the Americas. The deposits formed in the upper crust at depths 

less than 5 kilometers (km) below the surface; therefore, older 

deposits are more likely to be eroded away than younger 

deposits in many parts of the world. A few Precambrian (older 

than about 540 million years) porphyry copper deposits are 

known in the following areas, listed by continent: Namibia and 

Zambia in Africa, China and India in Asia, western Australia, 

Finland and Sweden in Europe, Canada in North America, and 

Brazil in South America (see this volume, chap. B, fig. B1). 

These ancient deposits are difficult to characterize and assess 

because of their complex geologic histories. Therefore, the 

assessment focused on areas of the world that are most likely 

to contain undiscovered Phanerozoic porphyry copper deposits 

(younger than about 540 million years), with the exception of 

the assessment for Finland provided by Geological Survey of 

Finland (Rasilainen and others, 2014).

Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper Deposits

Sediment-hosted stratabound copper deposits are bodies 

of disseminated, cementing, and lesser veinlet-hosted copper 

minerals that are peneconformable (nearly conformable) with 

their sedimentary or metasedimentary host rocks (Hayes and 

others, 2015). Chalcocite (Cu2S) and bornite (Cu5FeS4) are 

the typical ore zone minerals. The deposits contain laterally 

extensive (several kilometers), relatively thin (<50 meters) 

orebodies that form layers in rocks such as sandstone, shale, 

and dolomite in sedimentary basins (fig. A2). Sedimenthosted stratabound deposits are mined by using both surface 

(open-pit) and underground methods, depending on deposit 

depth and geometry. Tonnages are on the order of 10s to 

100s of millions of metric tons of ore (smaller than typical 

porphyry copper deposits); copper grades typically are about 

1–3 percent (that is, higher than typical grades for porphyry 

copper deposits). The deposits formed in sedimentary basins 

that contained saltwater (brines) that dissolved and transported 

copper; interaction of the copper-bearing brines with organic 

matter in the host rocks caused precipitation of the ore minerals. Sedimentary basins in Europe and central Africa host the 

largest known sediment-hosted stratabound copper deposits.

Figure A2. Schematic cross section of the uppermost layers of the Earth illustrating the distribution of porphyry copper deposits 

and sediment-hosted stratabound copper deposits in relation to the main types of tectonic plate boundaries. Arrows indicate plate 

movement. Simplified from Zientek and Orris (2005, fig. 3).

Convergent

plate boundary

Hotspot

Upper part of mantle (asthenosphere)

Lithosphere

Shield volcano

Divergent

plate boundary

Convergent

plate boundary

Continental

rift zone

Oceanic crust

Island arc Continental arc

Porphyry copper

deposits

Sediment-hosted 

stratabound

copper deposits

Subducting plate

Subducting plate

Middle and lower parts of mantle

Continental crust

Spreading center

Porphyry copper

deposits
8 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

The global distribution of sediment-hosted stratabound 

copper deposits is mainly controlled by paleolatitude; the host 

sedimentary rocks were deposited within 20–30 degrees of the 

paleo-equator (Hayes and others, 2015). The formation and 

location of sedimentary basins at these latitudes varied over 

geologic time with changes in plate tectonic activity. Most 

sediment-hosted stratabound copper deposits formed in Proterozoic, Permian, Carboniferous, and Tertiary time (Hitzman 

and others, 2005).

Mineral Resources—Identified Versus 

Undiscovered

Mineral resources are concentrations of naturally 

occurring mineral material of economic interest in or on the 

Earth’s crust in such form, quality, and quantity that economic 

extraction of a mineral commodity is currently or potentially 

feasible. Identified resources refer to mineral resources for 

which the location, grade, quality, and quantity are known or 

can be estimated from specific geologic evidence (U.S. Bureau 

of Mines and U.S. Geological Survey, 1980, p. 1). In order 

for material to be designated a mineral resource, the location, 

quantity, grade, continuity, and other geological characteristics 

of a mineral resource must be known, estimated, or interpreted 

from specific geological evidence, sampling, and other knowledge (Committee for Mineral Reserves International Reporting Standards, 2006). Identified resources include deposits that 

have been mined as well as deposits that are well characterized 

but not developed. Identified resources are sufficiently characterized to estimate mineral resources using industry-standard 

practices.1

Undiscovered resources refer to resources in undiscovered or incompletely characterized mineral deposits. The 

existence of undiscovered resources is postulated on the 

basis of indirect geologic evidence (U.S. Geological Survey 

National Mineral Resource Assessment Team, 2000, p. 4). In 

USGS assessments, “undiscovered mineral resources” refers 

to mineral resources that may be present but for which location, grade, quality, and quantity of mineralized material are 

not specifically constrained by geologic evidence.

Deposits Versus Prospects

We reserve the term “deposit” for those sites that have 

identified mineral resources, such as a formally defined 

mineral-resource estimate based on drilling, as described 

above. Deposits are not necessarily economic, and deposits 

include sites with resources as well as reserves. The data for 

the total endowment of a deposit or a group of closely spaced 

1

See the Committee for Mineral Reserves International Reporting Standards 

website for information on national reporting standards used throughout the 

world (http://www.crirsco.com/national.asp).

deposits include the total measured, indicated, and inferred 

resources at the lowest cutoff grade reported, as well as past 

production. Spatial rules are adopted to aggregate resource 

information to define the endowment of a deposit. For porphyry copper deposits, the spatial rule typically used aggregates all sites within 2 km of each other that have reported 

resources as a group. The name and location of the group are 

based on the name and location of the largest or best known 

deposit in the group. For example, the Reko Diq Group in Iran 

refers to several closely spaced sites that are considered parts 

of the same deposit.

The term “prospect” is used for sites that do not have 

identified resources reported but that fit the descriptive mineral 

deposit models for porphyry copper or sediment-hosted stratabound copper deposits. These include significant exploration 

sites, sites that have been partially drilled, and sites described 

as prospects in the geologic literature and in mineral occurrence databases. The geographic information system (GIS) for 

the global copper assessment identifies locations and data for 

deposits, prospects, and deposit groups as well as for individual group members (Dicken and others, 2016).

Assessment Methods—An Overview

U.S. Geological Survey mineral resource assessments 

address two basic questions: (1) where are undiscovered 

mineral resources likely to exist? and (2) how much of the 

undiscovered mineral resource may be present? Geographic 

areas that may contain undiscovered resources are shown on 

maps. The areas are selected by identifying geologic features 

that are known to be associated with a particular type of mineral deposit, as described in mineral deposit models. For this 

assessment, members of the team identified 236 areas of the 

world that are likely to contain one of the two types of copper deposits that were considered. They addressed the “how 

much” question by making a quantitative mineral resource 

assessment for 198 of these areas.

Mineral deposits are classified into types based on their 

physical characteristics and systematic differences in oreforming processes. Models summarize essential attributes 

of the deposit type and are used to distinguish areas that are 

permissive for the deposit type from those that are not, as 

indicated by the available geologic data. The recognition that 

mineral deposits can be systematically classified into types 

allows scientists to use geoscience information to predict 

where deposits of a given type could occur. In addition, each 

ore deposit type has characteristic geometries, distributions 

of tonnage and grade, and rock and mineral properties that 

determine the potential value of the deposit and how the 

mineral resource is delimited and developed. These characteristics allow scientists to predict how much resource may be 

associated with undiscovered deposit types. Each deposit type 

also has a characteristic impact on the environment, whether 

through natural weathering processes or mining.
Chapter A. Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015—Summary of Methods and Results 9

Mineral-systems models provide criteria based on theories 

of regional ore genesis that can be used in mineral resource 

assessment and exploration targeting (Wyborn and others, 1994; 

Knox-Robinson and Wyborn, 1997). Descriptive models and 

mineral-systems models are used to identify and map geographic 

areas that are permissive for the occurrence of each type.

Mineral resource maps are created by delineating 

geographic areas that are permissive for the occurrence of a 

particular type of mineral deposit; these areas are referred to as 

“permissive tracts.” The delineated area represents the surface 

projection of a volume of rock that corresponds to a geologic 

environment described in a published deposit model; consequently, depth from the surface is an essential part of a tract 

definition. Descriptive mineral deposit models provide the 

criteria to select the permissive volume of rock. Locations and 

characteristics of any known deposits and mineral occurrences 

are also examined. Permissive tracts are based on geologic 

characteristics as portrayed on modern geologic maps. Permissive tracts are delineated without regard for political boundaries, land use, or land status. The likelihood of occurrence of a 

deposit outside of the permissive tract is considered negligible. 

Specific criteria used to delineate the permissive tracts for the 

porphyry and sediment-hosted stratabound copper deposits are 

described in chapters B and C, respectively.

Several strategies are used by the USGS to assess the 

amount of undiscovered mineral resources (see appendix 2 for 

details). The first is to estimate the number of undiscovered 

deposits; this approach has been widely used in USGS mineral 

resource assessments since the 1970s. The global porphyry 

copper assessment used this geology-based form of mineral 

resource assessment (Singer, 1993; Singer and Menzie, 2010). 

A different approach was adopted for some sediment-hosted 

stratabound copper assessments; geostatistical methods were 

used to estimate undiscovered mineral resources (appendix 2). 

Results of quantitative assessments by both approaches are 

reported as probability distributions of amounts of in-place, 

undiscovered metal.

Quantitative mineral resource assessment results can 

be further evaluated by using economic filters and cash flow 

models for economic and policy analysis, and they can be 

applied to mineral supply, economic, environmental, and 

land-use planning. A simple economic filter developed by 

Robinson and Menzie (2014) for the global porphyry copper 

assessment was applied to the quantitative assessment results 

for undiscovered resources associated with porphyry copper 

deposits (see chapter B). Although economic filters are not yet 

available for sediment-hosted stratabound copper deposits, 

about 55 percent of the mean undiscovered resources are considered to be economic, and about 55 percent of those results 

are likely to be economic in the reasonably foreseeable future 

(G.R. Robinson, Jr., USGS, written commun., 2016).

Qualitative assessments made for areas that had insufficient information for a complete quantitative assessment 

include permissive tracts and compilations of any associated deposits and prospects. For qualitative porphyry copper 

assessments, evidence for the existence of the deposit type was 

compiled, along with descriptions of any known deposits and 

prospects. For the sediment-hosted stratabound copper qualitative assessment, a decision support tool called the analytic 

hierarchy process (AHP) was applied to rank 10 areas of the 

world for their potential to contain undiscovered deposits (see 

chapter C). Four other tracts were assessed qualitatively for 

sediment-hosted stratabound copper.

Mineral resource assessments are done by teams of 

experts who are knowledgeable about the deposit type, region 

of interest, and assessment methodology. Each team compiles 

and evaluates available geologic information such as geologic 

maps at a variety of scales, mineral deposit and occurrence 

databases, geological literature on tectonic setting, and exploration history. For some areas of the world, geochemical and 

(or) geophysical data are available. The data are compiled and 

analyzed by using a geographic information system to develop 

the permissive tracts. In a series of workshops, the team finalizes the permissive tract boundaries and decides whether a 

quantitative or qualitative assessment is warranted. The team 

then determines which strategy to use.

For most study areas, forecasts of undiscovered resources 

were made by estimating the number of undiscovered deposits. In this approach, the team discusses the data and appropriate grade and tonnage models and then makes estimates of 

numbers of undiscovered deposits. The estimates are combined with grade and tonnage models to estimate amounts of 

contained metal. Information on the tonnages and grades of 

well-explored deposits of a given type is used as a model for 

tonnages and grades of undiscovered deposits of the same type 

in similar geologic settings. Grade and tonnage models are 

constructed from data for known deposits that fit the criteria for each deposit type (Singer and Menzie, 2010). These 

models are used as analogs for the copper resources that could 

be present in undiscovered deposits of the same type. Grade 

and tonnage models are compiled from the grades and sizes of 

thoroughly explored and (or) completely mined out individual 

mineral deposits. The data include the average grades of 

metals of economic interest and the associated tonnage based 

on the total production, reserves, and resources at the lowest 

reported cutoff grade, which is the lowest grade of ore material 

that can be included in a resource estimate that has reasonable prospects for application of a feasible mining method. 

Grades and tonnages of any known deposits within a permissive tract are compared with data in the models to ensure that 

the most appropriate model is selected for the assessment of 

the undiscovered resources. If deposits are already identified 

within a tract, statistical tests are used to guide model selection. In some cases where global models failed statistical tests, 

regional models were constructed (for example, Frost and 

others, 2013). If no deposits are known, general global models 

can be used as a default.

The assessment team reviews the geologic framework, 

the characteristics and distribution of the known deposits and 

prospects, the grade and tonnage models, evidence of oreforming processes in the tract area, and any available information about the thoroughness of past mineral exploration. The 
10 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

grade and tonnage model is an integral part of a quantitative 

assessment because the estimates of numbers of undiscovered 

deposits must be consistent with the selected model. The team 

members make estimates of numbers of undiscovered deposits 

at different confidence levels on the basis of expert judgment 

and guidelines for estimation. A number of guidelines are 

used, such as consideration of ore-forming process constraints, 

deposit density models, and ranking prospects (see Singer and 

Menzie, 2010, for a discussion of this topic). Estimates typically are elicited in a quantile form, by asking for a minimum 

number of deposits at a given probability. For example, there 

could be a 90-percent chance of 1 or more undiscovered 

deposits, a 50-percent chance of 5 or more, and a 10-percent 

chance of 10 undiscovered deposits. The estimates express 

the degree of belief that some fixed but unknown number of 

deposits exists within the tract. A probability distribution that 

is consistent with the estimates is computed (Root and others, 

1992; Singer and Menzie, 2010) to obtain an estimate of the 

mean number of deposits and a standard deviation. The estimates represent a measure of the favorability of the permissive 

tract and the spread of the estimates captures the estimator’s 

uncertainty about what may exist (Singer and Menzie, 2010).

Monte Carlo computer simulation methods are used to 

combine three probability distributions to produce a probabilistic estimate of amounts of in-place undiscovered resources 

(Root and others, 1992; Bawiec and Spanski, 2012; Duval, 

2012). The three distributions are the distribution of undiscovered deposits, a grade model, and a tonnage model. Results are 

reported as another probability distribution showing the amount 

of metal at different levels of confidence and as a mean amount 

of metal in undiscovered deposits in each permissive tract.

Following the completion of the assessment, results are 

presented to an internal review committee for approval. The 

committee’s comments are addressed prior to finalizing the 

report for formal technical review and publication. This report 

is a summary of selected results of regional porphyry copper 

and sediment-hosted stratabound copper assessments that were 

done with this methodology (table A1).

Geologic Maps and Map Scale

One goal of the assessment was a globally consistent 

compilation of permissive tracts that could be used at a scale 

of 1:1,000,000. The size and shape of the resulting permissive 

tracts reflect the type, quality, and resolution of the available 

geologic maps. A geologic map is a special purpose map made 

to show geologic features, including rock units, structural 

features, mineral deposits, and (or) fossil localities. Geologic 

maps provide the basic data for identifying geographic areas 

that fit a descriptive mineral deposit model as the starting 

point of a mineral resource assessment. The map scale defines 

the resolution of the geologic features that are depicted on the 

map. For example, at a scale of 1:1,000,000, the detectable 

size of a map feature is 1,000 meters (m) according to Tobler’s 

rule, which states that the detectable size of a map feature is 

obtained by dividing the denominator of the map scale by 

1,000 (Tobler, 1987). Ideally, one would use the most detailed 

geologic map available for an assessment. For a global-scale 

assessment, however, it was difficult to acquire and interpret 

the most detailed geologic maps that exist throughout the 

world. Generalized regional maps were used to identify gross 

geologic features such as basins, magmatic arcs, and terranes. 

Detailed maps were used to select permissive map units that 

define permissive tracts for porphyry copper deposits based 

on rock type and age. Other types of geologic maps, such as 

structure contour maps, lithofacies maps, and alteration and 

diagenetic mineral zoning maps, were used to define permissive tracts for sediment-hosted stratabound copper deposits.

The data used for each permissive tract are described in the 

source reports (table A1). These tracts should not be used at a 

scale larger than 1:1,000,000 and should be considered a starting point for future refinement of tract boundaries as new and 

more detailed data, including higher resolution and richly attributed maps, topical studies, and new age determinations, become 

available. Permissive tract areas reported in square kilometers 

(km2) in tables throughout this report were computed in GIS 

using an equal-area projection appropriate to the tract location.

Results of the Global Copper 

Assessment

The global copper assessment teams considered the 

potential for exposed and concealed undiscovered deposits 

within 1 km of the surface for porphyry deposits and within 

up to 2.5 km of the surface for sediment-hosted stratabound 

deposits. These depths are based on current practical limits to 

conventional mining techniques. For porphyry deposits, 188 

permissive tracts were delineated; 115 tracts contain at least 1 

identified deposit. Forty-eight permissive tracts were delineated for sediment-hosted stratabound copper deposits; 26 

contain at least 1 identified deposit.

The results of this assessment show that a mean of 3,500 

million metric tons (Mt) of undiscovered copper may be present globally, with 3,100 Mt of copper associated with porphyry 

deposits and 420 Mt of copper associated with sediment-hosted 

deposits (table A3). This undiscovered copper is in addition to 

identified copper resources of 2,100 Mt of copper (table A3).

The results were aggregated for 11 world regions (fig. A3, 

which follows the “References Cited” for this chapter A) to 

allow comparison of identified copper resources with mean 

estimates of undiscovered copper resources (fig. A4). The 

mean estimates indicate that almost two-thirds of the undiscovered copper resources are in South America, Southeast 

Asia, North America, and Central and Eastern Asia. Note 

that some large countries, such as Russia and China, are split 

between several world regions. The Urals area of western 

Russia is included with Europe, whereas other parts of Russia 

are in the Northeast Asia and Central and Eastern Asia regions. 

China, for example, is split among the Northeast Asia, Central 

and Eastern Asia, and Southeast Asia regions.
Chapter A. Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015—Summary of Methods and Results 11

Table A3. Aggregated assessment results for identified and undiscovered copper resources in porphyry copper and sediment-hosted 

stratabound copper deposits by world region.

[Results of probabilistic estimates of undiscovered copper resources are reported as means and selected percentiles (90, 50, 10) for aggregated results by 

region, assuming statistical independence; 90 represents a 90-percent chance of at least the amount indicated. Tract area and identified copper resources refer 

to all tracts within the region; mean and percentiles apply to tracts that were assessed quantitatively. See tables in chapters B and C and plates for results for 

individual tracts. Resources are reported to two significant figures. km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons; NA, not applicable, as no quantitative 

assessment was done; *, percentiles are not additive for the two deposit types]

Region Type of copper 

deposit

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Estimates of 

undiscovered in-place copper resources 

(Mt)

Mean 90 50 10

South America Porphyry 1,228,913 800 750 500 730 1,000

Sediment-hosted 153,520 0.39 NA NA NA NA

Central America and Caribbean Porphyry 538,224 43 170 78 150 280

Sediment-hosted NA NA NA NA NA NA

North America Porphyry 3,384,991 470 400 260 380 560

Sediment-hosted 414,833 14 55 15 48 110

Northeast Asia Porphyry 2,222,769 8.8 260 76 230 500

Sediment-hosted NA NA NA NA NA NA

Central and Eastern Asia Porphyry 4,585,395 140 450 240 430 690

Sediment-hosted 178,246 47 55 22 49 90

Southeast Asia Porphyry 2,579,956 56 420 240 410 640

Sediment-hosted 28,594 4.5 NA NA NA NA

Southeast Asia Archipelagos Porphyry 849,915 130 300 180 290 430

Sediment-hosted NA NA NA NA NA NA

Eastern Australia Porphyry 574,892 15 21 1.9 14 54

Sediment-hosted NA NA NA NA NA NA

Middle East Porphyry 1,054,267 61 200 98 180 320

Sediment-hosted 30,762 7.9 13 0.052 4.8 36

Europe Porphyry 573,131 51 140 64 120 240

Sediment-hosted 162,388 79 130 38 110 230

Africa Porphyry NA NA NA NA NA NA

Sediment-hosted 165,764 160 170 81 150 260

Total for porphyry copper deposits 17,592,453 1,800 3,100 2,600 3,100 3,600

Total for sediment-hosted copper deposits 1,134,107 310 420 270 400 560

Global total copper resources 18,726,560 2,100 3,500 * * *
12 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Figure A4. Pie charts showing (A) identified copper resources and (B) mean estimates of undiscovered copper resources in 

both porphyry copper and sediment-hosted stratabound copper deposits in the 11 world regions defined for the U.S. Geological 

Survey global copper assessment. Mt, millions of metric tons; %, percent.

South America

(750 Mt)

21%

Central America and Caribbean

(170 Mt)

5%

North America

(460 Mt)

13%

Northeast Asia

(260 Mt)

Central and Eastern Asia 7%

(500 Mt)

14%

Southeast Asia

(420 Mt)

12%

Southeast Asia Archipelagos

(300 Mt)

8%

Eastern Australia

(21 Mt)

1%

Middle East

(210 Mt)

6%

Europe

(270 Mt)

8%

Africa

(170 Mt)

5%

Western

Hemisphere Eastern 

Hemisphere

B. Mean estimates of undiscovered copper resources, world total = 3,500 Mt

Northeast Asia

(8.8 Mt)

<1%

Central and Eastern Asia

(190 Mt)

9%

Southeast Asia

(60 Mt)

3%

Southeast Asia Archipelagos

(130 Mt)

6%

Eastern Australia

(15 Mt)

1%

South America

(800 Mt)

38%

Central America and Caribbean

(43 Mt)

2% North America

(480 Mt)

23%

Middle East

(69 Mt)

3%

Europe

(130 Mt)

6%

Africa

(160 Mt)

8%

Western

Hemisphere

Eastern 

Hemisphere

A. Identified copper resources, world total = 2,100 Mt
Chapter A. Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015—Summary of Methods and Results 13

The regional assessment results were aggregated by using 

a method based on an assumption of complete independence 

between tracts, a statistical approach that implies no correlation from tract to tract (Schuenemeyer and others, 2011). 

The ranges of resource estimates (between the 90th and 10th 

percentiles) listed in table A3 reflect a measure of geologic 

uncertainty in the assessment process and results. Simulation 

input and results for each permissive tract are included in the 

source reports (table A1) and in the GIS (Dicken and others, 

2016). For data and results of aggregating simulation data by 

region, see Hammarstrom and others (2018).

The distributions of permissive tracts for porphyry copper 

and sediment-hosted stratabound copper deposits, along with 

the locations of already identified world-class deposits of these 

types, are shown in figures A5 and A6, respectively (these 

figures follow the “References Cited” for this chapter A). 

World-class deposits represent the upper 10 percent of all 

deposits in terms of their contained copper content. Among the 

world-class copper deposits, those that contain 2 Mt or more 

of copper are considered giants and those that contain more 

than 24 Mt of copper are referred to as supergiants (Singer, 

1995, p. 103). Identified porphyry copper deposits are concentrated around the Pacific rim in the Andes Mountains of western South America, western North America, and the Southeast 

Asia Archipelagos region that includes the Philippines, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea (fig. A5, table A4). The largest 

copper deposits of any type in the world are porphyry copper 

deposits in Chile. Other porphyry copper deposits that are 

among the world’s largest known copper deposits include the 

Grasberg Group deposit (37 Mt)2 in Indonesia, the Oyu Tolgoi 

deposit (37 Mt) in Mongolia, the undeveloped Pebble deposit 

(37 Mt) in Alaska, the Continental/Butte deposit (35 Mt) in 

Montana, the Morenci-Metcalf (34 Mt) and Safford (32 Mt) 

deposits in Arizona, the Cananea deposit (30 Mt) in Mexico, 

the Bingham deposit (28 Mt) in Utah, and the Reko Diq Group 

(23 Mt) in Pakistan (table A4).

The global distribution of sediment-hosted stratabound 

copper deposits is different from that of the porphyry copper 

deposits because they form in different geologic environments 

(see fig. A2). The largest known sediment-hosted stratabound 

copper deposits are found in central Africa, Europe, and the 

Central and Eastern Asia region (fig. A6, table A5). The largest 

sediment-hosted stratabound copper deposits have contained 

metal amounts that are similar to amounts in the largest porphyry copper deposits. Examples include Lubin-Sieroszowice 

(72 Mt) in Poland, Dzhezkazgan (22 Mt) in Kazakhstan, and 

Konkola-Musoshi (22 Mt) in Zambia.

2

The Grasberg Group resources were reported as 24 Mt of contained copper (Singer and others, 2008), and that number was used in the assessment 

of the region (Hammarstrom, Bookstrom, Dicken, and others, 2013). Total 

resources and reserves as of December 31, 2016, were 37 Mt (Rio Tinto, 

2017, p. 224, 229).

Regional Highlights

The South America region has the largest percentage of 

both identified and undiscovered copper resources (fig. A4), 

almost all in porphyry copper deposits. However, the undiscovered resources represent 21 percent of the total global 

undiscovered resources, whereas the identified resources in 

South America represent 39 percent of the total identified 

copper resources compiled for this study. This observation 

suggests that although South America is likely to continue to 

be a significant source of global copper supply, other regions 

that are less thoroughly explored and developed could become 

increasingly important contributors to global copper supply.

The Central America and Caribbean region hosts two 

undeveloped giant porphyry copper deposits in Panama: Cerro 

Colorado and Cobre Panama (fig. A5, table A4). Most of the 

undiscovered resources in the region are in a belt that extends 

from Panama to southwestern Mexico. No permissive tracts 

for sediment-hosted stratabound copper deposits are delineated 

in this region. Some identified porphyry copper resources in 

this region, including those in Puerto Rico, are unavailable for 

development because of political decisions to ban mining.

The North America region hosts highly mineralized 

porphyry copper tracts that include supergiant deposits such as 

the Cananea deposit in northern Mexico, the Bingham deposit 

in the southwestern United States, and the Pebble deposit in 

Alaska, as well as giant deposits in western Canada. The estimated undiscovered porphyry copper resources (400 Mt) are 

approximately equal to the identified resources (470 Mt; see 

table A3). In the United States, undiscovered sediment-hosted 

stratabound copper deposits in Michigan, Montana, and Texas 

are estimated to contain about three times as much copper 

(mean estimate of 44 Mt) as has been identified (13 Mt) in 

deposits of this type in these areas (pls. 191–193). World-class 

sediment-hosted stratabound copper deposits in North America include White Pine in Michigan in the United States and 

Boleo in Mexico (fig. A6, table A5). As described above for 

South America, the relative percentage of undiscovered copper 

resources in the North America region for these two types of 

deposits (13 percent) is less than the relative percentage of 

identified global copper resources (23 percent) (fig. A4).

The Northeast Asia region is relatively underexplored, 

with modest identified porphyry copper resources (8.8 Mt) 

and only one identified world-class porphyry copper deposit, 

the Peschanka deposit in Russia (figs. A4 and A5, tables A3 

and A4). However, the undiscovered resources are estimated 

to be quite large (260 Mt), representing 7 percent of the total 

undiscovered copper resources compared to less than 1 percent 

of the identified copper resources (fig. A4). This region has 

the largest ratio of undiscovered to identified resources in the 

study, and all of those resources are associated with porphyry 

copper type deposits.
14 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Map 

number 

(fig. A5)

Deposit name Country

Contained 

copper 

(Mt)

Plate 

number

South America region

1 El Teniente Chile 130 5

2 Los Sulfatos* Chile 18 5

3 Los Bronces/Rio Blanco 

Group (Andina)

Chile 100 5

4 Vizcachitas Chile 4.4 6

5 Los Pelambres/El Pachon Chile 46 6

6 Andacollo* Chile 2.3 12

7 La Fortuna Chile 5.1 9

8 Relincho Chile 2.5 13

9 Regalito (Caserones)* Chile 4.3 14

10 Cerro Casale Chile 4.5 14

11 Agua Rica Argentina 7.4 15

12 Bajo de la Alumbrera Argentina 4.3 15

13 Potrerillos Chile 10 18

14 El Salvador Chile 17 18

15 Taca Taca Bajo Argentina 3.0 16

16 Escondida Chile 86 18

17 Lomas Bayas Group Chile 3.4 13

18 Gaby Chile 12 18

19 El Telégrafo* Chile 4.0 18

20 Esperanza* Chile 7.3 18

21 Sierra Gorda Chile 10 13

22 Spence Chile 4.6 13

23 Toki* Chile 12 18

24 Mansa Mina Chile 13 18

25 Chuquicamata Chile 130 18

26 Conchi* Chile 3.7 18

27 El Abra Chile 8.8 18

28 Quebrada Blanca Chile 7.8 18

29 Ujina Chile 9.2 18

30 Collahuasi Chile 27 18

31 Cerro Colorado Chile 4.9 13

32 Cerro Colorado Peru 2.2 13

33 Toquepala Peru 13 13

Map 

number 

(fig. A5)

Deposit name Country

Contained 

copper 

(Mt)

Plate 

number

South America region—Continued

34 Quellaveco Peru 6.3 13

35 Cuajone Peru 11 13

36 Cerro Verde Peru 13 13

37 Quechua Peru 2.0 19

38 Antapaccay Peru 3.5 19

39 Coroccohuayco Peru 2.4 19

40 Los Chancas Peru 2.0 19

41 Las Bambas Peru 10 19

42 Toromocho Peru 9.9 21

43 Michiquillay Peru 4.6 21

44 El Galeno Peru 4.1 21

45 Tantahuatay Peru 3.0 21

46 La Granja Peru 17 21

47 Cañariaco Peru 3.7 21

48 Rio Blanco Peru 7.2 21

49 Mirador Ecuador 5.0 23

50 San Carlos Ecuador 4.2 23

51 Panantza Ecuador 3.1 23

52 Junin Ecuador 2.3 22

Central America and Caribbean region

53 Cerro Colorado Panama 15 28

54 Cobre Panama Panama 19 27

North America region

55 Tiámaro Mexico 3.0 33

56 Bahuerachi Group Mexico 2.4 36

57 El Arco Mexico 5.3 40

58 La Caridad Mexico 8.1 36

59 Cananea Mexico 30 36

60 Milpillas Mexico 2.0 36

61 Bisbee United States 2.3 43

62 Red Mountain United States 3.6 36

63 Rosemont-Helvetia 

Group

United States 5.3 36

64 Esperanza-Sierrita United States 6.7 36

Table A4. World-class porphyry copper deposits by world region.

[World-class deposits are giant and supergiant deposits that contain at least 2 and 24 million metric tons of copper, respectively (Singer, 1995, p. 103). In column 

1, “Map number” refers to site numbers in figure A5, which follows the “References Cited” for this chapter A. In column 5, “Plate number” refers to plates in 

this volume. Contained copper data are from the compilation by Dicken and others (2016), reported in millions of metric tons (Mt). On the basis of spatial rules 

adopted for this study, the reported contained copper data may include resources for groups of closely spaced deposits. Resource data for a number of worldclass porphyry deposits became available after the assessments were completed; these deposits are identified with an asterisk (*) in the table and are plotted for 

reference on figure A5 and on the plates in this volume. However, contained copper data for these deposits are not included as identified resources on the plates 

because these resources were undiscovered when the assessment of the region was done]
Chapter A. Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015—Summary of Methods and Results 15

Table A4. World-class porphyry copper deposits by world region.—Continued

Map 

number 

(fig. A5)

Deposit name Country

Contained 

copper 

(Mt)

Plate 

number

North America region—Continued

65 Twin Buttes United States 4.7 36

66 Mission-Pima United States 4.7 36

67 Ajo United States 4.4 41

68 Lakeshore United States 4.7 36

69 Tyrone United States 5.1 42

70 San Manuel-Kalamazoo United States 8.0 36

71 Chino United States 14 42

72 Hanover Mountain Group United States 4.8 42

73 Casa Grande West United States 8.5 36

74 Safford United States 32 42

75 Poston Butte United States 2.8 36

76 Morenci-Metcalf United States 34 42

77 Ray United States 11 36

78 Superior East United States 5.0 36

79 Miami-Inspiration Group United States 10 36

80 Castle Dome Group United States 4.7 36

81 Sheep Mountain United States 3.1 36

82 Bagdad United States 6.0 36

83 Ann Mason United States 3.8 43

84 Yerington United States 4.8 43

85 Bear-Lagomarsino United States 2.0 43

86 Ely United States 4.6 44

87 Bingham United States 28 45

88 Continental/Butte United States 35 47

89 Mount Tolman United States 2.2 50

90 Glacier Peak United States 5.7 46

91 Highland Valley Group Canada 13 51

92 Afton-Ajax Group Canada 2.9 49

93 Fish Lake Canada 2.5 50

94 Gibraltar Group Canada 3.8 51

95 Sulphurets Group Canada 3.8 49

96 Galore Creek Group Canada 9.3 49

Map 

number 

(fig. A5)

Deposit name Country

Contained 

copper 

(Mt)

Plate 

number

North America region—Continued

97 Schaft Creek Group Canada 3.9 51

98 Red Chris Canada 2.5 49

99 Casino Canada 2.1 50

100 Taurus United States 2.2 56

101 Pebble United States 37 57

Northeast Asia region

102 Peschanka Russia 7.9 65

Central and Eastern Asia region

103 Duobaoshan China 3.3 70

104 Bystrinskoe Russia 2.4 69

105 Shaktama Russia 2.9 69

106 Wunugetushan China 2.2 69

107 Oyu Tolgoi Mongolia 37 75

108 Erdenet Mongolia 9.0 74

109 Aksug Russia 4.2 73

110 Tuwu-Yandong-Yanxi China 4.0 77

111 Agaskyr Russia 9.9 73

112 Aktogai-Aidarly Kazakhstan 10 79

113 Kounrad Kazakhstan 3.8 80

114 Bozshakol Kazakhstan 6.7 78

115 Kyzata Uzbekistan 6.0 85

116 Almalyk Group Uzbekistan 24 85

Southeast Asia region

117 Dexing China 8.4 86

118 Chengmenshan China 3.1 86

119 Pulang China 4.2 91

120 Yulong China 7.1 92

121 Monywa Group Burma 6.3 94

122 Jiama China 3.9 90

123 Qulong China 8.0 90

124 XietongmenNewtongmen GroupChina 3.3 90
16 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Table A5. World-class sediment-hosted stratabound copper 

deposits by world region.

[World-class deposits are giant and supergiant deposits that contain at least 2 

and 24 million metric tons of copper, respectively (Singer, 1995, p. 103). In 

column 1, “Map number” refers to site numbers in figure A6, which follows 

the “References Cited” for this chapter A. In column 5, “Plate number” refers 

to the plates in this volume. Contained copper data are from the compilation 

by Dicken and others (2016), reported in millions of metric tons (Mt). On 

the basis of spatial rules adopted for this study, the reported contained copper 

data may include resources for groups of closely spaced deposits. NA, not 

applicable, as no plate shows the Boleo deposit because Mexico was not 

assessed for this deposit type; the contained copper value of 2.8 Mt is from 

Baja Mining Corporation (2010)]

Map 

number 

(fig. A6)

Deposit name Country

Contained 

copper 

(Mt)

Plate 

number

North America region

1 Boleo Mexico 2.8 NA

2 White Pine United States 8.3 192

3 Rock Creek and Montanore United States 2.4 193

Middle East region

4 Aynak Afghanistan 5.5 227

Central and Eastern Asia region

5 Dzhezkazgan Kazakhstan 22 213

6 Zhaman-Aibat Kazakhstan 2.7 214

7 Udokan Russia 19 208

Europe region

8 Mansfeld Germany 2.0 220

9 Lubin-Sieroszowice Poland 72 223

Africa region

10 Baluba-Muliashi-Luanshya Zambia 10 233

11 Mindola-Nkana N-S Zambia 15 233

12 Chambishi Southeast Zambia 3.8 233

13 Chambishi Main and West Zambia 2.9 233

14 Mufulira Zambia 8.9 234

15 Chingola-Nchanga Zambia 16 233

16 Konkola-Musoshi Zambia 22 233

17 Kinsevere Democratic 

Republic of 

the Congo 

(DRC)

2.1 232

18 Kimbwe DRC 2.0 232

19 Kambove PrincipalKambove WestDRC 3.1 231

20 Fungurume DRC 2.8 231

21 Kansalawile-Mambilima DRC 2.8 231

22 Kwatebala DRC 2.2 231

23 Tenke DRC 2.5 231

24 Mutanda-Ya-Mukonkota DRC 3.7 231

25 Kamoto-KOV-MusonieMupineDRC 19 231

26 DIMA DRC 7.8 231

Map 

number 

(fig. A5)

Deposit name Country

Contained 

copper 

(Mt)

Plate 

number

Southeast Asia Archipelagos region

125 Namosi Group Fiji 6.6 128

126 Panguna Papua New 

Guinea

6.6 127

127 Wafi-Golpu Group Papua New 

Guinea

4.9 122

128 Yandera Papua New 

Guinea

5.7 122

129 Frieda River Group Papua New 

Guinea

8.6 124

130 Ok Tedi Papua New 

Guinea

5.5 121

131 Grasberg Group1 Indonesia 24 119

132 Kingking Philippines 2.9 101

133 Boyongan-Bayugo 

Group

Philippines 2.0 101

134 Tampakan Philippines 15 107

135 Atlas Group Philippines 6.4 104

136 Sipalay Group Philippines 3.8 103

137 Marcopper Group Philippines 2.0 98

138 Taysan Philippines 2.1 98

139 Far Southeast-Bato Tabio Philippines 4.3 98

140 Batu Hijau Indonesia 7.2 111

141 Tujuh-Bukit* Indonesia 4.1 110

Eastern Australia region

142 Cadia Group Australia 10 133

Middle East region

143 Reko Diq Group Pakistan 23 142

144 Sar Cheshmeh Group Iran 10 150

145 Sungun Iran 5.0 153

146 Kadjaran Armenia 4.6 153

Europe region

147 Mikheevskoe Russia 2.1 175

148 Skouries Group Greece 2.0 171

149 Bor Group Serbia 14 168

150 Majdanpek Serbia 6.0 168

151 Rosia Poieni Romania 2.4 169

152 Recsk Hungary 4.6 171

1

The Grasberg Group resources were reported as 24 Mt of contained copper 

(Singer and others, 2008), and that number was used in the assessment of the 

region (Hammarstrom, Bookstrom, Dicken, and others, 2013). Total resources 

and reserves as of December 31, 2016, were 37 Mt (Rio Tinto, 2017, p. 224, 229).

Table A4. World-class porphyry copper deposits by world 

region.—Continued
Chapter A. Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015—Summary of Methods and Results 17

The Central and Eastern Asia region has 38 identified 

porphyry copper deposits (this volume, chap. B, table B6), 

including the supergiant Oyu Tolgoi deposit in Mongolia, 

the Almalyk Group deposit in Uzbekistan, and several other 

world-class deposits in Kazakhstan (fig. A5, table A4). The 

region is estimated to contain about three times as much 

undiscovered porphyry copper (450 Mt) as has been identified to date (140 Mt) (table A3). This region also hosts giant 

sediment-hosted stratabound copper deposits, such as the 

Dzhezkazgan deposit in Kazakhstan and the Udokan deposit in 

Russia (fig. A6, table A5). The USGS estimates that as much 

undiscovered sediment-hosted stratabound copper (55 Mt) as 

has already been discovered (47 Mt) may be present (table A3).

The Southeast Asia region is less thoroughly explored 

than many other parts of the world; however, four giant 

porphyry copper deposits have been identified to date in the 

Tibetan Plateau: Qulong, Yulong, Jiama, and XietongmenNewtongmen Group (fig. A5, table A4). Undiscovered 

porphyry copper deposits may contain eight times the identified amount of copper (table A3). Known sediment-hosted 

stratabound copper deposits are also located in southwestern 

China, with identified resources of 4.5 Mt (pls. 218, 219).

The Southeast Asia Archipelagos region (including 

Melanesia) hosts world-class, gold-rich porphyry copper 

deposits such as the supergiant Grasberg Group in Indonesia 

and at least 16 giant deposits in Fiji, Indonesia, Papua New 

Guinea, and the Philippines (fig. A5, table A4). Although 

parts of the region are well explored, undiscovered porphyry 

resources (300 Mt) are likely to exceed identified resources 

(130 Mt) (table A3).

The Eastern Australia region has one giant Phanerozoic 

porphyry copper deposit, the Cadia Group (fig. A5, table A4), 

and several small porphyry deposits. Modest undiscovered 

resources are expected, and those are likely to be at some 

depth under cover rock.

The Middle East region has been mined for copper since 

ancient times, and giant porphyry copper deposits, such as the 

Reko Diq Group in Pakistan, have recently been identified 

(fig. A5, table A4). Undiscovered copper (200 Mt) is predicted 

to be about three times the identified resources (61 Mt) for 

porphyry deposits along a belt including Turkey, Iran, Azerbaijan, and Armenia (fig. A5, table A3). Sediment-hosted 

stratabound copper deposits are associated with a rift setting in 

Egypt, Israel, and Jordan. Mean undiscovered copper resources 

in sediment-hosted stratabound copper deposits in the Kabul 

Block tract (pl. 227) in eastern Afghanistan (13 Mt) exceed 

identified resources (6.4 Mt). Most of the identified resources 

are associated with the giant Aynak deposit (table A5).

The Europe region has the largest sediment-hosted stratabound copper deposit in the world, the Lubin-Sieroszowice 

deposit in Poland, which contains 72 Mt of copper (fig. A6, 

table A5). Undiscovered sediment-hosted stratabound copper resources in southwestern Poland (96 Mt) are estimated 

to exceed identified resources (74 Mt) by about 30 percent 

(pl. 223). Eastern Europe hosts six world-class Phanerozoic 

porphyry copper deposits (table A4), including the only 

porphyry copper deposit that has been developed in the Urals 

at Mikheevskoe. The most prospective areas for porphyry copper deposits in northern Europe are Precambrian deposits in 

Sweden and Finland (chap. B, fig. B1).

The Africa region has the world’s largest accumulation 

of sediment-hosted stratabound copper deposits, with 17 giant 

deposits in the Central African Copperbelt in the Democratic 

Republic of the Congo and Zambia (fig. A6, table A5). A 

mean estimate of 170 Mt of undiscovered copper resources in 

sediment-hosted stratabound copper deposits in this region is 

slightly more than the 160 Mt of copper that has already been 

identified (table A3). Phanerozoic porphyry copper deposits 

are not known in this region, and available information indicates that the near-surface geology of the region is not permissive for their occurrence.

Plates

The 236 plates in this volume each summarize assessment results for one permissive tract. Each plate consists 

of two facing pages. Figure A7 explains the elements that 

are common to the left pages of all plates; chapters B and C 

describe additional information on plates for porphyry copper 

and sediment-hosted stratabound copper deposits, respectively. The left page of each plate has the plate number and 

title, identifies the descriptive models and grade and tonnage 

models used for the assessment of the tract, has a brief statement of the geologic basis for delineating the tract, and gives 

the source(s) of data. A brief table presents the assessment 

results numerically. The left page also includes a graph of 

results for quantitative assessments. For qualitative assessments of sediment-hosted stratabound copper potential, a 

graph showing the relative ranking of a sedimentary basin 

analyzed by the AHP method is provided for 10 tracts. For 

qualitative assessments of porphyry copper deposits and of 

four sediment-hosted stratabound copper tracts, a summary 

paragraph describes the qualitative assessment. The right side 

of each plate includes an index map and a main map showing 

the extent of the assessed tract on a shaded-relief base, locations and names of deposits, and locations of prospects.

The plate title includes the tract identifier, a geographic/

geologic tract name, and the region or countries in which 

the tract is present. Titles of some plates for sediment-hosted 

stratabound deposits include a basin name. Each tract has a 

unique identifier based on a three-digit United Nations world 

region number (United Nations Statistics Division, 2016), a 

deposit type or subtype abbreviation, and a four-digit identification number. The deposit type abbreviation for porphyry 

copper deposits is “pCu.” Deposit type abbreviations for 

sediment-hosted stratabound deposits vary by subtype; these 

include “ssCu” for the sandstone copper subtype, “shCu” for 

general sediment-hosted copper that includes all subtypes, 

“rfCu” for the reduced-facies copper subtype, “rfceCu” for 

the reduced-facies–carbonate-écaille copper subtype, and 

“rfnbCu” for the reduced-facies-nonbrecciated copper subtype.
18 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Figure A7. Diagram identifying the types of information presented on the left halves of plates 1–236 in this volume.

6.6

12

41

27

6.2

0.79

0.18

5

10

95 90 50

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

Tract 005pCu1016ab

Identified copper resources (1.9 Mt)

Mean estimate of economic undiscovered copper 

resources is shown if an economic filter was 

applied for porphyry copper deposits.

Identified copper resources, if any, are shown 

as a horizontal red bar.

Mean estimate of in-place copper resources.

For tracts assessed quantitatively, a graph 

is supplied.

The estimated amounts of undiscovered copper resources 

are plotted as bars at five selected percentiles from the 

simulation of undiscovered copper resources; the number 

above each bar is the amount of undiscovered in-place 

copper. For example, the 95th percentile, the most 

conservative estimate, shows that there is a 95-percent 

chance of 0.18 million metric tons (Mt) of copper or more. 

The 50th percentile represents the median; that is, there is 

a 50:50 chance of 6.2 Mt or more. The 5th percentile, the 

least conservative value, shows that there is a small chance 

(5 percent) of a relatively large amount of undiscovered 

copper. On some plates, no bar is shown at 95, 90, or 50 

because the estimated amount of undiscovered copper 

from the simulation is zero.

2005 29,080 1.9 12 4 6.6

(Mt)

economic resources

Mean estimate of

resources

(percent)

in-place 

Probability of 0 

(Mt)

in-place resources 

Mean estimate of 

(Mt)

resources 

copper 

Identified 

(km2

)

Tract area 

assessment

Date of 

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km) for porphyry copper, 0 to 2.5 km for sediment-hosted stratabound copper; 

km2

, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Selected Resource Assessment Results

Shortened reference to the source of the data for the tract. The full reference is in the “References Cited” list of chapter A.

Source

[For tracts assessed qualitatively, the section above includes text and (or) graphs

indicating the likelihood for undiscovered copper resources in the tract.]

Descriptive model: Model name and reference

Grade and tonnage model: Model name and reference (for quantitative assessments)

Economic filter depth percentages: Depth distribution applied to quantitative assessment results for porphyry copper deposits

Economic filter cost setting: Cost setting applied to quantitative assessment results for porphyry copper deposits

Geologic feature assessed: Brief statement describing the geologic feature that forms the basis for delineating the tract

Number of known deposits: Number of deposits that have well-defined tonnages and grades in the tract

[The plate title contains a tract identifier, a basin name for some sediment-hosted stratabound copper tracts, a tract name, and a list of countries in 

which the tract is present. Each tract identifier is a unique code composed of a three-digit United Nations world region number (003 for North America) 

(United Nations Statistics Division, 2016), a deposit type abbreviation (such as pCu for porphyry copper) or a subtype abbreviation (such as the following 

for sediment-hosted stratabound copper: rfCu, general reduced-facies copper subtype; rfceCu, reduced-facies–carbonate-écaille copper subtype; rfnbCu, 

reduced-facies-nonbrecciated copper subtype; shCu, general sediment-hosted copper that includes all subtypes; ssCu, sandstone copper subtype), and a 

four-digit number (for some tracts, followed by a letter a, b, ab, c, d, or x, explained in the text)]

Plate Number. Plate Title

Graph showing the estimated probability 

distribution of undiscovered copper 

resources, where each bar represents 

the minimum amount estimated at the 

indicated percentage.
Chapter A. Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015—Summary of Methods and Results 19

The use of an “x” (for extended) at the end of a tract 

identifier indicates tracts that were modified to extend across 

borders of the United States, Mexico, and Canada. For example, plate 36 describes tract 003pCu3007x, which is based on a 

tract covering the western Sierra Madre Occidental of northern 

Mexico that extends into the Laramide Central tract in the 

southwestern United States. These extended tracts are each 

based on two source reports, as noted on the plates.

Some border issues were not resolved; therefore, some 

tracts appear truncated at country borders. In addition, some 

tracts overlap parts of other tracts because of age differences in 

the permissive rocks. For example, the map on plate 87 depicts 

a permissive tract (East Qinling) for Jurassic and Cretaceous 

porphyry copper deposits in China; that tract overlaps parts of 

the older Paleozoic through Triassic tract shown on plate 88.

Some tract identifiers end in letters such as “a,” “b,” “ab,” 

“c,” or “d.” These letters indicate sub-tracts. For example, 

plates 79, 80, 82, and 83 show parts a, b, d, and c, respectively, 

of tract 142pCu8003.

Selected assessment results for each tract are summarized 

in a table and a graph on the plate. Each graph is shown at 

the same scale, so results for tracts on different plates can be 

compared.

See table A1 and the “References Cited” at the end of this 

chapter for all references noted on plates, including references to descriptive models and grade and tonnage models. 

Interested readers are directed to the source reports for more 

information on the rationale for delineating each tract. Base 

map sources for tract maps include ESRI (2008), de Ferranti 

and Hormann (2009), Danielson and Gesch (2011), Earth 

Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center (2011), 

and Howat and others (2014). Country boundaries are from 

the U.S. Department of State (2009).

Assessment Results in Perspective

Every country in the world uses copper. Actual world 

copper mine production from all types of copper deposits 

was 17.0 Mt in 2012, 17.9 Mt in 2013, and 18.7 Mt in 2014 

(table A6). Global production from porphyry and sedimenthosted stratabound copper deposits is about 12 Mt per year 

(Johnson and others, 2014). According to the International 

Copper Study Group (2015a), global consumption of refined 

copper increased from 20.4 Mt in 2012 to 22.9 Mt in 2014 

(table A6). From 2002 to 2012, global consumption of refined 

copper increased an average of about 3 percent per year 

(Brininstool, 2015). U.S. copper consumption is about 2 Mt 

per year (Brininstool, 2015). The mean estimated in-place copper resource in undiscovered porphyry and sediment-hosted 

stratabound copper deposits is 3,500 Mt and represents about 

200 times the amount of copper produced globally in recent 

years. In addition, much of the copper that has already been 

identified is in deposits that have not yet gone into production.

How do these estimates of undiscovered copper compare 

with what has already been discovered? The mean estimate of 

undiscovered copper, 3,500 Mt, is about six times the amount 

of copper (600 Mt) produced from all types of deposits over 

a span of more than 100 years (table A6). Identified in-place 

world copper resources that could be developed for the 730 

mining projects of all types reported by Mudd and others 

(2013) total 1,860 Mt. Identified world copper reserves (the 

portion of resources that are economic) are on the order of 

680–700 Mt (table A6).

The map of area-averaged estimates of undiscovered 

porphyry copper and sediment-hosted stratabound copper 

resources portrays where future copper resources are most 

likely to occur (fig. A8, which follows the “References Cited” 

for this chapter A). However, this portrayal does not consider 

costs of discovery, development, and mining or potential 

return based on tonnage and grade characteristics of the likely 

undiscovered deposits.

A simple economic filter was applied to the quantitative 

porphyry copper assessment results to address the question 

of what portion of in-place undiscovered porphyry copper 

resources might be economic (see this volume, chap. B). The 

economic filter for porphyry copper deposits applies assumptions about metal prices, mining methods, capital costs, 

recovery rates, mining depth, and availability of infrastructure 

(Robinson and Menzie, 2014). Estimates of the amount of 

undiscovered in-place porphyry copper resources that may be 

economic based on these assumptions range from none for 

some tracts to about 80 percent for other tracts, with an average of 50 percent. Results of the Monte Carlo simulation and 

economic filter analysis provide an estimate of undiscovered 

resources, potential economic resources, net-present-value 

(NPV), the probability of failure (probability of no economic 

resource), and the probability associated with the mean for 

each porphyry copper tract (chap. B).

The potential economic copper resources in sedimenthosted stratabound copper deposits were not evaluated on 

a tract-by-tract basis but were estimated to be similar to the 

economic percentages calculated for porphyry copper deposits 

on a regional basis. Economic resources were not estimated 

for tracts of either type that were qualitatively assessed.

The mean NPV of undiscovered deposits was discounted 

by the probability of failure and normalized by areal extent to 

rank the relative economic potential of each porphyry copper tract, shown in high, medium, and low expected value 

categories. Sediment-hosted stratabound copper tracts that 

were assessed quantitatively with mean undiscovered copper 

greater than 20 Mt were classified as having a high expected 

economic value; those with 2 to 20 Mt of copper were classified as having a medium expected economic value, and those 

with less than 2 Mt were classified as having a low expected 

economic value. The map shown in figure A9 (which follows 

the “References Cited” for this chapter A) categorizes the economic characteristics of areas likely to contain undiscovered 

copper resources based on the grade and tonnage and depth 

distribution characteristics of the deposits, and the remoteness and cost settings of the locations. Note that this analysis 

applies to the area evaluated, not individual prospects or 

deposits located in these areas.
20 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Table A6. Global copper assessment results from this study compared with other measures of global and U.S. copper endowment, 

production, and consumption.

[Reserves are identified resources that could be economically extracted at the time of determination. Theoretical porphyry copper resources were estimated by 

Kesler and Wilkinson (2008) from a time-space model for the tectonic migration of porphyry copper deposits vertically through the entire Earth’s crust and for 

all copper deposit types in the upper 3.3 kilometers (km). Mt, millions of metric tons]

Parameter Copper 

(Mt) Comment Source

World refined copper 

consumption

20.4

21.4

22.9

For 2012

For 2013

For 2014

International Copper Study 

Group (2015a)

World mine production

17.0

17.9

18.7

For 2012

For 2013

For 2014

Edelstein (2013)

Brininstool (2014)

Brininstool (2015)

Cumulative world mine 

production

600 Cumulative world copper production from 

1879 to 2012

D.L. Edelstein, U.S. Geological 

Survey, written commun., 2013

567 Cumulative world copper production from 

1892 to 2011

Mudd and others (2013)

World reserves

680

690

700

For 2012

For 2013

For 2014

Edelstein (2013)

Brininstool (2014)

Brininstool (2015)

Identified world resources

2,100 Past production and measured, indicated, and 

inferred resources at the lowest reported 

cutoff grade

Singer and Menzie (2010)

1,860 Resources identified in 730 copper projects as 

of 2010, includes operating mines as well 

as deposits in development and exploration; 

all types; includes 80.4 Mt Chinese national 

resources

Mudd and others (2013)

Undiscovered world 

resources

3,100 Porphyry copper deposits (upper 1 km) This study

420 Sediment-hosted stratabound copper deposits 

(upper 2.5 km)

Theoretical world resources

170,000 Porphyry copper deposits Kesler and Wilkinson (2008)

89,000 All deposit types (upper 3.3 km) recoverable 

300,000 All types (entire crust)

U.S. copper resources in all 

deposit types

290 Mean undiscovered U.S. deposits minable with 

existing technology as of 1998

U.S. Geological Survey National 

Mineral Resource Assessment 

Team (2000, 2002) 350 Identified U.S. resources (260 Mt) and past 

production (91 Mt) as of 1998

Timing of Development

The global assessment of undiscovered copper 

resources addresses geologic endowment. Undiscovered 

resources do not represent an immediate source of supply 

or wealth. Finding the postulated undiscovered resources 

requires exploration and exploration success. Exploration is 

a lengthy and expensive process beginning with area selection, and moving through target selection involving sitespecific mapping, utilization of geophysical, geochemical, 

and (or) remote-sensing techniques, to drilling, evaluating 

resources, and defining reserves. Studies of exploration success rates suggest that fewer than 10 percent of reconnaissance exploration sites might be mineral deposits consistent 

with grade and tonnage models (Anderson, 1982; Singer and 

Menzie, 2010).

Furthermore, many already identified copper resources 

have not yet been developed and may never be developed 

because of social, environmental, political, or economic 

reasons. Examples include the supergiant Pebble porphyry 

copper deposit in Alaska and the giant Tampakan porphyry 

copper deposit in the Philippines (table A4).
Chapter A. Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015—Summary of Methods and Results 21

In planning for future resource availability, the long 

lag times between discovery and production must be considered (fig. A10). Most viable projects take 10–30 years 

to go from discovery to production, even in countries with 

well-developed copper mining industries such as Chile or 

Peru (fig. A10). The unusually short time from discovery to 

production in 3 years at the supergiant Grasberg porphyry 

copper-gold deposit in Indonesia was possible because other 

deposit types (skarns) had been mined in the area since 1972 

and mineralized rock was first recognized in the area in the 

1930s. In most cases, mine development proceeds at a much 

slower pace. In order for copper production to keep up with 

increases in consumption, the mining industry must plan far 

ahead to replenish depleted reserves.

Figure A10. Bar graph showing the years from discovery of porphyry copper deposits to mine startup for mines brought on stream 

between 1989 and 2008. Data from Doggett and Leveille (2010, table 1).

Alumbrera

North Parkes

Balcooma

New Afton

Kemess

Mt Polley

Minto

Huckleberry

Ujina

Escondida

Spence

Esperanza

Gaby

Zaldivar

Quebrada Blanca

Lomas Bayas

Cerro Colorado

El Chacay

Escondida Norte

Andacollo Cu

Rosario

Los Pelambres

El Abra

Fortuna

Radomiro Tomic

Mirador

Grasberg

Batu Hijau

Phu Kham

Piedras Verdes

Milpillas

Monywa

Chapi

Galeno

Cerro Corona

Tia Maria

Cerro Verde

Cerro Verde Sulfide

Robinson

Carlotta

Safford

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Time lapse from discovery to mine startup, in years

Porphyry copper mine

Argentina

Australia

Canada

Chile

Ecuador

Indonesia

Laos

Mexico

Burma

Peru

United States

EXPLANATION
22 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Will We Face a Copper Supply Crisis in 

the 21st Century?

World copper production has increased over time, as 

shown by a graph of annual copper production from the 1880s 

to the present in figure A11. Cumulative production from 1879 

to 2012 was 600 Mt (table A6); 45 percent of this has been 

produced during the past 20 years, and 26 percent has been 

produced during the past 10 years. These percentages relative 

to total production by time periods are nearly identical to those 

estimated in 2000 (Doggett, 2007), suggesting that copper 

mine production approximately doubles every 30 years to 

accommodate trends in global copper consumption. Can new 

copper resources continue to meet this increasing consumption 

trend into the future?

Copper consumption in developed countries becomes 

relatively stable over time, whereas copper consumption in 

developing countries and those with increasing populations 

tends to increase as living standards improve (DeYoung and 

Menzie, 1999; Menzie and others, 2003). World consumption 

of minerals is influenced by a number of factors, including 

geologic scarcity, uses for mineral commodities, the number 

of people using the minerals, and the standard of living of the 

population. Of these factors, geologic scarcity influences the 

ultimate resource base available for extraction and the costs 

required for discovery and extraction. Changes in population 

and standard of living appear to be the dominant drivers of 

global consumption trends over time.

In 2014, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that world 

population would grow from 7 billion in 2012 to 9.4 billion in 

2050 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2014). At current rates of global 

per capita consumption of copper, estimated at about 2.94 

kilograms (kg) per year in 2012 (International Copper Study 

Group, 2015a), the demand for copper satisfied by mine 

production3 would grow from the 2012 level of 16.9 Mt/year 

to 22.6 Mt/year in 2050 (low mine curve in fig. A11). However, the global per capita consumption value of 2.94 kg/year 

reflects very different levels of per capita consumption around 

the globe. Studies of per capita copper consumption in various 

countries show a consistent pattern of per capita consumption 

relative to level of economic development, with per capita 

consumption increasing with increasing per capita income 

(Menzie and others, 2003). Per capita consumption of copper 

3

Excludes the 20 percent of produced copper supplied by recycled and 

recovered processed metal per year (International Copper Study Group, 

2015a).

Figure A11. Graph of primary global copper mine production and world population from 1850 to 2050 (estimate). Census data from 

U.S. Census Bureau (2014). Copper production data in line graph and cumulative copper production from 1879 to 2012 from D.L. Edelstein 

(U.S. Geological Survey, written commun., 2013).

1850 1870 1890 1910 1930 1950 1970 1990 2010 2030 2050

Year

0.1

1

10

100

1,000

10,000

100,000

World population, in millions of people

0.1

1

10

100

1,000

10,000

100,000

Primary global copper mine production, in millions of metric tons (Mt)

World population (millions of people)

600 Mt cumulative copper production

1879–2012

Primary mine production of copper, in Mt

(all types)

3,500 Mt

undiscovered

copper

(this study)

High

Low
Chapter A. Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015—Summary of Methods and Results 23

is relatively stable over time in developed countries with high 

gross domestic products (GDPs), such as the United States 

and Japan, at values of 8.5–10 kg/year (Menzie and others, 

2003). Very low levels of consumption occur in countries with 

low economic activity and low income levels, such as some 

of the African nations. Rapidly increasing levels of per capita 

consumption are observed in rapidly developing countries 

such as South Korea and China. Factoring in projected growth 

in population and global per capita GDP to 2050 provides 

a forecast of copper consumption satisfied by primary mine 

production of 30–36 Mt of produced copper per year (mine 

and high mine trends in fig. A11). These projections estimate 

that between 750 and 990 Mt of produced copper by mine 

production will be required to satisfy projected global demand 

for copper from 2012 to 2050. Are estimates of identified but 

undeveloped and undiscovered resources sufficient to meet 

this anticipated demand?

More than 2,000 Mt of copper resources is identified in, 

or has already been produced from, major copper deposits 

worldwide. South America, North America, and Asia contain 

the largest identified copper resources (fig. A12). Members 

of the USGS Global Copper Mineral Resource Assessment 

Team estimated that more than 3,500 Mt of copper is present 

in undiscovered deposits; most of these resources are located 

in Asia, followed by the Americas. Of this 3,500-Mt estimate 

of in-place copper resources, approximately 2,000 Mt is 

predicted by the economic filter to be economic under current 

economic conditions and by use of current mining technology.

A significant fraction of the undiscovered resources is 

estimated to occur in deposits located in remote areas and (or) 

concealed deep beneath covering rock and sediments. These 

deposits will be difficult and time consuming to discover, 

and it is likely that many of these may not be discovered and 

developed in the next few decades. An estimate of potentially 

Figure A12. Bar graph summarizing global copper assessment results by category and region. The amounts in porphyry copper 

and sediment-hosted stratabound copper deposits (table A3) are combined for each region. For each color-coded region, the graph 

summarizes the identified copper resources, the mean estimates of undiscovered copper resources, the mean estimates of economic 

undiscovered copper resources, and the amounts of economic undiscovered copper resources that are likely to be discovered and 

developed before 2050. Heavy black lines group the data for the Americas, Asia, and other parts of the world.

Africa

Europe

Middle East

Eastern Australia

Southeast Asia Archipelagos

Southeast Asia

Central and Eastern Asia

Northeast Asia

South America

Central America and Caribbean

North America

EXPLANATION

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

4.0

Identified Undiscovered Economic undiscovered Likely to be discovered

fraction of economic

undiscovered 

Copper, in billions of

metric tons

Global copper assessment results, by category and region

Other

Asia

Americas
24 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

economic undiscovered resources that are most likely to 

be discovered and characterized by 2050 is approximately 

1,100 Mt. This estimate of the fraction of economic resources 

likely to be discovered by 2050 is based on the discovery 

and characterization rates of gold deposits discovered worldwide from 1980 to 2010, as a function of discovery depth, 

reported by Schodde (2010). In our analysis, the 1,100 Mt of 

economic copper resources likely to be discovered by 2050 

is derived by using the following assumptions for a 30-year 

timeframe: nearly 100 percent of economic deposits at depths 

of less than 250 m will be discovered, 45 percent of economic 

deposits in the depth range of >250–500 m will be discovered, 

and 32 percent of economic deposits in the depth range of 

>500–1,000 m will be discovered. These resource estimates 

exceed or equal the projected global demand for primary copper production by 2050 and are in addition to identified copper 

resources. However, extensive mineral exploration will be 

required to meet this future resource demand, as many of these 

deposits will be harder to find and more costly to mine than 

near-surface deposits located in more accessible areas. The 

resource issue for the future likely will be the development of 

capacity to discover, develop, and mine additional resources.

Significance of the First Global Copper 

Assessment

This first global copper assessment identified areas of 

the world where undiscovered copper resources are likely 

to exist. This information provides decision makers with a 

scientific basis for including mineral potential in land-use and 

other policy decisions. This assessment provides answers to 

the questions about how much of the world’s copper endowment is left, where it is, and what kinds of deposits contain it. 

A variety of factors including economics, political stability, 

social license, sustainable development policies, environmental concerns, availability of land, and technology will 

determine the extent of exploration and development of these 

undiscovered resources. Applications of simplified economic 

filters suggest that although copper is not an infinite resource, 

the amount of copper that is projected to be needed by 2050 is 

likely to be discovered from the two major geologic sources of 

global copper supply considered in this assessment—porphyry 

copper and sediment-hosted stratabound copper. Other types 

of copper deposits, such as volcanogenic massive sulfide 

deposits and iron-oxide-copper-gold deposits, also contribute 

to the global copper supply. In addition, almost 20 percent of 

world copper refinery production is from copper scrap, including used products and residuals from manufacturing (International Copper Study Group, 2015b). Because copper retains its 

properties when reprocessed, nearly all of the primary copper 

extracted during mining can be reused again and again by 

society, thereby contributing to sustainability (Papp, 2015).

Areas that have not been significant sources of copper 

in the past, such as the Tibetan Plateau; the Pacific margin 

of Russia and China; and Turkey, Iran, and Pakistan, may 

become more important in the future. An exploration focus on 

permissive tracts for undiscovered sediment-hosted stratabound copper deposits in Africa potentially could contribute 

to the economic well-being of developing countries as well as 

contribute to global copper and cobalt supply.

This study is the first application of USGS mineral 

resource assessment methods for nonfuel commodities on 

a global scale. A vast amount of geologic information was 

compiled and evaluated in doing the assessment. These data 

and methods are applicable to assessments for other commodities. In addition, this assessment provides a framework that 

can be refined and updated as new data become available in 

the future. The assessment results and maps presented here 

can be used by governments, nongovernmental groups, the 

mineral industry, economists, land-use planners, and students 

to address societal issues associated with copper availability.

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Figures A3, A5, A6, A8, and A9
Figure A3. Map showing permissive tracts for porphyry copper and sediment-hosted stratabound copper deposits color coded by world region.

PACIFIC OCEAN

ARCTIC OCEAN

INDIAN OCEAN

SOUTHERN OCEAN

0° 90° E 180° 90° W

30° N

0°

30° S

60° N

EXPLANATION

Sediment-hosted

Africa

Middle East

Sediment-hostedPorphyry

Europe

Sediment-hostedPorphyry

Central and Eastern Asia

Sediment-hostedPorphyry

Southeast Asia Archipelagos

Porphyry

Southeast Asia

PorphyrySediment-hosted

Eastern Australia

Porphyry

Northeast Asia

Porphyry

North America

PorphyrySediment-hosted

South America

PorphyrySediment-hosted

Central America and Caribbean

Porphyry

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)World Robinson projectionCentral meridian 162° E. 0 1,000 2,000 

0 1,000 2,000 3,000 
Figure A5. Map showing the global distribution of world-class porphyry copper deposits along with permissive tracts color coded by world region. Wgiant and supergiant deposits that contain at least 2 and 24 million metric tons of copper, respectively (Singer, 1995, p. 103). See table A4 for deposit ke

0° 90° E 180° 90° W

30° N

0°

30° S

60° N

EXPLANATION

Europe (147–152)Middle East (143–146)

Southeast Asia (117–124)Southeast Asia Archipelagos (125–141)

Eastern Australia (142)

Central and Eastern Asia (103–116)

Northeast Asia (102) North America (55–101)

South America (1–52)Central America and Caribbean (53, 54)

142 Porphyry copper giant or supergiant 

deposit location and number

0 1,000 2,000 3,000 0 1,000 2,000 

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)World Robinson projectionCentral meridian 162° E.

PACIFIC OCEAN

INDIAN OCEAN

ARCTIC OCEAN

SOUTHERN OCEAN

152

151

150 149

148

147

146

145

144

143

142

141 140

139

138

137

136

135

134

133132

131

129, 130

128

127

126

125

124

123

122

121

120

119

118

117

115, 116

114

113

112

111

110

109

108

107

106

105

104

103

102

101

100

99

98 97

96 95 94

93

91–92

90 89 88

87

83–85 86

58–82

57 56

55

54

53

52

4

32–4

15–

7–14

6

5

1
Figure A6. Map showing the global distribution of world-class sediment-hosted stratabound copper deposits along with permissive tracts color codclass deposits are giant and supergiant deposits that contain at least 2 and 24 million metric tons of copper, respectively (Singer, 1995, p. 103). See tab

0° 90° E 180° 90° W

0°

30° S

30° N

60° N

!P

!P!P!P!P!P!P!P!P

!P

!P

!P!P ! !P

!P

P

PACIFIC OCEAN

INDIAN OCEAN

ARCTIC OCEAN

SOUTHERN OCEAN

4

5

6

7

8, 9

10–16

17–26

3 2

1

EXPLANATION

Middle East (4) Southeast Asia

Africa (10–26)

North America (1–3)

South America

Europe (8, 9) Central and Eastern Asia (5–7)

Sediment-hosted stratabound copper giant or 

supergiant deposit location and number

P! 1

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)World Robinson projectionCentral meridian 162° E. 0 1,000 2,0

0 1,000 2,000 3,00
Figure A8. Map showing permissive tracts assigned to three size classes on the basis of mean undiscovered copper resources. Size classes represper square kilometer, normalized by permissive tract area. Quantitatively assessed tracts for porphyry copper and sediment-hosted stratabound copp

60° N

0° 90° E 180° 90° W

0°

30° N

30° S

PACIFIC OCEAN

INDIAN OCEAN

ARCTIC OCEAN

SOUTHERN OCEAN

<200 t

200-500 t>500 t

Permissive tracts by mean undiscovered 

copper resource per square kilometer

EXPLANATION

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)World Robinson projectionCentral meridian 162° E. 0 1,000 2,

0 1,000 2,000 3,00
Figure A9. Map showing the expected economic value categories of permissive tracts for two types of copper deposits based on the grade and toncharacteristics of the deposits and the remoteness and cost settings of the locations. Porphyry copper tracts that were assessed quantitatively with values of undiscovered copper in three value ranges (in U.S. dollars) were classified as follows: greater than $43 million, high; between $15 million anless than $15 million, low. Sediment-hosted stratabound copper tracts that were assessed quantitatively with mean undiscovered copper in three size as having the following expected economic values: greater than 20 million metric tons (Mt), high; 2 to 20 Mt, medium; and less than 2 Mt, low. Tracts tqualitatively are not shown.

60° N

0° 90° E 180° 90° W

0°

30° N

30° S

PACIFIC OCEAN

INDIAN OCEAN

ARCTIC OCEAN

SOUTHERN OCEAN

EXPLANATION

Permissive tracts by expected 

value classification

HighMediumLow

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)World Robinson projectionCentral meridian 162° E. 0 1,000 2,

0 1,000 2,000 3,00
Chapter B. Porphyry Copper Deposits

By Jane M. Hammarstrom for the U.S. Geological Survey Global Copper Mineral Resource Assessment Team

Introduction

Porphyry copper deposits are the source of most of 

the world’s copper resources. The two largest known porphyry copper deposits are in Chile at El Teniente (pl. 5) and 

Chuquicamata (pl. 18); each originally contained more than 

100 million metric tons (Mt) of copper. These and other large 

porphyry copper deposits in Chile, Indonesia, Mongolia, the 

United States, Mexico, Panama, and Peru were 19 of the 25 

largest active copper mining projects of any type in 2013 

(Mudd and others, 2013).

Results of the 2015 U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) 

assessment of undiscovered copper resources indicate that 

global undiscovered porphyry copper deposits may contain a mean of 3,100 Mt of copper, which represents almost 

twice the 1,800 Mt of copper in identified porphyry copper 

deposits (table B1). The assessors focused on undiscovered 

porphyry copper resources that formed during the Phanerozoic Eon (during the last 540 million years) since the end 

of the Precambrian (for a chronostratigraphic chart, see this 

volume, appendix 3). Ten of the eleven world regions defined 

for the global assessment of undiscovered copper resources 

were considered for the porphyry copper assessment and are 

shown in figure B1; Africa is not considered permissive for 

the occurrence of Phanerozoic porphyry copper deposits. For 

each region, the total amount of identified copper resources in 

porphyry copper deposits is listed in table B1, along with the 

mean estimate of undiscovered resources and the amounts of 

undiscovered copper that could be present at three different 

levels of probability—90 percent, 50 percent, and 10 percent.

This chapter summarizes results of regional-scale 

porphyry copper assessments that were completed between 

1995 and 2015 with contributions from cooperators from 

many countries; details are on plates 1–188. In addition to 

studies done for the global mineral resource assessment, the 

plates include quantitative assessment results for Afghanistan 

(Ludington and others, 2007) and the United States. Results 

of the USGS assessment of U.S. undiscovered deposits of five 

minerals, including copper, were published in three reports. 

Results of the 1995 assessment of the conterminous United 

States were published in 1996 (U.S. Geological Survey Minerals Team, 1996). These results were combined with those for 

Alaska in the 1998 assessment and were released in 2000 

as USGS Circular 1178 (U.S. Geological Survey National 

Mineral Resource Assessment Team, 2000). Results from both 

the 1995 and 1998 assessments were recompiled and released 

in 2002 (U.S. Geological Survey National Mineral Resource 

Assessment Team, 2002).

The first regional porphyry copper assessment of the 

global assessment was prepared for the Andes region of South 

America (Cunningham and others, 2008). Subsequent reports 

have assessment results for geologic and geographic regions 

such as the Mesozoic of East Asia (Ludington, Mihalasky, 

and others, 2012) and the Tibetan Plateau (Ludington, Hammarstrom, and others, 2012). Assessments of permissive tracts 

that cross the borders between the United States and Canada 

or Mexico are based on slight revisions and updates to the 

data from the 1995 and 1998 U.S. assessments (U.S. Geological Survey Minerals Team, 1996; U.S. Geological Survey 

National Mineral Resource Assessment Team, 2000, 2002) 

combined with the global assessment products for Mexico 

(Hammarstrom and others, 2010) and for British Columbia 

and the Yukon Territory, Canada (Mihalasky and others, 2013). 

See table A1 (this volume, chap. A) for a list of all assessments 

summarized in this volume.

Precambrian deposits (older than 540 million years) are 

known in Africa and in some other parts of the world such 

as Brazil and eastern Canada in the Western Hemisphere and 

China, Finland and Sweden in northern Europe, India, and 

western Australia in the Eastern Hemisphere (fig. B1). Many 

of these deposits are difficult to classify unequivocally as porphyry copper deposits because of subsequent metamorphism 

and complex geological histories of Precambrian terranes. 

An assessment of undiscovered porphyry copper deposits in 

Precambrian rocks in Finland was done by the Geological 

Survey of Finland (Rasilainen and others, 2014), and results 

are included on plates 179–188 of this volume.

Cooperators provided data, local expertise in geology, 

and knowledge of mineral exploration history; they also 

participated in discussions of the likelihood of undiscovered 

deposits. Assessment team members and cooperating institutions are listed in appendix 1 of this volume.

The porphyry copper assessments were done by using a 

geology-based form of mineral resource assessment that relies 

on mineral deposit models (Singer, 1993, 2007a, b; Singer 

and Berger, 2007; Singer and Menzie, 2010), as described 

in chapter A and in appendix 2 of this volume. Estimates of 

numbers of undiscovered deposits for each permissive tract 
38 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Table B1. Aggregated assessment results for identified and undiscovered copper resources in porphyry copper deposits by world 

regions.

[Undiscovered resources were estimated probabilistically; “90” indicates a 90-percent chance of at least the amounts shown, and other percentiles are similarly 

defined. Assessment results were aggregated to report the percentiles for each region and for the world by assuming statistical independence (Hammarstrom 

and others, 2018). Resources are reported to two significant figures. The resources in this table are Phanerozoic except for Precambrian resources in Finland 

included in the Europe region. Africa is the 11th world region defined for the global assessment. Because Africa is not considered permissive for the occurrence 

of Phanerozoic porphyry copper deposits, it is not listed in this table. km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Region Plates Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Estimates of 

undiscovered in-place copper resources 

(Mt)

Mean 90 50 10

South America (table B2) 1–26 1,228,913 800 750 500 730 1,000

Central America and Caribbean (table B3) 27–33 538,224 43 170 78 150 280

North America (table B4) 34–60 3,384,991 470 400 260 380 560

Northeast Asia (table B5) 61–65 2,222,769 8.8 260 76 230 500

Central and Eastern Asia (table B6) 66–85 4,585,395 140 450 240 430 690

Southeast Asia (table B7) 86–97 2,579,956 56 420 240 410 640

Southeast Asia Archipelagos (table B8) 98–128 849,915 130 300 180 290 430

Eastern Australia (table B9) 129–137 574,892 15 21 1.9 14 54

Middle East (table B10) 138–167 1,054,267 61 200 98 180 320

Europe (table B11) 168–188 573,131 51 140 64 120 240

World total 17,592,453 1,800 3,100 2,600 3,100 3,600

were combined with grade and tonnage models in a Monte 

Carlo simulation to provide a probabilistic estimate of the 

amounts of resources that could be contained in undiscovered 

deposits (Root and others, 1992). The results are reported as 

a mean amount of in-place copper that could be contained in 

undiscovered deposits within each permissive tract, as well as 

estimates of the minimum amount of copper associated with 

different probabilities. The probability distribution gives a 

range of values that conveys the uncertainty associated with 

the estimate. Simulation results for each permissive tract are 

included in the source reports (table A1) and in the geographic 

information system data (Dicken and others, 2016). For 

methods and results of aggregating simulation data by region 

(table B1), see Hammarstrom and others (2018).

An analysis of the potential economic viability of the 

undiscovered copper is important for assessing the long-term 

adequacy and availability of mineral supplies. To address this 

question, an economic filter based on simplified engineering 

cost models was applied to the assessment results to estimate how much, if any, of the in-place undiscovered copper 

in each permissive tract might be economic (Robinson and 

Menzie, 2014).

Formation of Porphyry Copper Deposits

Porphyry copper deposits represent the largest source of 

global copper supply, as well as significant sources of molybdenum, gold, and silver. Porphyry copper deposits occur in 

subduction-related magmatic arcs, in volcanic island arcs, 

and in belts of magmatic rocks that formed in postconvergent 

tectonic settings (this volume, chap. A, fig. A2). They formed 

at shallow depths, typically less than 4 kilometers (km), and 

mainly in association with calc-alkalic igneous rocks. Descriptive mineral deposit models that summarize the characteristics 

of the deposit type were used for the global assessment (Cox, 

1986a, b, c; Panteleyev, 1995a, b; 2005a, b; Cooke and others, 

1998; Jaireth and Miezitis, 2004; Berger and others, 2008; 

John and others, 2010; Eilu, 2014).

Porphyry copper deposits typically are centered on small, 

upright, cylindrical porphyry stocks, sometimes referred to as 

“pencil porphyries” because of their shape (fig. B2). Chalcopyrite (CuFeS2

) and bornite (Cu5FeS4) are the main hypogene ore 

minerals; in some climates, high-grade supergene ore zones 

rich in copper oxide minerals develop above the hypogene 

ore. Associated deposit types such as skarns, epithermal veins, 
Aitik

Vaikijaur

McIntyre

Dan Rouyn

0° 90° E 180° 90° W

30° N

0°

30° S

60° N

PACIFIC OCEAN

INDIAN OCEAN

ARCTIC OCEAN

SOUTHERN OCEAN

SOUTHERN OCEAN

EXPLANATION

Precambrian porphyry copper depositsSouth AmericaCentral America and CaribbeanNorth America

Eastern Australia

Southeast Asia Archipelagos

Southeast Asia

Central and Eastern AsiaNortheast Asia

Middle East

Europe

0 1,000 2,000 3,000 0 1,000 2,00

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)World Robinson projectionCentral meridian 162° E.

Haib

Samba

Coppin Gap

Malanjkhand

Aitik

Jogran

Tribag

Tallberg

Stancop

Tongkuangyu

Chibougamau

Lorelei

Kopsa

Beidelman Bay

Figure B1. Map showing permissive tracts for porphyry copper deposits, color coded by world region, and locations of known Precambrian porphyrdetailed maps of each region (except Africa) are in figures B4–B13. Precambrian porphyry copper deposits are from Dicken and others (2016) and Ras
40 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Figure B2. Generalized model of a porphyry copper system. Cu-Au-Fe, copper-gold-iron; km, kilometer. Modified 

from Cooke and others (1998, fig. 2).

EXPLANATION

Host rocks, including limestone 

 beds

Granodiorite/monzonite 

 (precursor pluton)

Quartz diorite/dacite porphyry 

 (porphyry stock)

Diatreme

Rock type

Intermediate argillic

Advanced argillic

Phyllic

Hydrothermal breccia

Propylitic

Potassic

Contact

Skarn

Alteration

K

K K

K

Fault

Vein

Extent of alteration assemblage

K

K

K

K K

K

K

K

K

K K

K

K

K

K

K K

K

K

K K

K K K

K

K

K

K K

K

K K

K

K

K

K

K

K K

K

K

K K

K

K K

K

K K

K

K K K

K K

K

K K

K

K K

K K

High-sulfidation veins

and replacement breccias

Low-sulfidation

epithermal veins

and breccias

Proximal Cu-Au-Fe 

skarn

Distal 

skarn

Propylitic 

alteration

“Lithocap”

1 km
Chapter B. Porphyry Copper Deposits 41

and polymetallic replacement and (or) vein deposits may be 

genetically related (fig. B2). Distinctive, zoned hydrothermal 

alteration assemblages form in wall rocks upward and outward 

from porphyry copper centers over distances of up to several 

kilometers (potassic, phyllic, intermediate and advanced argillic, and propylitic in fig. B2). Ore minerals occur as disseminations and veins or veinlets, typically in the potassic and phyllic 

(also known as sericitic) alteration zones. Veins typically are 

less than 10 centimeters (cm) wide and make up less than 

5 volume percent of the mineralized rock. Mapping alteration 

by doing fieldwork or by using remote-sensing techniques can 

provide guides to undiscovered deposits.

Permissive Tracts

Permissive tracts for porphyry copper deposits are 

geographic areas that include volcanic and intrusive rocks of 

specified compositions and age ranges, as shown on geologic 

maps, and that can be related to the types of geologic settings 

illustrated in figure A2 (this volume, chap. A). The permissive 

tracts include areas where permissive rocks are assumed to lie 

within the upper kilometer of the crust (fig. B3A). Porphyry 

copper deposits are known to occur deeper, but mining costs 

may prohibit development unless the deposits are very large 

and rich in copper.

The first step in delineating a permissive tract for porphyry copper deposits is identifying the magmatic arcs and 

belts and their age ranges within a study region. Then, on the 

basis of characteristics described in mineral deposit models, the 

igneous rock units that define the terrestrial extent of the arcs 

are selected from geologic maps. Geologic maps are processed 

in a geographic information system to select appropriate rock 

units to include in a permissive tract. Permissive rocks include 

calc-alkalic and alkalic plutonic and volcanic rocks. Types of 

igneous rocks that are unlikely to be associated with porphyry 

copper deposits are classified as nonpermissive. Examples of 

nonpermissive lithologies for porphyry copper deposits include 

ultramafic rocks, ophiolite complexes, highly evolved granites, 

peraluminous granites, rhyolites, and pillow basalts.

For the global assessment, available data on mineral 

deposits and occurrences, locations of dated igneous rock 

samples, and structural, geophysical, and geochemical 

information were examined to ensure that the tract included 

permissive rocks and evidence of hydrothermal systems. 

Volcanic centers and other areas of volcanic cover where the 

thickness of cover was known to exceed 1 km were excluded 

from tracts. Volcanic rocks younger than the designated tract 

age but inferred to be less than 1 km thick that may be present as cover were included in permissive tracts. Deep-seated 

porphyry copper deposits are known, such as the undeveloped 

Resolution deposit (not shown on a figure in this volume) 

that lies more than 1.5 km below the surface near Superior, 

Ariz. (Manska and Paul, 2002). However, the detailed threedimensional information from drilling or geophysical studies 

that is needed to extend mineral assessments for porphyry 

copper deposits to greater depths typically is not available. 

Most porphyry copper deposits are developed, at least initially, 

as open-pit mines. Mining at depth requires very rich ores to 

justify expensive underground mining methods; in addition, 

high temperatures at depth pose technical challenges.

Data were compiled in a geographic information system 

to define the tract boundaries. Final tract boundaries were 

clipped to shorelines to eliminate undersea areas by using 

small-scale digital international land boundaries and polygon 

files from the U.S. Department of State (2009).

Grade and Tonnage Models

The global porphyry copper grade and tonnage models of 

Singer, Berger, and Moring (2008), were used for the simulation of undiscovered resources in many of the areas studied. 

These models include a copper-gold subtype model based on 

data for 115 deposits, a copper-molybdenum subtype model 

based on data for 51 deposits, a copper subtype model based 

on data for 256 deposits, and a general porphyry copper-goldmolybdenum-silver model based on all 422 deposits. The 

subtypes are based on grade criteria defined by Singer, Berger, 

and Moring (2008). Deposits are classified as the copper-gold 

subtype if (1) the ratio of gold (in grams per metric ton, g/t) 

to molybdenum (in percent) is greater than or equal to 30 

or (2) no molybdenum grade is reported and the gold grade 

is greater than 0.2 g/t. Deposits are classified as the coppermolybdenum subtype if (1) the ratio of gold (in grams per 

metric ton) to molybdenum (in percent) is less than or equal to 

3 or (2) no gold grade is reported and the molybdenum grade 

is greater than 0.03 percent. Otherwise, the deposits are classified as the porphyry copper subtype.

For some study areas, custom models were developed. 

The grade and tonnage model used for each tract is indicated 

on plates 1–188 of this volume.

Undiscovered Resources

The assessment teams evaluated all available data and 

made individual, subjective estimates of the numbers of undiscovered porphyry copper deposits in each tract. This form of 

assessment relies on expert judgment based on the individual’s 

geologic understanding of porphyry copper deposits. The 

distribution of known deposits, prospects, and related deposit 

types; types of alteration; depth of erosion; thickness of cover; 

and level of exploration were factors considered in making 

estimates. Deposit density models (Singer, Berger, and others, 

2005; Singer and Berger, 2007; Singer, 2008) and consideration of map scales (Singer and Menzie, 2008) facilitated 

estimates of numbers of undiscovered deposits in some studies. Prospects were ranked with regard to the likelihood that if 

fully explored, they would fit the grade and tonnage models. 

The location, number, deposit type, and relative importance of 

other prospects, such as skarns and epithermal deposits, were 

also considered.
42 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Estimates were expressed in terms of different levels of 

certainty. The individual estimates were tabulated and then 

discussed by the assessment team. As a result of the discussion, a single team consensus estimate was agreed upon for 

each tract. The estimates were converted to a mean number 

of deposits and a standard deviation based on an algorithm 

developed by Singer and Menzie (2005). See appendix 2 of 

this volume for details. The mean number of deposits for the 

permissive tract reflects both the uncertainty in what may exist 

and the favorability of the tract (Singer, 1993).

The undiscovered resources for each permissive tract 

were estimated as follows:

undiscovered metal 

= number of undiscovered deposits × tonnage × grade,

where number of deposits, tonnage, and grade are each 

described by probability distributions and modeled by using a 

Monte Carlo simulation that combines the estimates with the 

selected grade and tonnage model (Singer and Menzie, 2010).

Economic Filter

The economic filter developed by Robinson and Menzie 

(2014) modified and updated mining engineering cost models 

from the former U.S. Bureau of Mines (Taylor, 1978, 1986). 

These models use data on mine capacity, mine life, capital and 

operating costs needed to build and operate a mine and mill, 

metallurgical recovery rates, and 20-year average metal prices. 

To apply the economic filter for each permissive porphyry 

copper tract, a depth distribution of undiscovered deposits 

within the upper 1 km of the Earth’s crust was specified along 

with an estimate of the cost setting determined by the country 

or countries containing the tract.

Simplified engineering cost models, updated with a 

cost index, were used to estimate the economic fraction of 

resources contained in undiscovered porphyry copper deposits as predicted in the USGS assessment of global copper 

resources (Robinson and Menzie, 2014). The economic 

resource was estimated as follows:

economic resource = resource × economic filter,

where resource is the mean undiscovered resource estimated 

by simulation and the economic filter is the fraction of the 

resource estimated to be economic on the basis of the grade 

and tonnage model used in the simulation, the depth distribution for the undiscovered deposits, and adjustments for cost 

settings. The economic filters were computed by using an 

Excel workbook developed by Robinson and Menzie (2014). 

The 20-year (1989–2008) average metal prices and metallurgical recovery rates were used in the filter calculations. The 

depth distribution and cost setting parameters in the economic 

filter were varied, as described below.

Depth Distributions

The depth distribution affects the amount of material that 

would have to be removed to develop a mine and determines 

the mining method (open-pit mining or underground mining by 

block caving). Porphyry systems typically form within 1–4 km 

of the Earth’s surface. Some deposits are exposed at the surface, but many are not. The cost of removing cover material to 

access the ore adds to the cost of developing a mine.

For each tract, an estimate of a hypothetical depth distribution for undiscovered deposits was made. These estimates 

refer to the part of the upper kilometer of the Earth’s crust that 

may contain the tops of any undiscovered porphyry copper 

deposits. Some tracts were delineated with knowledge of the 

thickness of cover, which could be volcanic or sedimentary 

rock, or rocks of any type that have been moved over permissive rocks by faulting (cover shown in fig. B3A). For other 

tracts, the relative amounts of mapped volcanic and intrusive 

rock were considered in estimating depth distributions. In 

areas where the areal extent of volcanic rocks greatly exceeds 

the amount of exposed intrusive rock, it is likely that porphyry 

systems may be covered by tens to thousands of meters of 

volcanic rock. In regions where intrusive rocks that formed 

at some depth have been uplifted or exposed through erosion, much of the material that originally covered a porphyry 

system may have been removed, and remaining deposits may 

be located closer to the modern surface.

Three common depth distribution categories were 

developed, as illustrated schematically in figure B3B. Depth 

distributions for a few tracts (pls. 4, 11, 27, 45, 57, 65, 76, 

156, and 165) varied from the standard three categories, and 

these custom distributions were estimated on the basis of the 

background knowledge of the assessors. Tracts that could not 

be quantitatively assessed lack estimated depth distributions.

In the absence of specific data that could indicate an 

appropriate depth distribution of undiscovered deposits to 

use for the economic filter, a default depth distribution was 

adopted. In the default, 25 percent of the undiscovered deposits were considered to be accessible above 250 meters (m) 

depth in the crust; 25 percent were considered to be accessible 

between 250 and 500 m; and 50 percent were assumed to lie 

below 500 m but above 1 km (fig. B3B).

For permissive tracts having significant amounts of 

volcanic rocks or other cover, it was assumed that a larger 

percentage of the undiscovered deposits would lie at greater 

depths than the default depths. The distribution for these areas 

was skewed to be deeper than the default depth distribution, 

and 10 percent of the undiscovered deposits were estimated to 

be in the upper 250 m of the crust; 30 percent were estimated 

to be between 250 and 500 m; and 60 percent were estimated 

to be below 500 m but above 1 km.

For areas that were uplifted and eroded, as indicated by the 

tectonic history and relative amounts of volcanic and intrusive 

permissive rocks, it was assumed that any undiscovered deposits that were preserved would be found closer to the present surface than the default depth distribution. The depth distribution 
Chapter B. Porphyry Copper Deposits 43

Figure B3. Illustration of depth distributions for undiscovered 

porphyry copper deposits used in the economic filter. 

A, Diagram showing that permissive rock for hosting porphyry 

copper deposits may be exposed at the surface in outcrop or 

may be hidden beneath cover composed of nonpermissive 

rock. B, Diagram in which oblongs show the percentages 

of undiscovered deposits that would have the tops of the 

deposits within the illustrated depth interval for the three 

common depth categories: default, skewed shallow, and 

skewed deep. Depth distributions for a few tracts (pls. 4, 

11, 27, 45, 57, 65, 76, 156, 165) varied from the standard three 

categories, and these custom distributions were estimated 

on the basis of the background knowledge of the assessors. 

km, kilometer; m, meter.

Permissive

rock

Outcrop

1 km

1 km

Deep porphyry

(>500 m)

Shallow porphyry

(<250 m)

Area of permissive rock under <1 km

of cover projected to the surface

Surface

500 m

250 m

1,000 m (1 km)

A. Porphyry copper deposits at different depths

B. Percentages of undiscovered deposits in each tract assigned to 

 each of three depth ranges for economic filter calculation

Depth range

Depth below surface (in meters) of

the tops of undiscovered deposits

25%

25%

25%

35%

30%

60% 50% 40%

10%

Skewed deep Default Skewed shallow
44 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

adopted for the economic filter for these areas was skewed to 

be shallower than the default depth distribution, and 35 percent 

of the deposits were estimated to be at depths less than 250 m; 

25 percent of the deposits were estimated to be in the interval 

between 250 and 500 m; and 40 percent of the deposits were 

estimated to be at depths below 500 m but above 1 km.

Cost Settings

The economic viability of a deposit also depends on 

the existence of infrastructure. For example, are there roads, 

power, water, and nearby towns for logistical support or must 

these be provided as part of the cost of developing a mine? 

The economic filter incorporates a parameter for cost setting 

to capture information about infrastructure for each permissive 

tract (Robinson and Menzie, 2014). A “typical-cost” setting 

applies to a region that has existing regional infrastructure 

to support mining (for example, northern Mexico and southwestern United States or established mining areas in Chile). 

A “high-cost” setting refers to remote areas that lack existing 

infrastructure to support mining (for example, the Tibetan 

Plateau or Mongolia).

The country-by-country infrastructure rankings compiled 

by the Fraser Institute (McMahon and Cervantes, 2012) were 

used as an independent guide to select appropriate cost settings 

for mining for each tract. The Fraser Institute conducts annual 

surveys of exploration, development, and mining-related companies to assess and rank global jurisdictions in terms of their 

attractiveness for investment in mining on the basis of government policies (such as regulations, land-use requirements, 

taxation, political stability), available geological database, 

infrastructure, supply of labor, mineral potential, and other 

factors. The quality of infrastructure rankings reflects the mining community’s evaluation of access to roads, availability of 

power, and other infrastructure considerations that encourage or 

deter investment in mining. The data from the 2011–12 quality 

of infrastructure table (table A10 of McMahon and Cervantes, 

2012) are expressed in terms of five categories of response: 

(1) encourages investment, (2) not a deterrent to investment, 

(3) mild deterrent, (4) strong deterrent, and (5) would not 

pursue investment due to this factor. The category scores were 

used to classify cost settings as typical cost where categories 

1 and 2 represent more than 50 percent of the response, as 

high cost where categories 3, 4, and 5 represent more than 

50 percent of the response, and as mixed cost otherwise.

Many tracts cross jurisdictions, and some tract areas are 

in jurisdictions that were not evaluated by the Fraser Institute. 

For these tracts, we used the jurisdiction most closely associated with the tract as a proxy. For example, the rankings for 

Turkey (typical-cost setting, for example pls. 160, 161, 162) 

were applied to tracts within Iran (pls. 145, 146, 151), and 

rankings for Vietnam (high-cost setting) were used for tracts 

mainly in Burma.

Understanding the Results

Tract Results

Quantitative assessments were made for 163 of the 188 

porphyry copper tracts. The other tracts were delineated on the 

basis of broadly permissive geology. For the 25 tracts assessed 

qualitatively, some areas had been thoroughly explored, and 

no definitive evidence had been found for porphyry copper 

deposits within the upper kilometer of the Earth’s crust (for 

example, in Japan); for other areas, the assessment team had 

insufficient reliable information to make estimates of numbers 

of undiscovered deposits. The plates for these tracts include 

a brief discussion of the likelihood of undiscovered porphyry 

copper resources in the tract.

Plates 1–60 summarize assessment results for porphyry 

copper tracts in the Americas (which are primarily in the Western Hemisphere), from south to north. Plates 61–188 depict 

tracts that are primarily in the Eastern Hemisphere, starting in 

northeast Asia, extending south to eastern Australia, and then 

through the Middle East to Europe.

The arithmetic mean estimate of undiscovered in-place 

copper resources is reported in millions of metric tons (Mt), 

along with the probability of zero in-place copper resources 

expressed in percent. The results of applying the economic 

filter are reported as the mean estimate of economically 

recoverable resources (in millions of metric tons), along with 

the probability of zero economically recoverable resources. 

Note that for some tracts such as tract 142pCu8510, Kedon—

Russia (pl. 64), the probability of zero in-place resources 

may be relatively low (31 percent), yet the probability of zero 

economic resources may be relatively high (90 percent). This 

difference for tract 142pCu8510 is explained by the effect of 

the economic filter because this tract is in a high-cost setting. 

Permissive tracts that have depth percentages skewed deep 

(more material to remove to develop a mine) and that occur in 

high-cost settings, where infrastructure is poor to nonexistent, 

may have in-place undiscovered resources that are unlikely to 

be economic in the foreseeable future.

The range of amounts of undiscovered copper estimated 

at different confidence levels is shown in graphs on each plate. 

Assessment results for a permissive tract are a probability distribution of in-place copper metal, and values may vary over 

an order of magnitude depending on the level of certainty. For 

example, the results for permissive tract 005pCu1020 (pl. 1) 

show that at the most certain confidence levels (95 and 90 

percent), no undiscovered copper is expected. The median 

(50 percent) estimate is 3.0 Mt of copper or more. The less 

certain, or higher risk, estimates at 10 and 5 percent are 20 and 

31 Mt of copper, respectively. The mean estimate of in-place 

copper (7.8 Mt) is greater than the median estimate, and about 

half of that (3.9 Mt) is expected to be economic.
Chapter B. Porphyry Copper Deposits 45

Regional Results

South America Region

The assessors of the Andes region of South America 

delineated 26 permissive tracts for porphyry copper deposits 

(fig. B4, table B2, pls. 1–26). Individual tracts range in areal 

extent from about 2,000 to 200,000 square kilometers (km2). 

In places, the tracts overlap each other because tracts are 

based on the distribution of permissive rocks of particular age 

ranges, and rocks of different age groups may occur in the 

same geographic area.

Nineteen permissive tracts have one or more known 

deposits; 16 deposits are known in the tract that includes the 

supergiant Chuquicamata deposit in Chile (pl. 18). The mean 

estimate of 750 Mt of in-place undiscovered copper resources 

for the region is slightly less than the 800 Mt of identified 

resources (table B2). More than half of the undiscovered 

resources may be economic, according to the parameters 

applied in the economic filter (table B2).

The Andes assessment work was done in 2005–2007 

(Cunningham and others, 2008). Since that time, new exploration has identified additional deposits in the region, such as the 

world-class Los Sulfatos deposit in Chile, discovered in 2007, 

with identified resources of 18 Mt of copper (this volume, 

chap. A, table A4). Los Sulfatos falls within the permissive 

tract shown on plate 5.

Central America and Caribbean Region

The Central America and Caribbean region includes 

three tracts in Central America, two tracts in the Caribbean 

Basin, and two tracts in southern Mexico (fig. B5, table B3, 

pls. 27–33). Five tracts include one or more known deposits, 

including two world-class deposits in Panama. Estimated 

undiscovered copper resources for the region are about four 

times the identified resources, and about half of those undiscovered resources are deemed economic. The Darién Region 

permissive tract (pl. 27), which contains the world-class Cobre 

Panama deposit, is estimated to contain less undiscovered copper (14 Mt) than the amount of copper that has already been 

identified (19 Mt). Similarly, identified copper in the Balsas 

tract in Mexico (3.0 Mt) exceeds the mean undiscovered copper estimate (1.2 Mt; table B3, pl. 33).

North America Region

The North America region includes 27 permissive tracts 

that extend from Mexico through the western conterminous 

United States to British Columbia and the Yukon Territory in 

western Canada and northwestward through Alaska (fig. B6, 

table B4, pls. 34–60). Although Mexico is part of North 

America, two tracts in southern Mexico were grouped with 

the Central America and Caribbean region for geologic 

continuity.

The mean estimate of in-place undiscovered resources 

for the North America region, 400 Mt of contained copper, 

is slightly less than the 470 Mt of identified resources. About 

half of the in-place undiscovered resources (230 Mt) may be 

economic according to economic filter results (table B4). Seven 

of the tracts have no identified porphyry copper resources.

The permissive tracts within the United States were 

assessed in previous studies (U.S. Geological Survey Minerals Team, 1996; U.S. Geological Survey National Mineral 

Resource Assessment Team, 2000, 2002). Two poorly known 

tracts in Alaska (pls. 59 and 60) are included from the later 

studies (U.S. Geological Survey National Mineral Resource 

Assessment Team, 2000, 2002) as qualitatively assessed tracts 

because insufficient information was available to complete a 

quantitative assessment.

To address permissive tracts that cross country boundaries 

between the United States and Canada or Mexico, permissive 

tracts constructed for the global assessment were combined with 

those made for the U.S. national assessments, and estimates 

of numbers of undiscovered deposits were revised to provide 

a single estimate for the combined tract that honors the original estimates. Differences in assessment approaches and data 

availability over time led to some odd cross-border matches, 

especially at northwestern United States-Canadian borders. 

These areas would benefit from future, more detailed studies, 

especially as new data for Alaska become available.

Northeast Asia Region

The Northeast Asia region has five permissive tracts 

in eastern Russia and parts of northeastern China (fig. B7, 

table B5, pls. 61–65). Northeastern Russia contains two known 

porphyry copper deposits, including the world-class Peschanka 

deposit with 7.9 Mt of contained copper (table A4). Results 

of this assessment indicate that considerable undiscovered 

resources (260 Mt), on the order of 10 to 60 times the identified 

resources (8.8 Mt), could exist in this region (table B5). Some 

permissive tracts on the Asian mainland in this region are quite 

large because the limited amount of available geologic data 

precluded more detailed delineation of permissive areas.

Central and Eastern Asia Region

Twenty permissive tracts are delimited in the Central and 

Eastern Asia region, which includes parts of Russia, China, 

Mongolia, Japan, South Korea, and North Korea and extends 

westward into Kazakhstan and parts of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, 

and Uzbekistan (fig. B8, table B6, pls. 66–85). Fourteen 

world-class porphyry copper deposits (table A4), including 

the Oyu Tolgoi deposit (37 Mt of copper) in Mongolia and 

the Almalyk Group deposit in Uzbekistan (24 Mt of copper), 

occur in the region. Six tracts lack known porphyry copper 

deposits (table B6). The mean estimate of in-place undiscovered copper resources in the region (450 Mt) exceeds the 

identified resources (140 Mt). Some 270 Mt of undiscovered 

in-place resources may be economic.
46 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

A quantitative assessment was not done for permissive tracts in Japan and South Korea. Although high-quality 

geologic information was available for both countries and 

exploration has been conducted for near-surface porphyry 

copper deposits, there have been no discoveries of porphyry 

copper deposits. Possible reasons for the lack of porphyry 

systems in this part of the world include lack of thick crust, 

insufficient erosion to expose porphyry deposits, abundance 

of ilmenite- versus magnetite-series igneous rocks, and low 

oxidation state of magnetite-series rocks (Qin and Ishihara, 

1998; Takagi, 2004).

Southeast Asia Region

The Southeast Asia region extends across southern China 

eastward and southward through the Indochina Peninsula; it 

includes 12 permissive tracts (fig. B9, table B7, pls. 86–97). 

The region has eight world-class porphyry copper deposits, 

including the two largest deposits of this type known in China: 

Dexing (8.4 Mt) and Qulong (8.0 Mt; table A4). The mean 

estimate of in-place undiscovered resources (420 Mt of copper) greatly exceeds the identified resources (56 Mt); about 

half of the undiscovered copper resources (230 Mt) may be 

economic (table B7).

Southeast Asia Archipelagos Region

The Southeast Asia Archipelagos region is a large area 

that includes the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia, and 

the Melanesian nations of Papua New Guinea, the Solomon 

Islands, Vanuatu, and Fiji (fig. B10, table B8, pls. 98–128). Of 

the 53 porphyry copper deposits known in the region, 17 are 

world class (table A4), including the largest developed porphyry copper-gold deposit in the world, the Grasberg Group1

in Indonesia (24 Mt). More than half (33) of the 53 known 

deposits are in the Philippines. Three tracts with scant information in remote areas of Indonesia and Papua New Guinea were 

assessed qualitatively (pls. 117, 120, 123). The mean estimate 

of in-place undiscovered resources (300 Mt of copper) exceeds 

the identified resources (130 Mt), and the potential economic 

undiscovered resources (140 Mt of copper) are comparable to 

the amount of copper that has already been identified in the 

region (130 Mt; table B8).

Eastern Australia Region

With the exception of the Macquarie tract (pl. 133), 

which includes the world-class Cadia Group deposit (table 

A4), the Eastern Australia region has not been particularly 

1

The Grasberg Group resources were reported as 24 Mt of contained copper 

(Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008), and that number was used in the assessment of the region (Hammarstrom, Bookstrom, Dicken, and others, 2013). 

Total resources and reserves as of December 31, 2016, were 37 Mt (Rio 

Tinto, 2017, p. 224, 229).

prospective for porphyry copper deposits (fig. B11, table B9, 

pls. 129–137). Deposits that have been found to date in two 

(pls. 130, 134) of the other eight tracts are small and low 

grade compared to porphyry copper deposits in most other 

parts of the world. The mean estimate of in-place undiscovered copper resources for the Macquarie tract (21 Mt) is 

larger than the amount of identified copper resources of 13 Mt 

for the tract; potential economic undiscovered resources (14 

Mt) are comparable to identified resources.

Middle East Region

The geology of a vast area that extends from western 

Pakistan and Afghanistan westward through Iran, Iraq, and 

Turkey to eastern Europe records the history of the opening and closing of an ancient ocean known as the Tethys. Of 

the 30 permissive tracts in this Middle East region (fig. B12, 

table B10, pls. 138–167), 12 tracts include 42 known porphyry copper deposits. Some of the very young (Pliocene 

and Quaternary) permissive tracts in the region were assessed 

qualitatively, along with some older tracts that are extensively 

overlapped by younger permissive rocks (for example, the Lut 

Jurassic, Lut Cretaceous, and Makran tracts in Iran shown on 

pls. 146, 147, and 148). The mean estimate of undiscovered 

copper resources of 200 Mt exceeds the 61 Mt of identified 

resources. A little more than half (130 Mt) of the in-place 

undiscovered resources may be economic.

Europe Region

Tracts permissive for porphyry copper resources in the 

Europe region are shown on plates 168–188. Western Europe 

has been relatively well explored for porphyry copper deposits, 

and no significant discoveries have been found. Three permissive tracts in western Europe were delineated and qualitatively 

assessed (fig. B13,2 table B11, pls. 176–178). Three small 

Paleozoic-age porphyry copper deposits are known with combined identified resources of 1.5 Mt of copper (pls. 176 and 

178). The very small Calabona deposit in Sardinia (0.13 Mt 

identified copper resources) is Cenozoic (pl. 177).

More than 25 porphyry copper deposits have been 

identified in four permissive tracts for eastern Europe (table 

B11, pls. 168–171), including 15 deposits within the Balkan 

Mountains (pl. 168). Four tracts are in the Ural Mountains of 

Russia and westernmost Kazakhstan (pls. 172–175). Although 

several porphyry copper deposits have been discovered in the 

Ural Mountains, only the 2.1-Mt Mikheevskoe deposit has 

been developed (pl. 175, table A4). In northern Europe, all of 

the known porphyry copper occurrences are Precambrian in 

age. Ten permissive tracts for Precambrian porphyry copper 

deposits in Finland include one known deposit (pl. 186), 

the small (0.045-Mt copper) Kopsa deposit (Rasilainen and 

others, 2014).

2

Text continues on page 57.
Chapter B. Porphyry Copper Deposits 47

Figure B4. Map showing locations of 26 permissive tracts for porphyry copper deposits in the South America region (pls. 1–26). See 

table B2 for tract names and a summary of assessment results.

80° W 60° W

0°

30° S

90° W 60° W

10° N

40° S

BRAZIL

ATLANTIC 

OCEAN

PACIFIC 

OCEAN

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

South America Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 71° W.; latitude of origin 32° S.

0 200 400 600 800 KILOMETERS

0 200 400 MILES

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

Tract outside 

the region

[Plate number follows color for each tract]

EXPLANATION

19

13

20

21

22

25

23

26

2

17

12

7

4

11

15

5

8

6

14

10

16

9

18

24

3

1

BOLIVIA

PARAGUAY

HONDURAS

NICARAGUA

COLOMBIA

COSTA 

RICA

VENEZUELA

PANAMA

GUYANA

BRAZIL

SURINAME

FRENCH 

GUIANA

ECUADOR

PERU

CHILE

ARGENTINA

URUGUAY

PACIFIC OCEAN

ATLANTIC 

OCEAN
Figure B5. Map showing locations of seven permissive tracts for porphyry copper deposits in the Central America and Caribbean region (pls. 2names and a summary of assessment results.

100° W 80° W 

20° N10° N

100° W 

20° N

0°

MEXICO

C

PACIFIC

OCEAN

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)North America Albers Equal-Area Conic projectionCentral meridian 85° W.; latitude of origin 40° N.

0 200 400 600 800 KILOMETERS

0 200 400 MILES

Tract outside 

the region

27282930

313233

[Plate number follows color for each tract]

EXPLANATION

32

33

29

28

31

27

HONDURAS

NICARAGUA

COLOMBIA

COSTA 

RICA

PANAMA

UNITED 

STATES

MEXICO

CUBA

HAITI

GUATEMALA

BELIZE

JAMAICA

P

ELSALVADOR

DOMINICAN

REPUBLIC

GULF OF MEXICO

CARIBBEAN SEA PACIFIC OCEAN

ATLANTIC 
Figure B6. Map showing locations of 27 permissive tracts for porphyry copper deposits in the North America region (pls. 34–60). See table B4 for traassessment results. On this map, tract 54 is completely covered by tract 55.

60° N 180° 130° W 80° W

40° N20° N

60° N 180° 

30° N

0°

30° S

PACIF

OCEA

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)North America Albers Equal-Area Conic projectionCentral meridian 128° W.; latitude of origin 40° N.

0 400 800 1,200 1,600 KILOMETERS

0 400 800 MILES

34353637

38394041

42434445

4647

4849

50515253

54555657

585960

Tract outside the region

[Plate number follows color for each tract]

EXPLANATION

39

38

37

41

35

40

34

46

42

47

43

51

49

48

50

52

56

57

59

53

60

58

54, 55

36

45

44

CANADA

UNITED STATES

MEXICO

PACIFIC OCEAN 
50 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

100° E 140° E 180°

60° N

30° N

90° E 150° E 150° W

60° N

30° N

RUSSIA

CHINA

UNITED

 STATES

JAPAN

PACIFIC

OCEAN

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Asia North Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 146° E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

0 200 400 600 800 KILOMETERS

0 200 400 MILES

61

62

63

64

65

Tract outside the region

[Plate number follows color for each tract]

EXPLANATION

64

65

61 62

63

MONGOLIA

CHINA

JAPAN

NORTH

KOREA

SOUTH

KOREA

RUSSIA

PACIFIC OCEAN

EAST SIBERIAN SEA

Figure B7. Map showing locations of five permissive tracts for porphyry copper deposits in the Northeast Asia region (pls. 61–65). See 

table B5 for tract names and a summary of assessment results.
Figure B8. Map showing locations of 20 permissive tracts for porphyry copper deposits in the Central and Eastern Asia region (pls. 66–85). See table summary of assessment results.

60° N 70° E 120° E

50° N40° N30° N

60° N 

30° N

INDI

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)Europe Albers Equal-Area Conic projectionCentral meridian 96° E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

0 200 400 600 800 KILOMETERS0 200 400 MILES

66

6768

69

7071

72

7374

75

7677

7879

80

818283

84

85

Tract outside the region

[Plate number follows color for each tract]

EXPLANATION

73

75

72

77

81 82

80

79

85

83

76

78 71

68

74

70

84

69

CHINA

RUSSIA

KAZAKHSTAN

MONGOLIA

PAKISTAN

INDIA

UZBEKISTAN

AFGHANISTAN

KYRGYZSTAN TAJIKISTAN

NORTH

KOREA

SOUTH

KOREA

disputed area

YELLOW

SEA

SEA O
52 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Figure B9. Map showing locations of 12 permissive tracts for porphyry copper deposits in the Southeast Asia region 

(pls. 86–97). See table B7 for tract names and a summary of assessment results.

30° N

10° N

80° E 100° E

20° E 70° E 120° E 170° E

30° N

10° S

RUSSIA

CHINA

INDIA

JAPAN

INDIAN OCEAN

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Asia North Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 95° E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

0 300 600 MILES

0 300 600 900 1,200 KILOMETERS

86

87

88

89

90

91

92

93

94

95

96

97

Tract outside 

the region

[Plate number follows color for each tract]

EXPLANATION

90 86

89

95

92

88

93

91

97

87

94

96

TAIWAN

NEPAL

LAOS

INDIA

PAKISTAN

CHINA

SRI

LANKA

BURMA

THAILAND

MALAYSIA

VIETNAM

CAMBODIA

AFGHANISTAN

TAJIKISTAN

BAY OF BENGAL

INDIAN OCEAN

SOUTH

CHINA

SEA
Figure B10. Map showing locations of 31 permissive tracts for porphyry copper deposits in the Southeast Asia Archipelagos region (pls. 98–128). Sand a summary of assessment results.

100° E 

15° N

0°

15° S

120

30° N

10° S

INDIA

CHINA

INDIAN 

OCEAN

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)Asia South Albers Equal-Area Conic projectionCentral meridian 132°45' E.; latitude of origin 15° S.

0 400 800 1,200 1,600 KILOMETERS

0 400 800 MILES

9899100101

102103104105

106107108109

110111112113

114115116117

118119120121

122123124125

126127128

Tract outside the region

[Plate number follows color for each tract]

EXPLANATION

112

111 110

121

124

123

125

122

126

116

115

119

120

118 114

113

109

108

117

127

128

105

98 100 99

103

104

102

101

107 106

TAIWAN

INDIA

CHINA

INDONESIA

MALAYSIA

AUSTRALIA

FIJ

VANUATU

PAPUA NEW GUINEA

PHILIPPINES

PACIFIC OCEAN

SOUTH

CHINA

SEA

INDIAN OCEAN
54 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Figure B11. Map showing locations of nine permissive tracts for porphyry copper deposits in the Eastern Australia region 

(pls. 129–137). See table B9 for tract names and a summary of assessment results.

140° E 150° E

10° S

30° S

140° E 160° E

10° S

50° S

INDONESIA

PAPUA

NEW

GUINEA

AUSTRALIA

PACIFIC

OCEAN

SOUTHERN

OCEAN

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Asia South Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 146° E.; latitude of origin 15° S.

0 150 300 450 600 KILOMETERS

0 150 300 MILES

129

130

131

132

133

134

135

136

137

Tract outside 

the region

[Plate number follows color for each tract]

EXPLANATION

137

133

130

134

132

135

136

131

129

INDONESIA

AUSTRALIA

PAPUA NEW

GUINEA

CORAL SEA

TASMAN SEA
Figure B12. Map showing locations of 30 permissive tracts for porphyry copper deposits in the Middle East region (pls. 138–167). Seand a summary of assessment results.

30° E 60° E

40° N30° N

30° E 

50° N40° N30° N20° N

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)Europe Albers Equal-Area Conic projectionCentral meridian 41° E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

0 200 400 600 800 KILOMETERS

0 200 400 MILES

138139140141

142143144145

146147148149

150151152153

154155156157

158159160161

162163164165

166167Tract outside 

the region

[Plate number follows color for each tract]

EXPLANATION

160 167

145

153

151

163

150

156

1

157

143

148

165

149

155

152

164

154

162

147

166

161

146

158

159

IRAN

TURKEY

IRAQ

EGYPT

SAUDI ARABIA

RUSSIA

SYRIA

TURKMEN

UZBEK

JORDAN

KAZAKHSTAN

GEORGIA

BULGARIA

ROMANIA

AZERBAIJAN

ISRAEL

UKRAINE

CYPRUS

LEBANON

PERSIAN GULF

CASPIAN

SEA

BLACK SEA

MEDITERRANEAN

SEA
Figure B13. Map showing locations of 21 permissive tracts for porphyry copper deposits in the Europe region (pls. 168–188). See table B11 for tract nassessment results.

30° W 20° E 70° E

40° N30° N

50° W 

0°

30° N

SPAIN

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)Europe Albers Equal-Area Conic projectionCentral meridian 41° E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

0 200 400 600 800 KILOMETERS

0 200 400 MILES

168169

170

171172173

174175176

177178179

180181182

183184185

186187188

Tract outside 

the region

[Plate number follows color for each tract]

EXPLANATION

175

173

174

172

169 171

170

168

187 188

176

179 181

182

180 183

186

184

178

177

185

KAZAKHSTA

ALGERIA

TURKEY

SPAIN

FRANCE

UKRAINE

ITALY

POLAND

FINLAND

GERMANY

BELARUS

SWEDEN

NORWAY

UZBEKISTAN

ROMANIA

MOROCCO

TUNISIA

GREECE

UNITED KINGDOM

HUNGARY

IRELAND

GEORGIA

IRAN

TURKMENISTAN

AFGH

RUSSIA

MEDITERRANEAN

SEA

NORTH

SEA

BARENTS

SEA

BALTIC SEA

BLACK SEA

ATLANTIC

OCEAN

CASPIAN SEA

ARAL SEA
Chapter B. Porphyry Copper Deposits 57

The strongly deformed and metamorphosed Aitik coppergold-silver deposit in northern Sweden (fig. B1) has also been 

classified as a Precambrian porphyry copper deposit (Wanhainen and others, 2003). The Aitik mine is one of the largest 

copper producers in Europe; however, the Precambrian rocks 

of Sweden were not assessed because of the complex geologic 

history of the area and uncertainties about the deposit type.

Global Results

The global porphyry copper assessment provides answers 

to three main questions: (1) How much copper may be present 

in undiscovered porphyry copper deposits? (2) How much of 

the mean undiscovered copper is likely to be economic? and 

(3) Where are the undiscovered porphyry copper deposits most 

likely to be?

In response to the first question, the mean estimate of 

in-place undiscovered copper resources is 3,100 Mt (table B1). 

This is nearly twice the 1,800 Mt of copper resources that have 

already been identified in porphyry copper deposits. Identified resources include past production and well-documented 

resources reported for deposits that have not yet been developed. The distribution of identified and mean undiscovered 

copper resources associated with porphyry copper deposits by 

world region is plotted in figure B14. Information on identified 

and mean undiscovered copper reported for all deposit types 

in the United States from the 1995 and 1998 assessments (U.S. 

Geological Survey Minerals Team, 1996; U.S. Geological 

Survey National Mineral Resource Assessment Team, 2000, 

2002) is also presented, along with world copper production 

and world copper reserves for 2014.

The amount of in-place undiscovered copper in porphyry 

copper deposits varies from region to region. The mean undiscovered copper estimate for each world region exceeds the total 

amount of copper produced worldwide in 2014 (18.7 Mt of 

copper) from all deposit types (fig. B14). With the exception of 

the Eastern Australia region, both the most certain (90-percent) 

and median (50-percent) estimates also exceed the 2014 global 

copper production (this volume, tables A6, B1).

The second question, which is about the economic value 

of undiscovered resources, is addressed by applying an economic filter. The economic value of the in-place undiscovered 

copper varies greatly depending on the depth setting and the 

degree of infrastructure associated with each permissive tract; 

tables B2–B11 summarize the mean estimates of amounts of 

economic resources in the regions. Some of the already identified resources may never be developed for a variety of reasons 

related to economic conditions, land-use issues, environmental issues, or political and societal concerns. These issues 

also may restrict exploration for future copper resources. 

The global porphyry copper assessment indicates that many 

regions of the world that do not have significant identified 

resources may contain 100 Mt or more of undiscovered copper 

resources. Although South America is the largest source of 

identified copper resources associated with porphyry copper 

(800 Mt) and has the largest mean undiscovered porphyry 

copper resource estimate (750 Mt), other regions may contribute a larger relative portion of the global copper resources 

in the future than they have in the past (fig. B15, table B1). 

The regions in Asia are especially likely to contribute a larger 

relative portion. For example, identified copper resources 

in Northeast Asia (8.8 Mt) represent less than 1 percent of 

the global identified porphyry copper resources (1,800 Mt), 

whereas the undiscovered porphyry copper resources for that 

region (260 Mt) represent about 8 percent of the global undiscovered resources (3,100 Mt) (fig. B15, table B1).

Lastly, the question about the most likely locations of 

undiscovered porphyry copper resources is answered by the 

permissive tract maps (pls. 1–188) and the distribution of 

tracts around the world (fig. B1). Ten of the eleven world 

regions considered in the global copper assessment are likely 

to contain undiscovered Phanerozoic porphyry copper deposits 

(fig. B14); only Africa is not considered likely for discovery 

of deposits of this age and type. South America and North 

America are estimated to contain undiscovered resources 

that are roughly comparable to the amounts that have already 

been identified. On the basis of the assessment results, the real 

future frontier areas for undiscovered porphyry copper deposits are in the Eastern Hemisphere (fig. B15).

Porphyry copper deposits are likely to continue to provide much of the world’s copper. Exploration, discovery, and 

development of future copper sources could provide data that 

could be used to refine and test the geology-based assessment 

results presented here. In addition to recognizing geologically 

permissive areas of the world for porphyry copper deposits, 

however, a variety of other factors (economic, political, social, 

and environmental) determine what resources may become 

available in the future.
Figure B14. Bar chart showing amounts of identified copper resources and mean estimates of undiscovered copper resources in porphyry copper dselected data on U.S. and world copper resources in all deposit types. Data plotted from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) global assessment of porpart of chart) are summarized in tables B1–B11. Sources of other data are indicated in the explanation and table A6 (this volume, chap. A).

800

43

470

8.8

140

56

130

15 61 51

750

170

400

260

450

420 300

21

200

140

290

350

22.9 

0

200400600800

1,0001,2001,4001,600

South

America

Central

America and

Caribbean

North

America

Northeast

Asia

Central

and

Eastern Asia

Southeast

Asia

Southeast

Asia

Archipelagos

Eastern

Australia

Middle East Europe U.S. total

copper

resources,

1995 and 1998

World

copper use,

2014

Wo

pro

World region resources, porphyry copper All dep

Copper,inmillions ofmetrictons

EXPLANATION

Undiscovered (mean estimate)Identified Undiscovered (mean estimate)IdentifiedWorld refined copper use, 2014 (InternationWorld mine production, 2014 (Brininstool, 2Cumulative world mine production 1879–20

written commun., 2013)

World reserves, 2014 (Brininstool, 2015)

Other copper dataU.S. copper resources in all deposit types (1995 and 1998 assessments; U

Team, 1996; U.S. Geological Survey National Mineral Resource Asses

World copper resources in porphyry copper deposits in 10 regions (this 
Chapter B. Porphyry Copper Deposits 59

Figure B15. Pie charts comparing the relative percentages of (A) identified porphyry copper resources and (B) mean 

estimates of undiscovered porphyry copper resources by world region. The data are summarized from tables B1–B11. 

Because Africa is not considered permissive for the occurrence of Phanerozoic porphyry copper deposits, it is not 

included in the charts. Mt, millions of metric tons; %, percent.

Europe

(140 Mt)

5%

Middle East

(200 Mt)

Eastern Australia 6%

(21 Mt)

<1%

Southeast Asia Archipelagos

(300 Mt)

10%

Southeast Asia

(420 Mt)

14%

Central and Eastern Asia

(450 Mt)

14% Northeast Asia

(260 Mt)

8%

North America

(400 Mt)

13%

Central America and Caribbean

(170 Mt)

5%

South America

(750 Mt)

24%

Western

Hemisphere

Eastern

Hemisphere

B. Mean estimates of undiscovered porphyry copper resources, world total = 3,100 Mt

Europe

(51 Mt)

3%

Middle East

(61 Mt)

Eastern Australia 3%

(15 Mt)

<1%

Southeast Asia Archipelagos

(130 Mt)

7%

Southeast Asia

(56 Mt)

3%

Central and Eastern Asia

(140 Mt)

8%

Northeast Asia

(8.8 Mt)

1%

North America

(470 Mt)

26%

Central America and Caribbean

(43 Mt)

2%

South America

(800 Mt)

44%

Western

Hemisphere

Eastern

Hemisphere

A. Identified porphyry copper resources, world total = 1,800 Mt
60 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

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Tables B2–B11
66 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Table B2. Summary of assessment results for identified and undiscovered copper resources in porphyry copper deposits in the 

South America region.—Continued

[Resources are reported to two significant figures and reflect information available when the assessment was done. In column 5, numbers of deposits known 

at the time of the tract assessment are followed in parentheses by the numbers of new deposits known as of 2015. Deposits that were not included at the time 

of the assessments are plotted as solid diamonds on maps on the plates. Coded_ID, unique identifier for each tract; an identifier that ends in a letter (a, b, c, d) 

represents a sub-tract of a larger tract of the same age range, and an identifier that ends in “ab” represents a tract consisting of several sub-tracts. km2, square 

kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Plate 

number Tract name Coded_ID Tract area (km2)

Number 

of known 

deposits

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper 

resource estimates 

(Mt)

Mean 

in-place

Mean 

economic

1 Cretaceous Turbio—Chile and Argentina 005pCu1020 223,010 0 0 7.8 3.9

2 Late Triassic to Middle Jurassic Bajo de la 

Leona—Argentina

005pCu1019 45,642 0 0 5.9 2.8

3 Miocene Coastal—Chile and Argentina 005pCu1013d 63,233 0 0 4.5 2.5

4 Late Cretaceous–Middle Eocene Campana 

Mahuida—Argentina and Chile

005pCu1015 83,204 1 0.95 15 8.6

5 Miocene–Pliocene El Teniente—Chile 005pCu1014b 9,284 2 (1) 230 69 56

6 Miocene–Pliocene Los Pelambres—

Argentina and Chile

005pCu1013b 41,799 2 51 22 12

7 Permian San Jorge—Argentina and Chile 005pCu1016ab 29,080 2 1.9 12 6.6

8 Miocene Paramillos—Argentina 005pCu1014a 21,721 2 2.1 21 11

9 Eocene–Oligocene La Fortuna—Chile and 

Argentina

005pCu1012 6,913 1 5.1 15 10

10 Miocene–Pliocene—Argentina and Chile 005pCu1013c 5,767 0 0 7.7 4.0

11 Miocene–Pliocene Nevados de 

Famatina—Argentina

005pCu1014d 5,770 1 1.1 12 6.3

12 Cretaceous Antucoya—Chile 005pCu1017 77,511 0 (2) 0 23 15

13 Paleocene–Eocene Toquepala—Chile 

and Peru

005pCu1008 69,087 12 (1) 72 43 27

14 Miocene–Pliocene Cerro Casale—

Argentina and Chile

005pCu1013a 70,587 1 (1) 4.5 38 20

15 Miocene–Pliocene Bajo de la Alumbrera—

Argentina

005pCu1014c 24,048 3 12 17 8.9

16 Eocene–Oligocene Taca Taca Bajo—

Argentina

005pCu1011 2,429 1 3.0 4.2 2.6

17 Permian El Loa—Chile 005pCu1018 17,765 0 0 7.5 4.8

18 Eocene–Oligocene Chuquicamata—Chile 005pCu1010ab 25,690 10 (6) 320 210 170

19 Eocene–Oligocene Antapaccay—Peru 005pCu1009 30,154 5 (1) 13 19 9.9

20 Cretaceous Almacen—Peru and Ecuador 005pCu1007 107,297 2 0.67 14 7.7

21 Miocene La Granja—Peru and Ecuador 005pCu1006 53,186 12 54 49 24

22 Miocene Chaucha—Colombia and 

Ecuador

005pCu1005 58,797 4 4.0 39 21
Chapter B. Porphyry Copper Deposits 67

Table B2. Summary of assessment results for identified and undiscovered copper resources in porphyry copper deposits in the 

South America region.—Continued

[Resources are reported to two significant figures and reflect information available when the assessment was done. In column 5, numbers of deposits known 

at the time of the tract assessment are followed in parentheses by the numbers of new deposits known as of 2015. Deposits that were not included at the time 

of the assessments are plotted as solid diamonds on maps on the plates. Coded_ID, unique identifier for each tract; an identifier that ends in a letter (a, b, c, d) 

represents a sub-tract of a larger tract of the same age range, and an identifier that ends in “ab” represents a tract consisting of several sub-tracts. km2, square 

kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Plate 

number Tract name Coded_ID Tract area (km2)

Number 

of known 

deposits

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper 

resource estimates 

(Mt)

Mean 

in-place

Mean 

economic

23 Jurassic San Carlos—Colombia, Ecuador, 

and Peru

005pCu1003 67,709 5 14 40 20

24 Paleocene–Eocene Acandi—

Colombia, Ecuador, and Panama

005pCu1001 51,613 2 10 33 18

25 Cretaceous Infierno-Chilí—

Colombia

005pCu1004 10,986 0 0 7.7 4.4

26 Jurassic California—Colombia and 

Venezuela

005pCu1002 26,631 0 0 9.7 5.2

Total 1,228,913 68 (12) 800 750 480

Table B3. Summary of assessment results for identified and undiscovered copper resources in porphyry copper deposits in the 

Central America and Caribbean region.

[Resources are reported to two significant figures. Resources and numbers of known deposits reflect information available at the time of the tract assessment. 

Coded_ID, unique identifier for each tract; km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Plate 

number Tract name Coded_ID Tract area (km2)

Number 

of known 

deposits

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper 

resource estimates 

(Mt)

Mean 

in-place

Mean 

economic

27 Darién Region—Panama 003pCu4002 16,475 1 19 14 8.6

28 Cocos Region—Central America 003pCu4004 203,634 2 16 53 29

29 Chortis Region—Central America 003pCu4003 67,570 0 0 23 12

30 Lesser Antilles—Caribbean Basin 003pCu4005 2,982 0 0 3.3 1.4

31 Santiago Region—Caribbean Basin 003pCu4001 78,775 4 4.1 36 19

32 Southwest Mexico—Mexico 003pCu3011 156,976 3 1.0 37 25

33 Balsas—Mexico 003pCu3005 11,812 1 3.0 1.2 0.80

Total 538,224 11 43 170 96
68 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Table B4. Summary of assessment results for identified and undiscovered copper resources in porphyry copper deposits in the 

North America region.—Continued

[Resources are reported to two significant figures. Resources and numbers of known deposits reflect information available at the time of the tract assessment. 

Coded_ID, unique identifier for each tract; an identifier that ends in the letter “x” represents a tract combined from tracts in two source reports, as indicated on 

the plate. km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons; NA, not applicable, as a quantitative assessment was not done]

Plate 

number Tract name Coded_ID Tract area (km2)

Number 

of known 

deposits

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper 

resource estimates 

(Mt)

Mean 

in-place

Mean 

economic

34 Guanajuato—Mexico 003pCu3004 26,080 0 0 1.5 0.97

35 Coastal Baja California—Mexico 003pCu3002 2,882 0 0 1.5 0.97

36 Western Sierra Madre Occidental and 

Laramide Central—Mexico and 

United States

003pCu3007x 148,105 46 150 62 42

37 Laramide Central Plateau—Mexico 003pCu3008 58,724 0 0 20 13

38 Tertiary Central Plateau and Rocky 

Mountains—Mexico and United States

003pCu3009x 374,235 0 0 22 15

39 Eastern Alkalic Province—Mexico and 

United States

003pCu3010x 137,352 1 0.80 15 10

40 Southern California Batholith—Mexico 

and United States

003pCu3001x 40,228 1 5.3 3.3 2.3

41 Western Mexican Basin and Range and 

Laramide Southwest—Mexico and 

United States

003pCu3006x 82,624 2 5.4 20 13

42 Southwest Laramide East—United States 003pCu9008 7,076 7 90 11 7.4

43 Western U.S. and Sonoran Desert Jurassic 

Arc—Mexico and United States

003pCu9006x 255,631 6 13 23 15

44 Sierran Arc—United States 003pCu9007 175,915 5 7.0 18 12

45 Great Basin Tertiary—United States 003pCu9013 174,101 4 30 24 16

46 Cascade Arc—United States 003pCu9014 203,703 6 9.2 30 20

47 Northern Rocky Mountains—United States 003pCu9004 124,986 6 38 26 17

48 Insular Island and Continental Arcs—

British Columbia and Yukon Territory, 

Canada

003pCu2003 58,361 2 3.2 3.0 0.87

49 Intermontane Island Arc Cu-Au, Western 

Cordillera—Canada and United States

003pCu2002x 109,903 13 24 22 14

50 Cordilleran Continental Arc, Western 

Cordillera—Canada and United States

003pCu2004x 684,535 25 23 13 3.8

51 Intermontane Island Arc, Western 

Cordillera—Canada and United States

003pCu2001x 181,190 12 25 9.3 2.7

52 Late Continental Arc—British Columbia 

and Yukon Territory, Canada

003pCu2005 32,843 1 0.22 1.8 0.40
Chapter B. Porphyry Copper Deposits 69

Table B4. Summary of assessment results for identified and undiscovered copper resources in porphyry copper deposits in the 

North America region.—Continued

[Resources are reported to two significant figures. Resources and numbers of known deposits reflect information available at the time of the tract assessment. 

Coded_ID, unique identifier for each tract; an identifier that ends in the letter “x” represents a tract combined from tracts in two source reports, as indicated on 

the plate. km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons; NA, not applicable, as a quantitative assessment was not done]

Plate 

number Tract name Coded_ID Tract area (km2)

Number 

of known 

deposits

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper 

resource estimates 

(Mt)

Mean 

in-place

Mean 

economic

53 Southeast Alaska Tertiary—Alaska, 

United States

003pCu5005 9,970 2 0.51 6.1 3.2

54 Skolai Arc—Eastern Alaska, United States 003pCu5001 17,154 0 0 1.7 0.76

55 Eastern Alaska Range and Wrangell 

Mountains—Alaska, United States

003pCu5002 37,675 5 3.0 21 0.48

56 Yukon-Tanana Upland—Alaska, 

United States

003pCu5003 200,514 2 2.4 9.1 0.21

57 Western Alaska Range—Alaska, 

United States

003pCu5004 125,078 1 37 23 11

58 Alaska Peninsula and Aleutian Islands—

Alaska, United States

003pCu5006 49,222 1 0.59 12 5.9

59 Koyukuk Arc—Alaska, United States 003pCu5007 57,122 0 0 NA NA

60 Brooks Range—Alaska, United States 003pCu5008 9,782 0 0 NA NA

Total 3,384,991 148 470 400 230

Table B5. Summary of assessment results for identified and undiscovered copper resources in porphyry copper deposits in the 

Northeast Asia region.

[Resources are reported to two significant figures. Coded_ID, unique identifier for each tract; km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Plate 

number Tract name Coded_ID Tract area (km2)

Number 

of known 

deposits

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper 

resource estimates 

(Mt)

Mean 

in-place

Mean 

economic

61 Chukotka—Russia 142pCu8513 196,564 0 0 12 6.3

62 Pacific Margin—Russia and China 142pCu8514 1,238,565 1 0.89 150 73

63 Kamchatka-Kuril—Russia 142pCu8515 214,884 0 0 34 17

64 Kedon—Russia 142pCu8510 30,927 0 0 4.5 2.2

65 Kolyma—Russia 142pCu8512 541,829 1 7.9 56 28

Total 2,222,769 2 8.8 260 130
70 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Table B6. Summary of assessment results for identified and undiscovered copper resources in porphyry copper deposits in the 

Central and Eastern Asia region.

[Resources are reported to two significant figures. Coded_ID, unique identifier for each tract; an identifier that ends in a letter (a, b, c, d) represents a sub-tract 

of a larger tract of the same age range. km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons; NA, not applicable, as a quantitative assessment was not done]

Plate 

number Tract name Coded_ID Tract area (km2)

Number 

of known 

deposits

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper 

resource estimates 

(Mt)

Mean 

in-place

Mean 

economic

66 Subaerial Neogene Arcs of Western 

Japan—Japan

142pCu7315 120,588 0 0 NA NA

67 Western Honshu Area—Japan 142pCu7314 27,581 0 0 NA NA

68 Gyeongsang Basin—South Korea 142pCu7313 46,311 0 0 NA NA

69 Manchuride—China, North Korea, 

Mongolia, and Russia

142pCu8509 1,402,360 5 7.8 81 40

70 Gobi-Amur—Mongolia, China, and Russia 142pCu8503 56,087 1 3.3 5.9 2.7

71 Erdenet (Northeast)—Russia 142pCu8508b 103,793 0 0 NA NA

72 Mongol-Altai—Mongolia, Russia, 

Kazakhstan, and China

142pCu8507 785,571 0 0 53 26

73 Mongol-Sayan—Mongolia, China, and 

Russia

142pCu8504 575,102 4 15 38 69

74 Erdenet—Mongolia 142pCu8508a 61,430 1 9.0 34 17

75 Oyu Tolgoi—China and Mongolia 142pCu8506 329,845 3 38 80 39

76 Solonker—China 142pCu8501 250,099 1 0.25 22 12

77 Kazakh-Tarim—Kazakhstan and China 142pCu8505 344,293 4 6.7 39 19

78 Kazakh-Tianshan—Kazakhstan and China 142pCu8502 89,608 3 8.7 14 6.9

79 Late Paleozoic Balkhash-Ili Magmatic Arc 

(East)—Kazakhstan

142pCu8003a 46,385 1 10 11 5.4

80 Late Paleozoic Balkhash-Ili Magmatic Arc 

(North)—Kazakhstan

142pCu8003b 78,660 5 5.0 22 11

81 Late Paleozoic Central Balkhash-Ili 

Magmatic Arc—Kazakhstan

142pCu8004 99,548 0 0 7.8 3.5

82 Late Paleozoic Balkhash-Ili Magmatic 

Arc (Northwest)—Kazakhstan and 

Kyrgyzstan

142pCu8003d 111,149 2 3.3 7.8 3.8

83 Late Paleozoic Balkhash-Ili Magmatic Arc 

(West)—Kazakhstan

142pCu8003c 23,757 2 1.0 7.4 3.6

84 Ordovician North Tian Shan Magmatic 

Arc—Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan

142pCu8002 8,124 2 2.0 5.2 2.5

85 Chatkal and Kurama Ranges—Kazakhstan, 

Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan

142pCu8001 25,104 4 31 19 9.3

Total 4,585,395 38 140 450 270
Chapter B. Porphyry Copper Deposits 71

Table B7. Summary of assessment results for identified and undiscovered copper resources in porphyry copper deposits in the 

Southeast Asia region.

[Resources are reported to two significant figures. Coded_ID, unique identifier for each tract; km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Plate 

number Tract name Coded_ID Tract area (km2)

Number 

of known 

deposits

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper 

resource estimates 

(Mt)

Mean 

in-place

Mean 

economic

86 Coastal Pacific—China, Taiwan, and 

Vietnam

142pCu8704 604,560 6 15 65 38

87 East Qinling—China 142pCu8705 171,104 1 0.39 52 38

88 Qinling-Dabie—China and Tajikistan 142pCu8701 403,215 1 1.4 32 17

89 Tethyan Gangdese—China, India, and 

Pakistan

142pCu8706 289,647 0 0 28 14

90 Gangdese—China 142pCu8712 239,860 3 15 87 43

91 Jinsajiang—China 142pCu8702 111,687 2 4.5 20 12

92 Yulong—China 142pCu8710 112,470 6 11 32 16

93 Dali—China and Vietnam 142pCu8711 96,670 2 0.49 26 12

94 Wuntho-Popa—Burma 142pCu7024 45,257 1 6.3 8.8 4.0

95 Sukhothai—Cambodia, China, Laos, 

Burma, Thailand, and Vietnam

142pCu7021 354,260 1 1.2 37 18

96 Mekong Delta—Cambodia, Laos, and 

Vietnam

142pCu7023 91,216 0 0 28 14

97 Malaysia—Indonesia, Malaysia, 

Singapore, and Thailand

142pCu7022 60,010 1 0.81 8.9 4.3

Total 2,579,956 24 56 420 230
72 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Table B8. Summary of assessment results for identified and undiscovered copper resources in porphyry copper deposits in the 

Southeast Asia Archipelagos region.—Continued

[Resources are reported to two significant figures. Resources and numbers of known deposits reflect information available at the time of the tract assessment. 

Coded_ID, unique identifier for each tract; an identifier than ends in a letter (a, b, c) represents a sub-tract of a larger tract of the same age range, and an 

identifier that ends in several letters (abcd, ab) indicates a tract consisting of several sub-tracts. km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons; NA, not 

applicable, as a quantitative assessment was not done]

Plate 

number Tract name Coded_ID Tract area (km2)

Number 

of known 

deposits

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper 

resource estimates 

(Mt)

Mean 

in-place

Mean 

economic

98 Luzon Arc—Philippines and Taiwan 142pCu7301abcd 23,698 16 16 31 15

99 Sierra Madre Arc—Philippines 142pCu7304ab 13,966 1 0.31 1.4 0.69

100 Cordon Alkalic Complex—Philippines 142pCu7302 4,860 3 1.4 4.9 2.4

101 Philippine Arc—Philippines 142pCu7309 20,650 5 5.7 24 12

102 Mindoro-Tablas-West Panay Area—

Philippines

142pCu7311 9,168 0 0 3.2 1.5

103 Masbate-Negros Arc System—Philippines 142pCu7305 12,226 5 6.8 7.8 3.5

104 Bohol-Cebu Area—Philippines 142pCu7306 2,601 2 6.4 5.0 2.6

105 Sulu-Zamboanga Arc—Philippines 142pCu7307 10,179 0 0 2.5 1.1

106 Central Mindanao Volcanic Province—

Philippines

142pCu7308 29,324 0 0 5.9 2.6

107 Cotabato Arc—Philippines 142pCu7312 9,699 1 15 4.6 2.3

108 Central Kalimantan—Indonesia and 

Malaysia

142pCu7019 144,580 1 0.94 40 19

109 Sumatra Island—Indonesia 142pCu7020 131,027 1 0.90 23 11

110 Sunda Banda Arc (West)—Indonesia 142pCu7025a 61,201 0 0 10 4.8

111 Sunda Banda Arc (Central)—Indonesia 142pCu7025b 22,553 1 7.2 15 6.5

112 Sunda Banda Arc (East)—Indonesia 142pCu7025c 5,665 0 0 2.1 0.91

113 West Sulawesi—Indonesia 142pCu7026 60,272 0 0 3.4 1.6

114 North Sulawesi-Sangihe—Indonesia 142pCu7027 20,325 2 2.0 8.9 4.3

115 Halmahera Arc, North Molucca Islands—

Indonesia

142pCu7202 12,245 1 0.25 4.8 2.1

116 Ambon Arc, Central Molucca Islands—

Indonesia

142pCu7201 1,537 0 0 3.1 1.3

117 Inner Melanesian Arc Terranes I—

Indonesia

142pCu7208 7,717 0 0 NA NA

118 Moon-Utawa-Ular Merah Areas—

Indonesia

142pCu7205 13,577 0 0 3.2 1.5

119 Western Medial New Guinea Magmatic 

Belt—Indonesia

142pCu7203 13,268 1 24 14 6.7

120 Rotanburg-Taratatua Area—Indonesia 142pCu7204 9,371 0 0 NA NA
Chapter B. Porphyry Copper Deposits 73

Table B8. Summary of assessment results for identified and undiscovered copper resources in porphyry copper deposits in the 

Southeast Asia Archipelagos region.—Continued

[Resources are reported to two significant figures. Resources and numbers of known deposits reflect information available at the time of the tract assessment. 

Coded_ID, unique identifier for each tract; an identifier than ends in a letter (a, b, c) represents a sub-tract of a larger tract of the same age range, and an 

identifier that ends in several letters (abcd, ab) indicates a tract consisting of several sub-tracts. km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons; NA, not 

applicable, as a quantitative assessment was not done]

Plate 

number Tract name Coded_ID Tract area (km2)

Number 

of known 

deposits

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper 

resource estimates 

(Mt)

Mean 

in-place

Mean 

economic

121 Eastern Medial New Guinea Magmatic 

Belt (West)—Papua New Guinea and 

Indonesia

009pCu7203a 14,229 3 6.1 5.1 2.5

122 Eastern Medial New Guinea Magmatic 

Belt (East)—Papua New Guinea

009pCu7203b 53,222 3 11 20 8.7

123 Inner Melanesian Arc Terranes II—Papua 

New Guinea and Indonesia

009pCu7208 29,141 0 0 NA NA

124 Maramuni Arc—Papua New Guinea 009pCu7205 38,975 1 8.6 9.9 5.1

125 Miocene Alkalic Rocks, Southeastern New 

Guinea Island—Papua New Guinea

009pCu7206 1,638 0 0 1.2 0.58

126 Inner Melanesian Arc (New Britain)—

Papua New Guinea

009pCu7209 17,987 1 0.72 8.5 3.8

127 Outer Melanesian Arc I—Papua New 

Guinea

009pCu7207 16,834 2 7.2 17 7.4

128 Outer Melanesian Arc—Solomon Islands, 

Vanuatu, and Fiji

009pCu7210 38,180 3 6.9 16 7.0

Total 849,915 53 130 300 140
74 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Table B9. Summary of assessment results for identified and undiscovered copper resources in porphyry copper deposits in the 

Eastern Australia region.

[Resources are reported to two significant figures. Coded_ID, unique identifier for each tract; an identifier than ends in a letter (a, b, c, d) represents a sub-tract 

of a larger tract of the same age range. km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons; NA, not applicable, as a quantitative assessment was not done]

Plate 

number Tract name Coded_ID Tract area (km2)

Number 

of known 

deposits

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper 

resource estimates 

(Mt)

Mean 

in-place

Mean 

economic

129 East Tasmanide (North)—Australia 009pCu8004d 34,759 0 0 NA NA

130 East Tasmanide (Central)—Australia 009pCu8004b 290,646 14 2.3 0.28 0

131 East Tasmanide (Island Arc)—Australia 009pCu8004a 16,741 0 0 NA NA

132 East Tasmanide (South)—Australia 009pCu8004c 76,737 0 0 NA NA

133 Macquarie—Australia 009pCu8002 41,463 9 13 21 14

134 Yeoval—Australia 009pCu8003 53,157 1 0.049 0.071 0

135 Delamerian (Victoria)—Australia 009pCu8001b 1,314 0 0 NA NA

136 Delamerian (Tasmania)—Australia 009pCu8001c 9,328 0 0 NA NA

137 Delamerian (Adelaide)—Australia 009pCu8001a 50,747 0 0 0.14 0

Total 574,892 24 15 21 14
Chapter B. Porphyry Copper Deposits 75

Table B10. Summary of assessment results for identified and undiscovered copper resources in porphyry copper deposits in the 

Middle East region.—Continued

[In this report, for geologic continuity, the Middle East region includes Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Turkey, and parts of Armenia, Georgia, and Russia. 

Resources are reported to two significant figures. Coded_ID, unique identifier for each tract; an identifier than ends in a letter (a, b, c) represents a sub-tract 

of a larger tract of the same age range. km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons; NA, not applicable, as a quantitative assessment was not done]

Plate 

number Tract name Coded_ID Tract area (km2)

Number 

of known 

deposits

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper 

resource estimates 

(Mt)

Mean 

in-place

Mean 

economic

138 Darra Alasang—Afghanistan 142pCu8901 35,088 0 0 4.0 2.1

139 Kundalyan—Afghanistan 142pCu8902 4,446 0 0 4.0 2.1

140 Oruzgan—Afghanistan 142pCu8903 82,464 0 0 10 4.9

141 Spin Boldak—Afghanistan and Pakistan 142pCu8904 7,452 0 0 4.4 2.3

142 Chagai—Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran 142pCu9013 19,075 4 26 12 8.0

143 Pliocene–Quaternary (Bazman)—

Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran

142pCu9017c 21,298 0 0 NA NA

144 Sistan—Iran 142pCu9012 32,820 0 0 9.8 6.6

145 Lut Tertiary—Iran 142pCu9010 56,256 0 0 7.5 5.0

146 Lut Jurassic—Iran 142pCu9000 2,965 0 0 NA NA

147 Lut Cretaceous—Iran 142pCu9006 12,030 0 0 NA NA

148 Makran—Iran 142pCu9011 24,117 0 0 NA NA

149 Khorasan—Afghanistan and Iran 142pCu9009 38,311 0 0 8.1 5.5

150 Kerman—Iran 142pCu9016 32,800 12 15 22 15

151 Yazd—Iran 142pCu9015 25,711 2 0.27 13 8.7

152 Esfahan—Iran, Iraq, and Turkey 142pCu9008 56,857 1 0.64 15 10

153 Azerbaijan (Caucasus)—Iran, Azerbaijan, 

and Armenia

142pCu9014c 58,270 5 11 27 18

154 Sanandaj-Sirjan—Iran, Iraq, and Turkey 142pCu9003 20,160 0 0 NA NA

155 Pontide (Asia)-Caucasus—Iran, 

Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Georgia

142pCu9004c 24,289 0 0 3.3 2.1

156 Cimmeride Lesser Caucasus—Armenia, 

Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Iran

142pCu9001 17,369 3 2.3 7.1 4.7

157 Cimmeride Greater Caucasus—

Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Russia

142pCu9002 16,688 0 0 NA NA

158 Pliocene–Quaternary (Postcollisional)—

Iran, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, 

Turkey, and Russia

142pCu9017b 193,763 0 0 NA NA

159 Border Folds—Iran, Iraq, and Turkey 142pCu9007 45,285 0 0 4.6 3.2

160 Pontide (Asia, Northeastern)—Turkey and 

Georgia

142pCu9004b 45,539 4 1.5 15 10

161 Azerbaijan (East)—Turkey 142pCu9014b 7,754 1 1.7 1.5 0.97
76 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Table B10. Summary of assessment results for identified and undiscovered copper resources in porphyry copper deposits in the 

Middle East region.—Continued

[In this report, for geologic continuity, the Middle East region includes Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Turkey, and parts of Armenia, Georgia, and Russia. 

Resources are reported to two significant figures. Coded_ID, unique identifier for each tract; an identifier than ends in a letter (a, b, c) represents a sub-tract 

of a larger tract of the same age range. km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons; NA, not applicable, as a quantitative assessment was not done]

Plate 

number Tract name Coded_ID Tract area (km2)

Number 

of known 

deposits

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper 

resource estimates 

(Mt)

Mean 

in-place

Mean 

economic

162 Anatolide-Tauride (Eastern TurkeyCaucasus)—Iran, Azerbaijan, Armenia, 

and Turkey

142pCu9005c 21,675 4 1.2 8.2 5.5

163 Anatolide-Tauride (Central)— Turkey 142pCu9005b 36,208 0 0 1.3 0.90

164 Pliocene–Quaternary (Konya)—Turkey 142pCu9017a 11,788 0 0 NA NA

165 Pontide (Asia, Northwestern)—Turkey 142pCu9004a 32,671 1 0.40 4.1 2.7

166 Anatolide-Tauride (West)—Turkey 142pCu9005a 5,940 2 0.38 3.0 2.1

167 Azerbaijan (West)—Turkey 142pCu9014a 65,178 3 1.1 14 9.4

Total 1,054,267 42 61 200 130
Chapter B. Porphyry Copper Deposits 77

Table B11. Summary of assessment results for identified and undiscovered copper resources in porphyry copper deposits in the 

Europe region.

[Resources are reported to two significant figures. Coded_ID, unique identifier for each tract; km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons; 

NA, not applicable, as a quantitative assessment was not done]

Plate 

number Tract name Coded_ID Tract area (km2)

Number 

of known 

deposits

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper 

resource estimates 

(Mt)

Mean 

in-place

Mean 

economic

168 Transylvania-Balkan Mountains—

Bulgaria, Serbia, Romania, and Turkey

150pCu6001 28,469 15 30 16 10

169 Apuseni Mountains—Romania 150pCu6003 4,156 7 5.7 10 5.4

170 Northern Carpathians—Hungary, 

Romania, Slovakia, and Ukraine

150pCu6004 28,846 1 0.73 7.9 3.9

171 Dinaride-Aegean Region—Eastern Europe 150pCu6002 92,723 4 7.2 12 7.7

172 Tagil-Polar Urals—Russia 142pCu8202 49,605 0 0 17 8.3

173 Magnitogorsk— Russia and Kazakhstan 142pCu8201 49,321 1 0.041 17 10

174 East Uralian— Russia and Kazakhstan 142pCu8203 80,239 2 1.6 24 14

175 Transuralian —Kazakhstan and Russia 142pCu8204 128,788 4 4.3 24 11

176 Southern and Central European Variscan—

France, Italy, and Poland

150pCu6006 45,963 1 0.88 NA NA

177 Western Peri-Mediterranean Region—

Italy, Morocco, Algeria, and Spain

150pCu6005 9,461 1 0.13 NA NA

178 Western European Caledonian—Belgium 

and United Kingdom

150pCu6007 17,471 2 0.63 NA NA

179 Southern Ostrobothnia—Finland 150pCu6108 2,317 0 0 0.31 0.052

180 Häme—Finland 150pCu6104 4,716 0 0 1.9 0.32

181 Central Finland—Finland 150pCu6101 3,859 0 0 0.76 0.31

182 Mäntsälä—Finland 150pCu6105 1,730 0 0 0.27 0.046

183 Ruokolahti—Finland 150pCu6107 805 0 0 0.23 0.039

184 Tampere—Finland 150pCu6110 5,046 0 0 2.0 0.34

185 Southern Savo—Finland 150pCu6109 603 0 0 0.28 0.047

186 Central Ostrobothnia—Finland 150pCu6102 11,155 1 0.045 1.9 0.32

187 Haaparanta—Finland 150pCu6103 5,823 0 0 1.5 0.25

188 Nilipää—Finland 150pCu6106 2,035 0 0 0.21 0.035

Total 573,131 39 51 140 72

Chapter C. Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper Deposits

By Michael L. Zientek for the U.S. Geological Survey Global Copper Mineral Resource Assessment Team

Introduction

Sediment-hosted stratabound copper deposits are the 

second largest source of global copper supply after porphyry 

copper deposits. The largest known deposits of this type 

occur in the Central African Copperbelt, where deposits in the 

Katanga Basin of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and 

Zambia (fig. C1) contain about 150 million metric tons (Mt) 

of copper. Other areas of the world that are important for these 

deposits are the Southern Permian Basin in Europe and the 

Chu-Sarysu Basin in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan (fig. C1).

Characteristics of subtypes of sediment-hosted stratabound copper deposits and assessment methods are described 

in this chapter, and quantitative and qualitative assessment 

results are summarized for 23 sedimentary basins (fig. C1). 

Quantitative assessments show where undiscovered copper 

resources may be present and provide probabilistic estimates 

of amounts of in-place undiscovered copper resources. Quantitative assessments of sediment-hosted stratabound copper 

deposits were made for five sedimentary basins by the U.S. 

Geological Survey (USGS) Global Copper Mineral Resource 

Assessment Team. Quantitative assessments for seven basins 

and a qualitative assessment for one basin are included from 

other studies in Afghanistan (Peters and others, 2007), Greenland (Stensgaard and others, 2011), and the United States 

(U.S. Geological Survey National Mineral Resource Assessment Team, 2002). Ten other areas were selected for cursory 

study and qualitative assessment. These qualitative assessments show where deposits and prospects are known, show 

where undiscovered resources may be present, and provide 

a relative ranking of the study areas according to the amount 

of undiscovered copper that may be present. The results of 

this study are discussed in terms of what we learned while 

conducting the assessment, developing directions for future 

research, and understanding the implications for the future 

supply of copper from sediment-hosted stratabound copper 

deposits.

Comprehensive regional assessment reports were prepared for each of the assessed areas (see this volume, chap. A, 

table A1). Databases of sediment-hosted stratabound copper 

deposits and prospects were updated for all study areas in 

regional reports. In all, 48 permissive tracts were delineated 

within the 23 basins. Selected resource assessment results and 

mineral resource maps are shown on plates 189–236. Quantitative assessment results are summarized in tables C1–C4, 

and probability distributions of undiscovered copper resources 

are shown in bar charts on the plates. Qualitative assessment 

results are presented as bar charts on 10 plates. The entire 

database of deposits and prospects and permissive tracts is 

included in a richly attributed geographic information system 

(GIS) compiled by Dicken and others (2016).

Deposit Types

Mineral deposits can be classified into types defined by 

shared characteristics that result from similar ore-forming 

processes. The recognition that mineral deposits can be 

systematically classified into types allows scientists to use 

geoscience information to predict where deposits of a given 

type could occur. In addition, each ore deposit type has characteristic geometries, distributions of tonnage and grade, and 

rock and mineral properties that determine the potential value 

of the deposit and how the mineral resource is delimited and 

developed. These characteristics allow scientists to predict 

how much resource may be associated with undiscovered 

deposit types. Descriptive mineral deposit models summarize 

the characteristics of each deposit type and provide a basis for 

using geology to classify mineral deposits by type (Singer and 

Menzie, 2010). Mineral-systems models provide criteria based 

on theories of regional ore genesis that can be used in mineral 

resource assessment and exploration targeting (Wyborn and 

others, 1994; Knox-Robinson and Wyborn, 1997). Descriptive 

models and mineral-systems models are used to identify and 

map geographic areas that are permissive for the occurrence 

of each type. The range of deposit size (tonnages) and commodity grades (expressed in percentage of metal for copper) 

are described in grade and tonnage models that are constructed 

from data for known deposits that fit the criteria for each 

deposit type (Singer and Menzie, 2010). These models are 

used as analogs for the copper resources that could be present 

in undiscovered deposits of the same type.

Deposit Type Assessed—SedimentHosted Stratabound Copper Deposits

Sediment-hosted stratabound copper deposits consist of 

fine-grained, copper-sulfide and copper-iron-sulfide minerals 

that form stratabound to stratiform disseminations in sedimentary rocks (Hitzman and others, 2005; Cox and others, 2007; 
Figure C1. Map showing 23 basins containing permissive tracts for sediment-hosted stratabound copper deposits, color coded for 7 world regions. basin are given in parentheses. See table C1 for summary results by world region, table C2 for summary results for 13 basins that were quantitatively and C4 for summary results by permissive tract.

60° N

0° 90° E 180° 90° W

0°

30° N

30° S

PACIFIC OCEAN

INDIAN OCEAN

ARCTIC OCEAN

SOUTHERN OCEAN

Southern Permian

Basin (220–226)

Katanga Basin

(230–234)

Northwest Botswana

Rift (235)

Benguela and Cuanza

Basins (236)

Egypt-Israel-Jordan

Rift (229)

Chuxiong Basin

(219)

 Redstone Copperbelt

(194)

Belt-Purcell

Basin (193)

Eleonore Bay Basin (205–206)

Jameson Land Basin (198–204)

Central Europea

System (1

Midcontinent Rift

(192)

Culpeper 

(195

Dongchuan Group

rocks (218)

Kodar-Udokan

Trough (207–212)

Kabul Block

(227)

Teniz Basin (217)

Chu-Sarysu Basin

(213–216)

Anadarko-Palo DuroMidland Permian Basin (191)

Kundalyan Area

(228)

Middle East Southeast Asia

Africa 

North America

South America

Europe Central and Eastern Asia

Sediment-hosted stratabound copper permissive tracts by world region

EXPLANATION

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)World Robinson projectionCentral meridian 162° E. 0 1,000 2,0

0 1,000 2,000 3,00
Chapter C. Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper Deposits 81

Zientek, Hayes, and Hammarstrom, 2013). Ore minerals, such 

as chalcocite and bornite, occur as cements and replacements 

in the matrix of the sedimentary rocks and, less commonly, as 

veinlets. The concentration of sulfide minerals is broadly conformable with stratification in the host rocks. In more detail, 

though, deposits are characterized by systematic changes 

(zonation) in ore mineralogy along and across bedding from 

pyrite (FeS2) to chalcopyrite (CuFeS2) to bornite (Cu5FeS4), to 

chalcocite (Cu2S) to hematite (Fe2O3).

Deposit Subtypes

Three main subtypes of sediment-hosted stratabound 

copper deposits are distinguished by host rock composition (lithology) and by the nature of organic material in the 

sedimentary strata (Kirkham, 1989; Hitzman and others, 2005; 

Cox and others, 2007; Zientek, Hayes, and Hammarstrom, 

2013; Hayes and others, 2015). The three subtypes described 

below are (1) reduced-facies copper subtype, (2) sandstone 

copper subtype, and (3) red bed copper subtype.

Reduced-facies copper subtype.—Host rocks for deposits 

of the reduced-facies copper subtype (fig. C2) include black 

shale, dark-gray to black siltstone, dark-gray dolo-siltstone, 

gray shale, and, locally, green shale or siltstone, all of which 

contain varying amounts of solid organic material. Host beds 

for many reduced-facies copper deposits occur adjacent to a 

flooding surface that marks the extension of marine deposits 

over nonmarine red beds (fig. C2). Red beds are sedimentary 

rocks (mainly sandstone, siltstone, shale, and conglomerate) 

that are predominantly red because of the iron oxide mineral 

hematite, which occurs as coatings on mineral grains. The host 

rocks of reduced-facies subtype deposits contain organic matter and finely disseminated pyrite. These host rocks overlie, or 

are locally interbedded with, red to brown or purple, hematitebearing sandstone, siltstone, and (or) conglomerate (red beds) 

that were deposited in an arid climate (Davidson, 1965; Rose, 

1976; Kirkham, 1989). Variants of the reduced-facies copper 

subtype in the Central African Copperbelt include the reducedfacies carbonate écaille deposits that occur in giant breccia 

fragments (longest dimension = 1 to 10 kilometers) in some 

carbonate lithologies and reduced-facies nonbrecciated deposits (Cox and others, 2007; Zientek, Hayes, and Hammarstrom, 

2013; Zientek, Hayes, and Taylor, 2013). Other names for the 

reduced-facies subtype are “paralic marine,” “Mansfeld-type,” 

and “Kupferschiefer-type.”

Sandstone copper subtype.—Host rocks for deposits of 

the sandstone copper subtype (fig. C2) are well-sorted1 quartzrich sandstones characteristic of deposition in a delta setting. 

The occurrence of petroleum-bearing fluid inclusions and 

solid hydrocarbons that coat detrital grains, stain minerals, and 

1

Sorting refers to the uniformity of grain sizes in the rock; well-sorted 

deposits have grains that are approximately the same size, whereas poorly 

sorted deposits have a mixture of different grain sizes.

locally form cements indicates that the mineralized strata once 

contained liquid or gaseous hydrocarbon accumulations. For 

many sandstone copper deposits, the hydrocarbons could have 

been sour gas— natural gas containing significant amounts of 

hydrogen sulfide (Hayes and others, 2012). Sandstone copper 

deposits in the Central African Copperbelt have higher average 

copper grades than deposits elsewhere in the world. Therefore, 

a custom grade and tonnage model (Roan arenite subtype) was 

developed for assessing that area (Zientek, Hayes, and Taylor, 

2013). Cox and others (2007) referred to the sandstone copper 

subtype as “Revett-type.”

Red bed copper subtype.—Host rocks for deposits of the 

red bed copper subtype are poorly to moderately sorted, commonly conglomeratic sandstone (red beds) containing carbonized plant fragments. The depositional setting for the host 

rocks is fluvial or, rarely, deltaic. The plant fragments range in 

size from silt to whole logs that are replaced by copper minerals. Kirkham (1989), Kirkham and others (1994), and Hitzman 

and others (2005) did not distinguish between sandstone and 

red bed subtype deposits and referred to them as “Continental redbed type” or “Redbed-type.” The red bed deposit type 

of Cox and others (2007) was not considered for the global 

assessment study; deposit sizes are too small to be important 

on a global basis.

Depositional Environments

Sediment-hosted stratabound copper deposits are associated with red bed sequences and evaporites (Davidson, 1965; 

Rose, 1976; Kirkham, 1989). This type of mineralization is 

found only in sedimentary rocks that formed after 2,300 Ma 

(million years ago), when free oxygen first appeared in the 

Earth’s atmosphere, allowing the formation of the earliest 

red beds (Chandler, 1988; Bekker and others, 2004; Canfield, 

2005; Hitzman and others, 2010). Sediment-hosted stratabound copper deposits are found only in red beds that formed 

in arid climates in depositional environments that included 

aeolian dunes, sabkhas (saline marshes), playas, and sand 

sheets, together with minor alluvial fans, ephemeral rivers, and 

inland lakes. Evaporite deposits commonly are present within 

these types of red beds. Sedimentary deposits characteristic of 

arid environments form between 20 to 30 degrees of latitude 

on either side of the Equator in continental areas (Kirkham, 

1989).

The association of red beds and evaporites with sedimenthosted stratabound copper deposits implies that this style of 

mineralization should be widespread. There are about 700 

to 800 Phanerozoic sedimentary basins in the world (U.S. 

Geological Survey World Energy Assessment Team, 2000; 

Fugro Robertson, Ltd., 2008). Of these, 124 basins have been 

affected by salt tectonism (Jackson, 2005); additional basins 

probably contain salt (and red beds) because Jackson’s 2005 

compilation excluded evaporite basins lacking major salt 

tectonism, such as most intracratonic basins.
82 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Sediment-hosted stratabound copper deposits that 

contain significant copper (more than 50,000 metric tons [t]) 

are known from only about 20 basins despite the widespread 

distribution of sedimentary basins with appropriate host rocks. 

World-class deposits (Singer, 1995) are limited to eight basins 

(Kirkham and others, 1994; Kirkham and Broughton, 2005; 

Cox and others, 2007; Zientek, Hayes, and Hammarstrom, 

2013). Hitzman and others (2010) emphasized that basins 

formed during the Cryogenian Period (720–635 Ma) of the 

Proterozoic Eon and the Permian Period (299–252 Ma) of the 

Paleozoic Era contain most of the world’s known sedimenthosted copper mineralization. They suggested that global-scale 

secular processes may have some role in the genesis of these 

deposits, such as periods of Earth history during which oceans 

were rich in sulfate and host sedimentary rocks formed near 

the paleoequator.

Figure C2. Schematic section of a sedimentary basin showing the local geologic settings and essential 

ore-system components required to form the reduced-facies copper subtype and sandstone copper 

subtype of sediment-hosted stratabound copper deposits (modified from figure 1–2 of Zientek, Wintzer, 

and others, 2015).

Metal

source

Brine

movement

Brine

recharge?

Seal

Redox boundary

Redox boundary

EXPLANATION

Shallow-marine to continental 

 sandstone, siltstone, and shale

Evaporite minerals

Marine carbonate rocks

Marine sandstone, siltstone, 

 and shale

Sediment-hosted stratabound 

 copper deposits

Continental red beds

Bimodal volcanic rocks

Basement rocks

Metal-bearing brine

Reduced-facies

copper subtype

Sandstone

copper 

subtype with 

alteration halos

Fault
Chapter C. Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper Deposits 83

Areas Covered in this Report

This chapter summarizes (1) quantitative assessments of 

sediment-hosted stratabound copper deposits in five basins in 

Europe, Asia, and Africa that were studied by the USGS as 

part of the global mineral resource assessment, (2) quantitative 

assessments of three basins in Greenland by the Geological 

Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS), (3) quantitative assessments of four basins that were done as part of an 

assessment by the USGS of the United States, (4) a quantitative assessment of one basin in Afghanistan, (5) a qualitative 

assessment of one area in Afghanistan, and (6) qualitative 

assessments of 10 other basins throughout the world that were 

also studied by the USGS Global Copper Mineral Resource 

Assessment Team (fig. C1).

Some basins, such as the Neuquén Basin of Argentina (pl. 

189) are represented by a single permissive tract. Others, such 

as the Kodar-Udokan Trough of Russia (pls. 207–212), are 

represented by multiple permissive tracts. Permissive tracts 

are primarily named for the basin in which they occur; in cases 

where a specific name within a basin was used in the source 

report and in the GIS, the tract name is listed along with 

the basin name in tables C3 and C4 and on the plates. Each 

permissive tract is assigned a unique identifier that includes a 

term that designates the deposit subtype (such as “ssCu” for 

sandstone copper subtype, “rfCu” for general reduced-facies 

copper subtype, and “shCu” for general sediment-hosted 

stratabound copper that includes all subtypes). Plates are 

numbered in order of the world regions shown in figure C1, 

starting with plates 189 and 190 (South America region), 

continuing through 191–206 (North America region, including Greenland), 207–217 (Central and Eastern Asia region), 

218–219 (Southeast Asia region), 220–226 (Europe region), 

and 227–229 (Middle East region), and ending with plates 

230–236 (Africa region).

The five sedimentary basins that were quantitatively 

assessed by the USGS in the global copper mineral resource 

assessment are the Chu-Sarysu Basin, Kazakhstan, shown 

in figure C3 and plates 213–216 (Box and others, 2012); the 

Katanga Basin, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia, shown in figure C4 and plates 230–234 (Zientek, Bliss, 

and others, 2014); the Kodar-Udokan Trough, Russia, shown 

in figure C5 and plates 207–212 (Zientek, Chechetkin, and 

others, 2014); the Southern Permian Basin in Europe shown in 

figure C6 and plates 220, 221, 223, and 224 (Zientek, Oszczepalski, and others, 2015); and the Teniz Basin, Kazakhstan, 

shown in plate 217 (Cossette and others, 2014).

In addition, the Geological Survey of Denmark and 

Greenland (GEUS) provided quantitative assessments of the 

Central European Basin System (pl. 197), Jameson Land 

Basin (pls. 198–204), and Eleonore Bay Basin (pls. 205, 206) 

in Greenland (fig. C1) as part of the global copper assessment 

(Stensgaard, 2011; Stensgaard and others, 2011). The assessment also incorporates results from previous USGS quantitative mineral resource assessments of the United States (U.S. 

Geological Survey Minerals Team, 1996; U.S. Geological 

Survey National Mineral Resource Assessment Team, 2000, 

2002), which included sediment-hosted stratabound copper assessments for four basins—the Anadarko-Palo DuroMidland Permian Basin (pl. 191), the Midcontinent Rift (pl. 

192), the Belt-Purcell Basin (pl. 193), and the Culpeper Basin 

(pl. 195). The Kabul Block and the Kundalyan area (pls. 227, 

228) were assessed as part of a mineral resource assessment of 

Afghanistan (Ludington and others, 2007; Peters and others, 

2007).

Also as part of the USGS global mineral resource assessment study, 10 basins were qualitatively assessed by using a 

decision support tool that provided a relative ranking of each 

basin according to the amount of undiscovered copper that 

may be present in sediment-hosted stratabound copper deposits (Zientek, Wintzer, and others, 2015). This tool, the analytic 

hierarchy process (AHP), is described below in the section, 

“Qualitative Ranking.” The 10 basins are ordered by plate 

number in the list below:

• Neuquén Basin in Argentina and Chile (pl. 189)

• Salta Rift System in Argentina (pl. 190)

• Belt-Purcell Basin in the United States and Canada (pl. 

193). The Belt-Purcell Basin was assessed as part of 

the quantitative assessment of the United States and 

was also included in the qualitative AHP analysis. It is 

the only basin for which results from two methods are 

provided in this report.

• Neoproterozoic rocks that host the Redstone Copperbelt in the Mackenzie Mountains in Canada (pl. 194)

• Maritimes Basin in Canada (pl. 196)

• The basin that contains the Dongchuan Group rocks in 

the Yangtze Block of the South China Craton in China 

(pl. 218)

• Chuxiong Basin in China (pl. 219)

• A rift-related basin containing Cambrian rocks in 

Egypt, Israel, and Jordan (pl. 229)

• Northwest Botswana Rift in Botswana and Namibia, 

which includes the Kalahari Copperbelt (pl. 235)

• Benguela and Cuanza Basins in Angola (pl. 236)

The Belt-Purcell Basin (pl. 193) was assessed as part of 

the quantitative assessment of the United States and was also 

included in the qualitative analytic hierarchy process (AHP) 

analysis.
Figure C3. Map showing permissive tracts in the Chu-Sarysu Basin, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, that were defined for quantitative assessments ostratabound copper deposits (Box and others, 2012).

!

!

!

!

66° E 72° E

48° N45° N

60° E 

50° N40° N

AFGHA

UZBEKIST

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)Asia Lambert Conformal Conic projectionCentral meridian 70° E.; latitude of origin 0°

0 50 100 150 200 KILOMETERS0 50 100 MILES

Sediment-h

213

214

215

216

BISHKEK Dzhambul

Kyzylorda

Zhezkazgan

KAZAKHSTAN

KYRGYZSTAN
Chapter C. Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper Deposits 85

Figure C4. Map showing permissive tracts in the Katanga Basin, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia, that were defined for 

quantitative assessments of sediment-hosted stratabound copper deposits (Zientek, Bliss, and others, 2014).

!

!

!

26° E 28° E

10° S

12° S

14° S

20° E 30° E

10° S

20° S

ZIMBABWE

TANZANIA

ANGOLA

DEMOCRATIC

REPUBLIC OF

THE CONGO

ZAMBIA

BOTSWANA

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Africa Lambert Conformal Conic projection

Central meridian 25° E.; latitude of origin 0°

0 30 60 90 120 KILOMETERS

0 30 60 MILES

002ssCu1002, plate 234

002rfnbCu1001, plate 233

002rfceCu1000c, plate 232

002rfceCu1000b, plate 231

002rfceCu1000a, plate 230

Sediment-hosted stratabound copper tract

EXPLANATION

234

233

232

231

230

Lubumbashi

Kabwe

Ndola

ZAMBIA

DEMOCRATIC

REPUBLIC OF

THE CONGO
Figure C5. Map showing permissive tracts in the Kodar-Udokan Trough, Russia, that were defined for quantitative assessments of sediment-hosted deposits (Zientek, Chechetkin, and others, 2014).

117°00' E 118°00' E 119°00' E

57°00' N56°30' N

100° E 

60° N50° N

RUSSIA

MONGOLIA

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)Asia Lambert Conformal Conic projectionCentral meridian 118° E.; latitude of origin 0°

0 10 20 30 40 KILOMETERS0 10 20 MILES

150ssCu0006, plate 212150ssCu0005, plate 211150ssCu0004, plate 210

150ssCu0003, plate 209150ssCu0002, plate 208150ssCu0001, plate 207

Sediment-hosted stratabound copper tract

EXPLANATION

207

208

209

210

211

RUSSIA
Figure C6. Map showing permissive tracts in the Southern Permian Basin in Europe that were defined for quantitative and qualitative assessments ostratabound copper deposits (Zientek, Oszczepalski, and others, 2015). Tracts 220, 221, 223, and 224 were assessed quantitatively (table C4).

0° 10° E 20° E

55° N50° N

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)Europe Lambert Conformal Conic projectionCentral meridian 10° E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

0 100 200 300 400 KILOMETERS

0 100 200 MILES

226

225

224

223

222

221

220

RUSSIA

DENMARK

NETHERLANDS

POLAND

GERMANY

FRANCE UKRAINE

UNITED

KINGDOM

BELARUS

LITHUANIA

SWEDEN

LATVIA

CZECHIA

SLOVAKIA

BELGIUM

RUSSIA

DENMARK

NETHERLANDS

AUSTRIA HUNGARY
88 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Methodology

The quantitative mineral resource assessment of sedimenthosted stratabound copper deposits utilized the three-part form 

of assessment (Singer, 1993; Singer and Menzie, 2010; this 

volume, appendix 2). This form of assessment (also used for 

the porphyry copper assessment) is applicable to any type of 

mineral deposit provided that descriptive models and grade 

and tonnage models are available. In depicting results of this 

approach, maps show “permissive tracts,” where the geology permits the existence of deposits of one or more types. 

Probabilistic distributions of the amount of metal in place are 

used to express the potential amount of undiscovered mineral 

resource for quantitative assessments. Qualitative assessment 

results allow basins to be ranked according to the amount of 

undiscovered copper that may be present.

Permissive Tract Delineation

Permissive tracts represent the surface projection of part 

of the Earth’s crust and overlying surficial materials to a predetermined depth where undiscovered mineral resources may 

be present. The criteria for selecting the permissive volume of 

rock, or assessment unit, are provided by descriptive mineral 

deposit models and mineral systems models. Boundaries of the 

rock volume are defined such that the occurrence of deposits 

of the type being assessed outside the volume is negligible. 

In assessment reports and in the plates that accompany this 

report, maps show the permissive tracts along with locations 

of mineral deposits and prospects of the deposit type being 

assessed.

The assessment geologist creates maps that show where 

deposits of the type being sought may exist; in the process, 

areas that are thought to be barren of the deposit type are 

excluded. Specifically, area selection defines permissive 

regions where the existence of mineral deposits of the type 

sought is plausible on the basis of knowledge of environments 

at or near the surface of the Earth’s crust where the geological 

processes are or were favorable for mineral deposit formation 

(Singer, 1993).

Models guide assessment geologists as they use empirical 

information to discriminate between areas that may be mineralized and those that are likely to be barren. The methods and 

models used should allow people with similar experience and 

information to create consistent and comparable maps for different study areas and different deposit types. In most USGS 

studies, the “Geological Environment” section of the descriptive mineral deposit models is used to guide permissive tract 

delineation (Singer, 1993; Singer and Menzie, 2010). Tract 

delineation for sediment-hosted stratabound copper deposits 

for the global mineral resource assessment also relied on mineral systems models (Wyborn and others, 1994; Hitzman and 

others, 2005; Hayes and others, 2015). Specifically, the part 

of the mineral system where ore deposits are localized was 

used to define the assessment unit, which, in turn, was used to 

delineate the permissive tract on a map. Mappable indicators 

or proxies (measures of favorability) were used to identify a 

volume of rock where the geology permitted the existence of 

sediment-hosted stratabound copper deposits (the assessment 

unit or the permissive unit). Outside of the selected volume, 

the probability of occurrence for sediment-hosted stratabound 

copper deposits is negligible; that is, less than 1 in 100,000.

Sedimentary copper deposits are hydrothermal deposits formed in a sedimentary basin during diagenesis; that is, 

all the chemical, physical, and biologic changes that affect a 

sediment after its initial deposition and during and after the 

process of conversion to a coherent rock (lithification). The 

mineral system is defined by variations of the source-transporttrap paradigm (Magoon and Dow, 1994; Wyborn and others, 

1994; Magoon and Schmoker, 2000; Hitzman and others, 

2005, 2010; Cox and others, 2007; Hayes and others, 2015). 

The formation of sediment-hosted stratabound copper deposits 

in sedimentary basins requires a source of metals, a fluid that 

extracts and moves metals away from the source rocks, a pathway that allows the movement of these ore-bearing fluids, and 

a trap that fixes metal in an ore body (Taylor, 2000; Hitzman 

and others, 2005; Cox and others, 2007; Hayes and others, 

2015). Previous USGS mineral resource assessment studies 

for sediment-hosted stratabound copper deposits emphasized 

the juxtaposition of red beds (with or without evaporite) with 

reduced strata in order to define areas where undiscovered 

resources could be present (Hodges and others, 1984; Spanski 

and McKelvey, 1990; Spanski, 1992; Box and others, 1996; 

U.S. Geological Survey National Mineral Resource Assessment Team, 2000).

For the purposes of this assessment, the following components of the sediment-hosted stratabound copper mineral 

system were considered essential when delineating permissive volumes of rock: (1) reservoir facies red bed rocks were 

juxtaposed against strata that contained reductants (most likely 

organic material), (2) these rocks had undergone diagenesis at 

intermediate burial depths of 1–5 kilometers (km) and at temperatures ranging from 70 to 160 °C, and (3) subsurface water 

that was enriched in copper must have been present. Maps, 

cross sections, and stratigraphic sections can be used to map 

hydrologically conductive sequences of rock with appropriate stratigraphic relations. Studies of the cementation history 

and time-stratigraphic relations can be used to constrain the 

burial history of the rocks. However, the information usually 

available for assessments does not have any proxies for the 

presence of copper-enriched subsurface water other than the 

presence of copper deposits and prospects in some portion of 

the basin that is being evaluated. For the global assessment, 

the permissive tract defined the volume of permissive rocks 

within 2 to 2.5 km of the surface, depending on the study area. 

This depth is based on current technological or economic 

limits for mining the deposit type.
Chapter C. Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper Deposits 89

Probabilistic Estimation

In order to estimate undiscovered resources, numbers of 

undiscovered deposits of a given type are estimated at various quantile levels for the permissive tracts. By using Monte 

Carlo simulations, these undiscovered deposit estimates are 

combined with appropriate tonnage and grade models for the 

deposit type being assessed to derive a probability distribution 

for the amounts of commodities and rock that could be present 

in undiscovered deposits. For this study, about 170 wellexplored deposits were used to construct several sedimenthosted stratabound copper grade and tonnage models (Zientek, 

Hayes, and Taylor, 2013). Monte Carlo simulation was done 

by using EMINERS (Duval, 2012); the computational process 

was described by Root and others (1992). Simulation results 

are reported at selected quantile levels, together with the mean 

expected amount of metal, the probability of the mean, and the 

probability of no resources being present.

Qualitative Ranking

Qualitative assessments were conducted where information was insufficient for a complete probabilistic quantitative 

assessment. Ten areas were qualitatively assessed by using a 

decision support tool, the analytic hierarchy process (AHP), to 

rank them according to their potential to contain undiscovered 

sediment-hosted stratabound copper deposits. The AHP is a 

structured technique for making complex decisions that quantifies the qualitative evaluation process (Saaty, 1980; Meyer 

and Booker, 2001; Saaty and Vargas, 2001).

The AHP is a theory of measurement used to derive 

relative priorities on absolute scales from paired comparisons 

in multilevel hierarchic structures (Saaty, 1980; Malczewski, 

1999, p. 217–223; Saaty and Vargas, 2001; Coulter and others, 

2006). The AHP involves (1) decomposing the decision into 

a hierarchy of components that can be evaluated with pairwise comparisons, (2) creating sets of comparison matrices 

by evaluating the pairwise comparisons in the hierarchy, 

(3) calculating priorities from the comparison matrices for 

each element in the hierarchy, and (4) constructing a composite set of priorities for the alternatives being considered. 

In this study, our goal was to decide which of the 10 areas 

(the alternatives) have the greatest potential for undiscovered 

copper. The decision was decomposed into a hierarchy of 

pairwise comparisons that captured the essential elements of 

the problem (Saaty, 1980; Malczewski, 1999). In the hierarchy, 

the top level was the goal of the decision. The hierarchy then 

descended from general to more specific criteria until the set 

of alternatives was reached. Each element in an upper level 

was used to compare the elements in the level immediately 

below it (Saaty, 1980). The elements within a given level of 

the hierarchical structure were evaluated by using pairwise 

comparisons.

Pairwise comparisons reduce the conceptual complexity 

of decisionmaking because only two components are considered at any given time. Paired comparisons can be made by 

(1) rating items relative to each other in a qualitative evaluation 

or (2) using specified numerical scales (Meyer and Booker, 

2001). The result is a set of pairwise comparison matrices. 

For each pairwise comparison matrix, the eigenvalue is used 

to obtain a priority weight vector (Saaty, 1980). In addition 

to the eigenvalue and the eigenvector, consistency tests are 

also computed (Saaty, 1990). A sequence of multiplications of 

the matrices of relative weights at each level of the hierarchy 

is used to produce overall scores for each alternative (called 

“alternative utility” in this report).

For this study, the goal (the top level of the hierarchy) 

was a qualitative estimate of the amount of undiscovered copper that may be present in each of the 10 prospective basins. 

The alternatives (the bottom of the hierarchy) were the 10 

study areas (fig. C7). Three criteria were used at the second 

level of the hierarchy: (1) the sizes of the study areas (extent), 

(2) rock types and stratigraphic associations (lithostratigraphic 

framework), and (3) evidence for fluids capable of forming 

sediment-hosted stratabound copper deposits (mineralization). 

Figure C7 illustrates the factors that were considered in the 

pairwise correlations for each area.

Alternatives can be ranked by their importance in contributing to the goal of the analysis by simply sorting alternatives 

on the basis of their overall score. Those alternatives with the 

higher score receive a higher overall ranking. The most important outcome is a chart that compares alternative utility scores 

for the study areas (fig. C8). The Northwest Botswana Rift 

had the highest overall alternative utility score, which means 

that this area has a greater potential to contain undiscovered 

sediment-hosted stratabound copper deposits than the other 

nine areas that were considered.

All the study areas have maps showing permissive tracts; 

the maps also show identified deposits and prospects if any 

are known. Quantitatively assessed areas have a probabilistic 

estimate of the amount of undiscovered copper; study areas 

that were qualitatively assessed by the AHP were compared 

with a ranked list. The results for each tract are presented in 

the plates that accompany this report. Quantitative assessment results aggregated by world region and by sedimentary 

basin are presented in tables C1 and C2, respectively. Table C3 

(Western Hemisphere) and C4 (Eastern Hemisphere) provide 

a key to the plates and summarize results for individual tracts. 

Tables C3 and C4 follow the “References Cited” for this 

chapter C.

Study areas were selected on the basis of previous 

compilations of deposits and prospects by Kirkham and others 

(1994), Kirkham and Broughton (2005), and Cox and others 

(2007). As part of the assessment process, deposit and prospect information was reviewed and revised. For the areas that 

were assessed, there are 284 and 388 sites in the compilations 

by Cox and others (2007) and Kirkham and others (1994), 
90 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Figure C7. Chart showing criteria hierarchy used for the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) analysis for 10 areas containing sedimenthosted stratabound copper deposits throughout the world.

Deposit subtype

present

Mineralization

Not well

explored

Size of deposits,

occurrences, 

and sites

Significant deposits

Occurrences 

Insignificant deposits

Sites

Extent of study

area

Potential for most

undiscovered

copper?

Study area size

Map resolution

Assessment

depth

Lithostratigraphic

framework

Sandstone copper subtype

Reservoir facies

rocks in red bed

sequence

Potential source of

hydrocarbons

Alteration zones

mapped

Stratigraphic or

structural traps

Reduced-facies

copper subtype

Salt seal overlying

potential ore host

Footwall basaltic

volcanic rocks

Reduced lithologies

overlying red beds

Goal

Criteria

Alternatives 10 permissive tracts

Figure C8. Bar graph showing qualitative ranking of 10 basins determined by the analytic hierarchy 

process (AHP). They were ranked according to their potential to contain undiscovered sediment-hosted 

stratabound copper deposits. Alternative utility is the overall score derived from the AHP method.

14.7

12.6 12.3

10.3 10.1

9.35 9.23

7.57

6.92 6.88

Northwest

Botswana

Rift

(pl. 235)

Benguela

& Cuanza

Basins

(pl. 236)

Egypt-IsraelJordan Rift

(pl. 229)

Redstone

Copperbelt

(pl. 194)

Dongchuan

Group rocks

(pl. 218)

Belt-Purcell

Basin

(pl. 193)

Neuquén

Basin

(pl. 189)

Maritimes

Basin

(pl. 196)

Chuxiong

Basin

(pl. 219)

Salta Rift

System

(pl. 190)

Tract name (plate number)

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

Alternative utility, in percent

Mineralization

Extent of tract area

Lithostratigraphic framework

EXPLANATION
Chapter C. Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper Deposits 91

Table C1. Aggregated assessment results for identified copper resources and estimates of undiscovered copper resources in 

sediment-hosted stratabound copper deposits by world regions.

[Results of probabilistic estimates of undiscovered copper resources are reported as means and selected percentiles (90, 50, 10) for aggregated results by 

region, assuming statistical independence; 90 represents a 90-percent chance of at least the amount indicated. Tract extent and identified copper resources refer 

to all tracts within the region; mean and percentiles apply to tracts that were assessed quantitatively. See tables C3 and C4 and plates for results for individual 

tracts. Resources are reported to two significant figures. Four of the 11 world regions defined for the global assessment did not contain significant sedimenthosted copper deposits and are not listed in this table: the Central America and Caribbean, Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia Archipelagos, and Eastern Australia 

regions. km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons; NA, not applicable, as a quantitative assessment was not done]

Region Plates Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Estimates of 

undiscovered in-place copper resources 

(Mt)

Mean 90 50 10

South America 189–190 153,520 0.39 NA NA NA NA

North America 191–206 414,833 14 55 15 48 110

Central and Eastern Asia 207–217 178,246 47 55 22 49 90

Southeast Asia 218–219 28,594 4.5 NA NA NA NA

Europe 220–226 162,388 79 130 38 110 230

Middle East 227–229 30,762 7.9 13 0.052 4.8 36

Africa 230–236 165,764 160 170 81 150 260

World total 1,134,107 310 420 270 400 560

respectively. The revised database used for the global assessment of sediment-hosted stratabound copper deposits contains 

1,002 sites (Dicken and others, 2016). This revised database 

is significantly different in that there are more records and the 

site locations are more precise. The changes reflect the use of 

the world wide web to find and access information and GIS 

technology and satellite imagery to verify site locations. For 

some areas, scientific cooperators provided new information 

that previously was not in the public domain (for example, 

Syusyura and others, 2010).

The areas of the world that are included in the quantitative assessment of sediment-hosted stratabound copper 

deposits have identified copper resources of 310 Mt and a 

mean of 420 Mt of undiscovered copper (table C1). About 

70 percent of the estimated undiscovered copper is in two 

sedimentary basins: the Katanga Basin in the Democratic 

Republic of the Congo and Zambia and the Southern Permian Basin in Europe (table C2). These basins contain about 75 

percent of the copper identified in discovered sediment-hosted 

stratabound deposits. Of the 10 areas assessed qualitatively 

by using the AHP, the Northwest Botswana Rift in Botswana 

and Namibia and the Benguela and Cuanza Basins in Angola 

had the highest rankings (fig. C8). These were followed by 

Cambrian sedimentary rocks in a rift in Egypt, Israel, and 

Jordon, the Redstone Copperbelt in the Mackenzie Mountains 

in the Yukon Territory in Canada, the basin that includes the 

Dongchuan Group rocks, China (Yangtze Block, South China 

Craton), and the Belt-Purcell Basin in the United States and 

Canada (pl. 193), which was included in both the quantitative 

and qualitative assessments (fig. C8 and table C2).

Two basins stand out for their potential for undiscovered copper resources in sediment-hosted stratabound copper 

deposits—the Katanga Basin in the Democratic Republic of 

the Congo and Zambia (pls. 230–234) and the Southern Permian Basin in Europe (pls. 220–226). Both basins have large 

amounts of identified copper and a long history of mineral 

development.

The Katangan area was one of three primary sources 

of copper traded in sub-Saharan Africa up to the late 19th 

century (Herbert, 1984). Archeological findings suggest that 

malachite outcrops in the copperbelt were mined as early as 

the fourth century A.D. (Bisson, 2000). Indigenous peoples 

may have smelted at least 100,000 t of copper, requiring the 

mining of over 1,000,000 Mt of ore and waste (Ball, 1922). 

Western colonial enterprises began mining in the early 1900s, 

and exploration resulted in the discovery of about 90 deposits 

in what has come to be known as the Central African Copperbelt. The mean estimate of undiscovered copper in the Katanga 

Basin, 170 Mt, is slightly greater than the known resources 

of 150 Mt (table C2). Significant value can be expected 

from associated metals, particularly cobalt. The three tracts 

(002rfceCu1000a, b, c shown on pls. 230–232) that contain 

most of the mean undiscovered copper in the Katanga Basin 

(table C4) also have the potential for near-surface, undiscovered 

deposits. The significant prospects in these tracts were ranked 

and assigned probabilities to estimate the amount of undiscovered metal that might be present at or near the surface. Simulation results indicate a mean value of 37 Mt of undiscovered 

copper may be within these significant prospects. Sites similar 

to these are most likely to be developed in the near future.
92 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Table C2. Aggregated assessment results for identified copper resources and estimates of undiscovered copper resources in 

sediment-hosted stratabound copper deposits by sedimentary basins for 13 basins that were quantitatively assessed.

[Undiscovered resources were estimated probabilistically as described in table C1; 90 represents a 90-percent chance of at least the amount shown, and other 

percentiles are similarly defined. Resources are reported to two significant figures. km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Basin Tract area 

(km2) Plates

Number 

of known 

deposits

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Estimates of 

undiscovered in-place copper resources 

(Mt)

Mean 90 50 10

North America region

Anadarko-Palo Duro-Midland Permian 

Basin—United States 186,791 191 3 0.046 16 0.060 5.8 46

Midcontinent Rift—United States 123,147 192 2 9.4 18 0.59 10 47

Belt-Purcell Basin—United States and 

Canada 1,633 193 11 3.2 10 1.4 5.2 26

Culpeper Basin—United States 11,566 195 0 0 6.6 0.037 1.4 19

Central European Basin System—

Greenland 2,176 197 0 0 0.27 0 0 0

Jameson Land Basin—Greenland 5,601 198–204 0 0 3.2 0.1 0.63 9.9

Eleonore Bay Basin—Greenland 3,055 205–206 0 0 1.3 0 0 0.96

Central and Eastern Asia region

Kodar-Udokan Trough—Russia 3,015 207–212 2 20 21 4.6 16 42

Chu-Sarysu Basin—Kazakhstan and 

Kyrgyzstan 125,517 213–216 8 28 25 5.6 20 49

Teniz Basin—Kazakhstan 49,714 217 0 0 8.9 0.33 3.7 25

Europe region

Southern Permian Basin—Denmark, 

Germany, Lithuania, Netherlands, 

Poland, Russia, and United 

Kingdom

162,388 220–226 10 79 130 38 110 230

Middle East region

Kabul Block—Afghanistan 4,439 227 6 6.4 13 0.053 4.8 36

Africa region

Katanga Basin—Democratic Republic 

of the Congo and Zambia 23,133 230–234 85 150 170 81 150 260
Chapter C. Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper Deposits 93

The assessment of the Katanga Basin focused on the 

stratigraphic interval where most of the copper mineralization 

has been found. Recently, the world-class Kamoa deposit in 

the Democratic Republic of the Congo has been found in a 

different stratigraphic interval, upsection from the part of the 

section that historically has been explored for large sedimenthosted stratabound copper deposits in the Central African 

Copperbelt (Broughton and Rogers, 2010a, b). This discovery 

raises the possibility that additional undiscovered deposits are 

present in areas not considered in this study.

Copper mining in the Southern Permian Basin of Europe 

likely began in the High Middle Ages (approximately A.D. 

1000–1299). Ore production significantly increased during the industrial revolution; however, the largest identified 

deposit in the basin (pl. 223) was not discovered until 1957 

in southwestern Poland at a depth of 600 meters (m). Since 

1958, about 15 Mt of copper has been produced, leaving 

about 30 Mt of copper in remaining resources. Drilling in 

southwestern Poland clearly shows that ore-grade, mineralized rocks extend at depth. Mean estimates of the amount of 

undiscovered copper to depths of 2.5 km are about 110 Mt. 

Most of the undiscovered resource in southwestern Poland 

will be below depths of 1.5 km where virgin rock temperatures 

will exceed 50 °C. There is enough drilling information to use 

geostatistical methods to estimate the amount of undiscovered 

metal that may be present (see this volume, appendix 2). The 

mean values to a depth of 2,500 m were 62 and 97 Mt and 

were obtained by the USGS by using Gaussian geostatistical 

simulation and the three-part form of assessment, respectively. See Zientek, Oszczepalski, and others (2015) for more 

information.

Discussion

The USGS mineral resource assessment methodology 

outlines the process to discriminate areas with mineral potential from those that are nonpermissive and to place value on 

the resources that may be present. The actual outcomes reflect 

the quality of information that is available for the assessment 

and the knowledge and skill of the assessment team. These 

factors affect the areas and shapes defined for the permissive 

tracts and the uncertainty associated with the undiscovered 

resource estimates.

The “Look” of Permissive Tracts on Maps

Permissive tracts are defined by geology. Therefore, they 

should have shapes consistent with the volumes of permissive 

rock projected to the Earth’s surface. For a sediment-hosted 

stratabound copper deposit, a thin tabular concave sheet is a 

simple geometric approximation for the permissive volume of 

rock. Depending on the orientation of the tabular layer with 

respect to the surface, permissive tract shapes range from 

linear arcs to ellipses. One edge of the permissive tract usually 

corresponds to the lower geologic contact of the permissive 

unit.

For the sediment-hosted stratabound copper assessment, 

available information strongly affected the assessment unit 

used to delineate the permissive rock volume and corresponding tract. For most areas, the assessment unit ended up being 

defined by general lithostratigraphic associations (such as the 

presence of red beds) where sediment-hosted stratabound copper deposits and prospects were known. For some of our study 

areas, two limitations affected the assessment: (1) geologic 

maps showed the distribution of map units but did not illustrate the orientation of rock units, and (2) subsurface information in the form of cross sections, seismic data, or drilling data 

that would constrain the subsurface geometry of rocks was 

not available. Without information on the orientation of rock 

layers, it was not possible to accurately project the surface 

geology to depth to generate a rock volume for the permissive tract. In these situations, the permissive tracts essentially 

show the surface extent of the stratigraphic unit known to host 

sediment-hosted stratabound copper deposits and prospects 

(for example, the Benguela and Cuanza Basins in Angola, 

pl. 236). For other areas, subsurface information allowed a 

stratigraphic unit to be traced into the subsurface; however, the 

subsurface extent of the unit was found to be above the assessment depth limit of 2.5 km below the Earth’s surface. In this 

situation, an entire sedimentary basin makes up the permissive 

tract extent because no other data were available to reduce the 

tract area (for example, the Teniz Basin, Kazakhstan, pl. 217). 

In other situations, depth constraints and a sedimentary-facies 

boundary were available to constrain the tract (for example, 

Cambrian rocks of the Egypt-Israel-Jordan Rift, pl. 229). 

Three study areas had enough information on the subsurface 

extent of permissive rocks and on the distribution of critical 

mineral systems components to restrict the permissive tract 

extent within the basin: the Katanga Basin in the Democratic 

Republic of the Congo and Zambia (fig. C4), the Southern 

Permian Basin in Europe (fig. C6), and the Belt-Purcell Basin 

in the United States and Canada (pl. 193). In summary, when 

looking at the tracts, the reader should be aware that the tract 

outlines vary according to the geometry of rock layers and the 

quality of available information.

Probabilistic Assessment Results

For the quantitative assessments, Monte Carlo methods 

were used to combine the estimates of undiscovered deposits with the appropriate tonnage and grade distributions to 

estimate the amount of contained metal that may be present 

in undiscovered deposits. Each simulation trial in the Monte 

Carlo computation yields a possible value of contained metal 

in place that is based upon randomly sampling values from the 

input distributions. The results of all the simulation trials can 

be summarized by using various statistical measures such as 

the mean (or average value) and illustrated in graphs.
94 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Figure C9. Graphs showing for each permissive tract (A) mean estimates of undiscovered copper resources plotted on a logarithmic 

scale, (B) probabilities of the mean estimated amount of copper existing, and (C) probabilities of zero undiscovered copper resources 

existing. Tracts are grouped by sedimentary basin and are shown in the same order in parts A, B, and C. Each bar represents data for an 

individual tract within a basin, arranged in order of decreasing mean copper within the basin. The basins are ordered from left to right in 

terms of decreasing maximum mean estimates of undiscovered copper in tracts within each basin (tables C3 and C4).

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

Mean estimate of undiscovered copper resources, in millions of metric tons

A

AnadarkoPalo Duro-

 Midland

Permian Basin

Midcontinent

Rift

Katanga

Basin

Southern

Permian Basin

Kabul

Block

Eleonore Bay

Basin

Jameson Land

Basin

Kodar-Udokan

 Trough

Culpeper

Basin

Teniz

Basin

Chu-Sarysu

Basin

Belt-Purcell

Basin

Greenland portion

of the Central

European

Basin System

Sedimentary basin

0.0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

0.8

0.9

1.0

Probability of the mean estimated amount of copper existing

B

AnadarkoPalo DuroMidland

Permian Basin

Midcontinent

Rift

Katanga

Basin

Southern

Permian Basin

Kabul

Block

Eleonore Bay

Basin

Jameson Land

Basin

Kodar-Udokan

 Trough

Culpeper

Basin

Teniz

Basin

Chu-Sarysu

Basin

Belt-Purcell

Basin

Greenland portion

of the Central

European

Basin System

Sedimentary basin
Chapter C. Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper Deposits 95

There is a tendency to focus on the mean values of the 

simulation results when discussing assessment outcomes. 

This metric is easy for most people to understand and it is 

mathematically correct to add mean values when aggregating 

assessment results. However, when discussing mean values 

from assessment studies, it is equally important to consider the 

probability of the mean. Mean values for undiscovered copper 

resources and their corresponding probabilities are shown in 

figure C9. These graphs show the variability of assessment 

results within a basin and from basin to basin. The tracts are 

ordered by basin from left to right in terms of decreasing 

maximum mean estimates of undiscovered copper in the basin. 

Some basins (Midcontinent Rift, United States, pl. 192) are 

represented by a single tract. Other basins are represented by 

multiple tracts (Kodar-Udokan Trough, Russia, pls. 207–212). 

Mean values for individual tracts within a basin are shown by 

bars in different shades of orange in figure C9A. The graph in 

figure C9A has a logarithmic scale and shows that the mean 

estimates of undiscovered copper for two tracts—130 Mt for 

Katanga Basin tract 002rfceCu1000b (pl. 231) and 96 Mt for 

Southern Permian Basin tract 150rfnbCu0004 (pl. 223)—are 

about an order of magnitude higher than estimates for all other 

tracts. However, the graph of the probability associated with 

the mean shows that the chance that the amount of undiscovered copper is equal to the mean is less than 50 percent for all 

tracts (fig. C9B) and that chance decreases to 10 percent (probability = 0.1) or less for the tracts with the lowest estimates of 

undiscovered copper (fig. C9B).

The probability of zero copper resources is another 

important metric to consider (fig. C9C); for most tracts, there 

is less than a 10-percent chance that no undiscovered copper may be present. However, the chance of no undiscovered 

copper does vary and is over 90 percent for some tracts in the 

Jameson Land Basin and Eleonore Bay Basin in Greenland 

and the Greenland portion of the Central European Basin 

System.

Figure C9. Continued.

0.0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

0.8

0.9

1.0

Probability of zero undiscovered copper resources existing

C

AnadarkoPalo Duro-

 Midland

Permian Basin

Midcontinent

Rift

Katanga

Basin

Southern

Permian Basin

Kabul

Block

Eleonore Bay

Basin

Jameson Land

Basin

Kodar-Udokan

 Trough

Culpeper

Basin

Teniz

Basin

Chu-Sarysu

Basin

Belt-Purcell

Basin

Greenland portion

of the Central

European

Basin System

Sedimentary basin
96 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

By assuming complete independence between tracts, 

simulation results were aggregated for basins (table C2). 

Figure C10 graphs the actual simulation results aggregated for 

each basin as points and illustrates population percentiles with 

boxplots. Mean values are connected by a line between study 

areas; the copper axis is shown using a logarithmic scale in 

figure C10. Basins are ordered by decreasing mean estimates 

of undiscovered copper in each basin from left to right.

Figure C10 shows several interesting relations. The 

basins with tracts 002rfceCu1000b and 150rfnbCu0004—

Katanga Basin (fig. C4) and Southern Permian Basin 

(fig. C6)—have mean and median estimates of undiscovered 

copper that are about an order of magnitude higher than other 

basins. Mean values are higher than median values for all the 

basins; however, the disparity between the values increases as 

the mean copper value decreases (that is, the distance between 

the median red bar and the blue line in figure C10 increases 

from left to right across the graph). The assessment results 

indicate that at the most confident percentile (lowest red bar 

in figure C10), four basins will have undiscovered sedimenthosted stratabound copper resources (Katanga, Southern 

Permian, Chu-Sarysu, and Kodar-Udokan). If someone were 

risk adverse, these would be the places to explore for undiscovered copper resources of this deposit type. The most 

confident percentile indicates a resource of less than 1,000 t of 

copper for seven basins. The chances for little or no copper for 

the Eleonore Bay Basin in Greenland and the Greenland portion of the Central European Basin System are quite high.

Figure C10. Boxplots showing results of Monte Carlo simulations for sediment-hosted stratabound copper deposits 

aggregated by sedimentary basin and plotted on a logarithmic scale. Each boxplot shows the median value (red horizontal 

line) and the interquartile range between the 25th percentile (bottom of box) and the 75th percentile (top of box). The 

median of the probability distribution is the 50th percentile; that is, the value between the 50 percent of the data that are 

higher than the median and the 50 percent that are lower. The whiskers extend to the 10th and 90th percentiles. The blue 

line connects the mean values (table C2). The basins are ordered by decreasing mean estimates of undiscovered copper in 

each basin from left to right. CEBS Greenland, Greenland portion of the Central European Basin System.

1,000

10,000

100,000

1,000,000

10,000,000

100,000,000

1,000,000,000

Copper, in metric tons

 Katanga Basin

 Southern Permian Basin

 Chu-Sarysu Basin

 Kodar-Udokan Trough

 Midcontinent Rift

 Anadarko-Palo DuroMidland Permian Basin

 Kabul Block

 Belt-Purcell Basin

 Teniz Basin

 Culpeper Basin

 Jameson Land Basin

 Eleonore Bay Basin

 CEBS Greenland

Sedimentary basin
Chapter C. Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper Deposits 97

Qualitative Assessment Results

The AHP analysis identifies the Northwest Botswana 

Rift, the Benguela and Cuanza Basins, and the Cambrian rocks 

of Egypt-Israel-Jordan Rift as having the highest potential for 

undiscovered copper in sediment-hosted stratabound copper 

deposits relative to the seven other basins that were evaluated 

by using this approach (fig. C8). These study areas are candidates for more in-depth analysis, research, and evaluation.

Lessons Learned and Future Research 

Opportunities

The AHP tool may be an effective screening tool to 

decide which areas to quantitatively assess. Assessment 

projects usually have limited time and resources, and this 

technique could be used to select those areas with the greatest 

potential for undiscovered resource endowment.

Mineral systems models will become useful elements 

of future mineral resource assessments. Use of the models 

helped clarify logic and reasoning in the tract delineation and 

resource estimation process. At the same time, the exercise 

showed areas where further research is required to understand the ore-forming process and demonstrated the type of 

information that would be required to conduct an assessment 

using the models. For the most part, the areas we assessed had 

insufficient information to fully benefit from a mineral systems 

assessment approach. However, with sufficient information, 

assessment results were robust, reproducible, and consistent.

The lack of sufficient information in part stems from 

competing genetic concepts about the origin of sedimenthosted stratabound copper deposits that have been discussed in 

scientific literature: (1) syngenesis, in which the mineralization 

developed simultaneously with the deposition of the sediments, and (2) diagenesis, in which the mineralization formed 

later than the deposition of the sediments, from processes 

occurring at low temperatures and pressures during compaction and lithification. The diagenetic model of ore formation is 

now widely accepted. Field and laboratory evidence indicates 

that sediment-hosted stratabound copper deposits formed from 

late diagenetic fluids generated during the compaction and 

lithification of sedimentary basins containing successions of 

red beds and evaporites. A quote attributed to Albert Einstein 

says: “Whether you can observe a thing or not depends on the 

theory which you use. ... It is the theory which decides what 

can be observed” (Salam, 1990, p. 99). We found that hypotheses of ore formation affected what information scientists 

chose to observe and report for sediment-hosted stratabound 

copper deposits; their selective observations ultimately limited 

the ability to conduct mineral assessments in some areas.

Prior to this study, there was no consensus on how to 

identify permissive rock units for sediment-hosted stratabound copper deposits. From the deposit and mineral system 

models, an association of red bed and evaporite sequences 

with a hydrocarbon-bearing ore trap would seem to define 

the assessment unit for sediment-hosted stratabound copper deposits. However, this definition excludes rocks that 

host some important deposits (those that are in basins with 

no known evaporites) and would identify large volumes of 

rock as permissive that appear to be barren. The ignorance of 

conditions under which an oxidized brine is developed and 

preserved in a sedimentary basin is a key obstacle to understanding how and where sediment-hosted stratabound deposits 

form.

The concentration of most of the identified resources of 

sediment-hosted stratabound copper into two sedimentary 

basins (the Neoproterozoic Katanga and the Southern Permian) invites additional research on the role of secular variation 

in the formation of this deposit type. In particular, the links to 

the eruption of mafic lavas related to large igneous provinces 

and to global glaciation events (with associated changes in 

seawater chemistry and the possibility of catastrophic flooding 

of continental basins) are two areas for investigation.

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Tables C3, C4
104 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Table C3. Summary of assessment results for identified copper resources and mean estimates of undiscovered in-place copper 

resources in sediment-hosted stratabound copper deposits in the Western Hemisphere by permissive tract.—Continued

[Resources are reported to two significant figures. Coded_ID, a unique identifier for each tract, where rfCu = reduced-facies copper subtype, rfnbCu = reducedfacies-nonbrecciated copper subtype, shCu = general sediment-hosted copper that includes all subtypes, and ssCu = sandstone copper subtype. km2

, square 

kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons; NA, not applicable, as a quantitative assessment was not done. For North American tract names, terms in parentheses are 

model numbers from source reports cited in the plates]

Plate 

number Basin name Tract name Coded_ID

Tract 

area 

(km2)

Number 

of known 

deposits

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Mean 

estimate of 

undiscovered 

in-place 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

South America region

189 Neuquén Basin—Argentina 

and Chile

Neuquén Basin 005ssCu5100 126,175 9 0.18 NA

190 Salta Rift System—Argentina Salta Rift System 005rfCu5101 27,345 2 0.21 NA

South America region total 153,520 11 0.39 NA

North America region

191 Anadarko-Palo DuroMidland Permian Basin—

United States

Great Plains (GP04) 003rfnbCu3002 186,791 3 0.046 16

192 Midcontinent Rift—

United States

Lake Superior (LS07) 003rfnbCu3003 123,147 2 9.4 18

193 Belt-Purcell Basin—United 

States and Canada

Belt-Purcell Basin 003ssCu3100 1,633 11 3.2 10

194 Redstone Copperbelt—

Canada

Redstone Copperbelt 003rfCu3000 8,923 3 1.4 NA

195 Culpeper Basin—

United States

Southern Appalachian 

Mountains (SA18)

003rfnbCu3004 11,566 0 0 6.6

196 Maritimes Basin—Canada Maritimes Basin 003shCu1000 71,941 2 0.05 NA

197 Central European Basin 

System—Greenland

Ravnefjeld Formation 

(CE 2 and CE 4–15)

003rfnbCu0004 2,176 0 0 0.27
Chapter C. Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper Deposits 105

Table C3. Summary of assessment results for identified copper resources and mean estimates of undiscovered in-place copper 

resources in sediment-hosted stratabound copper deposits in the Western Hemisphere by permissive tract.—Continued

[Resources are reported to two significant figures. Coded_ID, a unique identifier for each tract, where rfCu = reduced-facies copper subtype, rfnbCu = reducedfacies-nonbrecciated copper subtype, shCu = general sediment-hosted copper that includes all subtypes, and ssCu = sandstone copper subtype. km2

, square 

kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons; NA, not applicable, as a quantitative assessment was not done. For North American tract names, terms in parentheses are 

model numbers from source reports cited in the plates]

Plate 

number Basin name Tract name Coded_ID

Tract 

area 

(km2)

Number 

of known 

deposits

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Mean 

estimate of 

undiscovered 

in-place 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

North America region—Continued

198 Jameson Land Basin—

Greenland

Pingel Dal Beds 

(CE 1B)

003rfnbCu0001 917 0 0 0.17

199 Jameson Land Basin—

Greenland

Pingel Dal Beds 

(CE 1A)

003rfnbCu0005 2,507 0 0 0.68

200 Jameson Land Basin—

Greenland

Huledal Formation 

(CE 15)

003ssCu0001 154 0 0 0.012

201 Jameson Land Basin—

Greenland

Huledal Formation 

(CE 13–14)

003ssCu0002 362 0 0 0.92

202 Jameson Land Basin—

Greenland

Huledal Formation 

(CE 2)

003ssCu0003 395 0 0 0.12

203 Jameson Land Basin—

Greenland

Huledal Formation 

(CE 8–12)

003ssCu0004 445 0 0 1.2

204 Jameson Land Basin—

Greenland

Huledal Formation 

(CE 4–7)

003ssCu0005 821 0 0 0.099

205 Eleonore Bay Basin—

Greenland

Eleonore Bay Supergroup 

(CE 7–8)

003rfnbCu0002 998 0 0 0.70

206 Eleonore Bay Basin—

Greenland

Eleonore Bay Supergroup 

(CE 1–6 and CE 9–16)

003rfnbCu0003 2,057 0 0 0.56

North America region total 414,833 21 14 55

Western Hemisphere total 568,353 32 14 55
106 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Table C4. Summary of assessment results for identified copper resources and mean estimates of undiscovered in-place copper 

resources in sediment-hosted stratabound copper deposits in the Eastern Hemisphere by permissive tract.—Continued

[Resources are reported to two significant figures. Coded_ID, a unique identifier for each tract, where rfceCu = reduced-facies–carbonate-écaille copper 

subtype, rfCu = reduced-facies copper subtype, rfnbCu = reduced-facies-nonbrecciated copper subtype, and ssCu = sandstone copper subtype. km2, square 

kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons; NA, not applicable, as a quantitative assessment was not done. For Middle East tract names, terms in parentheses are 

model numbers from source reports cited in plates]

Plate 

number Basin name Tract name Coded_ID

Tract 

area 

(km2)

Number 

of known 

deposits

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Mean 

estimate of 

undiscovered 

in-place 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Central and Eastern Asia region

207 Kodar-Udokan Trough—

Russia

Sulban 150ssCu0001 591 0 0 5.3

208 Kodar-Udokan Trough—

Russia

Saku 150ssCu0002 826 1 19 4.7

209 Kodar-Udokan Trough—

Russia

Ingamakit 150ssCu0003 565 0 0 3.9

210 Kodar-Udokan Trough—

Russia

Unkur 150ssCu0004 301 1 0.68 1.8

211 Kodar-Udokan Trough—

Russia

Krasnoe 150ssCu0005 603 0 0 3.6

212 Kodar-Udokan Trough—

Russia

Burpala 150ssCu0006 129 0 0 1.3

213 Chu-Sarysu Basin—

Kazakhstan

Dzhezkazgan Subbasin 142ssCu8001 753 6 25 5.1

214 Chu-Sarysu Basin—

Kazakhstan

Tesbulak Subbasin 142ssCu8002 31,681 2 2.7 9.9

215 Chu-Sarysu Basin—

Kazakhstan

Kokpansor Subbasin 142ssCu8003 28,227 0 0 8.0

216 Chu-Sarysu Basin—

Kazakhstan and 

Kyrgyzstan

Muyunkum Subbasin 142ssCu8004 64,856 0 0 2.1

217 Teniz Basin—Kazakhstan Teniz Basin 142ssCu8050 49,714 0 0 8.9

Central and Eastern Asia region total 178,246 10 47 55

Southeast Asia region

218 Yangtze Block, South China 

Craton—China

Dongchuan Group rocks 142rfCu4000 8,747 8 3.2 NA

219 Chuxiong Basin—China Chuxiong Basin 142ssCu6000 19,847 12 1.3 NA

Southeast Asia region total 28,594 20 4.5 NA
Chapter C. Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper Deposits 107

Table C4. Summary of assessment results for identified copper resources and mean estimates of undiscovered in-place copper 

resources in sediment-hosted stratabound copper deposits in the Eastern Hemisphere by permissive tract.—Continued

[Resources are reported to two significant figures. Coded_ID, a unique identifier for each tract, where rfceCu = reduced-facies–carbonate-écaille copper 

subtype, rfCu = reduced-facies copper subtype, rfnbCu = reduced-facies-nonbrecciated copper subtype, and ssCu = sandstone copper subtype. km2, square 

kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons; NA, not applicable, as a quantitative assessment was not done. For Middle East tract names, terms in parentheses are 

model numbers from source reports cited in plates]

Plate 

number Basin name Tract name Coded_ID

Tract 

area 

(km2)

Number 

of known 

deposits

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Mean 

estimate of 

undiscovered 

in-place 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Europe region

220 Southern Permian Basin—

Germany

Hercynian-Thüringian 

Basin

150rfnbCu0001 18,268 4 3.0 4.2

221 Southern Permian Basin—

Germany

Hessian Depression 150rfnbCu0002 38,172 1 0.42 15

222 Southern Permian Basin—

Netherlands and United 

Kingdom

North Sea 150rfnbCu0003 23,893 0 0 NA

223 Southern Permian Basin—

Poland and Germany

Dolny Śląsk (Lower 

Silesia)

150rfnbCu0004 18,670 3 74 96

224 Southern Permian Basin—

Germany

Spremberg-Wittenberg 150rfnbCu0005 6,144 2 1.5 11

225 Southern Permian Basin—

Lithuania, Poland, and 

Russia

Baltic Basin 150rfnbCu0006 53,084 0 0 NA

226 Southern Permian Basin—

Denmark and Germany

Jutland Peninsula 150rfnbCu0007 4,157 0 0 NA

Europe region total 162,388 10 79 130

Middle East region

227 Kabul Block—Afghanistan Aynak (sedcu01) 142rfCu4001 4,439 6 6.4 13

228 Kundalyan Area—

Afghanistan

Kundalyan (sedcu02) 142rfCu4002 331 0 0 NA

229 Egypt-Israel-Jordan Rift—

Egypt, Israel, and Jordan

Egypt-Israel-Jordan Rift 002rfCu2001 25,992 4 1.5 NA

Middle East region total 30,762 10 7.9 13
108 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Table C4. Summary of assessment results for identified copper resources and mean estimates of undiscovered in-place copper 

resources in sediment-hosted stratabound copper deposits in the Eastern Hemisphere by permissive tract.—Continued

[Resources are reported to two significant figures. Coded_ID, a unique identifier for each tract, where rfceCu = reduced-facies–carbonate-écaille copper 

subtype, rfCu = reduced-facies copper subtype, rfnbCu = reduced-facies-nonbrecciated copper subtype, and ssCu = sandstone copper subtype. km2, square 

kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons; NA, not applicable, as a quantitative assessment was not done. For Middle East tract names, terms in parentheses are 

model numbers from source reports cited in plates]

Plate 

number Basin name Tract name Coded_ID

Tract 

area 

(km2)

Number 

of known 

deposits

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Mean 

estimate of 

undiscovered 

in-place 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Africa region

230 Katanga Basin—Democratic 

Republic of the Congo

Southern Carbonate 

Écaille 

002rfceCu1000a 1,334 2 0.15 13

231 Katanga Basin—Democratic 

Republic of the Congo and 

Zambia

Central Carbonate 

Écaille

002rfceCu1000b 3,538 52 61 130

232 Katanga Basin—Democratic 

Republic of the Congo

Northern Carbonate 

Écaille 

002rfceCu1000c 4,311 2 4.1 12

233 Katanga Basin—Democratic 

Republic of the Congo and 

Zambia

Ore Shale 002rfnbCu1001 890 9 71 5.1

234 Katanga Basin—Democratic 

Republic of the Congo and 

Zambia

Roan Arenite 002ssCu1002 13,060 20 16 8.4

235 Northwest Botswana Rift—

Botswana and Namibia

Northwest Botswana Rift 002rfCu2002 135,005 18 4.2 NA

236 Benguela and Cuanza 

Basins—Angola

Benguela and Cuanza 

Basins

002rfCu2000 7,626 2 0.15 NA

Africa region total 165,764 105 160 170

Eastern Hemisphere total 565,754 155 290 360
Glossary
110 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Glossary

The terminology used in the U.S. Geological Survey Global Mineral Resource Assessment 

is adapted from definitions established for mineral resource assessments conducted by the U.S. 

Geological Survey using the three-part form of mineral resource assessment (Singer, 1993), 

fundamental definitions for descriptive mineral deposit models and grade and tonnage mineral 

deposit models (Cox and Singer, 1986), and definitions for a mineral resource classification 

established by the U.S. Bureau of Mines and U.S. Geological Survey (1980). Other sources of 

definitions in this glossary are noted below.

craton A part of the Earth’s crust that has 

attained stability and has been little deformed 

for a prolonged period. The term is now 

restricted to continental areas that have 

not been pervasively metamorphosed and 

deformed for at least about one billion years. 

Cratons include shield areas, where Precambrian rocks are exposed, and platform areas, 

where Precambrian rocks are overlain by a 

thin layer of Phanerozoic strata (Neuendorf 

and others, 2011).

descriptive mineral deposit model A set of 

data and information in a convenient form 

that describes a group of mineral deposits 

having similar characteristics (U.S. Geological Survey National Mineral Resource 

Assessment Team, 2000, 2002). The model 

identifies the geologic environments in which 

the deposit type is found and gives identifying 

characteristics of the type.

discovered resources The total amount 

of identified resources and cumulative past 

production (U.S. Geological Survey National 

Mineral Resource Assessment Team, 2000, 

2002).

giant deposit A world-class mineral deposit 

having a contained metal content that ranks 

in the upper 10 percent of all known deposits. 

Accordingly, giant gold deposits contain at 

least 100 metric tons (t) of gold, giant silver 

deposits contain at least 2,400 t of silver, and 

giant copper, zinc, and lead deposits contain 

at least 2, 1.7, and 1 million metric tons (Mt) 

of their respective metals (Singer, 1995, p. 88, 

103). See also supergiant deposit.

grade Average metal content measured as 

a percentage of weight of a given volume of 

mineralized rock. It is estimated by taking 

and analyzing samples of the deposit (Singer, 

2007).

grade and tonnage mineral deposit 

model Frequency distributions of premining tonnages and average grades of 

well-explored deposits of a given type that 

are used as models for grades and tonnages 

of undiscovered deposits of the same type 

in geologically similar settings. Models are 

constructed on the basis of average grades 

of each commodity of possible economic 

interest and the associated tonnage based on 

the total production, reserves, and resources 

at the lowest possible cutoff grade (Singer 

and Berger, 2007). Mineral deposits in grade 

and tonnage models should be completely 

characterized in terms of location, tonnage, 

and grade.

hypogene Said of a geologic process, and 

of its resultant features, occurring within and 

below the crust of the Earth. Said of a mineral 

deposit formed by ascending solutions; also, 

said of those solutions and of that environment (Neuendorf and others, 2011).

identified resources Resources whose location, grade, quality, and quantity are known or 

are estimated from specific geologic evidence 

(U.S. Bureau of Mines and U.S. Geological 

Survey, 1980, p. 1).

metal endowment The sum of metal in all 

occurrences with specified characteristics, 

such as concentration, size, and depth (Harris, 

1984).

mineral deposit (a) A mineral occurrence 

of sufficient tonnage and grade that it might, 

under the most favorable of circumstances, 

be considered to have economic potential 

(Cox and Singer, 1986). (b) A mass of naturally occurring mineral materials, such as 

metal ores or nonmetallic minerals, usually 

of economic value, without regard to mode 

of origin (Neuendorf and others, 2011). 
Glossary 111

(c) An “accumulation of associated mineralized bodies that constitute [the products of] a 

single mineralizing event, including subsequent processes (e.g., oxidation and supergene 

enrichment) affecting part or all of the accumulation” (Barton and others, 1995, p. 81).

mineral deposit type (a) Deposits sharing 

a relatively wide variety and large number of 

attributes (Cox and Singer, 1986). (b) A “class 

representing all the recognized mineral deposits that are defined by physical and genetic 

factors that can be consistently differentiated 

from those of other classes or deposit types” 

(Barton and others, 1995, p. 80).

mineral occurrence (a) A concentration of a 

mineral that is considered valuable by someone somewhere, or that is of scientific or technical interest (Cox and Singer, 1986). (b) Any 

ore or economic mineral in any concentration 

found in bedrock or as float; especially a 

valuable mineral in a concentration sufficient 

to suggest further exploration (Neuendorf and 

others, 2011).

mineral prospect (a) An area that is a 

potential site of mineral deposits, as indicated 

by preliminary exploration. (b) Sometimes, 

an area that has been explored in a preliminary way but has not given evidence of 

economic value. (c) An area to be searched 

by some investigative technique, for example, 

geophysical prospecting. (d) A geologic or 

geophysical anomaly, especially one recommended for additional exploration. A prospect 

is distinct from a mine in that it is nonproducing (Neuendorf and others, 2011). (e) A 

mineral property whose value has not been 

proved by exploration (Bureau of Land Management, 1999).

mineral resource (a) A concentration of 

naturally occurring mineral material in or on 

the Earth’s crust in such form and amount that 

economic extraction of a commodity from 

the concentration is currently or potentially 

feasible (modified from U.S. Bureau of Mines 

and U.S. Geological Survey, 1980, p. 1, by 

adding the word “mineral”). (b) A concentration or occurrence of material of economic 

interest in or on the Earth’s crust in such form, 

quality, and quantity that there are reasonable 

prospects for eventual economic extraction. 

The location, quantity, grade, continuity, and 

other geological characteristics of a mineral 

resource are known, estimated, or interpreted 

from specific geological evidence, sampling, 

and knowledge (Committee for Mineral 

Reserves International Reporting Standards, 

2006). Please be aware that a growing consortium of the minerals industry now uses the 

second, more restricted definition of this term.

mineral resource assessment A study that 

evaluates the likelihood of occurrence of mineral deposits (resources) in terms of mineral 

resource potential. For qualitative assessment, 

the product is presented as labels or names. 

For quantitative assessment, the product is 

presented as numerical values (Singer and 

Menzie, 2010).

mineralization (a) Any single mineral or 

combination of minerals occurring in a mass, 

or deposit, of economic interest. The term is 

intended to cover all forms in which mineralization might occur, whether by class of 

deposit, mode of occurrence, genesis, or composition (Committee for Mineral Reserves 

International Reporting Standards, 2006). 

(b) The process or processes by which a 

mineral or minerals are introduced into a rock, 

resulting in a valuable or potentially valuable 

deposit (Neuendorf and others, 2011).

number of undiscovered mineral deposits 

estimate The probability, or degree of 

belief, that a fixed but unknown number of 

deposits like those in the grade and tonnage 

model exist in the delineated tracts (Singer, 

2007).

ore The naturally occurring material from 

which a mineral or minerals of economic 

value can be extracted at a reasonable profit. 

Also, the mineral(s) thus extracted (Neuendorf and others, 2011).

ore deposit (a) A mineral deposit that has 

been tested and is known to be of sufficient 

size, grade, and accessibility to be producible 

and to yield a profit (Cox and Singer, 1986). 

(b) A mineral deposit of high enough quality 

to be mined at a profit (Bureau of Land Management, 1999).

oxidation (a) The chemical combination of 

a substance with oxygen. (b) A chemical reaction in which an atom or ion loses electrons, 

thus undergoing an increase in valence; for 

example, removing an electron from an iron 

atom having a valence of +2 changes the 

valence to +3 (American Heritage Dictionaries, 2014).
112 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

permissive tract A geographic area delineated such that the probability of deposits 

of the type delineated occurring outside the 

boundary is negligible (that is, less than 1 in 

100,000 to 1,000,000) (Singer, 1993). The 

delineated area represents the surface projection of a portion of the Earth’s crust and 

overlying surficial materials that corresponds 

to a geologic environment described in a 

published deposit model; consequently, depth 

from surface is an essential part of a tract 

definition. A permissive tract can be subdivided into two or more parts that have different kinds of information or possibly different 

numbers of undiscovered deposits.

prospect See mineral prospect.

quantitative assessment of undiscovered 

resources A study that presents a numerical 

estimate of the amount and quality of undiscovered mineral resources present within a 

specific volume of the Earth’s crust; because 

of the uncertainty inherent in assessment of 

unknown resources, the results are presented 

probabilistically (Singer and Menzie, 2010).

reserve That part of a mineral deposit which 

could be economically and legally extracted 

or produced at the time of the reserve determination (Neuendorf and others, 2011).

resource A concentration of naturally 

occurring solid, liquid, or gaseous material 

in or on the Earth’s crust in such form and 

amount that economic extraction of a commodity from the concentration is currently or 

potentially feasible (U.S. Bureau of Mines 

and U.S. Geological Survey, 1980, p. 1).

significant deposit A mineral deposit having a contained metal content that ranks in 

the upper 99 percent of all known deposits. 

Accordingly, significant gold deposits contain 

at least 2 t of gold, significant silver deposits 

contain at least 85 t of silver, and significant 

copper, lead, and zinc deposits contain at least 

50,000, 30,000, and 50,000 t of their respective metals (Singer, 1995).

stratabound deposit A mineral deposit that 

is confined to a single stratigraphic unit.

stratiform deposit A special type of stratabound deposit in which the desired rock or 

ore constitutes, or is strictly coextensive with, 

one or more sedimentary, metamorphic, or 

igneous layers.

supergene enrichment The supergene 

processes of mineral deposition. Near-surface 

oxidation produces acidic solutions that leach 

metals, carry them downward, and reprecipitate them, thus enriching sulfide minerals 

already present. Supergene enrichment has 

been important in upgrading porphyry copper 

deposits to the status of ore (Neuendorf and 

others, 2011).

supergiant deposit A world-class mineral 

deposit having a contained metal content that 

ranks in the upper 1 percent of all known 

deposits. According to Singer (1995, p. 103), 

supergiant gold deposits contain at least 

1,200 t of gold, supergiant silver deposits 

contain at least 22,000 t of silver, and supergiant copper, zinc, and lead deposits contain 

at least 24, 12, and 7 Mt of their respective 

metals. For this report, supergiant deposits are 

defined as those that contain more than 24 Mt 

of copper (this volume, chap. A, table A4). 

See also giant deposit.

terrane A fault-bounded body of rock of 

regional extent, characterized by a geologic 

history different from that of contiguous 

terranes or bounding continents. A terrane 

is generally considered to be a discrete 

allochthonous fragment (moved from where 

it formed) of oceanic or continental material added to a craton at an active margin by 

accretion (Neuendorf and others, 2011).

three-part form of assessment An integrated 

approach to assessment that consists of three 

assessment parts and the models that support 

them. The first part uses models of tonnages 

and grades to estimate possible tonnages and 

grades of undiscovered deposits. The second 

part develops mineral resource maps that 

explore whether an area’s geology permits 

the existence of one or more types of mineral deposits. The product of this part of the 

assessment is identification of so-called permissive tracts of land. For those areas that are 

permissive, the third part of the assessment 

develops estimates of the possible number 

of undiscovered deposits of different types. 

These estimated undiscovered deposits are 

consistent with the grade and tonnage models 

of the first part. Mineral deposit models are 

used to aid in construction of the three parts 

and to help convert the output of the parts into 

forms helpful to decision makers (Singer and 

Menzie, 2010).
Glossary 113

tonnage Weight of the volume of mineralized rock (Singer, 2007).

undiscovered mineral deposit (a) A mineral 

deposit that may exist within a specified 

volume of the Earth’s crust (for example, 

1 kilometer or less below the surface of the 

ground). (b) An incompletely explored mineral occurrence or prospect that could have 

sufficient size and grade to be classed as a 

deposit. (c) A mineral deposit whose location 

and (or) grade, quality, and quantity of mineralized material are unknown or incompletely 

characterized.

undiscovered resource (a) Resources in 

undiscovered mineral deposits whose existence is postulated on the basis of indirect 

geologic evidence (U.S. Geological Survey 

National Mineral Resource Assessment Team, 

2000, p. 4). (b) Mineralized material whose 

location, grade, quality, and quantity are 

unknown or incompletely characterized.

world-class deposit World-class deposits 

represent the upper 10 percent of all deposits 

in terms of their contained copper content 

(Singer, 1995, p. 88, 103). Among the worldclass copper deposits, those that contain 2 Mt 

or more of copper are considered giants and 

those that contain more than 24 Mt of copper 

are referred to as supergiants.

References Cited

American Heritage Dictionaries, 2014, The 

American Heritage student science dictionary (2d ed.): New York, Houghton Mifflin 

Harcourt, 384 p.

Barton, P.B., Brew, D.A., Ludington, Steve, 

Lindsey, D.A., Ayuso, R.A., Force, E.R., 

Gamble, B.M., Goldfarb, R.J., John, D.A., 

and Johnson, K.M., 1995, Recommendations for assessments of undiscovered 

mineral resources: U.S. Geological Survey 

Open-File Report 95–82, variously paged. 

[Also available at https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/

publication/ofr9582.]

Bureau of Land Management, 1999, 3809 

surface management regulations—Draft 

EIS glossary: Bureau of Land Management web page, accessed July 25, 2007, 

at http://www.blm.gov/nhp/Commercial/

SolidMineral/3809/deis/glossary.html.

Committee for Mineral Reserves International 

Reporting Standards, 2006, International 

reporting template for the public reporting 

of exploration results, mineral resources 

and mineral reserves: Committee for 

Mineral Reserves International Reporting 

Standards, 33 p., accessed July 25, 2007, at 

http://www.crirsco.com/crirsco_template_

first_ed_0806.pdf.

Cox, D.P., and Singer, D.A., eds., 1986, 

Mineral deposit models: U.S. Geological 

Survey Bulletin 1693, 379 p. [Also available at https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/

b1693.]

Harris, D.P., 1984, Mineral resources 

appraisal—Mineral endowment, resources 

and potential supply—Concepts, methods, 

cases: Oxford, U.K., Oxford University 

Press, 464 p.

Neuendorf, K.K.E., Mehl, J.P., Jr., and Jackson, J.A., eds., 2011, Glossary of geology, 

fifth edition, revised: Alexandria, Va., 

American Geosciences Institute, 800 p.

Singer, D.A., 1993, Basic concepts in threepart quantitative assessments of undiscovered mineral resources: Nonrenewable 

Resources, v. 2, no. 2, p. 69–81.

Singer, D.A., 1995, World class base and 

precious metal deposits—A quantitative 

analysis: Economic Geology, v. 90, no. 1, 

p. 88–104.

Singer, D.A., 2007, Short course introduction 

to quantitative mineral resource assessments: U.S. Geological Survey OpenFile Report 2007–1434, 13 p. and slides, 

accessed June 1, 2015, at http://pubs.usgs.

gov/of/2007/1434/ and pubs.usgs.gov/

of/2007/1434/of2007-1434.pdf.

Singer, D.A., and Berger, V.I., 2007, Deposit 

models and their application in mineral 

resource assessments, in Briskey, J.A., 

and Schulz, K.J., eds., Proceedings for a 

Workshop on Deposit Modeling, Mineral 

Resource Assessment, and Their Role in 

Sustainable Development: U.S. Geological 

Survey Circular 1294, p. 71–78, accessed 

June 1, 2015, at http://pubs.usgs.gov/

circ/2007/1294/.
114 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Singer, D.A., and Menzie, W.D., 2010, Quantitative mineral resource assessments—An 

integrated approach: New York, Oxford 

University Press, 219 p.

U.S. Bureau of Mines and U.S. Geological 

Survey, 1980, Principles of a resource/

reserve classification for minerals: U.S. 

Geological Survey Circular 831, 5 p. 

[Also available at https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/

publication/cir831.]

U.S. Geological Survey National Mineral 

Resource Assessment Team, 2000, 1998 

assessment of undiscovered deposits of 

gold, silver, copper, lead, and zinc in the 

United States: U.S. Geological Survey 

Circular 1178, 21 p., 1 CD-ROM in pocket. 

[Also available at http://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/

c1178/. Recompiled in USGS Open-File 

Report 02–198.]

U.S. Geological Survey National Mineral 

Resource Assessment Team, 2002, Assessment of undiscovered deposits of gold, 

silver, copper, lead, and zinc in the United 

States; A Portable Document Format (PDF) 

recompilation of USGS Open-File Report 

96–96 and Circular 1178: U.S. Geological 

Survey Open-File Report 02–198, 1 CDROM. [Recompilation by Paul Schruben. 

Also available at http://pubs.usgs.gov/

of/2002/of02-198/.]
Appendixes 1–3
116 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Appendix 1. Individuals and Institutions Who

Contributed to the Studies Summarized in this 

Volume, the “Assessment of Undiscovered Copper 

Resources of the World, 2015”

The cooperation and contributions of many individuals and institutions throughout the 

world made it possible to complete this first-ever global assessment of undiscovered copper 

resources. This appendix has three lists to acknowledge the contributors. The first names the 

U.S. Geological Survey members and contractors who made up the U.S. Geological Survey 

Global Copper Mineral Resource Assessment Team that prepared this volume. The second list 

has international and U.S. scientific collaborators who provided data, local expertise in geology, 

and knowledge of mineral exploration history; they also participated in discussions of the likelihood of undiscovered deposits. The third list names the cooperating institutions.

U.S. Geological Survey Scientists and Contractors (*) on the 

U.S. Geological Survey Global Copper Mineral Resource 

Assessment Team

Walter J. Bawiec M. Christopher Jenkins*

Byron R. Berger Kathleen M. Johnson

Vladimir I. Berger Michael J. Kirschbaum

James D. Bliss Shane Kosta*

Arthur A. Bookstrom Michael Landkammer*

Stephen E. Box Thomas D. Light

Deborah A. Briggs* Kassandra Lindsey*

Joseph A. Briskey Steve Ludington

Hannah Campbell* John C. Mars

J. Douglas Causey Mark J. Mihalasky

Pamela M. Cossette Robert J. Miller

Dennis P. Cox Warren J. Nokleberg

Charles G. Cunningham Heather L. Parks

Michael W. DeMarr* Stephen G. Peters

Paul D. Denning Gilpin R. Robinson, Jr.

Connie L. Dicken Klaus J. Schulz

Benjamin J. Drenth Donald A. Singer

Lawrence J. Drew David M. Sutphin

Pamela Dunlap Cliff D. Taylor

Thomas P. Frost John C. Wallis*

Kathleen D. Gans David J. Williams*

Floyd Gray Anna B. Wilson

Jane M. Hammarstrom Niki E. Wintzer

Shyla A. Hatch* Sewit Yenie*

Timothy S. Hayes Michael L. Zientek

Cassandra Hennings* Lukas Zürcher

John D. Horton
Appendix 1 117

Scientific Collaborators

Grant Abbott Yukon Geological Survey (YGS), Canada

Dmitriy Alexeiev Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia

Mario Billa Bureau de Recherches Géologiques et Minières (BRGM), France

Gregor Borg Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Germany

David W. Broughton Ivanhoe Nickel and Platinum Ltd., Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Rodrigo Carrasco Servicio Nacional de Geología y Minería (SERNAGEOMIN; 

Geological Survey of Chile)

Daniel Cassard Bureau de Recherches Géologiques et Minières (BRGM), France

Carlos Mario Celada Instituto Colombiano de Geología y Minería (INGEOMINAS)

Francisco Cendejas-Cruz Servicio Geológico Mexicano

Lian Changyun China Geological Survey (CGS)

Vladimir S. Chechetkin Zabaikalsky Division of the Russian Geological Society (RosGeo), 

Chita, Russia

Andre Chitalin Institute of Geotechnology, Moscow, Russia

Michael Christie First Quantum Minerals Ltd., Perth, Western Australia

Alejandro Diaz Servicio Nacional de Geología y Minería (SERNAGEOMIN; 

Geological Survey of Chile)

Alla Dolgopolova Centre for Russian and Central EurAsian Mineral Studies 

(CERCAMS), London, U.K.

Enrique Espinosa Servicio Geológico Mexicano

Susan Frost-Killian South Africa Council for Geoscience, Pretoria, Republic of South 

Africa

Mariano Gajardo M. Servicio Nacional de Geología y Minería (SERNAGEOMIN; 

Geological Survey of Chile)

Zhai Gangyi China Geological Survey (CGS)

Richard A. Glen Geological Survey of New South Wales, New South Wales, Australia

Yan Guangsheng China Geological Survey (CGS)

Richard J. Herrington Natural History Museum, London, U.K.

Murray W. Hitzman Colorado School of Mines, U.S.A.

Douglas J. Jack First Quantum Minerals Ltd., Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of 

the Congo

Subhash Jaireth Geoscience Australia, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, 

Australia

Pairatt Jarnyaharn Royal Thai Government Department of Mineral Resources, Bangkok

Xiao Keyan China Geological Survey (CGS)

Gwaibo Kopi Mineral Resources Authority of Papua New Guinea

Ilkay Kuşcu University of Muğla, Muğla, Turkey

Duncan E. Large Consulting geologist, Braunschweig, Germany

Jinyi Li China Geological Survey (CGS)

Andor Lips Bureau de Recherches Géologiques et Minières (BRGM), France

James M. Logan British Columbia Geological Survey (BCGS), Canada

Claro J. Manipon Philippine Department of Environment and Natural Resources, 

Mines and Geosciences Bureau, Quezon City, Philippines

Jingwen Mao China Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing

Sharad Master University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa

Nguyen Thi Minh Ngoc Department of Geology and Minerals of Vietnam, Hanoi

Charles J. Moon Camborne School of Mines, Cornwall, England
118 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Carl E. Nelson Recursos del Caribe, S.A.

Sławomir Oszczepalski Polish Geological Institute - National Research Institute (PGI-NRI)

Pichai Otarawanna Royal Thai Government Department of Mineral Resources, Bangkok

Andre Panteleyev XDM Geological Consultants

Chen Shick Pei Coordinating Committee for Geoscience Programmes in East and 

Southeast Asia (CCOP), Thailand

Efrén Pérez-Segura Universidad de Sonora, México

Zdenĕk Pertold Charles University, Praha, Czechia

Ung Phany Department of Geology and Mines, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Carlos Portigliati Servicio Nacional de Geología y Minería (SERNAGEOMIN; 

Geological Survey of Chile)

Ruizhao Qiu China Geological Survey (CGS)

Peng Qiuming China Geological Survey (CGS)

Jorge Quispe Instituto Geológico Minero y Metalúrgico (INGEMMET, Geological 

Survey of Peru)

Jeremy P. Richards University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

José Luis Rodríguez-Castañeda Universidad Autónoma de México

Lilian A. Rollan Philippine Department of Environment and Natural Resources, 

Mines and Geosciences Bureau, Quezon City, Philippines

Emilian Roşu Geological Institute of Romania (IGR), Bucharest, Romania

Takehiro Sakimoto Royal Thai Government Department of Mineral Resources, Bangkok

Dulcie Saroa Mineral Resources Authority of Papua New Guinea

John H. Schuenemeyer Southwest Statistical Consulting, Cortez, Colorado, U.S.A.

Reimar Seltmann Centre for Russian and Central EurAsian Mineral Studies 

(CERCAMS), London, U.K.

Bambang Tjahjono Setiabudi Geological Agency of Indonesia, Bandung, Indonesia

Jianbao Shao China Geological Survey (CGS)

I.M. Sim Department of Geology and Mines, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Norberta Soares da Costa Director of Geology and Mineral Resources, Dili, Timor Leste

Sieng Sotham Department of Geology and Mines, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Volker Spieth V.S. Globalmetal LLC, Tucson, Arizona, U.S.A.

Wudhikarn Sukserm Royal Thai Government Department of Mineral Resources, Bangkok

Dwi Nugroho Sunuhadi Geological Agency of Indonesia, Bandung, Indonesia

Boris Syusyura Mining and Economic Consulting, Ltd., Almaty, Kazakhstan

Nguyen Nhu Trung Royal Thai Government Department of Mineral Resources, Bangkok

Martín Valencia-Moreno Universidad Autónoma de México

Rigoberto Vásquez-Mendoza Servicio Geológico Mexicano

Nguyen Vay Quy Department of Geology and Minerals of Vietnam, Hanoi

Waldo Vivallo S. Servicio Nacional de Geología y Minería (SERNAGEOMIN; 

Geological Survey of Chile)

Somob Wongsomasak Royal Thai Government Department of Mineral Resources, Bangkok

Jon Woodhead Private consultant, Duncraig, Perth, Western Australia

Alexander Yan Sze Wah Mineral and Geoscience Department, Sabah, Malaysia

Boonsong Yokarti Royal Thai Government Department of Mineral Resources, Bangkok

Du Yuliang China Geological Survey (CGS)

Eduardo O. Zappettini Servicio Geológico Minero Argentino (SEGEMAR) 

Khin Zaw University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia
Appendix 1 119

Cooperating Institutions

British Columbia Geological Survey (BCGS), Canada

Bundesanstalt für Geowissenschaften und Rohstoffe (BGR), Germany

Bureau de Recherches Géologiques et Minières (BRGM), France

Centre for Ore Deposit Research, University of Tasmania (CODES)

Centre for Russian and Central EurAsian Mineral Studies (CERCAMS), London, U.K.

Charles University, Czechia

China Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing

China Geological Survey (CGS)

Colorado School of Mines, U.S.A.

Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Australia

Coordinating Committee for Geoscience Programmes in East and Southeast Asia (CCOP), Thailand

Council for Geoscience (CGS), South Africa

Department of Geology and Minerals of Vietnam, Hanoi

Department of Geology and Mines, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Geological Agency of Indonesia, Bandung, Indonesia

Geological Institute of Romania (IGR)

Geological Survey of Canada (GSC)

Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS)

Geological Survey of Finland (GTK)

Geological Survey of Ireland (GSI)

Geological Survey of Japan/AIST—Institute for Geo-Resources & Environment

Geological Survey of New South Wales, Australia

Geoscience Australia (GA)

Instituto Colombiano de Geologia y Mineria (INGEOMINAS)

Instituto Geológico Minero y Metalúrgico (INGEMMET, Geological Survey of Peru)

Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources (KIGAM)

Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Germany

Mineral and Geoscience Department, Sabah, Malaysia

Mineral Resources Authority of Papua New Guinea

Mining and Economic Consulting, Ltd., Almaty, Kazakhstan

Mongolian Academy of Sciences (MAS)

Natural History Museum (NHM), London, U.K.

Philippine Department of Environment and Natural Resources, 

Mines and Geosciences Bureau, Quezon City, Philippines

Polish Geological Institute - National Research Institute (PGI-NRI)

Rhodes University, South Africa

Royal Thai Government Department of Mineral Resources, Bangkok

Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia

Russian Geological Society (RosGeo), Chita, Russia

Servicio Geológico Mexicano (SGM)

Servicio Geológico Minero Argentino (SEGEMAR)

Servicio Nacional de Geología y Minería (SERNAGEOMIN; Geological Survey of Chile)

Serviço Geológico do Brasil (CPRM)
120 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

University of Arizona, U.S.A.

University of Pretoria, South Africa

University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia

University of the Free State, South Africa

University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa

University of Zambia

Yukon Geological Survey (YGS), Canada

Zabaikalsky Division of the Russian Geological Society (RosGeo), Chita, Russia
Appendix 2 121

Appendix 2. Mineral Resource Assessment Methods and 

Procedures Used in the U.S. Geological Survey Global Mineral 

Resource Assessment

By Michael L. Zientek and Jane M. Hammarstrom

Introduction

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) conducted a global 

mineral resource assessment. This multichaptered report 

on the first-ever global assessment of undiscovered copper 

resources presents results for two types of copper deposits: 

porphyry copper deposits and sediment-hosted stratabound 

copper deposits. To aid in interpreting the results, this appendix summarizes the technical language used in mineral 

assessments, the underlying principles, and the operational 

procedures used for USGS mineral resource assessments. An 

earlier version of this appendix was published by Zientek and 

Hammarstrom (2014).

When evaluating mineral potential, geologists distinguish 

rocks that are barren from those that could contain valuable 

concentrations of useful minerals or materials. Exploring for 

minerals is expensive; therefore, mineral potential is evaluated 

in a series of steps that minimize the cost of excluding barren 

areas while increasing knowledge about the possible existence 

of undiscovered mineral resources (Singer and Menzie, 2010). 

Initially, geologists use regional-scale datasets to discriminate 

geologic settings that are barren from those that may be mineralized. Next, targets or prospective areas that may contain 

mineralized rock are defined. If mineralization is found in a 

target area, then systematic sampling is conducted to determine if a volume of rock is present that might be economic. 

If a volume can be defined, then economic and feasibility 

studies are conducted to determine how much of the volume 

can be developed. After a mine is developed, detailed geologic 

information guides the application of mining technology that 

will be used to segregate ore from waste material in the mining process.

U.S. Geological Survey mineral resource assessments 

generally correspond to the early regional reconnaissance step 

in the process of determining mineral potential and address 

two basic questions: (1) where are undiscovered mineral 

resources likely to exist? and (2) how much undiscovered mineral resource may be present? Results are presented as mineral 

potential maps and as frequency distributions of in-place, 

undiscovered metal.

We can make inferences about undiscovered mineral 

resource potential because natural accumulations of useful 

minerals or rocks (“mineral deposits”) can be classified by 

using common characteristics and associations into groups or 

“deposit types” that reflect processes of formation. Using the 

deposit-type paradigm, we can predict the geologic settings in 

which various types of deposits may be found and anticipate 

the distribution and concentration of ore materials at the scale 

of the deposit.

The USGS strives to conduct consistent and unbiased 

assessments by applying a methodology to identify areas having mineral resource potential and to probabilistically estimate 

the amount of mineral resources likely to be present. The 

methodology is a system of interrelated, internally consistent, 

and integrated models and procedures. The integration of 

models and procedures reduces the likelihood of introducing 

bias in the assessment process.

USGS mineral assessment protocols are based on science 

practices derived from the fields of economic geology,1 mineral inventory estimation, and undiscovered mineral resource 

appraisal. The assessments are based on our fundamental 

understanding of the geologic processes that concentrate 

valuable mineral materials near the surface of the Earth. The 

methodology extends the scientific and engineering principles 

that are used to establish mineral inventories. The science and 

mathematics of making forecasts and predictions are essential 

parts of the assessment process.

Technical Language and the 

Assessment Process

Successful assessments require consistent use of technical 

language in order to reduce bias. The use of technical language 

comes at a cost, however, because economic geologists take 

common terms and restrict their meaning in order to communicate precisely with each other. Mineral assessment scientists 

may understand each other, but the general user community 

may not understand the subtle distinctions between terms. 

So, it is necessary to discuss technical terms used in mineral resource assessment studies before considering mineral 

resource assessment methodology.

1

Economic geology—The study and analysis of geologic bodies and materials that can be used profitably by man, including fuels, metals, nonmetallic 

minerals, and water; the application of geologic knowledge and theory to the 

search for and the understanding of mineral deposits (Neuendorf and others, 

2015).
122 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Mineral Resources and Reserves

Bodies of mineralized rock are classified according 

to (1) their geological, physical, and chemical properties; 

(2) their profitability; and (3) the level of certainty associated with the estimates of mineral potential. For estimation 

and assessment studies, the words “deposit,” “resource,” 

“reserve,” “discovered,” and “undiscovered” have specialized 

meanings. “Mineral inventories” are formal quantifications of 

the amounts of naturally occurring materials estimated by a 

variety of empirically or theoretically based procedures using 

the spatial distribution of grade and the particular locations 

of volumes of mineralized rock that are above cutoff grade2

(Sinclair and Blackwell, 2002). Mineral inventories include 

mineral resources and mineral reserves. “Mineral resources” 

are defined as concentrations or occurrences of material of 

economic interest in or on the Earth’s crust in such form, 

quality, and quantity that there are reasonable prospects for 

eventual economic extraction. The location, quantity, grade, 

continuity, and other geological characteristics of a mineral 

resource are known, estimated, or interpreted from specific 

geological evidence, sampling, and other knowledge (Committee for Mineral Reserves International Reporting Standards, 2006). The term “mineral reserve” is restricted to the 

economically minable part of a mineral resource. On the basis 

of the level of confidence in the estimates, mineral resources 

are divided into “measured,” “indicated,” and “inferred” 

categories, and mineral reserves are divided into “proven” and 

“probable” groupings.

Mineral Deposits

“‘When I use a word,’ Humpty Dumpty said, in 

rather a scornful tone, ‘it means just what I choose it 

to mean—neither more nor less.’” 

—Lewis Carroll (1872, p. 124)

“Deposit” has more than one meaning for most people, 

but “a layer or mass of accumulated matter” is close to how 

it is used by earth scientists. The following definitions are 

examples of how earth scientists may enhance the meaning of 

“mineral deposit”:

1. “geologic bodies which consist mainly of a single useful mineral or which contain, throughout or in places, 

valuable minerals which can be profitably extracted” 

(Lindgren, 1933, p. 9).

2. “natural concentrations of useful minerals or rocks, which 

can be economically exploited” (Pohl, 2011, p. 1).

2

Cutoff grade is the lowest grade, or quality, of mineralized material that 

qualifies as economically minable and available in a given deposit (Committee 

for Mineral Reserves International Reporting Standards, 2006, p. 31).

3. “A mass of naturally occurring mineral material, e.g. 

metal ores or nonmetallic minerals, usually of economic 

value, without regard to mode of origin” (Bates and Jackson, 1987, p. 424).

4. “a mineral occurrence of sufficient size and grade that 

it might, under the most favorable of circumstances, be 

considered to have economic potential” (Cox and others, 

1986, p. 1).

5. an “accumulation of associated mineralized bodies that 

constitute [the products of] a single mineralizing event, 

including subsequent processes (e.g., oxidation and supergene enrichment) affecting part or all of the accumulation” (Barton and others, 1995, p. 81).

Almost all agree that a deposit is an accumulation of 

potentially economic material, but some include additional 

constraints on size and genesis. For USGS mineral resource 

assessments, “mineral deposits” refers to natural accumulations of minerals or mineral materials that (1) formed by the 

same mineralizing event, (2) might have economic potential, 

(3) have a formally defined mineral inventory based upon a 

sampling density that is appropriate for the deposit type, and 

(4) are well explored. In order to be well explored, a mineral 

inventory based on mapping, drilling, and sampling should 

encompass most of the potentially economic mineralized rock 

at the site. Accumulations of minerals or mineral materials 

that lack a mineral inventory or are incompletely explored are 

referred to as “prospects.”

Deposit Types

The concept of deposit type underlies the geologically 

based mineral resource assessments conducted by the USGS. 

Geologists, engineers, and miners have long recognized that 

mineral deposits can be classified into groups or types based 

on common characteristics and associations (Skinner and 

Barton, 1973). According to Eckstrand (1984, p. 1), “a mineral 

deposit type is defined as a hypothetical composite of the geological characteristics common to a group of similar mineral 

deposits.” Mineral deposit types are defined as follows:

• Characteristic orebody3 geometries

• Distributions of tonnage and grade

• Rock and mineral properties that determine the potential value of the deposit

• Amount of sampling that will be required to delimit 

mineral resources

• Amount of valuable material that can be mined and 

processed

3

An orebody is a continuous, well-defined mass of material of sufficient 

ore content to make extraction economically feasible (Neuendorf and others, 

2015). Ore is a naturally occurring solid material from which a metal or valuable mineral can be profitably extracted.
Appendix 2 123

Furthermore, deposits of each type have specific effects on the 

environment, whether through natural weathering processes or 

mining.

When referring to deposits that are members of a type, 

Eckstrand (1984, p. 1) stated, “It is implicit that such deposits, 

because of their similarities, are expected to have a common 

mode of genesis, whether or not that mode of genesis is well 

understood.” The genetic foundation of deposit types allows 

a scientific approach to assessing mineral resources. Scientific investigations of mineral deposits show that they are 

extraordinary geologic features, formed by rare conjunctions 

of ordinary geologic processes. Even though mineral deposits 

result from rare events, the principle of uniformity allows us 

to make predictions about their location and potential value 

based on geologic observations. The allocation of deposits to 

types gives even greater predictive capability.

Undiscovered Mineral Resources and Mineral 

Deposits

“Undiscovered” is a term that also has specific usage 

in USGS mineral resource assessments. To most people, an 

undiscovered resource would refer to a quantity of material 

that is completely unknown. In assessments, the term “undiscovered mineral resources” refers to a variety of situations 

in which location, grade, quality, and quantity of mineralized 

material are not constrained by specific geologic evidence. 

The presence of mineralized rock might be recognized at a 

site (location is known) but the grade, quality, and quantity of 

mineralized material are not sufficiently characterized to estimate mineral resources by using industry-standard practices. 

In this example, the location of mineralized rock is discovered 

but the amount of mineral resource is unknown; therefore, 

any mineral resources that exist are undiscovered. In a similar 

situation, a well-characterized volume of mineralized rock 

with a resource estimate is surrounded by mineralized rocks 

for which the sample density is too low to classify the material 

as a mineral resource. Undiscovered mineral resources may be 

present in the poorly characterized material. Finally, undiscovered mineral resources may be associated with a completely 

unknown, undiscovered mineral deposit, in which location, 

grade, quality, and quantity of mineralized rocks are unknown.

Assessment Methodology—Parts and 

Procedures

An assessment method consists of “parts,” each of which 

incorporates appropriate scientific theories, methods, and 

findings into the process. Rigorous reasoning integrates the 

parts into a consistent system or method that will indicate the 

possible location and potential value of undiscovered mineral 

resources in a form that can be consistently replicated and 

compared to other assessments. Parts of a method are usually 

models, such as mineral systems models, but can also be subjective information provided by experts or products, such as a 

geologic map or a database.

For example, for quantitative mineral resource assessments, the USGS uses the three-part form of assessment 

(Singer, 1993; Singer and Menzie, 2010). One part is construction of a mineral resource potential map in which areas are 

delineated according to the types of deposits permitted by the 

geology as guided by a descriptive mineral deposit models. 

Another part consists of models of grades and tonnages of 

deposits used to estimate the amount of metal. The final part 

of an assessment provides estimated numbers of undiscovered 

deposits of each type. These parts are essential for a quantitative assessment but do not completely describe an assessment 

method; in other words, they are not steps in an assessment 

method.

Mineral Systems Models

The concept of a mineral system can be used to incorporate concepts of regional ore genesis into mineral resource 

assessment and exploration targeting studies (Wyborn and others, 1994; Knox-Robinson and Wyborn, 1997; Hronsky, 2004; 

Hitzman and others, 2005; Barnicoat, 2006; Cox and others, 

2007; Hronsky and Groves, 2008; Blewett and others, 2010). 

Mineral systems models use components and processes to 

organize ideas about how different mineral deposit types relate 

to regional-scale movements of energy and mass in the Earth. 

For example, hydrothermal ore deposits can be understood 

by considering the source of the ore-forming fluid, its physical and chemical character, the mechanisms for dissolving 

and transporting ore-forming components, and the causes of 

precipitation from it (Skinner and Barton, 1973). Sites where 

appropriate combinations of structural, chemical, and physical 

conditions force ore mineral precipitation reactions are called 

ore traps (Reed, 1997). Variations of the source-transporttrap paradigm are used to define both petroleum and mineral 

systems models (Magoon and Dow, 1994; Wyborn and others, 

1994; Magoon and Schmoker, 2000). All proponents of mineral systems models agree that the deposition of ore minerals 

will not occur unless all the essential components are present and processes occur in the correct sequence and location 

(Magoon and Dow, 1994; Kreuzer and others, 2008; McCuaig 

and others, 2010).

Mineral systems models serve two functions in mineral 

resource assessments. All components and processes that 

relate to ore deposit type can be systematically evaluated to 

identify areas where a mineral-forming system could be present and to create prospectivity maps that identify target areas 

for exploration. Another function of these models is to use the 

components and processes of the mineral systems model to 

define the assessment unit in areas where the existence of a 

mineral-forming system is known from the presence of deposits and prospects. Mineral prospectivity analysis is a predictive tool used for regional- to mining-camp-scale exploration 

targeting (Porwal and Kreuzer, 2010).
124 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Mineral systems models are used to synthesize ideas 

about the processes related to mineralization. Critical processes act together to form mineral deposits; although 

processes cannot be directly observed, expressions of the 

processes can be mapped. The probabilities of occurrence of 

the critical mineralization processes can either be assigned 

subjectively on the basis of expert assessment of available spatial and nonspatial geoscience information (knowledge-driven 

approach) or be estimated empirically from the distribution 

of known mineral deposits (data-driven approach). From 

this information, resource potential maps can be generated 

in which each cell is attributed with a favorability value that 

represents the probability that the cell contains a deposit of the 

targeted type.

Descriptive Mineral Deposit Models

A descriptive mineral deposit model is systematically 

arranged information describing the essential attributes (properties) of a class of mineral deposits (Cox and others, 1986). 

Descriptive models used in USGS studies focus on observations and use theories of origin only to guide what to observe 

(Singer and Menzie, 2010). The function of the model is to 

provide the assessment geologists with information that they 

can interpret and use to discriminate (1) possible mineralized environments from barren environments and (2) types of 

known deposits from each other.

Descriptive models used in USGS assessments, such 

as those in Cox and Singer (1986), have two parts. The first 

lists characteristics of the geologic environments in which the 

deposits are found; the second gives identifying characteristics 

of deposits. The information in the first part can be interpreted 

by the assessment geologist and used to delineate tracts of land 

geologically permissive for the occurrence of undiscovered 

deposits. The second part of the descriptive model, the deposit 

description, includes information on host rocks, mineralogy, 

alteration, and geochemical and geophysical anomalies that 

are used by the assessment geologist to recognize the deposit 

type and to discriminate one deposit type from another.

The descriptive models are lists of information. Therefore, the theory of ore formation that guided what was 

included in the list is not explicitly stated. The models also 

do not provide any suggestions on how the information can 

be used to delineate tracts or to identify deposits by type. 

Information needed to assess the potential economic value of 

the deposit type, such as typical mining, beneficiation, and 

remediation methods, is not usually included.

Grade and Tonnage Models

Mineral deposits of a given type have characteristic 

distributions of size and grade that can be used to constrain the 

probable size and grade of undiscovered deposits of the same 

type. Frequency distributions of tonnages and average grades 

of well-explored deposits of each type are used as models for 

grades and tonnages of undiscovered deposits of the same type 

in geologically similar settings (Singer and Menzie, 2010). 

These models are based on the average grades of each metal 

or mineral commodity of possible economic interest and the 

associated tonnage, prior to mining. Data used in the models 

should represent an estimate of the total mineral endowment 

of each of the known deposits so that the final models can 

accurately represent the endowment of undiscovered deposits.

In order to be consistent, the deposits used to estimate 

tonnages and grade in a model should be selected according to 

the following criteria:

1. the candidate deposit for inclusion in the model should 

have formed by the same type of mineralizing event as 

other deposits used in the model and it should be the same 

deposit type as other deposits used in the model (Barton 

and others, 1995);

2. the candidate deposit should be well explored (Singer and 

Menzie, 2010);

3. an estimate of pre-mining, in-place mineral endowment 

of the candidate deposit should be available (Singer and 

Menzie, 2010);

4. the candidate deposit’s endowment estimate should be 

based on sampling consistent with industry practices for 

defining mineral resources and reserves;

5. the candidate deposit’s endowment estimate should use 

cutoff grades that are similar to those used to estimate 

endowments for other deposits that are in the model;

6. the rules for defining how orebodies are spatially grouped 

into a deposit should be consistent for the candidate 

deposit and for other deposits that are in the model 

(Singer and Menzie, 2010); and

7. the development plan for the candidate deposit should be 

based on mining and processing methods that are similar to those used for other deposits that are in the model 

(Bliss and others, 1987).

The stipulation that the data used in a grade and tonnage model should represent total endowment affects what is 

considered a deposit or a prospect for assessment purposes. 

In the USGS three-part form of assessment (Singer and 

Menzie, 2010), deposits must be (1) described in published 

literature (including tonnage and grades), (2) well explored 

in three dimensions, and (3) completely delineated (that is, 

the boundary is not open, or undefined, in any part). Mineral 

deposits that do not meet these three criteria are classified by 

the USGS, as recommended by Singer and Menzie (2010), as 

“undiscovered” for the sake of mineral resource assessment. 

For example, if there is any indication that an orebody is not 

completely delineated, the site is counted as an undiscovered 

deposit for assessment purposes (Singer and Menzie, 2010). 
Appendix 2 125

Or, if a mineral deposit is well explored and completely delineated, but the mineral resource information is not published, 

then the deposit is considered undiscovered, but with a high 

probability for occurrence.

Assessing Location (Mineral Resource Potential 

Maps)

USGS mineral resource potential maps show geographic 

areas where undiscovered mineral resources may be present. For most USGS mineral resource assessments, mineral 

resource potential maps show “permissive tracts,” where the 

geology permits the existence of deposits of one or more 

types. However, some studies create prospectivity maps, 

which delineate mineral exploration targets by combining 

various evidential layers in a geographic information system 

(GIS). Mineral resource potential maps can be represented 

cartographically as figures or plates in reports or digitally as 

files that can be incorporated into a GIS.

Permissive tracts represent the surface projection of 

part of the Earth’s crust and overlying surficial materials to a 

predetermined depth where undiscovered mineral resources 

may be present. The criteria used to select the permissive 

volume of rock, or assessment unit, are provided by descriptive mineral deposit models and mineral systems models, as 

described below. The assessment geologist determines how to 

apply the criteria in the models to the specific datasets available for the assessment. Boundaries of the rock volume are 

defined such that deposits of the type being assessed have a 

negligible chance of occurring outside the volume. According 

to Singer and Menzie (2010), “negligible” means a chance of 

less than 1 in 100,000. Areas are excluded from these tracts 

only on the basis of geology, knowledge about unsuccessful 

exploration, or the presence of barren overburden exceeding 

some predetermined thickness (Singer and Menzie, 2010). 

In assessment reports, maps commonly show the permissive 

tracts along with mineral deposits, prospects, and occurrences 

of the deposit type being assessed.

Assessing Probable Amounts of Undiscovered 

Metal

Mineral resource assessments should be in a form that 

allows for comparison of potential value and benefit of mineral resource development with other socioeconomic benefits 

and consequences. Uncertainty of assessment results must also 

be indicated. Mineral potential can be expressed qualitatively 

with terms such as “high,” “medium,” and “low”; however, 

this form of valuation cannot be related to other types of 

information, such as the value of other natural resources or the 

integrity of ecosystem function and process. Therefore, USGS 

mineral resource assessments express amounts of undiscovered mineral resources using probabilistic estimates of the 

amount of in-place metal. This form of assessment result can 

then be filtered economically to give some idea of the potential 

value of the mineral resource.

At least two strategies are used by the USGS to assess 

undiscovered mineral resources. The first is to estimate the 

number of undiscovered deposits; this approach has been 

widely used in USGS mineral resource assessments since the 

1970s. A second approach uses geostatistical methods to estimate undiscovered mineral resources associated with incompletely explored extensions of stratabound ore deposits.

Estimating Undiscovered Resources by 

Estimating Numbers of Undiscovered Deposits

Mineral resource assessments completed by the USGS 

during the past three decades express geologically based 

estimates of numbers of undiscovered mineral deposits as 

probability distributions. Numbers of undiscovered deposits 

of a given type are estimated in geologically defined regions. 

By using Monte Carlo simulations, these undiscovered deposit 

estimates are combined with grade and tonnage models to 

derive a probability distribution describing amounts of mineral 

commodities and rock that could be present in undiscovered 

deposits within a study area.

Number of Undiscovered Deposits

An estimate of some fixed, but unknown, number of 

undiscovered deposits of each type that are inferred to exist 

in the delineated tracts is another part of the three-part form 

of assessment (Singer and Menzie, 2010). Ore tonnages and 

metal grades of the undiscovered deposits are assumed to be 

distributed similarly to those of identified deposits of the same 

types. Expert panels estimate the number of undiscovered 

deposits at several confidence levels, usually the 90th, 50th, 

and 10th percentiles. An algorithm converts these estimates 

into a continuous distribution for use in the simulation of 

undiscovered mineral resources (Root and others, 1992). Two 

strategies typically are used when estimating 90th, 50th, and 

10th percentiles. In one scenario, an expert chooses a “best 

estimate” (for example, the median) and then adjusts up or 

down from that estimate in order to get the extreme percentiles 

(Clemen, 2001). In another scenario, the expert decides on the 

extremes first (the 10th and 90th percentiles) and then selects 

the 50th.

Singer and Berger (2007) and Singer and Menzie (2010) 

offered guidelines for estimating numbers of undiscovered 

deposits. Estimates at the 90th and 50th percentile can be 

guided by counting and ranking prospects and mineral occurrences or by visualizing exploration targets based on data such 

as geochemical or geophysical anomalies or the presence of 

hydrothermal alteration. Probabilities can be assigned to each 

“target” and then combined to give an overall probability. 

Estimates are also guided by analogy with well-explored areas 

that are geologically similar to the study area. If a quantitative 

deposit density model is available, some estimators will use 

a predicted density from the model to guide their estimates 

(Singer and others, 2005; Singer, 2007).
126 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

The mean number of undiscovered deposits and associated standard deviation are based on the algorithm developed 

by Singer and Menzie (2005) that replicates the deposit distribution originally described by Root and others (1992). The 

algorithm can be described by the following general equations 

to calculate a mean number of undiscovered deposits (λ) and a 

standard deviation (sx) based on estimates predicted at different quantile levels4

 (N90 = 90-percent level, N50 = 50-percent 

level, and so on):

λ = 0.233 N90 + 0.4 N50 + 0.225 N10

+ 0.045 N05 + 0.03 N01

(1)

sx = 0.121 – 0.237 N90 – 0.093 N50 + 0.183 N10 

+ 0.073 N05 + 0.123 N01

(2)

For the USGS 2015 global copper assessment, these equations were programmed into a spreadsheet to allow the team 

members to quickly evaluate their estimates. The difference 

between the number of undiscovered deposits associated with 

the 90th percentile and the 10th percentile or 1st percentile 

is a measure of uncertainty; large differences suggest great 

uncertainty. Estimates of numbers of deposits as a probability 

distribution explicitly represent the probability (or degree of 

belief) that some fixed but unknown number of undiscovered 

deposits exist in the delineated tracts (Singer and Menzie, 

2010). Another useful parameter for reporting uncertainty 

associated with an estimate is the coefficient of variation (Cv ), 

defined as:

Cv = sx / λ (3)

The coefficient of variation is often reported as percent relative 

variation (100 × Cv ). The final team estimates reflect both the 

uncertainty (Cv ) in what may exist and the favorability (λ) of 

the tract (Singer and Menzie, 2010).

Monte Carlo Simulation

The undiscovered resources for each permissive tract are 

estimated by the following equation:

mean undiscovered resource 

= number of undiscovered deposits × tonnage × grade (4)

where number of deposits, tonnage, and grade are each 

described by probability distributions and modeled using 

4

To use equations 1 and 2 in cases where three nonzero quantiles (at 90, 50, 

and 10 percent) are estimated, use the N10 values for N05 and N01; where four 

quantiles (at 90, 50, 10, and 5 percent) are estimated, use the N05 value for N01.

Monte Carlo simulation (Singer and Menzie, 2010). Monte 

Carlo simulation is used to combine grade and tonnage distributions with the probability distribution of undiscovered 

deposits to obtain probability distributions of undiscovered 

metals in each tract (Root and others, 1992; Bawiec and 

Spanski, 2012; Duval, 2012). USGS software such as the 

EMINERS program (Duval, 2012) uses a number of techniques to avoid introducing bias into Monte Carlo simulation 

results. For example, dependencies between grades and tonnages of deposits and between grades of different metals in the 

same deposit are preserved. In addition, tonnages and grades 

are approximated by piecewise linear distributions to avoid 

unrealistically large values.

Simulation results are reported at selected quantile levels, 

together with the mean expected amount of metal, the probability of the mean, and the probability of no deposits being 

present. The amount of metal reported at each quantile represents the least amount of metal expected.

Estimating Undiscovered Resources Using 

Geostatistical Methods

Estimating undiscovered resources for some stratabound5

and stratiform6 deposit types by estimating the number of 

undiscovered deposits is problematic. Examples of stratabound deposit types include iron formations; beds of halite 

or potash-salt; layers rich in chromitites and platinum-groupelement reefs in a layered igneous complex (Schulte and 

others, 2012; Zientek, 2012); and sediment-hosted stratabound 

copper deposits (Hitzman and others, 2005; Cox and others, 

2007; Zientek, Hayes, and Hammarstrom, 2013; Zientek, 

Hayes, and Taylor, 2013; Hayes and others, 2015). The difficulty in making such estimates arises because valid grade and 

tonnage models cannot be constructed because most deposits 

are open at depth (that is, the lower limit of the deposit is 

not defined). In addition, deposit tonnage correlates with the 

extent of a basin or a layered igneous intrusion; a global tonnage model could have values that are geologically impossible 

for the size of a particular basin or intrusion.

Metal Surface Density

Probabilistic estimates can be made for undiscovered 

mineral resources in incompletely explored extensions of large 

stratabound deposits if appropriate data are available to calculate metal surface density surfaces. The justification for using 

metal surface density in layered orebodies follows.

5

A stratabound mineral deposit is confined to a single stratigraphic unit.

6

A stratiform deposit is a special type of stratabound deposit in which the 

desired rock or ore constitutes, or is strictly coextensive with, one or more 

sedimentary, metamorphic, or igneous layers.
Appendix 2 127

In-place contained metal in an orebody is given by this 

relation:

M = T × g (5)

where

M is contained metal, in metric tons;

T is the mass (tonnage) of the orebody, 

measured in metric tons; and

g is the average grade of the orebody, measured 

in grams per metric ton.

Tonnage is determined by this equation:

T = V × ρb (6)

where

V is the volume of the orebody, measured in 

cubic meters; and

ρb is the bulk density of the ore, measured in 

metric tons per cubic meter.

For tabular orebodies, the volume can be approximated 

by the following equation:

V = t

t

 × S (7)

where

t

t is the average true thickness of the tabular 

orebody, in meters; and

S is the surface area, in square meters, measured 

in the plane of the tabular layer.

Alternatively, for a dipping layer, the volume can be 

estimated by the following equation:

V = t

a

 × Sh (8)

where

t

a is the apparent thickness of the tabular 

orebody, in meters, measured 

perpendicular to the horizon; and

Sh is the surface area of the dipping orebody, in 

square meters, projected to the surface.

Combining equations, the in-place contained metal 

content of a dipping stratiform orebody is obtained by the 

following equation:

M = Sh × (t

a

 × ρb × g) (9)

This estimation method is a form of the area-averaging 

method of mineral resource estimation described by Noble 

(1992), which requires only an interpretation of the shape of 

the orebody and the average grades within the shape. This 

formula can be used to estimate the metal that is undiscovered 

in extensions to known mineral inventory if information is 

available for all the parameters.

Metal surface density (MSD) is calculated by dividing 

metal content (M) for the mineral resource block by its surface 

area Sh

:

MSD M

Sh

= (10)

Metal surface density can be estimated from samples 

collected through the mineralized intervals in stratabound or 

stratiform orebodies. Mineralized intervals can be sampled in 

outcrop, drill hole, or underground workings. Metal surface 

density can also be estimated for a resource or reserve block if 

the tonnage, grade, and surface extent of the block are known.

Interpolation and Simulation Techniques

A single value of contained metal can be calculated from 

the kriged metal surface density surface for an assessment 

area. The spatial variation in metal surface density in the area 

is represented by using geostatistical interpolation techniques 

(kriging). This approach is used because it quantifies the 

spatial autocorrelation among measured points and accounts 

for the spatial configuration of the sample points around the 

prediction location. From the metal surface density surface, 

contained metal is calculated by multiplying the value of metal 

surface density for a cell by the cell area, and then summing 

the values for all cells.

Geostatistical simulation techniques can provide probabilistic estimates of the amount of undiscovered metal. 

Simulation techniques approximate solutions to uncertain and 

complex systems through statistical sampling. The system 

is represented by a model in which uncertainties in inputs, 

represented by probability distributions, are explicitly and 

quantitatively propagated into model outputs, also known as 

a probability distribution. For each simulation, or realization 

of the system, all of the uncertain parameters are sampled. In 

geostatistics, each simulation is the realization of a random 

function (surface) that has the same mean, variance, and semivariogram as the sample data used to generate it. The system is 

simulated many times, resulting in a large number of separate 

and independent realizations that represent a range of plausible possibilities, and, in this case, the contained metal that 

can be estimated from metal surface density relations. Gaussian geostatistical simulation is an example of a simulation 

technique that is available in the geostatistical tools in ArcGIS. 

Therefore, each metal surface realization can be processed to 

estimate contained metal and the results from all realizations 

can then be tabulated to give a probability distribution of contained metal for the model.
128 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Working with Assessment Results

Using deposit types, assessment geologists define areas 

in which undiscovered resources may be present and derive 

a frequency distribution of undiscovered, in-place metal. An 

assessment study may delineate many permissive tracts and 

probabilistic estimates of undiscovered resource. In order to 

integrate mineral assessment results with other types of information, it may be necessary to aggregate mineral assessments 

results into a single mineral resource theme and to indicate 

what proportion of the undiscovered mineral resource could 

potentially be economic.

Aggregation of Assessment Results

Permissive tracts are polygons that are represented with 

a vector model. Two classes of attributes, spatially intensive 

and spatially extensive, are associated with the vector model 

(Longley and others, 2001). These two classes of attributes 

represent fundamentally different types of information that 

are governed by different rules for spatial analysis. Spatially 

intensive attribute values are true for each part of an area. For 

a vector spatial representation of counties, county name would 

be an example of a spatially intensive attribute value. No 

matter how small a part of the county polygon is considered, 

the county name attribute is always true. Spatially extensive 

attribute values are true only for entire areas. County population is an example of a spatially extensive attribute value. If 

the county is subdivided into four parts, the value of county 

population is not true for each of the subdivisions. Spatially 

extensive attribute information can be aggregated but not 

subdivided.

Permissive tracts have spatially extensive and spatially 

intensive attributes. Attributes like tract name and deposit type 

assessed are spatially intensive. However, the undiscovered 

deposit estimate is a spatially extensive attribute; the estimate applies to the entire tract. The results of Monte Carlo 

simulation (in-place, undiscovered metal and ore [reported as 

percentiles and mean values], mean number of deposits, and 

the probability of zero deposits) are also spatially extensive 

attributes that apply only to an entire tract. Spatially intensive 

attributes can be aggregated and applied to a new tract that 

represents a union of the input tracts in which all the internal boundaries between overlapping areas are removed. The 

probability distributions of undiscovered metal from several 

mineral resource assessments can also be aggregated into a 

single result. However, the degree of association (dependencies) between geologically based assessment regions and tracts 

must be understood before aggregating assessment results. The 

mean of the aggregated distributions is the sum of the means 

of the individual distributions. However, aggregation does 

affect the spread of the functions because the variance of the 

combined distribution is affected by the dependency between 

the random variables. Quantile estimates of distributions can 

be added if the assumption of complete dependence among 

tracts can be made. Adding percentiles results in underestimating variance of the joint distribution if the distributions 

between assessment areas are independent or partially correlated (see, for example, Pike, 2008).

Schuenemeyer and others (2011) published a script that 

aggregates undiscovered deposit estimates for tracts of a given 

deposit type, by assuming independence, total dependence, or 

some degree of correlation among aggregated areas, given a 

user-specified correlation matrix. The aggregated undiscovered 

deposit estimates, along with appropriate grade and tonnage 

models, are then input into Monte Carlo simulation software 

to obtain an aggregated distribution of undiscovered metal.

Economic Filters

Mineral supply, economic, environmental, and land-use 

planning studies often require an estimate of the amount of 

undiscovered mineral resources that are likely to be economically recoverable. Economic filters based on simplified 

engineering cost models provide a method for estimating 

potential tonnages of undiscovered metals that may be economic in individual assessment areas. For example, Robinson 

and Menzie (2014) used this approach to perform an economic 

analysis of undiscovered resources estimated in porphyry copper deposits in six tracts located in North America.

The economic filter developed by Robinson and Menzie 

(2014) modified and updated mining engineering cost models 

from the former U.S. Bureau of Mines (Taylor, 1978, 1986) 

that used mine capacity, mine life, capital and operating costs 

to build and operate a mine and mill, metallurgical recovery, 

and 20-year average metal prices. To apply the economic 

filter for each permissive tract for porphyry copper deposits, a 

depth distribution of undiscovered deposits within the upper 

1 kilometer (km) of the Earth’s crust is specified along with 

an estimate of the cost setting determined by the country or 

countries covered by the tract.

Simplified engineering cost models, updated with a 

cost index, were used to estimate the economic fraction of 

resources contained in undiscovered porphyry copper deposits as predicted in the USGS assessment of global copper 

resources (Robinson and Menzie, 2014).

The economic resource was estimated by the following 

equation:

economic resource = resource × economic filter, (11)

where the resource is the mean undiscovered resource estimated by simulation and the economic filter is the fraction of 

the resources estimated to be economic, based on the grade 

and tonnage model used in the simulation, the depth distribution for the undiscovered deposits, and adjustments for cost 

settings. The economic filters were computed by using an 

Excel workbook developed by Robinson and Menzie (2014). 

The 20-year (1989–2008) average metal prices and metallurgical recovery rates were used in the filter calculations. 
Appendix 2 129

A number of parameters can be varied, such as grade and 

tonnage model, mining method, metal prices, recovery rates, 

use of a liner for tailings, depth settings, and cost settings. 

Examples of approaches to depth and cost setting estimates are 

described in the next two sections.

Depth Percentages

The depth distribution affects the amount of material that 

would have to be moved to develop a mine and determines the 

mining method (open pit or underground mining by block caving). Porphyry systems typically form within 1–4 km of the 

Earth’s surface and are mined within the upper kilometer of 

the surface. Stratabound-hosted sedimentary copper deposits 

are mined to depths of 2.5 to 3 km. Some deposits are exposed 

at the surface, but many are not. The amount of cover material 

that must be removed to access the ore for an open pit mine 

adds to the cost of developing a mine.

Cost Settings

The economic filter incorporates a parameter for cost 

setting to express the quality of existing regional infrastructure (Robinson and Menzie, 2014). A “typical cost” setting 

has existing regional infrastructure to support mining (for 

example, northern Mexico and southwestern United States or 

established mining areas in Chile). A “high cost” setting refers 

to remote areas that lack existing infrastructure to support 

mining (for example, the Tibetan Plateau or Mongolia).

The country-by-country infrastructure rankings compiled 

by the Fraser Institute (McMahon and Cervantes, 2012) can 

be used as an independent guide to selecting appropriate cost 

settings for mining for each tract. For example, the data from 

the 2011–2012 quality of infrastructure table (table A10 of 

McMahon and Cervantes, 2012) are expressed in terms of five 

categories of response: (1) encourages investment, (2) not a 

deterrent to investment, (3) mild deterrent, (4) strong deterrent, and (5) would not pursue investment due to this factor. 

The category scores can be used to classify cost settings as 

typical where categories 1 and 2 represent more than 50 percent of the response, as high cost where categories 3, 4, and 5 

represent more than 50 percent of the response, and as mixed 

otherwise.

Many tracts cross jurisdictions, and some tract areas are 

in jurisdictions that are not evaluated by the Fraser Institute. 

For these tracts, the jurisdiction most closely associated with 

the tract can be used as a proxy.

Operational Procedures

This section of the appendix describes how a USGS mineral resource assessment is conducted. The following steps are 

used to conduct a mineral resource assessment by using the 

three-part form of assessment:

• Understand the assignment

• Identify the commodities and deposit types to assess

• Define the anticipated end use of assessment results

• Describe the scope of work, including assessment 

depth and nominal scale

• Identify available resources (models, procedures, 

personnel, and budget)

• Plan for the preparation of required products

• Set a timeframe for completion

• Gather and compile data

• Review literature

• Acquire geologic maps and databases of known 

mineral deposits and mineral occurrences; all 

datasets for the assessment should be at a scale 

appropriate for the study

• Acquire geochemical, geophysical, and exploration 

data, if available

• Acquire specialized data required to assess and 

delineate tracts for a particular deposit type

• Organize the data in a digital library and share the 

library with project staff

• Enhance geologic data

• Add attributes as needed for assessment study based 

on criteria in deposit and mineral system models

• Process data as needed to delineate tracts

• Review and enhance mineral occurrence data

• Classify known mineral deposits and occurrences by 

deposit type according to models

• Verify locations of deposits and prospects

• Update information using literature and technical 

reports published by exploration companies

• Review and apply spatial rules so that data will 

correspond to rules used to construct grade and 

tonnage and spatial density models

• Assess if deposits (sites with tonnage and grade) 

are well explored and should be classified as known 

deposits
130 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

• Select appropriate grade and tonnage model

• Select published grade and tonnage models that 

might be appropriate for a quantitative assessment

• Use statistical tests to compare known deposits 

in an assessment area with published models. If 

all the published grade and tonnage models fail 

statistical tests, determine if an appropriate model 

can be developed for the quantitative assessment. 

If a unique model is developed for the quantitative 

assessment of an area, it must be published with the 

assessment.

• Complete a preliminary study prior to the assessment meeting

• Using descriptive mineral deposit models and 

mineral systems models, select the assessment unit 

for tract delineation

• Delineate permissive tracts

• Make preliminary estimates of undiscovered 

deposits

• Assemble an assessment team and identify an 

assessment oversight committee

• Assemble an assessment team, which should include 

a mix of scientists with appropriate backgrounds for 

the deposit type being assessed. Ideally, the team 

should include geologists with expertise in (1) the 

deposit type being assessed, (2) the regional geology 

of the study area, and (3) the mineral resource 

assessment methodology.

• Identify an assessment oversight committee

• Conduct a workshop to quantitatively assess the 

area

• Discuss ground rules, purpose, and goals of the 

workshop

• Summarize the geology of the deposit type, the 

geology of the study area, the characteristics of 

the grade and tonnage model, and the assessment 

method

• Present preliminary tracts and revise as needed

• If using grade and tonnage models to estimate 

undiscovered mineral resources, emphasize that 

undiscovered deposit estimates must be consistent 

with the models

• Estimate the number of undiscovered deposits. Each 

team member initially determines estimates independently. The independent estimates are then compared 

and discussed. Regression equations are used to 

calculate the mean number of undiscovered deposits 

and the coefficient of variation. A consensus value 

for the simulation value is determined.

• Document assessment information—deposit type 

assessed; descriptive model used; grade and tonnage model used; the geologic feature being 

assessed (the assessment unit); geologic criteria used 

for tract delineation; known deposits, prospects, 

and occurrences; exploration history; sources of 

information; estimate of the number of undiscovered 

deposits; and rationale for the estimate

• Estimate undiscovered mineral resources by using 

Monte Carlo simulation

• Run Monte Carlo simulations

• Check Monte Carlo simulation results to make sure 

they are consistent with the cited grade and tonnage 

model

• Present results of the assessment to the assessment 

oversight committee

• Provide all data used to the assessment oversight 

committee, in digital format, for review prior to the 

presentation

• Present the assessment results to the assessment 

oversight committee

• Revise the assessment in response to committee 

comments

• Prepare a report with the assessment results

• Prepare a template for report chapters

• Write a report draft and obtain consensus among 

coauthors

• Respond to reviews by project managers

• Obtain two or more technical reviews and prepare a 

reconciliation

• Submit the report for USGS editing, Bureau 

approval, and publication

Conclusion

Assessments of undiscovered mineral resources prepared 

according to the USGS procedures described in this appendix 

are internally consistent because the team members have a 

shared understanding of terminology, use consistent methods, 

and document the models and assumptions used.
Appendix 2 131

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134 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Appendix 3. Geologic Time Chart

The “International Stratigraphic Chart” produced by the International Commission on 

Stratigraphy (ICS, 2010, 2013) was used throughout the U.S. Geological Survey global copper 

mineral resource assessment as the reference geologic time chart. A status update of the chart 

in 2013 was given by Cohen and others (2013). The chart is updated periodically. Old versions 

and translations of the chart in many languages can be accessed at http://www.stratigraphy.org/

index.php/ics-chart-timescale. For the convenience of readers of this volume, version 2013/01 

is reproduced as figure 3–1 of this appendix.

References Cited

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International Commission on Stratigraphy, 2013, International chronostratigraphic chart, version 2013/01: International Commission on Stratigraphy chart, accessed October 1, 2016, at 

http://www.stratigraphy.org/index.php/ics-chart-timescale.
Figure 3–1. Reproduction of version 2013/01 of the “International Chronostratigraphic Chart” (International Commission on Stratigraphy, 2013).

Plates 1–188. Results of Regional-Scale 

Porphyry Copper Assessments

[Plates 189–236 follow plate 188]
138 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 1. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 005pCu1020, Cretaceous 

Turbio—Chile and Argentina

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper model (Cox, 1986a)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2005)

Economic filter depth percentages: Skewed shallow—0 to 250 meters (m), 35%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 40%

Economic filter cost setting: High cost

Geologic feature assessed: Cretaceous calc-alkalic batholiths and plutons composed mostly of biotite- and hornblende-bearing 

granite, granodiorite, and tonalite

Number of known deposits: 0

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2

)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2007 223,010 0 7.8 20 3.9 74

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

3.0

20

31

7.8

3.9

Identified copper resources = 0

Tract 005pCu1020

Source

Cunningham and others, 2008, Quantitative mineral resource assessment of copper, molybdenum, gold, and silver in undiscovered 

porphyry copper deposits in the Andes Mountains of South America: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2008–1253, 

http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1253/.
Plate 1. Tract 005pCu1020, Cretaceous Turbio—Chile and Argentina 139

Plate

1

0 75 150 225 300 KILOMETERS

0 75 150 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

South America Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 73° W.; latitude of origin 32° S.

Comodoro

Rivadavia

Punta Arenas

Temuco

Neuquén

Puerto Montt

ATLANTIC

OCEAN

PACIFIC

OCEAN

CHILE

ARGENTINA

Andes Mountains

75° W 68° W

40° S

50° S

ARGENTINA

CHILE

ANTARCTICA

ATLANTIC

OCEAN

PACIFIC

OCEAN

80° W 55° W

30° S

60° S

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract

005pCu1020

Porphyry copper prospect
140 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 2. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 005pCu1019, Late Triassic to 

Middle Jurassic Bajo de la Leona—Argentina

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper model (Cox, 1986a)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2005)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: High cost

Geologic feature assessed: Late Triassic to Middle Jurassic calc-alkalic plutons, including the Subcordilleran batholith and 

the Central Patagonian batholith, which consists mostly of granodiorite, granite, and leucocratic 

granite

Number of known deposits: 0

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

Source

Cunningham and others, 2008, Quantitative mineral resource assessment of copper, molybdenum, gold, and silver in undiscovered 

porphyry copper deposits in the Andes Mountains of South America: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2008–1253, 

http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1253/.

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2006 45,642 0 5.9 30 2.8 86

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

1.4

15

25

5.9

2.8

Identified copper resources = 0

Tract 005pCu1019

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 2. Tract 005pCu1019, Late Triassic to Middle Jurassic Bajo de la Leona—Argentina 141

Plate

2

0 30 60 90 120 KILOMETERS

0 30 60 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

South America Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 69° W.; latitude of origin 32° S.

CHILE

ARGENTINA

ATLANTIC

OCEAN

70° W 66° W

42° S

46° S

Comodoro Rivadavia

CHILE

ARGENTINA

60° W

30° S

50° S

80° W

PACIFIC

OCEAN

ATLANTIC

OCEAN

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract

005pCu1019

Porphyry copper prospect
142 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 3. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 005pCu1013d, Miocene 

Coastal—Chile and Argentina

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper model (Cox, 1986a)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2005)

Economic filter depth percentages: Skewed shallow—0 to 250 meters (m), 35%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 40%

Economic filter cost setting: Typical cost

Geologic feature assessed: Miocene mainly calc-alkalic granodiorite, diorite, and tonalite plutons, including batholiths; 

plutons and batholiths apparently are consanguineous with the plutons in tracts 005pCu1013b 

(pl. 6) and 005pCu1013c (pl. 10)

Number of known deposits: 0

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

Source

Cunningham and others, 2008, Quantitative mineral resource assessment of copper, molybdenum, gold, and silver in undiscovered 

porphyry copper deposits in the Andes Mountains of South America: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2008–1253, 

http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1253/.

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2006 63,233 0 4.5 30 2.5 80

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

1.0

11

20

4.5

2.5

Identified copper resources = 0

Tract 005pCu1013d

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 3. Tract 005pCu1013d, Miocene Coastal—Chile and Argentina 143

Plate

3

0 60 120 180 240 KILOMETERS

0 60 120 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

South America Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 72° W.; latitude of origin 32° S.

CHILE

ARGENTINA

75° W 70° W

35° S

40° S

45° S

Temuco

PACIFIC

OCEAN

Andes Mountains

ARGENTINA

PACIFIC

OCEAN

80° W 60° W

30° S

45° S ATLANTIC

OCEAN

CHILE

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract

005pCu1013d
144 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 4. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 005pCu1015, Late Cretaceous–

Middle Eocene Campana Mahuida—Argentina and Chile

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper model (Cox, 1986a)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2005)

Economic filter depth percentages: Custom—0 to 250 meters (m), 20%; >250 to 500 m, 30%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: Mixed cost

Geologic feature assessed: Heterogeneous assemblage of Late Cretaceous, Paleocene, and middle Eocene mainly calc-alkalic 

granite, granodiorite, andesite, diorite, and dacite plutons

Number of known deposits: 1

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

Source

Cunningham and others, 2008, Quantitative mineral resource assessment of copper, molybdenum, gold, and silver in undiscovered 

porphyry copper deposits in the Andes Mountains of South America: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2008–1253, 

http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1253/.

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2005 83,204 0.95 15 7 8.6 37

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.16

5.9

40

58

15

8.6

Tract 005pCu1015

Identified copper resources (0.95 Mt)

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 4. Tract 005pCu1015, Late Cretaceous–Middle Eocene Campana Mahuida—Argentina and Chile 145

Plate

4

0 50 100 150 200 KILOMETERS

0 50 100 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

South America Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 71° W.; latitude of origin 32° S

Talca

Concepcion

Temuco

Puerto Montt

PACIFIC

OCEAN

Andes Mountains

CHILE

ARGENTINA

Campana Mahuida

72° W 68° W

38° S

42° S

CHILE

BOLIVIA

ARGENTINA

PACIFIC

OCEAN

ATLANTIC

OCEAN

80° W 60° W

30° S

60° S

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract

005pCu1015

Porphyry copper deposit

Porphyry copper prospect
146 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 5. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 005pCu1014b, Miocene–

Pliocene El Teniente—Chile

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper model (Cox, 1986a)

Grade and tonnage model: Giant porphyry copper model (Singer, Briskey, and Cunningham, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: Typical cost

Geologic feature assessed: Mainly late Miocene to early Pliocene calc-alkalic plutons and consanguineous coeval to slightly 

older lavas, breccias, pyroclastic rocks, and volcanic domes

Number of known deposits: 2 (1) (As shown on the map, 1 of these deposits was found after the assessment was done; the 

assessment results below reflect information available in 2005 for 2 deposits.)

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

Source

Cunningham and others, 2008, Quantitative mineral resource assessment of copper, molybdenum, gold, and silver in undiscovered 

porphyry copper deposits in the Andes Mountains of South America: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2008–1253, 

http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1253/.

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2005 9,284 230 69 6 56 6

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

7.6

49

150 180

69 56

Tract 005pCu1014b

Identified copper resources (230 Mt)

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 5. Tract 005pCu1014b, Miocene–Pliocene El Teniente—Chile 147

Plate

5

0 15 30 45 60 KILOMETERS

0 15 30 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

South America Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 70°30' W.; latitude of origin 32° S.

Andes Mountains

Los Bronces/Rio Blanco (Andina)

El Teniente

Los Sulfatos

Valparaiso

SANTIAGO

CHILE

ARGENTINA

71° W 70° W

32° S

34° S

ARGENTINA

BOLIVIA

CHILE

PACIFIC

OCEAN

ATLANTIC

OCEAN

80° W 60° W

20° S

40° S

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract 

005pCu1014b

Porphyry copper deposit

Porphyry copper deposit 

discovered after the 

assessment
148 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 6. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 005pCu1013b, Miocene–

Pliocene Los Pelambres—Argentina and Chile

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper model (Cox, 1986a)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2005)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: Mixed cost

Geologic feature assessed: Miocene to Pliocene principally calc-alkalic plutons; separated from tract 005pCu1013c (pl. 10) 

where deeper erosion of younger cover rocks aided exploration, thereby reducing the probability 

of undiscovered deposits

Number of known deposits: 2

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

Source

Cunningham and others, 2008, Quantitative mineral resource assessment of copper, molybdenum, gold, and silver in undiscovered 

porphyry copper deposits in the Andes Mountains of South America: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2008–1253, 

http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1253/.

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2005 41,799 51 22 3 12 29

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.82

2.6

14

50

72

22

12

Identified copper resources (51 Mt)

Tract 005pCu1013b

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 6. Tract 005pCu1013b, Miocene–Pliocene Los Pelambres—Argentina and Chile 149

Plate

6

0 30 60 90 120 KILOMETERS

0 30 60 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

South America Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 70° W.; latitude of origin 32° S.

CHILE

ARGENTINA

SANTIAGO

Los Pelambres/El Pachon

Vizcachitas

Andes Mountains

PACIFIC

OCEAN

72° W 69° W

30° S

35° S

ARGENTINA

CHILE

BOLIVIA

PACIFIC 

OCEAN

80° W 70° W

30° S

42° S

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract

005pCu1013b

Porphyry copper deposit

Porphyry copper prospect
150 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 7. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 005pCu1016ab, Permian San 

Jorge—Argentina and Chile

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper model (Cox, 1986a)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2005)

Economic filter depth percentages: Skewed deep—0 to 250 meters (m), 10%; >250 to 500 m, 30%; >500 m to 1 km, 60%

Economic filter cost setting: Mixed cost

Geologic feature assessed: Permian calc-alkalic generally dioritic to dacitic plutons in two geographically separate sub-tracts, 

a and b, which are southern continuations of Permian tract 005pCu1018 (pl. 17)

Number of known deposits: 2

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2

)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2005 29,080 1.9 12 4 6.6 50

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.18

0.79

6.2

27

41

12

6.6

Tract 005pCu1016ab

Identified copper resources (1.9 Mt)

Source

Cunningham and others, 2008, Quantitative mineral resource assessment of copper, molybdenum, gold, and silver in undiscovered 

porphyry copper deposits in the Andes Mountains of South America: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2008–1253, 

http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1253/.
Plate 7. Tract 005pCu1016ab, Permian San Jorge—Argentina and Chile 151

Plate

7

0 60 120 180 240 KILOMETERS

0 60 120 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

South America Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 69°30’ W.; latitude of origin 32° S.

PACIFIC

OCEAN Andes Mountains

CHILE

ARGENTINA

72° W 66° W

30° S

35° S

SANTIAGO

San Jorge

La Voluntad

PACIFIC

OCEAN

ATLANTIC

OCEAN

BOLIVIA

80° W 60° W

30° S

50° S

ARGENTINA

CHILE

PERU

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract

005pCu1016ab

Porphyry copper deposit

Porphyry copper prospect
152 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 8. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 005pCu1014a, Miocene 

Paramillos—Argentina

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper model (Cox, 1986a)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2005)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: Mixed cost

Geologic feature assessed: Mainly late Miocene to early Pliocene calc-alkalic plutons intruding folded and intensely thrust 

faulted Paleozoic country rocks

Number of known deposits: 2

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2

)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2005 21,721 2.1 21 4 11 32

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.25

1.1

11

50

75

21

11

Tract 005pCu1014a

Identified copper resources (2.1 Mt)

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

Source

Cunningham and others, 2008, Quantitative mineral resource assessment of copper, molybdenum, gold, and silver in undiscovered 

porphyry copper deposits in the Andes Mountains of South America: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2008–1253, 

http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1253/.
Plate 8. Tract 005pCu1014a, Miocene Paramillos—Argentina 153

Plate

8

0 25 50 75 100 KILOMETERS

0 25 50 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

South America Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 69° W.; latitude of origin 32° S.

Andes Mountains

CHILE

ARGENTINA

70° W 68° W

30° S

32° S

San Juan

Mendoza

SANTIAGO

Paramillos Norte

Paramillos Sur

ARGENTINA

BOLIVIA

75° W 60° W

30° S

45° S

CHILE

PERU

PACIFIC

OCEAN

ATLANTIC

OCEAN

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract

005pCu1014a

Porphyry copper deposit
154 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 9. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 005pCu1012, Eocene–Oligocene 

La Fortuna—Chile and Argentina

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper model (Cox, 1986a)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2005)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: Typical cost

Geologic feature assessed: Eocene to Oligocene principally calc-alkalic plutons, including epizonal plutons intruding 

volcanic-arc lava flows and breccias; equivalent to rocks in tracts 005pCu1009 (pl. 19) and 

005pCu1010ab (pl. 18)

Number of known deposits: 1

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

Source

Cunningham and others, 2008, Quantitative mineral resource assessment of copper, molybdenum, gold, and silver in undiscovered 

porphyry copper deposits in the Andes Mountains of South America: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2008–1253, 

http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1253/.

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2005 6,913 5.1 15 4 10 21

10

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.18

1.1

8.5

34

50

15

Tract 005pCu1012

Identified copper resources (5.1 Mt)

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 9. Tract 005pCu1012, Eocene–Oligocene La Fortuna—Chile and Argentina 155

Plate

9

0 20 40 60 80 KILOMETERS

0 20 40 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

South America Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 70° W.; latitude of origin 32° S.

Andes Mountains

CHILE

ARGENTINA

71° W 69° W

28° S

30° S

La Serena

San Juan

La Fortuna

PACIFIC

OCEAN

ARGENTINA

BOLIVIA

76° W 68° W

20° S

30° S

40° S

CHILE

PACIFIC

OCEAN

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract

005pCu1012

Porphyry copper deposit
156 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 10. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 005pCu1013c, Miocene–

Pliocene—Argentina and Chile

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper model (Cox, 1986a)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2005)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: Mixed cost

Geologic feature assessed: Miocene to Pliocene principally calc-alkalic plutons; separated from tract 005pCu1013b (pl. 6), 

where more extensive cover by younger rocks hindered exploration, thereby increasing the 

probability of undiscovered deposits

Number of known deposits: 0

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

Source

Cunningham and others, 2008, Quantitative mineral resource assessment of copper, molybdenum, gold, and silver in undiscovered 

porphyry copper deposits in the Andes Mountains of South America: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2008–1253, 

http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1253/.

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2006 5,767 0 7.7 6 4.0 66

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.20

3.3

18

29

7.7

4.0

Identified copper resources = 0

Tract 005pCu1013c

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 10. Tract 005pCu1013c, Miocene–Pliocene—Argentina and Chile 157

Plate

10

0 10 20 30 40 KILOMETERS

0 10 20 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

South America Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 70° W.; latitude of origin 32° S.

Andes Mountains

CHILE

ARGENTINA

70° W 69° W

29° S

30° S

ARGENTINA

BOLIVIA

76° W 68° W

26° S

34° S

CHILE

PACIFIC

OCEAN

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract

005pCu1013c
158 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 11. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 005pCu1014d, Miocene–

Pliocene Nevados de Famatina—Argentina

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper model (Cox, 1986a)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2005)

Economic filter depth percentages: Custom—0 to 250 meters (m), 20%; >250 to 500 m, 30%; >500 m to1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: Mixed cost

Geologic feature assessed: Mainly late Miocene to early Pliocene calc-alkalic plutons and consanguineous coeval to slightly 

older lavas, breccias, pyroclastic rocks, and volcanic domes

Number of known deposits: 1

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

Source

Cunningham and others, 2008, Quantitative mineral resource assessment of copper, molybdenum, gold, and silver in undiscovered 

porphyry copper deposits in the Andes Mountains of South America: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2008–1253, 

http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1253/.

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2005 5,770 1.1 12 7 6.3 52

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.28

6.1

29

44

12

6.3

Tract 005pCu1014d

Identified copper resources (1.1 Mt)

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 11. Tract 005pCu1014d, Miocene–Pliocene Nevados de Famatina—Argentina 159

Plate

11

0 12 24 36 48 KILOMETERS

0 12 24 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

South America Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 68° W.; latitude of origin 32° S.

Andes Mountains

ARGENTINA

La Rioja

Nevados de Famatina

68° W 67° W

28° S

30° S

ARGENTINA

CHILE

BOLIVIA

75° W 68° W

20° S

30° S

PACIFIC

OCEAN

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract

005pCu1014d

Porphyry copper deposit
160 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 12. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 005pCu1017, Cretaceous 

Antucoya—Chile

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper model (Cox, 1986a)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2005)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: Typical cost

Geologic feature assessed: Cretaceous calc-alkalic plutons, including batholiths

Number of known deposits: 0 (2) (As shown on the map, 2 deposits were found after the assessment was done; the assessment 

results below reflect information available in 2005 for 0 deposits.)

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

Source

Cunningham and others, 2008, Quantitative mineral resource assessment of copper, molybdenum, gold, and silver in undiscovered 

porphyry copper deposits in the Andes Mountains of South America: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2008–1253, 

http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1253/.

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2005 77,511 0 23 3 15 10

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.99

2.6

15

52

74

23

15

Tract 005pCu1017

Identified copper resources = 0 

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 12. Tract 005pCu1017, Cretaceous Antucoya—Chile 161

Plate

12

0 75 150 225 300 KILOMETERS

0 75 150 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

South America Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 70°30' W.; latitude of origin 32° S.

PACIFIC

OCEAN Andes Mountains

BOLIVIA

CHILE

ARGENTINA

Concepcion

Valparaiso

SANTIAGO

Salta

San Miguel

de Tucumán

Cordoba

Antucoya

Andacollo

75° W 70° W 65° W

20° S

30° S

PACIFIC

OCEAN

ATLANTIC

OCEAN

ARGENTINA

BOLIVIA

PERU

CHILE

80° W 60° W

20° S

40° S

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract

005pCu1017

Porphyry copper deposit

discovered after the

assessment

Porphyry copper prospect
162 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 13. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 005pCu1008, Paleocene–

Eocene Toquepala—Chile and Peru

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper model (Cox, 1986a)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2005)

Economic filter depth percentages: Skewed deep—0 to 250 meters (m), 10%; >250 to 500 m, 30%; >500 m to 1 km, 60%

Economic filter cost setting: Typical cost

Geologic feature assessed: Paleocene and Eocene mostly calc-alkalic plutons; includes the Toquepala volcanic rocks and 

coeval porphyry plutons (Peru), and rhyolite domes, dacite pyroclastics, and associated calderas 

(Chile)

Number of known deposits: 12 (1) (As shown on the map, 1 of these deposits was found after the assessment was done; the 

assessment results below reflect information available in 2005 for 12 deposits.)

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

Source

Cunningham and others, 2008, Quantitative mineral resource assessment of copper, molybdenum, gold, and silver in undiscovered 

porphyry copper deposits in the Andes Mountains of South America: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2008–1253, 

http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1253/.

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2005 69,087 72 43 2 27 4

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

4.0

7.9

33

92 120

43

27

Tract 005pCu1008

Identified copper resources (72 Mt)

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 13. Tract 005pCu1008, Paleocene–Eocene Toquepala—Chile and Peru 163

Plate

13

0 100 200 300 400 KILOMETERS

0 100 200 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

South America Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 69° W.; latitude of origin 32° S.

PACIFIC OCEAN Andes Mountains

BOLIVIA

CHILE

ARGENTINA

PERU

CHILE

BOLIVIA

ARGENTINA

Quellaveco

Relincho

Toquepala

Cerro Verde Cerro Negro

Quellaveco

Cuajone

Cerro Colorado

Ticnámar

Lomas Bayas Group

Sierra Gorda

Spence

Cerro Colorado

Inca de Oro

75° W 70° W 65° W

20° S

30° S

Lake

Titicaca

PACIFIC

OCEAN

ATLANTIC

OCEAN

BOLIVIA

ARGENTINA

BRAZIL

PERU

CHILE

80° W 60° W

10° S

30° S

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract 

 005pCu1008

Porphyry copper deposit

Porphyry copper prospect

Porphyry copper deposit

 discovered after the 

 assessment
164 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 14. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 005pCu1013a, Miocene–

Pliocene Cerro Casale—Argentina and Chile

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper model (Cox, 1986a)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2005)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: Mixed cost

Geologic feature assessed: Miocene to Pliocene plutons; including continental volcanic rocks containing lava flows, volcanic 

breccias, and ash-flow tuffs in three bands trending northwest across this northeast-trending tract

Number of known deposits: 1 (1) (As shown on the map, 1 of these deposits was found after the assessment was done; the 

assessment results below reflect information available in 2006 for 1 deposit.)

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

Source

Cunningham and others, 2008, Quantitative mineral resource assessment of copper, molybdenum, gold, and silver in undiscovered 

porphyry copper deposits in the Andes Mountains of South America: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2008–1253, 

http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1253/.

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2006 70,587 4.5 38 2 20 10

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

1.8

4.2

25

89

120

38

20

Tract 005pCu1013a

Identified copper resources (4.5 Mt)

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 14. Tract 005pCu1013a, Miocene–Pliocene Cerro Casale—Argentina and Chile 165

Plate

14

0 30 60 90 120 KILOMETERS

0 30 60 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

South America Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 68° W.; latitude of origin 32° S.

CHILE

ARGENTINA

Catamarca

Cerro Casale

Regalito (Caserones)

Andes Mountains

68° W 66° W

24° S

27° S

ARGENTINA

BOLIVIA

CHILE

PERU

PACIFIC 

OCEAN

76° W 68° W

20° S

30° S

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract

005pCu1013a

Porphyry copper deposit

Porphyry copper prospect

Porphyry copper deposit

discovered after the

assessment
166 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 15. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 005pCu1014c, Miocene–

Pliocene Bajo de la Alumbrera—Argentina

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper model (Cox, 1986a)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2005)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: Mixed cost

Geologic feature assessed: Mainly late Miocene to early Pliocene calc-alkalic plutons and consanguineous coeval to slightly 

older lavas, breccias, pyroclastic rocks, and volcanic domes

Number of known deposits: 3

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

Source

Cunningham and others, 2008, Quantitative mineral resource assessment of copper, molybdenum, gold, and silver in undiscovered 

porphyry copper deposits in the Andes Mountains of South America: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2008–1253, 

http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1253/.

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2005 24,048 12 17 3 8.9 38

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.80

2.2

11

38

57

17

8.9

Tract 005pCu1014c

Identified copper r esources (12 Mt)

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 15. Tract 005pCu1014c, Miocene–Pliocene Bajo de la Alumbrera—Argentina 167

Plate

15

0 25 50 75 100 KILOMETERS

0 25 50 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

South America Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 67° W.; latitude of origin 32° S.

Agua Rica Bajo de la

Alumbrera

Bajo El Durazno

Andes Mountains

CHILE

ARGENTINA

San Miguel

de Tucumán

68° W 66° W

26° S

27° S

BRAZIL

ARGENTINA

BOLIVIA

CHILE

PERU

PACIFIC

OCEAN

75° W 60° W

20° S

30° S

EXPLANATION

Porphyry copper deposit

Assessed porphyry copper tract

005pCu1014c

Porphyry copper prospect
168 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 16. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 005pCu1011, Eocene–

Oligocene Taca Taca Bajo—Argentina

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper model (Cox, 1986a)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2005)

Economic filter depth percentages: Skewed deep—0 to 250 meters (m), 10%; >250 to 500 m, 30%; >500 m to 1 km, 60%

Economic filter cost setting: Mixed cost

Geologic feature assessed: Assorted Eocene to Oligocene mostly calc-alkalic plutons

Number of known deposits: 1

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

Source

Cunningham and others, 2008, Quantitative mineral resource assessment of copper, molybdenum, gold, and silver in undiscovered 

porphyry copper deposits in the Andes Mountains of South America: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2008–1253, 

http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1253/.

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2005 2,429 3.0 4.2 31 2.6 78

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.98

10

18

4.2

2.6

Tract 005pCu1011

Identified copper resources (3.0 Mt)

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 16. Tract 005pCu1011, Eocene–Oligocene Taca Taca Bajo—Argentina 169

Plate

16

0 10 20 30 40 KILOMETERS

0 10 20 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

South America Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 68° W.; latitude of origin 32° S.

CHILE

ARGENTINA

Taca Taca Bajo

Andes Mountains

68°30' W 67°30' W

24°00' S

25°00' S

PACIFIC

OCEAN

ARGENTINA

BOLIVIA

PERU

70° W 60° W

20° S

30° S

CHILE

EXPLANATION

Porphyry copper deposit

Assessed porphyry copper tract 

005pCu1011

Porphyry copper prospect
170 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 17. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 005pCu1018, Permian El Loa—

Chile

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper model (Cox, 1986a)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2005)

Economic filter depth percentages: Skewed deep—0 to 250 meters (m), 10%; >250 to 500 m, 30%; >500 m to 1 km, 60%

Economic filter cost setting: Typical cost

Geologic feature assessed: Permian calc-alkalic plutons; the southern extensions of this tract are in tract 005pCu1016ab (pl. 7)

Number of known deposits: 0

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

Source

Cunningham and others, 2008, Quantitative mineral resource assessment of copper, molybdenum, gold, and silver in undiscovered 

porphyry copper deposits in the Andes Mountains of South America: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2008–1253, 

http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1253/.

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2005 17,765 0 7.5 6 4.8 54

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.16

3.2

18

28

7.5

4.8

Identified copper resources = 0

Tract 005pCu1018

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 17. Tract 005pCu1018, Permian El Loa—Chile 171

Plate

17

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

South America Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 69° W.; latitude of origin 32° S.

0 30 60 MILES

0 30 60 90 120 KILOMETERS

PACIFIC

OCEAN

Andes Mountains

BOLIVIA

CHILE

ARGENTINA

Antofagasta

Iquique

70° W 68° W

22° S

24° S

75° W 65° W

15° S

PACIFIC

OCEAN

BOLIVIA

ARGENTINA

CHILE

PERU

25° S

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract

005pCu1018

Porphyry copper prospect
172 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 18. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 005pCu1010ab, Eocene–

Oligocene Chuquicamata—Chile

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper model (Cox, 1986a)

Grade and tonnage model: Giant porphyry copper model (Singer, Briskey, and Cunningham, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: Typical cost

Geologic feature assessed: Eocene to Oligocene mainly calc-alkalic plutons, including epizonal plutons intruding 

volcanic-arc lava flows and breccias; equivalent to rocks in tracts 005pCu1009 (pl. 19) 

and 005pCu1012 (pl. 9)

Number of known deposits: 10 (6) (As shown on the map, 6 deposits were found after the assessment was done; the 

assessment results below reflect information available in 2005 for 10 deposits.)

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

Source

Cunningham and others, 2008, Quantitative mineral resource assessment of copper, molybdenum, gold, and silver in undiscovered 

porphyry copper deposits in the Andes Mountains of South America: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2008–1253, 

http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1253/.

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2005 25,690 320 210 3 170 3

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

22

46

190

400 470

210 170

Tract 005pCu1010ab Identified copper 

resources (320 Mt)

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 18. Tract 005pCu1010ab, Eocene–Oligocene Chuquicamata—Chile 173

Plate

18

0 50 100 150 200 KILOMETERS

0 50 100 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

South America Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 69° W.; latitude of origin 32° S.

PACIFIC

OCEAN

Andes Mountains

Conchi

El Telégrafo

Esperanza

BOLIVIA

CHILE

ARGENTINA

Antofagasta

Copiapo

Iquique

Escondida

Collahuasi

El Salvador

Gaby

Toki

Potrerillos

Ujina Quebrada Blanca

Opache

Chimborazo

Chuquicamata 

Mansa Mina 

 

El Abra

72° W 68° W

20° S

25° S

a

b

PACIFIC

OCEAN

ARGENTINA

BOLIVIA

PERU

CHILE

76° W 68° W

15° S

30° S

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tracts

005pCu1010a and 005pCu1010b—

Letters on map indicate

sub-tracts a and b

Porphyry copper deposit

Porphyry copper prospect

Porphyry copper deposit

discovered after the assessment
174 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 19. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 005pCu1009, Eocene–

Oligocene Antapaccay—Peru

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper model (Cox, 1986a)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2005)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: Mixed cost

Geologic feature assessed: Eocene to Oligocene mostly calc-alkalic plutons, including epizonal plutons that intrude 

voluminous volcanic-arc lava flows and breccias; equivalent to rocks in tracts 005pCu1010ab 

(pl. 18) and 005pCu1012 (pl. 9)

Number of known deposits: 5 (1) (As shown on the map, 1 deposit was found after the assessment was done; the assessment 

results below reflect information available in 2005 for 5 deposits.)

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

Source

Cunningham and others, 2008, Quantitative mineral resource assessment of copper, molybdenum, gold, and silver in undiscovered 

porphyry copper deposits in the Andes Mountains of South America: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2008–1253, 

http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1253/.

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2005 30,154 13 19 3 9.9 36

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.76

2.1

11

44

62

19

9.9

Tract 005pCu1009

Identified copper resources (13 Mt)

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 19. Tract 005pCu1009, Eocene–Oligocene Antapaccay—Peru 175

Plate

19

0 25 50 75 100 KILOMETERS

0 25 50 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

South America Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 72°30' W.; latitude of origin 32° S.

Andes Mountains

PERU

Cuzco

Antapaccay Coroccohuayco

Los Chancas

Quechua

Cotabambas Project

Las Bambas

Ucayali River

74° W 72° W

14° S

15° S

PACIFIC

OCEAN

PERU

BOLIVIA

BRAZIL

CHILE

80° W 70° W

10° S

20° S

EXPLANATION

Porphyry copper deposit

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 005pCu1009

Porphyry copper prospect

Porphyry copper deposit 

 discovered after the assessment 
176 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 20. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 005pCu1007, Cretaceous 

Almacen—Peru and Ecuador

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper model (Cox, 1986a)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2005)

Economic filter depth percentages: Skewed shallow—0 to 250 meters (m), 35%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 40%

Economic filter cost setting: Mixed cost

Geologic feature assessed: Cretaceous plutons, mostly calc-alkalic diorites and tonalites, principally of the Coastal batholith 

and smaller batholiths

Number of known deposits: 2

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

Source

Cunningham and others, 2008, Quantitative mineral resource assessment of copper, molybdenum, gold, and silver in undiscovered 

porphyry copper deposits in the Andes Mountains of South America: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2008–1253, 

http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1253/.

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2005 107,297 0.67 14 7 7.7 44

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.31

6.8

33

51

14

7.7

Tract 005pCu1007

Identified copper resources (0.67 Mt)

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 20. Tract 005pCu1007, Cretaceous Almacen—Peru and Ecuador 177

Plate

20

0 100 200 300 400 KILOMETERS

0 100 200 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

South America Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 75° W.; latitude of origin 32° S.

Andes Mountains

BRAZIL

PERU

ECUADOR

LIMA

Los Pinos

Almacen

Purús River

Ucayali River

Marañón River

Amazon River

80° W 75° W

5° S

10° S

15° S

PACIFIC OCEAN

PACIFIC

OCEAN

BRAZIL

PERU

BOLIVIA

COLOMBIA

VENEZUELA

ECUADOR

ARGENTINA

90° W 60° W

0°

30° S

CHILE

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract 

 005pCu1007

Porphyry copper deposit

Porphyry copper prospect
178 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 21. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 005pCu1006, Miocene La 

Granja—Peru and Ecuador

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper model (Cox, 1986a)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2005)

Economic filter depth percentages: Skewed deep—0 to 250 meters (m), 10%; >250 to 500 m, 30%; >500 m to 1 km, 60%

Economic filter cost setting: Mixed cost

Geologic feature assessed: Assorted middle to late Miocene mainly calc-alkalic plutons

Number of known deposits: 12

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

Source

Cunningham and others, 2008, Quantitative mineral resource assessment of copper, molybdenum, gold, and silver in undiscovered 

porphyry copper deposits in the Andes Mountains of South America: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2008–1253, 

http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1253/.

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2005 53,186 54 49 1 24 12

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

5.8

11

39

100 130

49

24

Tract 005pCu1006

Identified copper resources (54 Mt)

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 21. Tract 005pCu1006, Miocene La Granja—Peru and Ecuador 179

Plate

21

0 40 120 160 KILOMETERS

0 40 80 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and 

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

South America Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 78° W.; latitude of origin 32° S.

80

Marañón River

PACIFIC OCEAN

Ucayali River

Andes Mountains

Loja

Aguila

Magistral

Pashpap

ECUADOR

PERU

Loja

Trujillo

Callao LIMA

Huanuco

Aguila

Cañariaco

Cerro Corona

El Galeno

La Granja

Magistral

Michiquillay

Minas Conga Group

Pashpap

Rio Blanco

Tantahuatay

Toromocho

78° W 76° W

6° S

10° S

PACIFIC

OCEAN

PERU BRAZIL

COLOMBIA

ECUADOR

80° W 70° W

0°

10° S

20° S

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract 

 005pCu1006

Porphyry copper deposit

Porphyry copper prospect
180 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 22. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 005pCu1005, Miocene 

Chaucha—Colombia and Ecuador

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper model (Cox, 1986a)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2005)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: Mixed cost

Geologic feature assessed: Miocene principally calc-alkalic plutons including granites, granodiorites, tonalites, and dacite 

porphyries; includes parts of the Central Andes Mountains of Colombia

Number of known deposits: 4

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

Source

Cunningham and others, 2008, Quantitative mineral resource assessment of copper, molybdenum, gold, and silver in undiscovered 

porphyry copper deposits in the Andes Mountains of South America: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2008–1253, 

http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1253/.

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2005 58,797 4.0 39 2 21 10

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

3.2

7.4

30

81

110

39

21

Tract 005pCu1005

Identified copper resources (4.0 Mt)

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 22. Tract 005pCu1005, Miocene Chaucha—Colombia and Ecuador 181

Plate

22

0 60 120 180 240 KILOMETERS

0 60 120 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

South America Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 77° W.; latitude of origin 32° S.

80° W 75° W

5° N

0°

Cali

Medellin

Junin

Fierro Urcu

Caquetá River

Pu tumayo River

Central Andes Mountains (Cordillera Central)

PACIFIC OCEAN

COLOMBIA

ECUADOR

QUITO

Gaby-Papa Grande 

Chaucha

Guayaquil

PERU

Magdalena River

PANAMA

PERU

BRAZIL

ECUADOR

PANAMA

80° W 70° W

COLOMBIA

10° N

10° S

0°

PACIFIC

OCEAN

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract 

 005pCu1005

Porphyry copper deposit

Porphyry copper prospect
182 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 23. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 005pCu1003, Jurassic San 

Carlos—Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper model (Cox, 1986a)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2005)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: Mixed cost

Geologic feature assessed: Jurassic mainly calc-alkalic granodiorite, diorite, and tonalite plutons, including the Mocoa 

batholith (Colombia); includes intruded Jurassic basaltic and andesitic lava flows (Ecuador 

and Peru)

Number of known deposits: 5

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

Source

Cunningham and others, 2008, Quantitative mineral resource assessment of copper, molybdenum, gold, and silver in undiscovered 

porphyry copper deposits in the Andes Mountains of South America: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2008–1253, 

http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1253/.

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2005 67,709 14 40 2 20 15

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

3.1

7.1

31

85 110

40

20

Tract 005pCu1003

Identified copper resources (14 Mt)

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 23. Tract 005pCu1003, Jurassic San Carlos—Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru 183

Plate

23

0 50 100 150 200 KILOMETERS

0 50 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

South America Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 77° W.; latitude of origin 32° S.

100

Magdalena River

Andes Mountains

COLOMBIA

ECUADOR

PERU

Guayaquil

Cali

QUITO

BOGOTÁ

Warintza

Mocoa

Panantza

San Carlos

Mirador Marañón River

Putumayo River

Ucayali River

Caquetá River

78° W 76° W

0°

5° S

PACIFIC

OCEAN

PERU

COLOMBIA

BRAZIL

ECUADOR

PANAMA

80° W 70° W

10° N

0°

10° S

PACIFIC

OCEAN

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract 

005pCu1003

Porphyry copper deposit

Porphyry copper prospect
184 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 24. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 005pCu1001, Paleocene–

Eocene Acandi—Colombia, Ecuador, and Panama

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper model (Cox, 1986a)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2005)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: Mixed cost

Geologic feature assessed: Paleocene–Eocene mostly calc-alkalic plutons including tonalities, diorites, and granodiorites of 

the Mande batholith (Colombia), Acandi batholith (Colombia-Panama), and some outliers

Number of known deposits: 2

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

Source

Cunningham and others, 2008, Quantitative mineral resource assessment of copper, molybdenum, gold, and silver in undiscovered 

porphyry copper deposits in the Andes Mountains of South America: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2008–1253, 

http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1253/.

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2005 51,613 10 33 3 18 14

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.76

3.1

23

76 100

33

18

Tract 005pCu1001

Identified copper resources (10 Mt)

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 24. Tract 005pCu1001, Paleocene–Eocene Acandi—Colombia, Ecuador, and Panama 185

Plate

24

0 50 100 150 200 KILOMETERS

0 50 100 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

South America Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 77° W.; latitude of origin 32° S.

Andes Mountains

COLOMBIA

PANAMA

ECUADOR

Cali

Medellin

Caquetá River

Magdalena River

PACIFIC OCEAN

78° W 76° W

5° N

0°

Acandi

Pedagorcito-Pantanos

Putumayo River

PERU

ECUADOR

COLOMBIA

PANAMA

84° W 76° W

10° N

0°

CARIBBEAN SEA

PACIFIC

OCEAN

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract 

 005pCu1001

Porphyry copper prospect

Porphyry copper deposit
186 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 25. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 005pCu1004, Cretaceous 

Infierno-Chilí—Colombia

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper model (Cox, 1986a)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2005)

Economic filter depth percentages: Skewed shallow—0 to 250 meters (m), 35%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 40%

Economic filter cost setting: Mixed cost

Geologic feature assessed: Cretaceous mostly calc-alkalic plutons mainly of granodioritic and tonalitic composition; large 

batholiths to the north were excluded because they are too deeply eroded

Number of known deposits: 0

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

Source

Cunningham and others, 2008, Quantitative mineral resource assessment of copper, molybdenum, gold, and silver in undiscovered 

porphyry copper deposits in the Andes Mountains of South America: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2008–1253, 

http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1253/.

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2005 10,986 0 7.7 6 4.4 58

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.18

3.3

19

28

7.7

4.4

Identified copper resources = 0

Tract 005pCu1004

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 25. Tract 005pCu1004, Cretaceous Infierno-Chilí—Colombia 187

Plate

25

0 15 30 45 60 KILOMETERS

0 15 30 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

South America Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 76° W.; latitude of origin 32° S.

Andes Mountains

COLOMBIA

Cali

Manizales

Ibague

Magdalena River

76° W 75° W

4° N

2° N

COLOMBIA

ECUADOR

PERU

PANAMA

80° W 75° W

10° N

0°

PACIFIC

OCEAN

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract 

 005pCu1004

Porphyry copper prospect
188 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 26. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 005pCu1002, Jurassic 

California—Colombia and Venezuela

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper model (Cox, 1986a)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2005)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: Mixed cost

Geologic feature assessed: Late Jurassic rhyolitic to intermediate composition volcanic rocks, principally trachytes, rhyolites, 

and andesites, and their subordinate plutonic equivalents

Number of known deposits: 0

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

Source

Cunningham and others, 2008, Quantitative mineral resource assessment of copper, molybdenum, gold, and silver in undiscovered 

porphyry copper deposits in the Andes Mountains of South America: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2008–1253, 

http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1253/.

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2005 26,631 0 9.7 7 5.2 55

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.29

4.7

23

36

9.7

5.2

Tract 005pCu1002

Identified copper resources = 0

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 26. Tract 005pCu1002, Jurassic California—Colombia and Venezuela 189

Plate

26

0 30 60 90 120 KILOMETERS

0 30 60 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and 

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

South America Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 73° W.; latitude of origin 32° S.

Andes Mountains

COLOMBIA

VENEZUELA

Maracaibo

Bucaramanga

Valledupar

 Lake

Maracaibo

Magdalena River

CARIBBEAN

SEA

73°30' W 72°00’ W

12°00’ N

9°00’ N

6°00’ N

COLOMBIA

VENEZUELA

BRAZIL

ECUADOR

CARIBBEAN SEA

75° W 70° W

10° N

0°

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract 

 005pCu1002

Porphyry copper prospect
190 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 27. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 003pCu4002, Darién Region—

Panama

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; Berger and others, 2008; John and others, 2010)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Custom—0 to 250 meters (m), 20%; >250 to 500 m, 30%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: Mixed cost

Geologic feature assessed: Paleocene to Oligocene island arc-related calc-alkalic igneous rocks that were formed as the Nazca 

Plate was subducted beneath the Caribbean Plate

Number of known deposits: 1

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

Source

Gray and others, 2014, Porphyry copper assessment of Central America and the Caribbean Basin: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific 

Investigations Report 2010–5090–I, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090I.

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2010 16,475 19 14 4 8.6 38

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.25

0.94

6.9

31

53

14

8.6

Tract 003pCu4002

Identified copper resources (19 Mt)

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 27. Tract 003pCu4002, Darién Region—Panama 191

Plate

27

0 25 50 75 100 KILOMETERS

0 25 50 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

North America Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 79° W.; latitude of origin 40° N.

COLOMBIA

PANAMA

Colon

PANAMA CITY Cobre Panama

CARIBBEAN SEA

PACIFIC OCEAN

80° W 78° W

10° N

8° N

COLOMBIA

NICARAGUA

PANAMA

COSTA RICA

85° W 75° W

10° N

5° N

PACIFIC

OCEAN

CARIBBEAN SEA

EXPLANATION

Porphyry copper deposit

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 003pCu4002

Porphyry copper prospect
192 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 28. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 003pCu4004, Cocos Region—

Central America

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; Berger and others, 2008; John and others, 2010)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Skewed deep—0 to 250 meters (m), 10%; >250 to 500 m, 30%; >500 m to 1 km, 60%

Economic filter cost setting: Mixed cost

Geologic feature assessed: Middle to late Tertiary continental arc formed above the northern part of the Middle America 

Trench in a complex zone of interaction of the North American, Caribbean, Nazca, and Cocos 

Plates

Number of known deposits: 2

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2010 203,634 16 53 2 29 10

Source

Gray and others, 2014, Porphyry copper assessment of Central America and the Caribbean Basin: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific 

Investigations Report 2010–5090–I, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090I.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

2.2

6.1

39

120 160

53

29

Identified copper resources (16 Mt)

Tract 003pCu4004

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 28. Tract 003pCu4004, Cocos Region—Central America 193

Plate

28

0 100 200 300 400 KILOMETERS

0 100 200 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

North America Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 87° W.; latitude of origin 40° N.

PACIFIC OCEAN

CARIBBEAN SEA

GULF OF

MEXICO

MEXICO

BELIZE

GUATEMALA

HONDURAS

NICARAGUA

COSTA RICA

PANAMA

ELSALVADOR

Campeche

GUATEMALA CITY

PANAMA

CITY

Santa Ana Santa Ana

TEGUCIGALPA

Leon MANAGUA

Cerro Chorcha

Cerro Colorado

90° W 80° W

18° N

6° N

Lake

Nicaragua

MEXICO

COLOMBIA

NICARAGUA

HONDURAS

100° W 80° W

20° N

0°

PACIFIC

OCEAN

GULF OF 

MEXICO

CARIBBEAN

SEA

EXPLANATION

Porphyry copper deposit

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 003pCu4004

Porphyry copper prospect
194 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 29. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 003pCu4003, Chortis Region—

Central America

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; Berger and others, 2008; John and others, 2010)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: Mixed cost

Geologic feature assessed: Late Cretaceous to early Tertiary continental arc of dioritic-tonalitic plutons that intrude Mesozoic 

sedimentary and older metamorphic rocks in northern Central America

Number of known deposits: 0

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2010 67,570 0 23 4 12 39

Source

Gray and others, 2014, Porphyry copper assessment of Central America and the Caribbean Basin: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific 

Investigations Report 2010–5090–I, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090I.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.33

1.4

13

54

82

23

12

Identified copper resources = 0

Tract 003pCu4003

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 29. Tract 003pCu4003, Chortis Region—Central America 195

Plate

29

0 50 100 150 200 KILOMETERS

0 50 100 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

North America Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 86° W.; latitude of origin 40° N.

88° W 84° W

16° N

14° N

HONDURAS

BELIZE

Choluteca

Matagalpa

NUEVA SAN

SALVADOR

NUEVA SAN

SALVADOR

CARIBBEAN SEA

PACIFIC OCEAN

La Ceiba

NICARAGUA

TEGUCIGALPA

GUATEMALA

Chinandega

San Miguel

EL SALVADOR

CARIBBEAN SEA

PACIFIC

OCEAN

GULF OF

MEXICO

MEXICO

NICARAGUA

PANAMA

HONDURAS

COSTA RICA

90° W 80° W

20° N

10° N

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract

003pCu4003

Porphyry copper prospect
196 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 30. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 003pCu4005, Lesser Antilles—

Caribbean Basin

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper-gold model (Cox, 1986b)

Grade and tonnage model: Porphyry copper, copper-gold subtype model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Skewed deep—0 to 250 meters (m), 10%; >250 to 500 m, 30%; >500 m to 1 km, 60%

Economic filter cost setting: High cost

Geologic feature assessed: Eocene through Holocene Lesser Antilles composite volcanic arc

Number of known deposits: 0

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2010 2,982 0 3.3 30 1.4 93

Source

Gray and others, 2014, Porphyry copper assessment of Central America and the Caribbean Basin: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific 

Investigations Report 2010–5090–I, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090I.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.67

7.9

15

3.3

1.4

Identified copper resources = 0

Tract 003pCu4005

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 30. Tract 003pCu4005, Lesser Antilles—Caribbean Basin 197

Plate

30

0 25 50 75 100 KILOMETERS

0 25 50 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

South America Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 61°30' W.; latitude of origin 32° S.

CARIBBEAN SEA

ATLANTIC

OCEAN

DOMINICA

SAINT LUCIA

GUADELOUPE

MONTSERRAT

SAINT VINCENT AND

THE GRENADINES

GRENADA

ANGUILLA

ANTIGUAAND

BARBUDA

SAINT KITTS

AND NEVIS

MARTINIQUE

FORT-DE-FRANCE

CASTRIES

63° W 61° W

18° N

14° N

VENEZUELA

GUYANA

65° W 60° W

20° N

10° N

CARIBBEAN

SEA

ATLANTIC

OCEAN

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 003pCu4005
198 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 31. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 003pCu4001, Santiago 

Region—Caribbean Basin

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; Berger and others, 2008; John and others, 2010)

Grade and tonnage model: Porphyry copper, copper-gold subtype model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: Mixed cost

Geologic feature assessed: Cretaceous–Eocene oceanic arc associated with subduction along the northern Caribbean Plate 

boundary, corresponding to the modern Greater Antilles arc

Number of known deposits: 4

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2010 78,775 4.1 36 2 19 18

Source

Gray and others, 2014, Porphyry copper assessment of Central America and the Caribbean Basin: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific 

Investigations Report 2010–5090–I, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090I.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

1.5

4.1

27

82 100

36

19

Tract 003pCu4001

Identified copper resources (4.1 Mt)

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 31. Tract 003pCu4001, Santiago Region—Caribbean Basin 199

Plate

31

0 100 200 300 400 KILOMETERS

0 100 200 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and 

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

North America Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 75° W.; latitude of origin 40° N.

CARIBBEAN SEA

ATLANTIC OCEAN

HONDURAS

NICARAGUA

UNITED

STATES

CUBA

JAMAICA

PUERTO

RICO

DOMINICAN

REPUBLIC

THE

BAHAMAS

THE BAHAMAS

Camaguey

KINGSTON

PORT-AU-PRINCE SANTO 

DOMINGO

Miami

HAVANA

SAN JUAN

HAITI

PORT-AU-PRINCE

Arimao 

Blondin-Douvray

Río Viví 

Tanamá 

80° W 70° W

25° N

15° N

Santiago de Cuba

BRAZIL

UNITED

STATES

CUBA

VENEZUELA

MEXICO

COLOMBIA

ECUADOR

100° W 60° W

30° N

10° S

ATLANTIC

OCEAN EXPLANATION

Porphyry copper deposit

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 003pCu4001

Porphyry copper prospect
200 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 32. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 003pCu3011, Southwest 

Mexico—Mexico

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; Berger and others, 2008)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: Typical cost

Geologic feature assessed: Paleocene to Miocene continental magmatic arc rocks along the Pacific coast of Mexico, west of 

Mexico City, and along the Sierra Madre del Sur

Number of known deposits: 3

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

Source

Hammarstrom, Robinson, and others, 2010, Porphyry copper assessment of Mexico: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 

2010–5090–A, http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2010/5090/a/.

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2008 156,976 1.0 37 2 25 4

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

3.4

7.3

26

80

110

37

25

Tract 003pCu3011

Identified copper resources (1.0 Mt)

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 32. Tract 003pCu3011, Southwest Mexico—Mexico 201

Plate

32

0 75 150 225 300 KILOMETERS

0 75 150 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and 

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

North America Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 101° W.; latitude of origin 40° N.

La Verde

San Isidro Group

Tepal

PACIFIC OCEAN

Sierra Madre Oriental

GULF OF

MEXICO

Sierra Madre del Sur

Aguascalientes

Guadalajara

Tampico

Puebla Veracruz

San Luis Potosi

Queretaro

Morelia

MEXICO CITY

Toluca

Cuernavaca

Acapulco

MEXICO

102° W 96° W

22° N

18° N

UNITED STATES

MEXICO

PACIFIC

OCEAN

GULF OF

MEXICO

140° W 100° W

30° N

10° N

EXPLANATION

Porphyry copper deposit

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 003pCu3011

Porphyry copper prospect
202 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 33. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 003pCu3005, Balsas—Mexico

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; Berger and others, 2008)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: Typical cost

Geologic feature assessed: Jurassic–Early Cretaceous Teloloapan volcanic-arc rocks in the Guerrero terrane of southwestern 

Mexico

Number of known deposits: 1

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2008 11,812 3.0 1.2 71 0.80 96

Source

Hammarstrom, Robinson, and others, 2010, Porphyry copper assessment of Mexico: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 

2010–5090–A, http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2010/5090/a/.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

2.4

5.3

1.2

0.80

Tract 003pCu3005

Identified copper resources (3.0 Mt)

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 33. Tract 003pCu3005, Balsas—Mexico 203

Plate

33

0 20 40 60 80 KILOMETERS

0 20 40 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

North America Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 100°30' W.; latitude of origin 40° N.

Sierra Madre del Sur

MEXICO

MEXICO CITY

Chilpancingo

de los Bravo

Cuernavaca

Morelia

Toluca

Tiámaro

PACIFIC

OCEAN

101° W 100° W 99° W

19° N

18° N

MEXICO

GULF OF

MEXICO

PACIFIC

OCEAN

110° W 100° W 90° W

20° N

10° N

EXPLANATION

Porphyry copper deposit

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 003pCu3005
204 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 34. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 003pCu3004, Guanajuato—

Mexico

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; Berger and others, 2008)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Skewed deep—0 to 250 meters (m), 10%; >250 to 500 m, 30%; >500 m to 1 km, 60%

Economic filter cost setting: Typical cost

Geologic feature assessed: Late Triassic–Jurassic(?) Nazas magmatic arc rocks in central Mexico

Number of known deposits: 0

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2008 26,080 0 1.5 69 0.97 96

Source

Hammarstrom, Robinson, and others, 2010, Porphyry copper assessment of Mexico: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 

2010–5090–A, http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2010/5090/a/.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

3.2

7.0

1.5

0.97

Identified copper resources = 0

Tract 003pCu3004

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 34. Tract 003pCu3004, Guanajuato—Mexico 205

Plate

34

0 50 100 150 200 KILOMETERS

0 50 100 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

North America Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 101°30' W.; latitude of origin 40° N.

Río Grande

Sierra Madre Occidental

Sierra Madre Oriental

MEXICO

PACIFIC

OCEAN

GULF OF

MEXICO

Monterrey

Guadalajara

MEXICO CITY

104° W 100° W

26° N

22° N

UNITED

STATES

105° W 90° W

30° N

20° N

MEXICO

UNITED STATES

PACIFIC

OCEAN

GULF OF 

MEXICO

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 003pCu3004
206 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 35. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 003pCu3002, Coastal Baja 

California—Mexico

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; Berger and others, 2008)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Skewed deep—0 to 250 meters (m), 10%; >250 to 500 m, 30%; >500 m to 1 km, 60%

Economic filter cost setting: Typical cost

Geologic feature assessed: Jurassic–Late Cretaceous magmatic arc rocks (San Andres-Cedros Complex) along the Pacific 

coast of Baja California Sur, Mexico

Number of known deposits: 0

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2008 2,882 0 1.5 70 0.97 97

Source

Hammarstrom, Robinson, and others, 2010, Porphyry copper assessment of Mexico: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 

2010–5090–A, http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2010/5090/a/.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

2.9

6.5

1.5

0.97

Identified copper resources = 0

Tract 003pCu3002

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 35. Tract 003pCu3002, Coastal Baja California—Mexico 207

Plate

35

0 30 60 KILOMETERS

0 60 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

North America Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 113°30' W.; latitude of origin 40° N.

90 120

30

MEXICO

MEXICO

PACIFIC OCEAN

GULF OF

CALIFORNIA

114° W 112° W

28° N

26° N

24° N

UNITED STATES

MEXICO

120° W 100° W

30° N

15° N

PACIFIC OCEAN

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract 

 003pCu3002

Porphyry copper prospect
208 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 36. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 003pCu3007x, Western Sierra 

Madre Occidental and Laramide Central—Mexico and United States

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; Berger and others, 2008)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: Typical cost

Geologic feature assessed: Belt of Late Cretaceous to middle Eocene (Laramide) magmatic arc rocks in the Sierra Madre 

Occidental, the eastern Mexican Basin and Range, and the Mesa Central of north-central 

Mexico and extensions north into the United States

Number of known deposits: 46

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment*

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2012 148,105 150 62 1 42 1

*

Updated in 2012; see text in chapter A.

Sources

Hammarstrom, Robinson, and others, 2010, Porphyry copper assessment of Mexico: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 

2010–5090–A, http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2010/5090/a/.

U.S. Geological Survey National Mineral Resource Assessment Team, 2002, Assessment of undiscovered deposits of gold, silver, copper, lead, 

and zinc in the United States: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 02–198, http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2002/of02-198/.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

6.7

13

48

130 170

62

42

Identified copper resources (150 Mt)

Tract 003pCu3007x

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 36. Tract 003pCu3007x, Western Sierra Madre Occidental and Laramide Central—Mexico and United States 209

Plate

36

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

North America Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 109° W.; latitude of origin 40° N.

0 60 120 180 240 KILOMETERS

0 60 120 MILES

25° N

CALIFORNIA

GULF OF

Colorado River

Río Grande

Map B

Sierra Madre Occidental

UNITED

STATES

MEXICO

Phoenix

El Paso

Chihuahua

La Paz

Mazatlan

Cumobabi Group

Cananea

La Caridad

Bahuerachi Group

Milpillas

Pilares

Cuatro Hermanos

La Florida

Mariquita

Suaqui Verde

Tameapa

Malpica Group

Luz del Cobre

El Batamote

Bagdad

Sheep Mountain

Ithaca Peak

Copper Basin

Pine Flat

Squaw Peak

A

Santo Tomas

115° W 110° W 105° W

35° N

30° N

25° N

Ray

Miami-Inspiration Group

Casa Grande West

San Manuel-Kalamazoo

Esperanza-Sierrita

Rosemont-Helvetia Group

Superior East

Castle Dome Group

Twin Buttes

Lakeshore

Mission-Pima

Red Mountain

Poston Butte

Silver Bell Group

Johnson Camp Group

San Xavier North

Sunnyside

Chilito

Copper Creek

Vekol Hills

Christmas

Red Hills

Sacaton

Two Peaks

Mineral Butte

Phoenix

112° W 110° W

33° N

32° N

B

0 20 40 60 80 KILOMETERS

0 20 40 MILES

Map A MEXICO

UNITED 

STATES

CANADA

PACIFIC OCEAN

120° W 100° W

30° N

10° N

EXPLANATION

Porphyry copper deposit

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 003pCu3007x

Porphyry copper prospect
210 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 37. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 003pCu3008, Laramide Central 

Plateau—Mexico

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; Berger and others, 2008)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Skewed deep—0 to 250 meters (m), 10%; >250 to 500 m, 30%; >500 m to 1 km, 60%

Economic filter cost setting: Typical cost

Geologic feature assessed: Belt of Late Cretaceous to middle Eocene (Laramide) magmatic arc rocks in the eastern part of 

the Sierra Madre Occidental, the eastern Mexican Basin and Range, and the Mesa Central of 

northern Mexico

Number of known deposits: 0

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2008 58,724 0 20 4 13 22

Source

Hammarstrom, Robinson, and others, 2010, Porphyry copper assessment of Mexico: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 

2010–5090–A, http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2010/5090/a/.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.28

1.5

12

47

73

20

13

Identified copper resources = 0

Tract 003pCu3008

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 37. Tract 003pCu3008, Laramide Central Plateau—Mexico 211

Plate

37

0 50 100 150 200 KILOMETERS

0 50 100 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

North America Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 104° W.; latitude of origin 40° N.

Sierra Madre Oriental

Sierra Madre Occidental

PACIFIC OCEAN

105° W 100° W

30° N

20° N

UNITED

STATES

MEXICO

El Paso

Zacatecas

San Antonio

Ciudad

Victoria

Mazatlan

Tepic

Colima

Pachuca

MEXICO CITY

Toluca

Chihuahua

Río Grande

UNITED

STATES

MEXICO

120° W 105° W 90° W

30° N

10° N

GULF OF

MEXICO

PACIFIC

OCEAN

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract 

 003pCu3008

Porphyry copper prospect
212 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 38. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 003pCu3009x, Tertiary Central 

Plateau and Rocky Mountains—Mexico and United States

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; Berger and others, 2008)

Grade and tonnage model: Porphyry copper, copper-gold subtype model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Skewed deep—0 to 250 meters (m), 10%; >250 to 500 m, 30%; >500 m to 1 km, 60%

Economic filter cost setting: Typical cost

Geologic feature assessed: Middle Tertiary intrusive and volcanic rocks associated with the post-Laramide stage of 

magmatism in northern Mexico and mid-Tertiary volcanic fields associated with 

postsubduction extension in the eastern Rocky Mountains in the United States

Number of known deposits: 0

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment*

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2012 374,235 0 22 7 15 53

*

Updated in 2012; see text in chapter A.

Sources

Hammarstrom, Robinson, and others, 2010, Porphyry copper assessment of Mexico: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 

2010–5090–A, http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2010/5090/a/.

U.S. Geological Survey National Mineral Resource Assessment Team, 2002, Assessment of undiscovered deposits of gold, silver, copper, lead, 

and zinc in the United States: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 02–198, http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2002/of02-198/.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.39

11

60 79

22

15

Identified copper resources = 0

Tract 003pCu3009x

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 38. Tract 003pCu3009x, Tertiary Central Plateau and Rocky Mountains—Mexico and United States 213

Plate

38

0 75 150 225 300 KILOMETERS

0 75 150 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

North America Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 105°30' W.; latitude of origin 40° N.

Sierra Madre Oriental

Sierra Madre Occidental

Rocky Mountains

Sierra Madre del Sur

Colorado River

Arkansas River

Missouri River

Río Grande

Dallas

Puebla

MEXICO CITY

Toluca

Guadalajara

Kansas

City

Monterrey

UNITED STATES

MEXICO

110° W 100° W

40° N

30° N

20° N

PACIFIC OCEAN

CANADA

UNITED 

STATES

120° W 90° W

30° N

0°

PACIFIC OCEAN

MEXICO

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract 

 003pCu3009x

Porphyry copper prospect
214 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 39. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 003pCu3010x, Eastern Alkalic 

Province—Mexico and United States

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper-gold model (Cox, 1986b)

Grade and tonnage model: Porphyry copper, copper-gold subtype model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: Typical cost

Geologic feature assessed: A belt of Tertiary alkalic granitic rocks associated with back-arc or postsubduction extension

Number of known deposits: 1

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment*

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2012 137,352 0.80 15 7 10 20

*

Updated in 2012; see text in chapter A.

Sources

Hammarstrom, Robinson, and others, 2010, Porphyry copper assessment of Mexico: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 

2010–5090–A, http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2010/5090/a/.

U.S. Geological Survey National Mineral Resource Assessment Team, 2002, Assessment of undiscovered deposits of gold, silver, copper, lead, 

and zinc in the United States: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 02–198, http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2002/of02-198/.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.36

7.6

40

60

15

10

Tract 003pCu3010x

Identified copper resources (0.80 Mt)

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 39. Tract 003pCu3010x, Eastern Alkalic Province—Mexico and United States 215

Plate

39

0 75 150 225 300 KILOMETERS

0 75 150 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

North America Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 101° W.; latitude of origin 40° N.

Arkansas River

Río

Grande

Colorado River

Missouri River

Sierra Madre Oriental

Sierra Madre Occidental

Rocky Mountains

Sierra Madre del Sur

GULF OF

MEXICO

PACIFIC

OCEAN

MEXICO CITY

Allard

UNITED STATES

MEXICO

Houston

Dallas

Kansas City

Guadalajara

Puebla Toluca

Monterrey

105° W 95° W

40° N

30° N

20° N

MEXICO

CANADA

UNITED 

STATES

PACIFIC OCEAN

120° W 90° W

30° N

0°

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract 

 003pCu3010x

Porphyry copper deposit

Porphyry copper prospect
216 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 40. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 003pCu3001x, Southern 

California Batholith—Mexico and United States

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; Berger and others, 2008)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Skewed shallow—0 to 250 meters (m), 35%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 40%

Economic filter cost setting: Typical cost

Geologic feature assessed: Jurassic–Early Cretaceous island arc(s) of western Baja California, including the western part of 

the Cretaceous Peninsular Ranges batholith and associated volcanic rocks

Number of known deposits: 1

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment*

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2012 40,228 5.3 3.3 60 2.3 87

*

Updated in 2012; see text in chapter A.

Sources

Hammarstrom, Robinson, and others, 2010, Porphyry copper assessment of Mexico: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 

2010–5090–A, http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2010/5090/a/.

U.S. Geological Survey National Mineral Resource Assessment Team, 2002, Assessment of undiscovered deposits of gold, silver, copper, lead, 

and zinc in the United States: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 02–198, http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2002/of02-198/.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

8.1

17

3.3

2.3

Identified copper resources (5.3 Mt)

Tract 003pCu3001x

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 40. Tract 003pCu3001x, Southern California Batholith—Mexico and United States 217

Plate

40

0 25 50 75 100 KILOMETERS

0 25 50 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

North America Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 115° W.; latitude of origin 40° N.

Salton

Sea

MEXICO

UNITED

STATES San Diego

Mexicali

El Arco

Colorado

River

116° W 114° W

33° N

30° N

PACIFIC OCEAN

GULF OF

CALIFORNIA

UNITED STATES

MEXICO

CANADA

140° W 120° W 100° W

45° N

30° N

15° N

PACIFIC

OCEAN

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract 

 003pCu3001x

Porphyry copper deposit

Porphyry copper prospect
218 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 41. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 003pCu3006x, Western 

Mexican Basin and Range and Laramide Southwest—Mexico and United States

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; Berger and others, 2008)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Skewed deep—0 to 250 meters (m), 10%; >250 to 500 m, 30%; >500 m to 1 km, 60%

Economic filter cost setting: Typical cost

Geologic feature assessed: Late Cretaceous to middle Eocene island-arc and continental-arc rocks along the western margin of 

Mexico and extending north into the United States

Number of known deposits: 2

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment*

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2012 82,624 5.4 20 4 13 24

*

Updated in 2012; see text in chapter A.

Sources

Hammarstrom, Robinson, and others, 2010, Porphyry copper assessment of Mexico: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 

2010–5090–A, http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2010/5090/a/.

U.S. Geological Survey National Mineral Resource Assessment Team, 2002, Assessment of undiscovered deposits of gold, silver, copper, lead, 

and zinc in the United States: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 02–198, http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2002/of02-198/.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.37

1.6

12

48

75

20

13

Tract 003pCu3006x

Identified copper resources (5.4 Mt)

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 41. Tract 003pCu3006x, Western Mexican Basin and Range and Laramide Southwest—Mexico and United States 219

Plate

41

0 50 100 150 200 KILOMETERS

0 50 100 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

North America Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 111°30' W.; latitude of origin 40° N.

Colorado River

Río Grande

Salton

Sea

Ajo

Piedras Verdes

Phoenix

El Paso

Los Angeles

San Diego

Chihuahua

MEXICO

UNITED

STATES

PACIFIC OCEAN GULF OF

CALIFORNIA

Sierra Madre Occidental

115° W 110° W

34° N

30° N

26° N

120° W 100° W

30° N

20° N

40° N

PACIFIC

OCEAN

GULF

OF

MEXICO

UNITED STATES

MEXICO

EXPLANATION

Porphyry copper deposit

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 003pCu3006x

Porphyry copper prospect
220 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 42. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 003pCu9008, Southwest 

Laramide East—United States

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper model (Cox, 1986a)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: Typical cost

Geologic feature assessed: A composite Laramide age (90 to 40 Ma) island arc and continental-margin arc that formed during 

subduction of the Farallon Plate beneath western North America

Number of known deposits: 7

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment*

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2012 7,076 90 11 7 7.4 38

*

Updated by the assessment team in 2012 to conform with project protocols and apply the 2008 grade and tonnage model; see text in chapter A.

Source

U.S. Geological Survey National Mineral Resource Assessment Team, 2002, Assessment of undiscovered deposits of gold, silver, copper, lead, 

and zinc in the United States: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 02–198, http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2002/of02-198/.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.20

4.6

24

39

11

7.4

Tract 003pCu9008

Identified copper resources (90 Mt)

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 42. Tract 003pCu9008, Southwest Laramide East—United States 221

Plate

42

0 25 50 75 100 KILOMETERS

0 25 50 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

North America Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 106°30' W.; latitude of origin 40° N.

Morenci-Metcalf

Safford

Tyrone

Hanover Mountain Sanchez

Copper Flat

Chino

Río Grande

Río Grande

108° W 104° W

34° N

30° N

UNITED

STATES

MEXICO

El Paso

Hermosillo

MEXICO

UNITED

STATES

110° W 100° W

35° N

25° N

PACIFIC

OCEAN

EXPLANATION

Porphyry copper deposit

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 003pCu9008

Porphyry copper prospect
222 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 43. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 003pCu9006x, Western U.S. 

and Sonoran Desert Jurassic Arc—Mexico and United States

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper model (Cox, 1986a)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: Typical cost

Geologic feature assessed: U.S. and Mexican parts of a Jurassic composite island arc and continental-margin arc that formed 

during subduction of the Farallon Plate beneath western North America

Number of known deposits: 6

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment*

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2012 255,631 13 23 6 15 15

*

Updated in 2012; see text in chapter A.

Sources

Hammarstrom, Robinson, and others, 2010, Porphyry copper assessment of Mexico: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 

2010–5090–A, http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2010/5090/a/.

U.S. Geological Survey National Mineral Resource Assessment Team, 2002, Assessment of undiscovered deposits of gold, silver, copper, lead, 

and zinc in the United States: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 02–198, http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2002/of02-198/.

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

0.46

11

55

84

23

15

Copper, in millions of metric tons

Percent

In-place Economic

Mean

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

Tract 003pCu9006x

Identified copper resources (13 Mt)
Plate 43. Tract 003pCu9006x, Western U.S. and Sonoran Desert Jurassic Arc—Mexico and United States 223

Plate

43

0 75 150 225 300 KILOMETERS

0 75 150 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

North America Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 116°30' W.; latitude of origin 40° N.

Sierra Nevada

Cascade Range

Coast Mountains

Bitterroot Range

Snake River

120° W 114° W

40° N

30° N

UNITED

STATES

MEXICO

PACIFIC

OCEAN

Portland

San Diego

San Jose

Los Angeles Phoenix

San Francisco

Yerington

Bisbee

Ann Mason

Contact

MacArthur

Bear-Lagomarsino

Colorado River

CANADA

UNITED 

STATES

150° W 120° W 90° W

60° N

30° N

PACIFIC

OCEAN

MEXICO

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract 

 003pCu9006x

Porphyry copper deposit

Porphyry copper prospect
224 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 44. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 003pCu9007, Sierran Arc—

United States

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper model (Cox, 1986a)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Skewed shallow—0 to 250 meters (m), 35%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 40%

Economic filter cost setting: Typical cost

Geologic feature assessed: A composite Cretaceous island arc and continental-margin arc that formed during subduction of the 

Farallon Plate beneath western North America

Number of known deposits: 5

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment*

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2012 175,915 7.0 18 17 12 26

*

Updated by the assessment team in 2012 to conform with project protocols and apply the 2008 grade and tonnage model; see text in chapter A.

Source

U.S. Geological Survey National Mineral Resource Assessment Team, 2002, Assessment of undiscovered deposits of gold, silver, copper, lead, 

and zinc in the United States: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 02–198, http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2002/of02-198/.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

7.4

47

75

18

12

Tract 003pCu9007

Identified copper resources (7.0 Mt)

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 44. Tract 003pCu9007, Sierran Arc—United States 225

Plate

44

0 50 100 150 200 KILOMETERS

0 50 100 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

North America Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 117°30' W.; latitude of origin 40° N.

UNITED

STATES

MEXICO

Mexicali

Sacramento

San Jose

San Diego

Los Angeles

120° W 115° W

40° N

35° N

Ely

Lights Creek

SFS

Sullivan

Buckingham-Copper

Basin Group

Colorado River

PACIFIC

OCEAN

Sierra Nevada

PACIFIC

OCEAN

CANADA

UNITED 

STATES

140° W 100° W

50° N

30° N

MEXICO

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract 

 003pCu9007

Porphyry copper deposit

Porphyry copper prospect
226 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 45. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 003pCu9013, Great Basin 

Tertiary—United States

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper model (Cox, 1986a)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Custom—0 to 250 meters (m), 20%; >250 to 500 m, 30%; >500 m to 1 km, 50% 

Economic filter cost setting: Typical cost

Geologic feature assessed: Mid-Tertiary volcanic fields associated with postsubduction extension in the Great Basin

Number of known deposits: 4

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment*

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2012 174,101 30 24 4 16 12

*

Updated by the assessment team in 2012 to conform with project protocols and apply the 2008 grade and tonnage model; see text in chapter A.

Source

U.S. Geological Survey National Mineral Resource Assessment Team, 2002, Assessment of undiscovered deposits of gold, silver, copper, lead, 

and zinc in the United States: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 02–198, http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2002/of02-198/.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.26

1.4

14

58

88

24

16

Tract 003pCu9013

Identified copper resources (30 Mt)

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 45. Tract 003pCu9013, Great Basin Tertiary—United States 227

Plate

45

0 50 100 150 200 KILOMETERS

0 50 100 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

North America Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 115°30' W.; latitude of origin 40° N.

Sierra Nevada

UNITED

STATES

120° W 114° W

42° N

38° N

Salt Lake City

Bingham

Southwest Tintic

Copper Canyon

OK

Colorado River

Great Salt Lake

UNITED 

STATES

CANADA

MEXICO

140° W 100° W

40° N

30° N

PACIFIC

OCEAN

EXPLANATION

Porphyry copper deposit

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 003pCu9013

Porphyry copper prospect
228 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 46. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 003pCu9014, Cascade Arc—

United States

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper model (Cox, 1986a)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: Typical cost

Geologic feature assessed: U.S. part of a Tertiary continental-margin arc that formed during subduction of the Pacific and 

Juan de Fuca Plates beneath western North America

Number of known deposits: 6

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment*

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2012 203,703 9.2 30 6 20 11

*

Updated by the assessment team in 2012 to conform with project protocols and apply the 2008 grade and tonnage model; see text in chapter A.

Source

U.S. Geological Survey National Mineral Resource Assessment Team, 2002, Assessment of undiscovered deposits of gold, silver, copper, lead, 

and zinc in the United States: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 02–198, http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2002/of02-198/.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.76

19

73

100

30

20

Tract 003pCu9014

Identified copper resources (9.2 Mt)

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 46. Tract 003pCu9014, Cascade Arc—United States 229

Plate

46

0 50 100 150 200 KILOMETERS

0 50 100 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

North America Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 119°30' W.; latitude of origin 40° N.

PACIFIC

OCEAN

Cascade Range

Coast Mountains

Sierra Nevada

Bitterroot Range

Rocky Mountains

CANADA

UNITED

STATES

Vancouver

Victoria

Portland

Boise

Oakland

Salem

Sacramento

San Francisco

San Jose

Seattle

126° W 120° W 114° W

45° N

40° N

Glacier Peak

Margaret

North Fork Snoqualmie River

Middle Fork

Sunrise

Gold Mountain

Columbia River

Snake River Snake River

CANADA

UNITED 

STATES

MEXICO

140° W 120° W 100° W

50° N

30° N

PACIFIC

OCEAN

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract 

 003pCu9014

Porphyry copper deposit
230 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 47. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 003pCu9004, Northern Rocky 

Mountains—United States

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper model (Cox, 1986a)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: Typical cost

Geologic feature assessed: Part of a Late Cretaceous through Oligocene continental-margin arc that formed along the western 

margin of North America

Number of known deposits: 6 (1) (As shown on the map, 1 deposit was found after the assessment was done; the assessment 

results below reflect information available in 2012 for 6 deposits.)

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment*

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2012 124,986 38 26 4 17 11

*

Updated by the assessment team in 2012 to conform with project protocols and apply the 2008 grade and tonnage model; see text in chapter A.

Source

U.S. Geological Survey National Mineral Resource Assessment Team, 2002, Assessment of undiscovered deposits of gold, silver, copper, lead, 

and zinc in the United States: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 02–198, http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2002/of02-198/.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.63

15

64

96

26

17

Tract 003pCu9004

Identified copper resources (38 Mt)

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 47. Tract 003pCu9004, Northern Rocky Mountains—United States 231

Plate

47

0 50 100 150 200 KILOMETERS

0 50 100 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

North America Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 113° W.; latitude of origin 40° N.

Rocky Mountains

UNITED

STATES

115° W 110° W

48° N

44° N

Boise

Continental/Butte

Heddleston

Kirwin

Bobcat Gulch

Stinkingwater

Silver Creek

CuMo

Snake River

Missouri River

UNITED STATES

CANADA

120° W 100° W

50° N

40° N

PACIFIC

OCEAN

EXPLANATION

Porphyry copper deposit

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 003pCu9004

Porphyry copper prospect

Porphyry copper deposit discovered

 after the assessment
232 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 48. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 003pCu2003, Insular Island and 

Continental Arcs—British Columbia and Yukon Territory, Canada

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; Berger and others, 2008), porphyry copper-gold model 

(Cox, 1986b), porphyry copper-molybdenum model (Cox, 1986c), porphyry Cu±Mo±Au model 

(Panteleyev, 1995a)

Grade and tonnage model: Canadian Cordillera porphyry Cu±Mo±Au model (Frost and others, 2013)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: Mixed cost

Geologic feature assessed: Calc-alkalic igneous rocks of accreted Jurassic island-arc terranes

Number of known deposits: 2

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

Source

Mihalasky, Bookstrom, and others, 2013, Porphyry copper assessment of British Columbia and Yukon Territory, Canada (ver. 1.1, 

February 2013): U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5090–C, http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2010/5090/c/.

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2013 58,361 3.2 3.0 7 0.87 80

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

Tract 003pCu2003

Identified copper resources (3.2 Mt)

0.20

1.9

7.2

9.8

3.0

0.87

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 48. Tract 003pCu2003, Insular Island and Continental Arcs—British Columbia and Yukon Territory, Canada 233

Plate

48

0 75 150 225 300 KILOMETERS

0 75 150 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and 

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Canada Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 130° W.; latitude of origin 40° N.

CANADA

UNITED

STATES

UNITED

STATES

140° W 130° W 120° W

60° N

50° N

Vancouver

Victoria

Hushamu Group

Island Copper

PACIFIC OCEAN

Mackenzie River

Yukon River

Peace River

Coast Mountains

Rocky Mountains

CANADA

PACIFIC

OCEAN UNITED

STATES

UNITED

STATES

180° 140° W 100° W

60° N

30° N

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract 

003pCu2003

Porphyry copper deposit

Porphyry copper prospect
234 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 49. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 003pCu2002x, Intermontane 

Island Arc Cu-Au, Western Cordillera—Canada and United States

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; Berger and others, 2008), porphyry copper-gold model 

(Cox, 1986b), porphyry copper-molybdenum model (Cox, 1986c), porphyry Cu±Mo±Au model 

(Panteleyev, 1995a)

Grade and tonnage model: Porphyry copper, copper-gold subtype model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: Mixed cost

Geologic feature assessed: Triassic and Jurassic alkalic igneous rocks of accreted island arcs that formed offshore of western 

North America

Number of known deposits: 13

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2013 109,903 24 22 3 14 36

Sources

Mihalasky, Bookstrom, and others, 2013, Porphyry copper assessment of British Columbia and Yukon Territory, Canada (ver. 1.1, 

February 2013): U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5090–C, http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2010/5090/c/.

U.S. Geological Survey National Mineral Resource Assessment Team, 2002, Assessment of undiscovered deposits of gold, silver, copper, lead, 

and zinc in the United States: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 02–198, http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2002/of02-198/.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

Identified copper resources (24 Mt)

Tract 003pCu2002x

0.68

2.2

14

56 72

22

14

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 49. Tract 003pCu2002x, Intermontane Island Arc Cu-Au, Western Cordillera—Canada and United States 235

Plate

49

0 150 300 450 600 KILOMETERS

0 150 300 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Canada Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 124°30' W.; latitude of origin 40° N.

CANADA

UNITED

STATES

UNITED

STATES

UNITED STATES

135° W 120° W

60° N

50° N

Columbia River

Peace River

Saskatchewan River

Slave River

Yukon River

PACIFIC OCEAN

M

Great Slave Lake

ackenzie River

Mackenzie River

Calgary

Edmonton

Vancouver

Rocky Mountains

Coast Mountains

Kelsey

Copper Mountain Group

Axe-Primer Group

Afton-Ajax Group

Polley Group

Mount Milligan

Chuchi

Lorraine Group

Sulphurets Group

Red Chris

Galore Creek Group

Williams Creek

Minto

CANADA

UNITED 

STATES

UNITED 

STATES

150° W 120° W

60° N

50° N

PACIFIC

OCEAN

EXPLANATION

Porphyry copper deposit

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 003pCu2002x

Porphyry copper prospect
236 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 50. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 003pCu2004x, Cordilleran 

Continental Arc, Western Cordillera—Canada and United States

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; Berger and others, 2008), porphyry copper-gold model 

(Cox, 1986b), porphyry copper-molybdenum model (Cox, 1986c), porphyry Cu±Mo±Au model 

(Panteleyev, 1995a)

Grade and tonnage model: Canadian Cordillera porphyry Cu±Mo±Au model (Frost and others, 2013)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: Mixed cost

Geologic feature assessed: Porphyry copper systems associated with predominantly calc-alkalic igneous rocks of postaccretionary continental magmatic arcs (Jurassic–Eocene); see plate 56 for adjacent area in 

Alaska

Number of known deposits: 25

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2013 684,535 23 13 3 3.8 36

Sources

Mihalasky, Bookstrom, and others, 2013, Porphyry copper assessment of British Columbia and Yukon Territory, Canada (ver. 1.1, 

February 2013): U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5090–C, http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2010/5090/c/.

U.S. Geological Survey National Mineral Resource Assessment Team, 2002, Assessment of undiscovered deposits of gold, silver, copper, lead, 

and zinc in the United States: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 02–198, http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2002/of02-198/.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.66

1.9

11

28 33

13

3.8

Tract 003pCu2004x

Identified copper resources (23 Mt)

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 50. Tract 003pCu2004x, Cordilleran Continental Arc, Western Cordillera—Canada and United States 237

Plate

50

0 150 300 450 600 KILOMETERS

0 150 300 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Canada Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 128° W.; latitude of origin 40° N.

Rocky Mountains

Coast Mountains

Alaska Range

CANADA

UNITED

STATES

UNITED

STATES

PACIFIC OCEAN

Calgary

Edmonton

Seattle

Vancouver

140° W 120° W

60° N

50° N

Catface

Casino

Cash

New Nanik

Berg Poplar

Louise Lake

Big Onion

Granisle

Jean

Bell Copper Morrison

Fish Lake

Taseko

Poison Mountain

Maggie

Rey Lake

Hi-Mars

Gambier

Island Mazama

Lexington-Lone Star

Mount Tolman

Huckleberry Group

Dorothy Group

OK Group

Peace River

Saskatchewan River

Columbia

River

Columbia

River

Slave River

Mackenzie RiverMackenzie River

Yukon River

k

n River

Great Bear

Lake

Lake

Athabasca

Great Slave

Lake

CANADA

UNITED

STATES

UNITED

STATES

150° W 120° W

60° N

40° N

PACIFIC

OCEAN

EXPLANATION

Porphyry copper deposit

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 003pCu2004x

Porphyry copper prospect
238 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 51. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 003pCu2001x, Intermontane 

Island Arc, Western Cordillera—Canada and United States

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; Berger and others, 2008), porphyry copper-gold model 

(Cox, 1986b), porphyry copper-molybdenum model (Cox, 1986c), porphyry Cu±Mo±Au model 

(Panteleyev, 1995a)

Grade and tonnage model: Canadian Cordillera porphyry Cu±Mo±Au model (Frost and others, 2013)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: Mixed cost

Geologic feature assessed: Pre-accretionary Triassic and Jurassic calc-alkalic island arcs that formed offshore of western 

North America

Number of known deposits: 12

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2013 181,190 25 9.3 4 2.7 49

Sources

Mihalasky, Bookstrom, and others, 2013, Porphyry copper assessment of British Columbia and Yukon Territory, Canada (ver. 1.1, 

February 2013): U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5090–C, http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2010/5090/c/.

U.S. Geological Survey National Mineral Resource Assessment Team, 2002, Assessment of undiscovered deposits of gold, silver, copper, lead, 

and zinc in the United States: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 02–198, http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2002/of02-198/.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

0.44

1.4

7.3

20 25

9.3

2.7

95 90 50 10 5

Tract 003pCu2001x

Identified copper resources (25 Mt)

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 51. Tract 003pCu2001x, Intermontane Island Arc, Western Cordillera—Canada and United States 239

Plate

51

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Canada Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 125 W.; latitude of origin 40° N.

0 150 300 MILES

0 150 300 450 600 KILOMETERS

CANADA

UNITED

STATES

UNITED

STATES

135° W 120° W

60° N

50° N

Calgary

Edmonton

Vancouver

Victoria

Slave River

Saskatchewan River

Peace River

Yukon River

Columbia RiverColumbia River

Mackenzie RiverMackenzie River

Great Slave Lake

Lake

Athabasca

Eaglehead

Gnat Lake

Bronson Slope -

Red Bluff

Kinaskan Group

Schaft Creek Group

Kemess Group

Pine

Kwanika Group

Gibraltar Group

Highland Valley Group

Brenda

HED

PACIFIC OCEAN

Rocky Mountains

Coast Mountains

CANADA

UNITED 

STATES

150° W 120° W

60° N

50° N

UNITED 

STATES

PACIFIC

OCEAN

EXPLANATION

Porphyry copper deposit

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 003pCu2001x

Porphyry copper prospect
240 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 52. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 003pCu2005, Late Continental 

Arc—British Columbia and Yukon Territory, Canada

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; Berger and others, 2008), porphyry copper-gold model 

(Cox, 1986b), porphyry copper-molybdenum model (Cox, 1986c), porphyry Cu±Mo±Au model 

(Panteleyev, 1995a)

Grade and tonnage model: Canadian Cordillera porphyry Cu±Mo±Au (Frost and others, 2013)

Economic filter depth percentages: Skewed shallow—0 to 250 meters (m), 35%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 40%

Economic filter cost setting: Mixed cost

Geologic feature assessed: Porphyry copper systems associated with predominantly calc-alkalic igneous rocks of 

postaccretionary continental magmatic arcs (Oligocene–Pliocene)

Number of known deposits: 1

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2013 32,843 0.22 1.8 29 0.40 92

Source

Mihalasky, Bookstrom, and others, 2013, Porphyry copper assessment of British Columbia and Yukon Territory, Canada (ver. 1.1, 

February 2013): U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5090–C, http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2010/5090/c/.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.72

5.0

7.4

1.8

0.40

Tract 003pCu2005

Identified copper resources (0.22 Mt)

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 52. Tract 003pCu2005, Late Continental Arc—British Columbia and Yukon Territory, Canada 241

Plate

52

0 100 200 300 400 KILOMETERS

0 100 200 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and 

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Canada Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 130° W.; latitude of origin 40° N.

!

Rocky Mountains

Coast Mountains

135° W 120° W

60° N

50° N

CANADA

UNITED

STATES

UNITED STATES

Vancouver

Giant Copper Group

Peace River

Yukon River

PACIFIC OCEAN

Columbia River

Mackenzie River

Great Slave Lake

Slave R

CANADA

UNITED

STATES

UNITED

STATES

140° W 100° W

60° N

40° N

180°

PACIFIC

OCEAN

EXPLANATION

Porphyry copper deposit

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 003pCu2005

Porphyry copper prospect
242 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 53. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 003pCu5005, Southeast Alaska 

Tertiary—Alaska, United States

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper model (Cox, 1986a)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Skewed shallow—0 to 250 meters (m), 35%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 40%

Economic filter cost setting: High cost

Geologic feature assessed: Tertiary subduction and postsubduction calc-alkalic plutons of southeastern Alaska

Number of known deposits: 2

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment*

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2012 9,970 0.51 6.1 57 3.2 90

*

Updated by the assessment team in 2012 to conform with project protocols and apply the 2008 grade and tonnage model; see text in chapter A.

Source

U.S. Geological Survey National Mineral Resource Assessment Team, 2002, Assessment of undiscovered deposits of gold, silver, copper, lead, 

and zinc in the United States: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 02–198, http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2002/of02-198/.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

16

34

6.1

3.2

Tract 003pCu5005

Identified copper resources (0.51 Mt)

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 53. Tract 003pCu5005, Southeast Alaska Tertiary—Alaska, United States 243

Plate

53

0 25 50 75 100 KILOMETERS

0 25 50 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Canada Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 134°30' W.; latitude of origin 40° N.

Coast Mountains

UNITED

STATES

CANADA

Nunatak

Margerie Glacier

Yukon River

Mackenzie River

GULF OF

ALASKA

PACIFIC OCEAN

136° W 132° W

60° N

55° N

CANADA

UNITED

 STATES

UNITED

 STATES

140° W 120° W

60° N

50° N

70° N

GULF OF

ALASKA

PACIFIC

OCEAN

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract 

 003pCu5005

Porphyry copper deposit
244 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 54. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 003pCu5001, Skolai Arc—

Eastern Alaska, United States

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper model (Cox, 1986a)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Skewed deep—0 to 250 meters (m), 10%; >250 to 500 m, 30%; >500 m to 1 km, 60%

Economic filter cost setting: High cost

Geologic feature assessed: Late Paleozoic Skolai arc of the Wrangellia terrane; south of the Denali fault

Number of known deposits: 0

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment*

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2012 17,154 0 1.7 71 0.76 99

*

Updated by the assessment team in 2012 to conform with project protocols and apply the 2008 grade and tonnage model; see text in chapter A.

Source

U.S. Geological Survey National Mineral Resource Assessment Team, 2002, Assessment of undiscovered deposits of gold, silver, copper, lead, 

and zinc in the United States: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 02–198, http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2002/of02-198/.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

3.1

7.1

1.7

0.76

Identified copper resources = 0

Tract 003pCu5001

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 54. Tract 003pCu5001, Skolai Arc—Eastern Alaska, United States 245

Plate

54

0 25 50 75 100 KILOMETERS

0 25 50 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Alaska Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 143°30' W.; latitude of origin 50° N.

Chugach Mountains

Wrangell Mountains

UNITED STATES

CANADA

63° N

61° N

146° W 142° W

GULF OF

ALASKA

CANADA

UNITED

STATES

160° W 140° W 120° W

65° N

55° N

GULF OF

ALASKA

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 003pCu5001

Porphyry copper prospect
246 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 55. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 003pCu5002, Eastern Alaska 

Range and Wrangell Mountains—Alaska, United States

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper model (Cox, 1986a)

Grade and tonnage model: Canadian Cordillera porphyry Cu±Mo±Au model (Frost and others, 2013)

Economic filter depth percentages: Skewed deep—0 to 250 meters (m), 10%; >250 to 500 m, 30%; >500 m to 1 km, 60%

Economic filter cost setting: High cost

Geologic feature assessed: Cretaceous (115–105 Ma) deposits and prospects along the Nutzotin Basin-Wrangellia terrane 

boundary; south of the Denali fault

Number of known deposits: 5

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment*

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2013 37,675 3.0 21 2 0.48 96

*

Updated by the assessment team in 2013 to conform with project protocols and apply the 2013 grade and tonnage model; see text in chapter A.

Source

U.S. Geological Survey National Mineral Resource Assessment Team, 2002, Assessment of undiscovered deposits of gold, silver, copper, lead, 

and zinc in the United States: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 02–198, http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2002/of02-198/.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

1.4

3.5

19

41 47

21

0.48

Tract 003pCu5002

Identified copper resources (3.0 Mt)

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 55. Tract 003pCu5002, Eastern Alaska Range and Wrangell Mountains—Alaska, United States 247

Plate

55

0 25 50 75 100 KILOMETERS

0 25 50 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Alaska Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 145° W.; latitude of origin 50° N.

UNITED

STATES

CANADA

Bond Creek

Orange Hill Baultoff

Horsfield

Carl Creek

Chugach Mountains

Wrangell Mountains

Alaska Range

148° W 144° W

63° N

61° N

GULF OF

ALASKA

GULF OF

ALASKA

CANADA

UNITED

STATES

160° W 140° W

66° N

54° N

EXPLANATION

Porphyry copper deposit

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 003pCu5002
248 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 56. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 003pCu5003, Yukon-Tanana 

Upland—Alaska, United States

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper model (Cox, 1986a)

Grade and tonnage model: Canadian Cordillera porphyry Cu±Mo±Au model (Frost and others, 2013)

Economic filter depth percentages: Skewed deep—0 to 250 meters (m), 10%; >250 to 500 m, 30%; >500 m to 1 km, 60%

Economic filter cost setting: High cost

Geologic feature assessed: Kluane arc and Tertiary Kuskokwim Mountains volcanic-plutonic belt (continuation of Canadian 

Cordilleran continental arc) north of the Denali fault; see plate 50 for adjacent areas in Canada 

and the conterminous United States

Number of known deposits: 2

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment*

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2013 200,514 2.4 9.1 4 0.21 98

*

Updated by the assessment team in 2013 to conform with project protocols and apply the 2013 grade and tonnage model; see text in chapter A.

Source

U.S. Geological Survey National Mineral Resource Assessment Team, 2002, Assessment of undiscovered deposits of gold, silver, copper, lead, 

and zinc in the United States: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 02–198, http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2002/of02-198/.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.29

1.2

7.9

18 22

9.1

0.21

Tract 003pCu5003

Identified copper resources (2.4 Mt)

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 56. Tract 003pCu5003, Yukon-Tanana Upland—Alaska, United States 249

Plate

56

0 100 200 300 400 KILOMETERS

0 100 200 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Alaska Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 157° W.; latitude of origin 50° N.

Brooks Range

Alaska Range

Aleutian Range

STATES

UNITED

STATES

CANADA

RUSSIA

Anchorage

Taurus

Round Top

Yukon River

160° W 140° W

66° N

58° N GULF OF

ALASKA

BERING SEA

CHUKCHI SEA

CANADA

RUSSIA

UNITED 

STATES

70° N 180° 140° W 100° W

50° N

BERING

SEA

GULF OF

ALASKA

CHUKCHI

SEA

EXPLANATION

Porphyry copper deposit

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 003pCu5003
250 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 57. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 003pCu5004, Western Alaska 

Range—Alaska, United States

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper model (Cox, 1986a)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Custom—0 to 250 meters (m), 20%; >250 to 500 m, 30%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: High cost

Geologic feature assessed: A belt of Cretaceous and early Tertiary calc-alkalic intrusions along the Kahiltna Basin-Peninsula 

terrane boundary; includes the supergiant Pebble deposit

Number of known deposits: 1

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment*

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2012 125,078 37 23 4 11 49

*

Updated by the assessment team in 2012 to conform with project protocols and apply the 2008 grade and tonnage model; see text in chapter A.

Source

U.S. Geological Survey National Mineral Resource Assessment Team, 2002, Assessment of undiscovered deposits of gold, silver, copper, lead, 

and zinc in the United States: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 02–198, http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2002/of02-198/.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

Identified copper resources (37 Mt)

Tract 003pCu5004

0.25

1.4

12

56

87

23

11

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 57. Tract 003pCu5004, Western Alaska Range—Alaska, United States 251

Plate

57

0 50 100 150 200 KILOMETERS

0 50 100 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Alaska Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 148°30' W.; latitude of origin 50° N.

Iliamna Lake

GULF OF ALASKA

Aleutian Range

UNITED

STATES

CANADA

Anchorage

Pebble

Chugach Mountains

Wrangell Mountains

Alaska Range

155° W 145° W

62° N

58° N

UNITED

 STATES

CANADA

GULF OF

ALASKA

BERING

SEA

160° W 120° W

60° N

50° N

70° N

EXPLANATION

Porphyry copper deposit

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 003pCu5004

Porphyry copper prospect
252 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 58. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 003pCu5006, Alaska Peninsula 

and Aleutian Islands—Alaska, United States

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper model (Cox, 1986a)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: High cost

Geologic feature assessed: Tertiary felsic to intermediate-composition intrusions of the Alaska Peninsula and Aleutian Islands

Number of known deposits: 1

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment*

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2012 49,222 0.59 12 7 5.9 66

*

Updated by the assessment team in 2012 to conform with project protocols and apply the 2008 grade and tonnage model; see text in chapter A.

Source

U.S. Geological Survey National Mineral Resource Assessment Team, 2002, Assessment of undiscovered deposits of gold, silver, copper, lead, 

and zinc in the United States: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 02–198, http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2002/of02-198/.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

2.7

7.4

46

130 170

12

5.9

Tract 003pCu5006

Identified copper resources (0.59 Mt)

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 58. Tract 003pCu5006, Alaska Peninsula and Aleutian Islands—Alaska, United States 253

Plate

58

0 100 200 300 400 KILOMETERS

0 100 200 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Alaska Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 171° W.; latitude of origin 50° N.

Aleutian Range

UNITED

STATES

RUSSIA

Anchorage

Pyramid

Yukon River

BERING SEA

GULF OF ALASKA

180° 160° W

60° N

50° N

PACIFIC OCEAN

GULF OF

ALASKA BERING

SEA

RUSSIA CANADA

UNITED

STATES

130° E 180° 130° W

45° N

30° N

60° N

EXPLANATION

Porphyry copper deposit

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 003pCu5006

Porphyry copper prospect
254 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 59. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 003pCu5007, Koyukuk Arc—

Alaska, United States

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper model (Cox, 1986a)

Grade and tonnage model: NA

Economic filter depth percentages: NA

Economic filter cost setting: NA

Geologic feature assessed: Late Jurassic(?) and Early Cretaceous Koyukuk island arc

Number of known deposits: 0

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons; NA, not applicable, as a quantitative assessment was not done]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

1998 57,122 0 NA NA NA NA

Source

U.S. Geological Survey National Mineral Resource Assessment Team, 2002, Assessment of undiscovered deposits of gold, silver, copper, lead, 

and zinc in the United States: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 02–198, http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2002/of02-198/.

Qualitative Assessment

Tract 003pCu5007 (Koyukuk Arc—Alaska, United States) is broadly permissive for the occurrence of undiscovered 

porphyry copper deposits on the basis of mapped intrusive igneous rocks of appropriate compositions that are interpreted to 

represent an island-arc setting. No porphyry copper deposits are known within the tract. At the time of the assessment (1998), 

one probable porphyry copper prospect with gold and molybdenum was reported in association with a monzonitic intrusion 

dated at 81 Ma. However, the assessment team concluded that there was insufficient geologic and mineral deposit information 

available to do a quantitative assessment.

Since the assessment was published in 2002, two new datasets have become available for Alaska: (1) the Alaska Resource 

Data File (ARDF) has been updated (https://mrdata.usgs.gov/ardf/) and (2) a digital geologic map of Alaska has been published 

(Wilson and others, 2015, https://doi.org/10.3133/sim3340). These sources should be consulted for more recent information 

about the tract area.
Plate 59. Tract 003pCu5007, Koyukuk Arc—Alaska, United States 255

Plate

59

0 25 50 75 100 KILOMETERS

0 25 50 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Alaska Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 158° W.; latitude of origin 50° N.

UNITED

STATES

Yukon River

160° W 156° W

66° N

64° N

BERING

SEA

CHUKCHI

SEA

UNITED

 STATES

BERING

SEA

RUSSIA

CHUKCHI

SEA

165° W 150° W

66° N

62° N

70° N

Porphyry copper prospect

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 003pCu5007
256 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 60. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 003pCu5008, Brooks Range—

Alaska, United States

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper model (Cox, 1986a)

Grade and tonnage model: NA

Economic filter depth percentages: NA

Economic filter cost setting: NA

Geologic feature assessed: Proterozoic, Devonian, or Cretaceous granitic intrusions in the Brooks Range

Number of known deposits: 0

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons; NA, not applicable, as a quantitative assessment was not done]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

1998 9,782 0 NA NA NA NA

Source

U.S. Geological Survey National Mineral Resource Assessment Team, 2002, Assessment of undiscovered deposits of gold, silver, copper, lead, 

and zinc in the United States: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 02–198, http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2002/of02-198/.

Qualitative Assessment

Tract 003pCu5008 (Brooks Range—Alaska, United States) is broadly permissive for undiscovered porphyry copper 

deposits on the basis of mapped intrusive igneous rocks of appropriate compositions. No porphyry copper deposits are known 

within the tract. As shown on the map, one prospect was identified. Permissive rocks, skarns, and disseminated and veinlet basemetal occurrences are present in the area. There was insufficient geologic and mineral deposit information available at the time 

of the assessment (1998) to do a quantitative assessment.

Since the assessment was published in 2002, two new datasets have become available for Alaska: (1) the Alaska Resource 

Data File (ARDF) has been updated (https://mrdata.usgs.gov/ardf/) and (2) a digital geologic map of Alaska has been published 

(Wilson and others, 2015, https://doi.org/10.3133/sim3340). These sources should be consulted for more recent information 

about the tract area.
Plate 60. Tract 003pCu5008, Brooks Range—Alaska, United States 257

Plate

60

0 50 100 150 200 KILOMETERS

0 50 100 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Alaska Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 149°30' W.; latitude of origin 50° N.

CHUKCHI SEA

Brooks Range

UNITED

STATES

CANADA

Yukon River

155° W 145° W

70° N

66° N

BERING

SEA

CHUKCHI SEA

CANADA UNITED

 STATES

RUSSIA

180° 140° W 100° W

70° N

60° N

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 003pCu5008

Porphyry copper prospect
258 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 61. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu8513, Chukotka—

Russia

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; John and others, 2010)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Skewed shallow—0 to 250 meters (m), 35%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 40%

Economic filter cost setting: High cost

Geologic feature assessed: Early to Late Cretaceous volcanic and intrusive rocks of island-arc, continental-arc, and collisional 

magmatic belts associated with the Chukotka microcontinent

Number of known deposits: 0

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2010 196,564 0 12 20 6.3 67

Source

Mihalasky, Ludington, Alexeiev, and others, 2015, Porphyry copper assessment of northeast Asia—Far East Russia and northeasternmost 

China: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5090–W, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090W.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

Identified copper resources = 0

Tract 142pCu8513

3.5

30

50

12

 6.3

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 61. Tract 142pCu8513, Chukotka—Russia 259

Plate

61

0 150 300 450 600 KILOMETERS

0 150 300 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Asia North Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 171° E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

Khrebet Cherskogo

Kolymskoye Nagor’ye

Koryakskoye Nagor’ye

RUSSIA

LAPTEV

SEA

EAST SIBERIAN SEA

CHUKCHI SEA

BERING SEA

SEA OF

OKHOTSK

ARCTIC OCEAN

Magadan

Kolyma River

150° E 180° 

70° N

60° N

BERING SEA

ARCTIC OCEAN

EAST SIBERIAN SEA

SEA OF

OKHOTSK

RUSSIA

UNITED

STATES

120° E 170° E 140° W

70° N

50° N

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 142pCu8513

Porphyry copper prospect
260 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 62. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu8514, Pacific Margin—

Russia and China

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; John and others, 2010)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: High cost

Geologic feature assessed: Cretaceous through middle Tertiary volcanic and intrusive rocks representing a series of 

continental- and island-arc systems accreted and superimposed onto the paleomargin of 

northeastern Asia

Number of known deposits: 1

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2010 1,238,565 0.89 150 1 73 1

Source

Mihalasky, Ludington, Alexeiev, and others, 2015, Porphyry copper assessment of northeast Asia—Far East Russia and northeasternmost 

China: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5090–W, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090W.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

8.3

17

95

370 430

150

73

Tract 142pCu8514

Identified copper resources

(0.89 Mt)

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 62. Tract 142pCu8514, Pacific Margin—Russia and China 261

Plate

62

0 200 400 600 800 KILOMETERS

0 200 400 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Asia North Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 148° E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

CHINA

JAPAN

RUSSIA

UNITED

STATES

Changchun

Fushun

Qiqihar

Harbin

Sapporo

Jilin

Amur River

Vilyuy River

Aldan River

Lena River

Kolyma River

Lora

SEA OF

OKHOTSK

PACIFIC OCEAN

EAST SIBERIAN SEA

BERING SEA

CHUKCHI SEA

SEA OF JAPAN

140° E 180° 

60° N

45° N

Koryakskoye Nagor’ye

Sredinny Khrebet

Yablonovyy Khrebet

Da Hinggan Ling

Khrebet Cherskogo

Kolymskoye Nagor’ye

Verkhoyanskiy Khrebet

RUSSIA

CHINA

ARCTIC OCEAN

PACIFIC

OCEAN

JAPAN

UNITED

STATES

100° E 170° E 120° W

60° N

30° N

EXPLANATION

Porphyry copper deposit

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 142pCu8514

Porphyry copper prospect
262 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 63. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu8515, KamchatkaKuril—Russia

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; John and others, 2010)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: High cost

Geologic feature assessed: Latest Cretaceous through Quaternary volcanic and intrusive rocks representing a series 

of continental- and island-arc systems accreted and superimposed onto the margin of 

northeastern Asia

Number of known deposits: 0

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2010 214,884 0 34 4 17 32

Source

Mihalasky, Ludington, Alexeiev, and others, 2015, Porphyry copper assessment of northeast Asia—Far East Russia and northeasternmost 

China: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5090–W, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090W.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.21

1.6

20

81

110

34

17

Identified copper resources = 0

Tract 142pCu8515

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 63. Tract 142pCu8515, Kamchatka-Kuril—Russia 263

Plate

63

0 200 400 600 800 KILOMETERS

0 200 400 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Asia North Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 160° E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

RUSSIA

JAPAN

SEA OF OKHOTSK

PACIFIC OCEAN

BERING SEA

SEA OF

JAPAN

Yakutsk

Magadan

Petropavloski-Kamchatskiy

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk

Sapporo

Sredinny Khrebet

Koryakskoye Nagor’ye

Khrebet Cherskogo

Amur River

Kolyma River

Aldan

River

140° E 180° 

60° N

50° N

BERING

SEA

PACIFIC

OCEAN

SEA OF

OKHOTSK

RUSSIA

CHINA

UNITED

STATES

JAPAN

135° E 180° 

60° N

40° N

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 142pCu8515

Porphyry copper prospect
264 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 64. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu8510, Kedon—Russia

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; John and others, 2010)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: High cost

Geologic feature assessed: Middle Devonian through early Carboniferous volcanic and intrusive rocks composing a 

discontinuous continental-margin arc associated with the Omolon microcontinent

Number of known deposits: 0

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2010 30,927 0 4.5 31 2.2 90

Source

Mihalasky, Ludington, Alexeiev, and others, 2015, Porphyry copper assessment of northeast Asia—Far East Russia and northeasternmost 

China: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5090–W, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090W.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.81

11

18

4.5

2.2

Identified copper resources = 0

Tract 142pCu8510

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 64. Tract 142pCu8510, Kedon—Russia 265

Plate

64

0 50 100 150 200 KILOMETERS

0 50 100 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Asia North Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 159° E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

RUSSIA

Kolyma River

Kolyma River

156° E 162° E 168° E

68° N

66° N

64° N

RUSSIA

CHINA

UNITED

STATES

PACIFIC

OCEAN

BERING SEA OF SEA OKHOTSK

ARCTIC OCEAN

120° E 170° E 140° W

70° N

50° N

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 142pCu8510

Porphyry copper prospect
266 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 65. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu8512, Kolyma—Russia

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; John and others, 2010)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Custom—0 to 250 meters (m), 30%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 45% 

Economic filter cost setting: High cost

Geologic feature assessed: Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous volcanic and intrusive rocks composing island-arc, continentalmargin-arc, and collisional magmatic belts associated with the Kolyma-Omolon microcontinent

Number of known deposits: 1

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2010 541,829 7.9 56 4 28 14

Source

Mihalasky, Ludington, Alexeiev, and others, 2015, Porphyry copper assessment of northeast Asia—Far East Russia and northeasternmost 

China: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5090–W, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090W.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.22

2.0

30

140

190

56

28

Identified copper resources (7.9 Mt)

Tract 142pCu8512

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 65. Tract 142pCu8512, Kolyma—Russia 267

Plate

65

0 100 200 300 400 KILOMETERS

0 100 200 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Asia North Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 148° E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

RUSSIA

SEA OF

OKHOTSK

Yakutsk

Magadan

Aldan River

Kolyma River

Lena River Lena River

Gora Cherskogo

Peschanka

Kolymskoye Nagor’ye

Verkhoyanskiy Khrebet

140° E 160° E

70° N

60° N

EAST SIBERIAN SEA

LAPTEV

SEA

RUSSIA

UNITED 

STATES

120° E 180°

70° N

50° N

PACIFIC OCEAN

ARCTIC

OCEAN

BERING SEA

EXPLANATION

Porphyry copper deposit

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 142pCu8512

Porphyry copper prospect
268 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 66. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu7315, Subaerial 

Neogene Arcs of Western Japan—Japan

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; John and others, 2010)

Grade and tonnage model: NA

Economic filter depth percentages: NA

Economic filter cost setting: NA

Geologic feature assessed: Subaerial parts of the Miocene and younger Kurile, Northeast Japan, Izu, Southwest Japan, and 

Ryukyu volcanic arcs

Number of known deposits: 0

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons; NA, not applicable, as a quantitative assessment was not done]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2010 120,588 0 NA NA NA NA

Source

Hammarstrom, Bookstrom, DeMarr, and others, 2014, Porphyry copper assessment of East and Southeast Asia—Philippines, Taiwan 

(Republic of China), Republic of Korea (South Korea), and Japan: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5090–P, 

http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090P.

Qualitative Assessment

Japan has been explored for minerals for well over 100 years, and no porphyry copper deposits have been found. Future 

exploration may identify deep porphyry copper deposits within areas of permissive rock. No estimates were made for Japan for 

this assessment.
Plate 66. Tract 142pCu7315, Subaerial Neogene Arcs of Western Japan—Japan 269

Plate

66

0 150 300 450 600 KILOMETERS

0 150 300 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Asia North Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 135° E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

CHINA

JAPAN

NORTH

 KOREA

SOUTH 

KOREA

RUSSIA

Shanghai

BEIJING

Tianjin

SEOUL

TOKYO

Yellow River

Yangtze River

120° E 140° E

40° N

30° N

Hamgyong-sanjulgi

BOHAI

SEA

EAST CHINA

SEA

PACIFIC OCEAN

SEA OF JAPAN

YELLOW

SEA

TAIWAN

CHINA

RUSSIA

JAPAN

PHILIPPINES

100° E 170° E

30° N

10° N

50° N

PHILIPPINE

SEA

PACIFIC

OCEAN

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 142pCu7315
270 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 67. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu7314, Western Honshu 

Area—Japan

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; John and others, 2010)

Grade and tonnage model: NA

Economic filter depth percentages: NA

Economic filter cost setting: NA

Geologic feature assessed: Late Cretaceous to Paleogene magnetite-series igneous rocks of the Japan arc

Number of known deposits: 0

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons; NA, not applicable, as a quantitative assessment was not done]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2010 27,581 0 NA NA NA NA

Source

Hammarstrom, Bookstrom, DeMarr, and others, 2014, Porphyry copper assessment of East and Southeast Asia—Philippines, Taiwan 

(Republic of China), Republic of Korea (South Korea), and Japan: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5090–P, 

http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090P.

Qualitative Assessment

Japan has been explored for minerals for well over 100 years, and no porphyry copper deposits have been found. Future 

exploration may identify deep porphyry copper deposits within areas of permissive rock. No estimates were made for Japan for 

this assessment.
Plate 67. Tract 142pCu7314, Western Honshu Area—Japan 271

Plate

67

0 30 60 90 120 KILOMETERS

0 30 60 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Asia North Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 134° E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

Honshu

Shikoku

Kyushu

JAPAN

Matsuyama

Shimonoseki

Nagasaki

Gifu

SEA OF JAPAN

PACIFIC OCEAN

Biwa-ko

132° E 138° E

36° N

34° N

CHINA JAPAN

SOUTH

KOREA

120° E 140° E 160° E

40° N

30° N

PACIFIC

OCEAN

EAST

CHINA

SEA

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 142pCu7314
272 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 68. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu7313, Gyeongsang 

Basin—South Korea

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; John and others, 2010)

Grade and tonnage model: NA

Economic filter depth percentages: NA

Economic filter cost setting: NA

Geologic feature assessed: Late Cretaceous calc-alkalic igneous rocks of the southeastern Korean Peninsula

Number of known deposits: 0

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons; NA, not applicable, as a quantitative assessment was not done]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2010 46,311 0 NA NA NA NA

Source

Hammarstrom, Bookstrom, DeMarr, and others, 2014, Porphyry copper assessment of East and Southeast Asia—Philippines, Taiwan 

(Republic of China), Republic of Korea (South Korea), and Japan: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5090–P, 

http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090P.

Qualitative Assessment

South Korea has been explored for minerals for many years. Tract 142pCu7313 (Gyeongsang Basin—South Korea) 

contains significant mineral deposits of tungsten. As shown on the map, three porphyry copper prospects have been identified in tract 142pCu7313, including a low-grade copper prospect that was explored by drilling in the 1970s. Future exploration 

may identify deep porphyry copper deposits within areas of permissive rock. No estimates were made for South Korea for this 

assessment.
Plate 68. Tract 142pCu7313, Gyeongsang Basin—South Korea 273

Plate

68

0 30 60 90 120 KILOMETERS

0 30 60 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Asia North Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 127°15' E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

JAPAN

NORTH KOREA

SOUTH KOREA

SEOUL

124° E 128° E

38° N

34° N

EAST CHINA SEA

SEA OF JAPAN

YELLOW SEA

CHINA

MONGOLIA

RUSSIA

NORTH

KOREA

SOUTH

KOREA

100° E 140° E

50° N

30° N

PHILIPPINE

SEA

EAST

CHINA

SEA

JAPAN

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 142pCu7313

Porphyry copper prospect
274 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 69. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu8509, Manchuride—

China, North Korea, Mongolia, and Russia

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; John and others, 2010)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: High cost

Geologic feature assessed: An assemblage of Jurassic and Cretaceous postsubduction volcanic and intrusive rocks in 

northeastern China and parts of Russia, Mongolia, and North Korea

Number of known deposits: 5

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2010 1,402,360 7.8 81 4 40 9

Source

Ludington, Mihalasky, and others, 2012, Porphyry copper assessment of the Mesozoic of East Asia—China, Vietnam, North Korea, Mongolia, 

and Russia: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5090–G, http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2010/5090/g/.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.26

2.0

37

220 280

81

40

Identified copper resources

(7.8 Mt)

Tract 142pCu8509

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 69. Tract 142pCu8509, Manchuride—China, North Korea, Mongolia, and Russia 275

Plate

69

0 200 400 600 800 KILOMETERS

0 200 400 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Asia North Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 122°30' E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

PACIFIC

OCEAN

Lake Baikal

MONGOLIA

CHINA

JAPAN

NORTH

KOREA

SOUTH

KOREA

RUSSIA

SEA OF

OKHOTSK

SEA OF

JAPAN

YELLOW

SEA

Tianjin

TOKYO

BEIJING

SEOUL

Lena River

Angara River

Amur River

Yellow River

Aldan River

Yenisey

River

Xiaosigou

Wunugetushan

Bystrinskoe

Shaktama

Zhireken

90° E 120° E 150° E

45° N

55° N

35° N

RUSSIA

CHINA JAPAN

PACIFIC

OCEAN

MONGOLIA

70° E 120° E 170° E

45° N

30° N

60° N

EXPLANATION

Porphyry copper deposit

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 142pCu8509

Porphyry copper prospect
276 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 70. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu8503, Gobi-Amur—

Mongolia, China, and Russia

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; John and others, 2010)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Skewed deep—0 to 250 meters (m), 10%; >250 to 500 m, 30%; >500 m to 1 km, 60%

Economic filter cost setting: High cost

Geologic feature assessed: Cambrian through Early Devonian igneous rocks that consist mostly of continental-margin-arc 

rocks with some island-arc rocks at the eastern end; mostly covered by the late Paleozoic 

Kazakh-Mongol arc

Number of known deposits: 1

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2013 56,087 3.3 5.9 30 2.7 90

Source

Mihalasky, Ludington, Hammarstrom, and others, 2015, Porphyry copper assessment of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt and eastern 

Tethysides—China, Mongolia, Russia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and India: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations 

Report 2010–5090–X, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090X.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

1.1

14

26

5.9

2.7

Tract 142pCu8503

Identified copper resources (3.3 Mt)

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 70. Tract 142pCu8503, Gobi-Amur—Mongolia, China, and Russia 277

Plate

70

0 175 350 525 700 KILOMETERS

0 175 350 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Asia North Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 110° E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

MONGOLIA

CHINA

RUSSIA Lake Baikal

Lena River

Yellow River

Amur River

Yenisey

River

Angara River

Korea Bay

Bohai

BEIJING Gulf

ULAANBAATAR

Duobaoshan

100° E 120° E

50° N

40° N

PACIFIC

OCEAN

RUSSIA

CHINA

INDIA

MONGOLIA

KAZAKHSTAN

60° E 100° E 140° E

50° N

30° N

EXPLANATION

Porphyry copper deposit

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 142pCu8503

Porphyry copper prospect
278 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 71. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu8508b, Erdenet 

(Northeast)—Russia

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; John and others, 2010)

Grade and tonnage model: NA

Economic filter depth percentages: NA

Economic filter cost setting: NA

Geologic feature assessed: An assemblage of Middle Permian through Triassic igneous rocks in Russia that formed during and 

after closure of the Mongol-Okhotsk ocean, apparently in a postsubduction environment

Number of known deposits: 0

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons; NA, not applicable, as a quantitative assessment was not done]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2013 103,793 0 NA NA NA NA

Source

Mihalasky, Ludington, Hammarstrom, and others, 2015, Porphyry copper assessment of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt and eastern 

Tethysides—China, Mongolia, Russia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and India: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations 

Report 2010–5090–X, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090X.

Qualitative Assessment

The northeastern extension of the permissive rocks that host the Erdenet in tract 142pCu8508b (Erdenet (Northeast)—

Russia) is broadly permissive for the occurrence of porphyry copper deposits. No deposits are known, and little information was 

available in the public domain on the details of the geology and copper occurrences in this area. No estimates were made for this 

tract for this assessment.
Plate 71. Tract 142pCu8508b, Erdenet (Northeast)—Russia 279

Plate

71

0 60 120 180 240 KILOMETERS

0 60 120 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Asia North Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 120° E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

CHINA

RUSSIA

Amur River

Alda n River

Chita

114° E 120° E 126° E

54° N

57° N

51° N

RUSSIA

CHINA

MONGOLIA

95° E 120° E 145° E

60° N

50° N

40° N

SEA OF

OKHOTSK

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 142pCu8508b
280 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 72. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu8507, Mongol-Altai—

Mongolia, Russia, Kazakhstan, and China

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; John and others, 2010)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: High cost

Geologic feature assessed: A varied assemblage of Devonian through Early Permian igneous rocks primarily in Mongolia and 

Russia that include primarily calc-alkalic continental-margin-arc rocks.

Number of known deposits: 0

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2013 785,571 0 53 3 26 15

Source

Mihalasky, Ludington, Hammarstrom, and others, 2015, Porphyry copper assessment of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt and eastern 

Tethysides—China, Mongolia, Russia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and India: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations 

Report 2010–5090–X, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090X.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.86

3.1

29

140 180

53

26

Identified copper resources = 0

Tract 142pCu8507

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 72. Tract 142pCu8507, Mongol-Altai—Mongolia, Russia, Kazakhstan, and China 281

Plate

72

0 200 400 600 800 KILOMETERS

0 200 400 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Asia North Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 103° E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

MONGOLIA

KAZAKHSTAN

CHINA

RUSSIA

Yellow River

Lake Baikal

Ob’ River

Lena River

Amur River

Yenisey

River

Angara River

Aldan River

Novosibirsk

Urumqi

Baotou

Qiqihar

BEIJING

ULAANBAATAR

90° E 120° E

54° N

42° N

Irtysh River

MONGOLIA

RUSSIA

CHINA

INDIA

KAZAKHSTAN

MONGOLIA

JAPAN

15° E 80° E 145° E

50° N

30° N

70° N

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 142pCu8507

Porphyry copper prospect
282 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 73. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu8504, Mongol-Sayan—

Mongolia, China, and Russia

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; John and others, 2010)

Grade and tonnage model: Porphyry copper, copper-molybdenum subtype model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: High cost

Geologic feature assessed: Cambrian through Silurian igneous rocks primarily in central and northern Mongolia and bordering 

parts of Russia, including the Tuva-Mongol island arc and a variety of other calc-alkalic rocks

Number of known deposits: 4

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2013 575,102 15 38 6 19 6

Source

Mihalasky, Ludington, Hammarstrom, and others, 2015, Porphyry copper assessment of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt and eastern 

Tethysides—China, Mongolia, Russia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and India: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations 

Report 2010–5090–X, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090X.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.58

21

97

130

38

19

Tract 142pCu8504

Identified copper resources (15 Mt)

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 73. Tract 142pCu8504, Mongol-Sayan—Mongolia, China, and Russia 283

Plate

73

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Asia North Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 100° E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

0 175 350 525 700 KILOMETERS

0 175 350 MILES

Lake

Baikal

Ob’ River

Amur River

Lena River

Yenisey River

Aldan River

Novosibirsk

Urumqi

ULAANBAATAR

Agaskyr

Aksug

Kiyalykh-Uzen

Sora

Angara River

Irtysh River

80° E 100° E 120° E

54° N

46° N MONGOLIA

KAZAKHSTAN

CHINA

RUSSIA

MONGOLIA

INDIA

KAZAKHSTAN

RUSSIA

CHINA

60° E 100° E 140° E

60° N

45° N

30° N

EXPLANATION

Porphyry copper deposit

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 142pCu8504

Porphyry copper prospect
284 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 74. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu8508a, Erdenet—

Mongolia

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; John and others, 2010)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: High cost

Geologic feature assessed: Middle Permian through Triassic igneous rocks in Mongolia that formed during and after closure 

of the Mongol-Okhotsk ocean, apparently in a postsubduction environment

Number of known deposits: 1

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2013 61,430 9.0 34 4 17 32

Source

Mihalasky, Ludington, Hammarstrom, and others, 2015, Porphyry copper assessment of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt and eastern 

Tethysides—China, Mongolia, Russia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and India: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations 

Report 2010–5090–X, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090X.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.28

1.7

20

81

120

34

17

Identified copper resources (9.0 Mt)

Tract 142pCu8508a

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 74. Tract 142pCu8508a, Erdenet—Mongolia 285

Plate

74

0 60 120 180 240 KILOMETERS

0 60 120 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Asia North Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 102° E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

RUSSIA

MONGOLIA

Lake Baikal

Yenisey River

Angara R

Kyzyl

Irkutsk

Ulan Ude

Darhan

ULAANBAATAR

Erdenet

100° E 107° E

51° N

48° N

60° N 90° E 120° E

50° N

60° E

40° N

RUSSIA

CHINA

MONGOLIA

EXPLANATION

Porphyry copper deposit

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 142pCu8508a

Porphyry copper prospect
286 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 75. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu8506, Oyu Tolgoi—

China and Mongolia

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; John and others, 2010)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: High cost

Geologic feature assessed: A varied assemblage of Devonian through Triassic igneous rocks that include the Devonian 

Kazakh-Mongol continental-margin-arc rocks, as well as younger rocks related to the Indosinian 

orogeny (collision of China with Asia)

Number of known deposits: 3

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2013 329,845 38 80 2 39 7

Source

Mihalasky, Ludington, Hammarstrom, and others, 2015, Porphyry copper assessment of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt and eastern 

Tethysides—China, Mongolia, Russia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and India: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations 

Report 2010–5090–X, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090X.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

3.4

8.8

54

190 230

80

39

Tract 142pCu8506

Identified copper resources

(38 Mt)

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 75. Tract 142pCu8506, Oyu Tolgoi—China and Mongolia 287

Plate

75

0 150 300 450 600 KILOMETERS

0 150 300 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Asia North Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 103° E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

CHINA

MONGOLIA

RUSSIA Lake Baikal

Yellow River

Ob’ River

Yenisey Riv e r

Angara River

Amur River

Irtysh R

Tianjin

BEIJING

ULAANBAATAR

Zuun Mod

Oyu Tolgoi

Tsagaan-Suvarga

96° E 108° E 120° E

48° N

42° N

PACIFIC

OCEAN

CHINA

RUSSIA

MONGOLIA

INDIA

KAZAKHSTAN

JAPAN

60° E 100° E 140° E

50° N

30° N

EXPLANATION

Porphyry copper deposit

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 142pCu8506

Porphyry copper prospect
288 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 76. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu8501, Solonker—China

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; John and others, 2010)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Custom—0 to 250 meters (m), 30%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 45%

Economic filter cost setting: High cost

Geologic feature assessed: Paleozoic through Triassic igneous rocks (early Paleozoic Bainaimiao island arc, a late Paleozoic 

continental arc formed by south-directed subduction of the paleo-Asian ocean beneath the North 

China craton) and Permian and Triassic rocks formed by collision of the North China and Tarim 

cratons with Eurasia

Number of known deposits: 1

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2013 250,099 0.25 22 7 12 42

Source

Mihalasky, Ludington, Hammarstrom, and others, 2015, Porphyry copper assessment of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt and eastern 

Tethysides—China, Mongolia, Russia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and India: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations 

Report 2010–5090–X, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090X.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.19

7.6

60

90

22

12

Tract 142pCu8501

Identified copper resources (0.25 Mt)

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 76. Tract 142pCu8501, Solonker—China 289

Plate

76

0 160 320 480 640 KILOMETERS

0 160 320 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Asia North Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 108° E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

BOHAI

GULF

MONGOLIA

CHINA

ULAANBAATAR

BEIJING

Tianjin

Mekong River

Yangtze River

Yellow River

Chehugou

96° E 108° E 120° E

46° N

38° N

RUSSIA

CHINA

INDIA

MONGOLIA

60° E 100° E 140° E

50° N

30° N

PACIFIC

OCEAN

JAPAN

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 142pCu8501

Porphyry copper prospect

Porphyry copper deposit
290 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 77. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu8505, Kazakh-Tarim—

Kazakhstan and China

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; John and others, 2010)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: High cost

Geologic feature assessed: Devonian through Early Triassic igneous rocks that include the Balkash-Yili continental-marginarc and younger rocks related to the Indosinian orogeny (collision of China with Asia)

Number of known deposits: 4

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2012 344,293 6.7 39 3 19 26

Source

Mihalasky, Ludington, Hammarstrom, and others, 2015, Porphyry copper assessment of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt and eastern 

Tethysides—China, Mongolia, Russia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and India: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations 

Report 2010–5090–X, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090X.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.60

2.2

21

99

140

39

19

Tract 142pCu8505

Identified copper resources (6.7 Mt)

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 77. Tract 142pCu8505, Kazakh-Tarim—Kazakhstan and China 291

Plate

77

0 160 320 480 640 KILOMETERS

0 160 320 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Asia North Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 85° E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

Lake

Alakol’

MONGOLIA

KYRGYZSTAN

KAZAKHSTAN

CHINA

RUSSIA

TAJIKISTAN

Ysyk-Köl

Lake Balkhash

Angara River

Ob’River

Syr Darya

Irtysh

River

Yenisey River

Novosibirsk

Almaty

Urumqi

ASTANA

BISHKEK

Baogutu

Kyzylkain

Koktasdzhal

Tuwu-Yandong-Yanxi

72° E 84° E 96° E

50° N

40° N

INDIA

KAZAKHSTAN

RUSSIA

IRAN CHINA

MONGOLIA

20° E 60° E 100° E 140° E

50° N

30° N

EXPLANATION

Porphyry copper deposit

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 142pCu8505

Porphyry copper prospect
292 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 78. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu8502, KazakhTianshan—Kazakhstan and China

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; John and others, 2010)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: High cost

Geologic feature assessed: Cambrian through Silurian igneous rocks (Kipchak and Stepnyak-North Tienshan island arcs) in 

the western part of the Central Asian orogenic belt; partly covered by rocks of the late Paleozoic 

Balkash-Yili arc

Number of known deposits: 3

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2013 89,608 8.7 14 6 6.9 64

Source

Mihalasky, Ludington, Hammarstrom, and others, 2015, Porphyry copper assessment of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt and eastern 

Tethysides—China, Mongolia, Russia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and India: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations 

Report 2010–5090–X, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090X.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.21

5.5

34

52

14

6.9

Tract 142pCu8502

Identified copper resources (8.7 Mt)

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 78. Tract 142pCu8502, Kazakh-Tianshan—Kazakhstan and China 293

Plate

78

0 100 200 300 400 KILOMETERS

0 100 200 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Asia North Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 78° E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

Lake

Alakol’

KAZAKHSTAN

CHINA

RUSSIA

Lake Balkhash

Ob’River

Irtysh

River

ASTANA

Kyzyltu

Bozshakol

Nurkazgan

70° E 80° E

54° N

50° N

46° N

RUSSIA

CHINA

MONGOLIA

IRAN

Caspian Sea

KAZAKHSTAN

60° N 60° E 90° E 120° E

50° N

40° N

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 142pCu8502

Porphyry copper prospect

Porphyry copper deposit
294 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 79. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu8003a, Late Paleozoic 

Balkhash-Ili Magmatic Arc (East)—Kazakhstan

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; Berger and others, 2008)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: High cost

Geologic feature assessed: Early Carboniferous to Permian magmatic-arc and postcollisional rocks

Number of known deposits: 1

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2009 46,385 10 11 7 5.4 69

Source

Berger and others, 2014, Porphyry copper assessment of western Central Asia: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 

2010–5090–N, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090N.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.16

4.6

25

42

11

5.4

Tract 142pCu8003a

Identified copper resources (10 Mt)

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 79. Tract 142pCu8003a, Late Paleozoic Balkhash-Ili Magmatic Arc (East)—Kazakhstan 295

Plate

79

0 30 60 90 120 KILOMETERS

0 30 60 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

Asia North Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 81° E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

Lake Balkhash

Zhaysang

Lake

KAZAKHSTAN

CHINA

Taldykorgan

Aktogai-Aidarly

78° E 82° E

48° N

46° N

Alataw Shan 

Lake

Alakol’

CHINA

RUSSIA

KAZAKHSTAN MONGOLIA

60° E 100° E

50° N

40° N

EXPLANATION

Porphyry copper deposit

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 142pCu8003a

Porphyry copper prospect
296 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 80. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu8003b, Late Paleozoic 

Balkhash-Ili Magmatic Arc (North)—Kazakhstan

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; Berger and others, 2008)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: High cost

Geologic feature assessed: Early Carboniferous to Permian magmatic-arc and postcollisional rocks

Number of known deposits: 5

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2009 78,660 5.0 22 6 11 47

Source

Berger and others, 2014, Porphyry copper assessment of western Central Asia: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 

2010–5090–N, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090N.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.54

12

54

83

22

11

Tract 142pCu8003b

Identified copper resources (5.0 Mt)

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 80. Tract 142pCu8003b, Late Paleozoic Balkhash-Ili Magmatic Arc (North)—Kazakhstan 297

Plate

80

0 30 60 90 120 KILOMETERS

0 30 60 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

Asia North Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 75° E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

KAZAKHSTAN

Karaganda

Lake Balkhash

Borly Kenkuduk

Kepcham

Kounrad

Ozernoe

72° E 78° E

49° N

47° N

60° E 80° E

50° N

45° N

KAZAKHSTAN

CHINA

RUSSIA

EXPLANATION

Porphyry copper deposit

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 142pCu8003b

Porphyry copper prospect
298 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 81. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu8004, Late Paleozoic 

Central Balkhash-Ili Magmatic Arc—Kazakhstan

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; Berger and others, 2008)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Skewed deep—0 to 250 meters (m), 10%; >250 to 500 m, 30%; >500 m to 1 km, 60%

Economic filter cost setting: High cost

Geologic feature assessed: Late Carboniferous to Permian magmatic-arc rocks

Number of known deposits: 0

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2010 99,548 0 7.8 21 3.5 85

Source

Berger and others, 2014, Porphyry copper assessment of western Central Asia: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 

2010–5090–N, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090N.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

2.8

18

31

7.8

3.5

Identified copper resources = 0

Tract 142pCu8004

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 81. Tract 142pCu8004, Late Paleozoic Central Balkhash-Ili Magmatic Arc—Kazakhstan 299

Plate

81

0 30 60 90 120 KILOMETERS

0 30 60 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Asia North Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 78°30' E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

Tian Shan

Alataw Shan 

Taldykorgan

Lake

Balkhash

Lake

Alakol’

76° E 80° E

48° N

44° N

CHINA

KAZAKHSTAN

CHINA

RUSSIA

KAZAKHSTAN

60° E 80° E 100° E

50° N

40° N

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 142pCu8004
300 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 82. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu8003d, Late Paleozoic 

Balkhash-Ili Magmatic Arc (Northwest)—Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; Berger and others, 2008)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: High cost

Geologic feature assessed: Early Carboniferous to Permian magmatic-arc and postcollisional rocks

Number of known deposits: 2

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2009 111,149 3.3 7.8 20 3.8 80

Source

Berger and others, 2014, Porphyry copper assessment of western Central Asia: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 

2010–5090–N, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090N.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

2.7

17

31

7.8

3.8

Tract 142pCu8003d

Identified copper resources (3.3 Mt)

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 82. Tract 142pCu8003d, Late Paleozoic Balkhash-Ili Magmatic Arc (Northwest)—Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan 301

Plate

82

0 30 60 90 120 KILOMETERS

0 30 60 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Asia North Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 76°30' E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

KYRGYZSTAN

KAZAKHSTAN

CHINA

Tian Shan

Alataw Shan 

Taldykorgan

Almaty

BISHKEK

Lake

Balkhash

Ysyk-Köl

Kazkyrmys

Koksai

72° E 76° E 80° E

46° N

44° N

Lake

Alakol’

CHINA

KAZAKHSTAN

RUSSIA

KYRGYZSTAN

60° E 80° E

50° N

40° N

EXPLANATION

Porphyry copper deposit

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 142pCu8003d

Porphyry copper prospect
302 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 83. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu8003c, Late Paleozoic 

Balkhash-Ili Magmatic Arc (West)—Kazakhstan

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; Berger and others, 2008)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: High cost

Geologic feature assessed: Early Carboniferous to Permian magmatic-arc and postcollisional rocks

Number of known deposits: 2

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2009 23,757 1.0 7.4 30 3.6 84

Source

Berger and others, 2014, Porphyry copper assessment of western Central Asia: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 

2010–5090–N, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090N.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

1.8

18

31

7.4

3.6

Tract 142pCu8003c

Identified copper resources (1.0 Mt)

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 83. Tract 142pCu8003c, Late Paleozoic Balkhash-Ili Magmatic Arc (West)—Kazakhstan 303

Plate

83

0 15 30 45 60 KILOMETERS

0 15 30 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

Asia North Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 73°30' E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

KAZAKHSTAN

Lake Balkhash

Karatas Group

Saryshagan

72° E 74° E

48° N

46° N

KAZAKHSTAN

CHINA

RUSSIA

60° E 80° E

50° N

40° N

EXPLANATION

Porphyry copper deposit

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 142pCu8003c

Porphyry copper prospect
304 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 84. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu8002, Ordovician North 

Tian Shan Magmatic Arc—Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; Berger and others, 2008)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: High cost

Geologic feature assessed: Middle to Late Ordovician North Tian Shan magmatic-arc rocks

Number of known deposits: 2

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2009 8,124 2.0 5.2 30 2.5 88

Source

Berger and others, 2014, Porphyry copper assessment of western Central Asia: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 

2010–5090–N, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090N.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

1.0

11

20

5.2

2.5

Tract 142pCu8002

Identified copper resources (2.0 Mt)

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 84. Tract 142pCu8002, Ordovician North Tian Shan Magmatic Arc—Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan 305

Plate

84

0 15 30 45 60 KILOMETERS

0 15 30 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

Asia North Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 73°30' E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

KYRGYZSTAN

KAZAKHSTAN

Tian Shan

Dzhambul BISHKEK

Chatyrkul

Taldy-Bulak

72° E 74° E

44° N

42° N

CHINA

KAZAKHSTAN

KYRGYZSTAN

UZBEKISTAN

60° E 80° E RUSSIA

50° N

40° N

EXPLANATION

Porphyry copper deposit

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 142pCu8002

Porphyry copper prospect
306 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 85. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu8001, Chatkal and 

Kurama Ranges—Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; Berger and others, 2008)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: High cost

Geologic feature assessed: Late Carboniferous to Permian magmatic-arc and postcollisional volcanic-plutonic complexes

Number of known deposits: 4

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2009 25,104 31 19 7 9.3 52

Source

Berger and others, 2014, Porphyry copper assessment of western Central Asia: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 

2010–5090–N, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090N.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.46

10

45

72

19

9.3

Tract 142pCu8001

Identified copper resources (31 Mt)

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 85. Tract 142pCu8001, Chatkal and Kurama Ranges—Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan 307

Plate

85

0 15 30 45 60 KILOMETERS

0 15 30 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

Asia North Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 70°30' E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

Tian Shan

KAZAKHSTAN KYRGYZSTAN

UZBEKISTAN

TAJIKISTAN

TASHKENT

Syr Darya

Obanbori

Qayroqqum

Chardara Suw

Ombori

Almalyk Group

Kuru Tegerek

Kyzata

Sarycheku

70° E 72° E

42° N

41° N

KAZAKHSTAN

TAJIKISTAN

UZBEKISTAN

60° E 75° E

45° N

40° N

KYRGYZSTAN

EXPLANATION

Porphyry copper deposit

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 142pCu8001

Porphyry copper prospect
308 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 86. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu8704, Coastal Pacific—

China, Taiwan, and Vietnam

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; John and others, 2010)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: Mixed cost

Geologic feature assessed: An assemblage of Jurassic and Cretaceous postsubduction volcanic and intrusive rocks in eastern 

China and northern Vietnam

Number of known deposits: 6

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2010 604,560 15 65 4 38 5

Source

Ludington, Mihalasky, and others, 2012, Porphyry copper assessment of the Mesozoic of East Asia—China, Vietnam, North Korea, Mongolia, 

and Russia: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5090–G, http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2010/5090/g/.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.25

2.5

42

160 200

65

38

Tract 142pCu8704

Identified copper resources (15 Mt)

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 86. Tract 142pCu8704, Coastal Pacific—China, Taiwan, and Vietnam 309

Plate

86

0 200 400 600 800 KILOMETERS

0 200 400 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Asia North Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 116° E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

Nan Ling

Dabie Shan

Qinling Shandi

Dalou Shan

Lüliang Shan

Chaîne Annamitique

Qilian Shan

Yellow River

TAIWAN

CHINA

JAPAN

SOUTH

KOREA

LAOS

VIETNAM

THAILAND PHILIPPINES

HONG KONG

Shanghai

SEOUL

Yellow River

Mekong

Riv er

Xi River

Yangtze River

SOUTH CHINA SEA

EAST CHINA SEA

YELLOW SEA

PACIFIC

OCEAN

Dexing 

Yinshan

Zijinshan

Tongchankou Fengshandong

Chengmenshan

105° E 120° E

30° N

20° N

PACIFIC

OCEAN

CHINA

PHILIPPINES

TAIWAN

100° E 140° E

30° N

15° N

JAPAN

EXPLANATION

Porphyry copper deposit

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 142pCu8704

Porphyry copper prospect
310 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 87. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu8705, East Qinling—

China

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; John and others, 2010)

Grade and tonnage model: Porphyry copper, copper-molybdenum subtype model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: Mixed cost

Geologic feature assessed: A linear belt of Jurassic and Cretaceous postsubduction intrusive rocks in central China

Number of known deposits: 1

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2010 171,104 0.39 52 7 38 7

Source

Ludington, Mihalasky, and others, 2012, Porphyry copper assessment of the Mesozoic of East Asia—China, Vietnam, North Korea, Mongolia, 

and Russia: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5090–G, http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2010/5090/g/.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.41

19

150 200

52 38

Tract 142pCu8705

Identified copper resources 

(0.39 Mt)

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 87. Tract 142pCu8705, East Qinling—China 311

Plate

87

0 150 300 450 600 KILOMETERS

0 150 300 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Asia North Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 103° E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

Altun Shan

Qilian Shan

Dalou Shan

Lüliang Shan

Qinling Shandi Dabie Shan

Hengduan Shan

Himalayas

YELLOW

SEA

MONGOLIA

INDIA

CHINA

INDIA

BHUTAN

BEIJING

Tianjin

Brahmaputra River

Yangtze River

Salween River Mekong River

Yangtze River

Yellow River

Jinduicheng

90° E 105° E 120° E

40° N

30° N

CHINA

INDIA

MONGOLIA

80° E 100° E 120° E

40° N

30° N

EXPLANATION

Porphyry copper deposit

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 142pCu8705

Porphyry copper prospect
312 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 88. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu8701, Qinling-Dabie—

China and Tajikistan

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; John and others, 2010)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Skewed shallow—0 to 250 meters (m), 35%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 40%

Economic filter cost setting: High cost

Geologic feature assessed: Paleozoic through Triassic igneous rocks: (1) Cambro-Ordovician island arc; (2) Devonian 

continental-margin arc related to north-directed subduction of the paleo-Tethyan ocean beneath 

the North China, Qaidam, and Tarim cratons, and (3) Permo-Triassic rocks formed by collision 

of the North China and Tarim cratons with the Eurasian continent

Number of known deposits: 1

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2012 403,215 1.4 32 16 17 37

Source

Mihalasky, Ludington, Hammarstrom, and others, 2015, Porphyry copper assessment of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt and eastern 

Tethysides—China, Mongolia, Russia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and India: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations 

Report 2010–5090–X, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090X.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

11

91

130

32

17

Tract 142pCu8701

Identified copper resources (1.4 Mt)

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 88. Tract 142pCu8701, Qinling-Dabie—China and Tajikistan 313

Plate

88

0 250 500 750 1,000 KILOMETERS

0 250 500 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Asia North Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 92° E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

MONGOLIA

NEPAL

KAZAKHSTAN

INDIA

PAKISTAN

CHINA

BURMA VIETNAM

KYRGYZSTAN

TAJIKISTAN

Naryn River

Lake

Balkhash

Irrawaddy

River

Xi River Ganges River

Brahmaputra River

Salween River

Mekong River

Yellow

River

BOHAI

GULF

SOUTH 

CHINA SEA

Indus River

Yangtze River

Lahore

Jaipur

Bhopal

Urumqi

Lucknow

Kanpur

Calcutta

Lanzhou

Xi'an

Baotou

Chengdu

Chongqing

Guiyang

Wuhan

Guangzhou

Tangshan

Tianjin

Shijiazhuang

Taiyuan Jinan

Zhengzhou

HONG KONG

Kunming

Nanchang

Changsha

NEW DELHI

BISHKEK

KATHMANDU

DHAKA

BEIJING

ULAANBAATAR

ISLAMABAD

Saishitang

76° E 108° E

45° N

30° N

INDIA

RUSSIA

CHINA

60° E 120° E 180° 

35° N

10° N

60° N

EXPLANATION

Porphyry copper deposit

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 142pCu8701

Porphyry copper prospect
314 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 89. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu8706, Tethyan 

Gangdese—China, India, and Pakistan

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; John and others, 2010)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: High cost

Geologic feature assessed: Late Triassic, Yanshanian (Jurassic and Cretaceous) and early Tertiary igneous rocks in 

southwestern China that were formed during subduction of the Tethyan ocean below 

the southern margin of Asia

Number of known deposits: 0

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2013 289,647 0 28 7 14 40

Source

Mihalasky, Ludington, Hammarstrom, and others, 2015, Porphyry copper assessment of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt and eastern 

Tethysides—China, Mongolia, Russia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and India: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations 

Report 2010–5090–X, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090X.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.32

13

73

110

28

14

Identified copper resources = 0

Tract 142pCu8706

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 89. Tract 142pCu8706, Tethyan Gangdese—China, India, and Pakistan 315

Plate

89

0 150 300 450 600 KILOMETERS

0 150 300 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Asia North Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 85° E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

Qinghai

Lake

INDIA

PAKISTAN

CHINA

TAJIKISTAN

BURMA

BANGLADESH

NEPAL

BHUTAN

Brahmaputra Riv er

Yellow River

Yangtze River

Mekong River

Indus River

Ganges River

Salween River

Amritsar

Lahore

Chandigarh

Jaipur

Faisalabad

Gandhinagar

Kashi

Lucknow

Kanpur

Varanasi

Patna

Biratnagar Myitkyina

Aizawl

Kohima

Shillong

Imphal

Osh

Srinagar

Simla

Lhasa

NEW DELHI

KATHMANDU

DHAKA

ISLAMABAD

70° E 80° E 90° E 100° E

40° N

30° N

CHINA

INDIA

IRAN

RUSSIA

ARABIAN

SEA BAY OF

BENGAL

SOUTH

CHINA

SEA

60° E 100° E

30° N

10° N

50° N

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 142pCu8706

Porphyry copper prospect
316 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 90. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu8712, Gangdese—China

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; John and others, 2010)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: High cost

Geologic feature assessed: A linear belt of Oligocene and Miocene postsubduction igneous rocks in southwestern China

Number of known deposits: 3

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2010 239,860 15 87 1 43 5

Source

Ludington, Hammarstrom, and others, 2012, Porphyry copper assessment of the Tibetan Plateau, China: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific 

Investigations Report 2010–5090–F, http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2010/5090/f/.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

7.3

13

61

200 250

87

43

Identified copper resources

(15 Mt)

Tract 142pCu8712

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 90. Tract 142pCu8712, Gangdese—China 317

Plate

90

0 75 150 225 300 KILOMETERS

0 75 150 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Asia North Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 87°30' E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

Himalayas

NEPAL

BHUTAN

INDIA

CHINA

Kunlun Mountains 

Lucknow

Kanpur

KATHMANDU

Biratnagar

Lhasa

Kohima

Yangtze River

Mekong River

Salween River

Indus River

Brahmaputra River

Ganges River

Jiama

Qulong

Xietongmen-Newtongmen Group

80° E 90° E

35° N

30° N

Himalayas

CHINA

INDIA

PAKISTAN

60° E 80° E 100° E

40° N

20° N

EXPLANATION

Porphyry copper deposit

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 142pCu8712

Porphyry copper prospect
318 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 91. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu8702, Jinsajiang—

China

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; John and others, 2010)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: Mixed cost

Geologic feature assessed: Carboniferous through Triassic rocks that were formed as continental arcs by subduction of the 

paleo-Tethyan oceanic crust southward below northern Tibet and northward below northern 

China

Number of known deposits: 2

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2013 111,687 4.5 20 4 12 23

Source

Mihalasky, Ludington, Hammarstrom, and others, 2015, Porphyry copper assessment of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt and eastern 

Tethysides—China, Mongolia, Russia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and India: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations 

Report 2010–5090–X, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090X.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.30

1.0

10

52

72

20

12

Tract 142pCu8702

Identified copper resources (4.5 Mt)

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 91. Tract 142pCu8702, Jinsajiang—China 319

Plate

91

0 120 240 360 480 KILOMETERS

0 120 240 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Asia North Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 93° E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

Yangtze RiverYangtze River

Salween RiverSalween River

INDIA

CHINA

BHUTAN NEPAL

BANGLADESH

BURMA

Ganges River

Brahmaputra River

Irrawaddy River

Yellow River

Mekong River

Patna

Biratnagar

Myitkyina

Kohima Shillong

Lhasa

Imphal

KATHMANDU

Pulang Xuejiping

90° E 100° E

35° N

30° N

25° N

ARABIAN

SEA

CHINA

INDIA

70° E 120° E

30° N

10° N BAY OF

BENGAL

SOUTH

CHINA

SEA

EXPLANATION

Porphyry copper deposit

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 142pCu8702

Porphyry copper prospect
320 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 92. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu8710, Yulong—China

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; John and others, 2010)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: High cost

Geologic feature assessed: A curvilinear belt of Eocene postsubduction igneous rocks in southwestern China

Number of known deposits: 6

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2010 112,470 11 32 3 16 32

Source

Ludington, Hammarstrom, and others, 2012, Porphyry copper assessment of the Tibetan Plateau, China: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific 

Investigations Report 2010–5090–F, http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2010/5090/f/.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.83

2.7

20

76

110

32

16

Tract 142pCu8710

Identified copper resources (11 Mt)

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 92. Tract 142pCu8710, Yulong—China 321

Plate

92

0 50 100 150 200 KILOMETERS

0 50 100 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Asia North Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 95°30' E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

CHINA

INDIA

Lhasa Mekong River

Brahmaputra River

Yangtze River

Salween River

Yellow River

Yulong

Zhanaga

Malasongduo

Duoxiasongduo

Gegongnong

Mangzhong

Hengduan Shan

90° E 96° E

34° N

30° N

CHINA

INDIA

Himalayas

80° E 100° E 120° E

40° N

30° N

20° N

EXPLANATION

Porphyry copper deposit

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 142pCu8710

Porphyry copper prospect
322 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 93. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu8711, Dali—China and 

Vietnam

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; John and others, 2010)

Grade and tonnage model: Porphyry copper, copper-gold subtype model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: High cost

Geologic feature assessed: An assemblage of Eocene and Oligocene postsubduction igneous rocks in southwestern China

Number of known deposits: 2

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2010 96,670 0.49 26 4 12 32

Source

Ludington, Hammarstrom, and others, 2012, Porphyry copper assessment of the Tibetan Plateau, China: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific 

Investigations Report 2010–5090–F, http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2010/5090/f/.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.20

1.3

15

64

87

26

12

Tract 142pCu8711

Identified copper resources (0.49 Mt)

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 93. Tract 142pCu8711, Dali—China and Vietnam 323

Plate

93

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Asia North Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 102° E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

0 40 80 MILES

0 40 80 120 160 KILOMETERS

CHINA

LAOS

BURMA

VIETNAM

Yen Bai

Kunming Salween River

Xi River

Mekong River

Yangtze River

Xifanping

Machangqing

Chaîne Annamitique

100° E 105° E

26° N

22° N

90° E 100° E 110° E

30° N

20° N

CHINA

BURMA

INDIA

THAILAND

LAOS

VIETNAM

SOUTH 

CHINA

SEA

BAY OF

BENGAL

Porphyry copper deposit

Porphyry copper prospect

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract 

 142pCu8711
324 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 94. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu7024, Wuntho-Popa—

Burma

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; Berger and others, 2008; John and others, 2010)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Skewed deep—0 to 250 meters (m), 10%; >250 to 500 m, 30%; >500 m to 1 km, 60%

Economic filter cost setting: High cost

Geologic feature assessed: A linear belt of Late Cretaceous through Holocene volcanic rocks related to subduction of the 

Indian Ocean Plate below Indochina

Number of known deposits: 1

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2010 45,257 6.3 8.8 29 4.0 86

Source

Hammarstrom, Bookstrom, Dicken, and others, 2013, Porphyry copper assessment of Southeast Asia and Melanesia: U.S. Geological Survey 

Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5090–D, http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2010/5090/d/.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

1.7

22

40

8.8

4.0

Tract 142pCu7024

Identified copper resources (6.3 Mt)

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 94. Tract 142pCu7024, Wuntho-Popa—Burma 325

Plate

94

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Asia South Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 95°30' E.; latitude of origin 15° S.

0 40 80 MILES

0 40 80 120 160 KILOMETERS

Monywa Group Mandalay

RANGOON

INDIA

CHINA

BURMA

THAILAND

94° E 98° E

25° N

20° N

Chin Hills

Naga Hills

Irrawaddy River

Salween

River

ANDAMAN SEA

BAY

OF

BENGAL

CHINA

INDIA

MONGOLIA

BURMA

CAMBODIA

MALAYSIA

THAILAND

LAOS

INDONESIA

90° E 105° E

30° N

0°

Rakhine Yoma

BAY OF

BENGAL

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract 

 142pCu7024

Porphyry copper deposit

Porphyry copper prospect
326 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 95. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu7021, Sukhothai—

Cambodia, China, Laos, Burma, Thailand, and Vietnam

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Berger and others, 2008; John and others, 2010); porphyry copper-gold 

models (Cox, 1986b; Cooke and others, 1998)

Grade and tonnage model: Porphyry copper, copper-gold subtype model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: High cost

Geologic feature assessed: Carboniferous through Triassic island and continental arcs formed by subduction of paleo-Tethyan 

oceanic crust (the Loei and Truongson volcanic arcs)

Number of known deposits: 1

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2010 354,260 1.2 37 3 18 20

Source

Hammarstrom, Bookstrom, Dicken, and others, 2013, Porphyry copper assessment of Southeast Asia and Melanesia: U.S. Geological Survey 

Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5090–D, http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2010/5090/d/.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.9

2.9

24

90 110

37

18

Tract 142pCu7021

Identified copper resources (1.2 Mt)

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 95. Tract 142pCu7021, Sukhothai—Cambodia, China, Laos, Burma, Thailand, and Vietnam 327

Plate

95

0 75 150 225 300 KILOMETERS

0 75 150 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Asia South Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 104° E.; latitude of origin 15° S.

ANDAMAN SEA

SOUTH

CHINA

SEA

GULF OF

THAILAND

Chaîne Annamitique

Chuŏr Phnum Dângrêk 

LAOS

BURMA

THAILAND

VIETNAM

CAMBODIA

CHINA

Mekong Ri ver

100° E 110° E

25° N

15° N

RANGOON

BANGKOK

HANOI

Ho Chi Minh City

Kunming

Xi River

Irrawaddy River Mekong River

Salween River

Phu Kam

Tonle Sap

SOUTH

CHINA

SEA INDIAN

OCEAN

CHINA

100° E 120° E

30° N

15° N

THAILAND

LAOS

BURMA

INDIA

EXPLANATION

Porphyry copper deposit

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 142pCu7021

Porphyry copper prospect
328 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 96. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu7023, Mekong Delta—

Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; Berger and others, 2008; John and others, 2010)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: High cost

Geologic feature assessed: A group of Jurassic and Cretaceous intrusive and volcanic rocks that are the result of subduction of 

the Pacific Plate beneath southern Indochina

Number of known deposits: 0

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2010 91,216 0 28 6 14 39

Source

Hammarstrom, Bookstrom, Dicken, and others, 2013, Porphyry copper assessment of Southeast Asia and Melanesia: U.S. Geological Survey 

Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5090–D, http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2010/5090/d/.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.65

16

69

99

28

14

Identified copper resources = 0

Tract 142pCu7023

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 96. Tract 142pCu7023, Mekong Delta—Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam 329

Plate

96

0 50 100 150 200 KILOMETERS

0 50 100 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Asia South Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 107° E.; latitude of origin 15° S.

SOUTH CHINA SEA

GULF OF THAILAND

Chaîne Annamitique

Chuŏr Phnum Dângrêk 

Tonle Sap

LAOS THAILAND

VIETNAM

CAMBODIA

Ho Chi Minh City

PHNOM PENH

Mekong River

102° E 108° E

14° N

10° N

INDIAN

OCEAN

SOUTH CHINA

SEA

CHINA

BURMA

THAILAND

VIETNAM

CAMBODIA

100° E 120° E

20° N

10° N

0°

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 142pCu7023

Porphyry copper prospect
330 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 97. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu7022, Malaysia—

Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Berger and others, 2008; John and others, 2010); porphyry copper-gold 

models (Cox, 1986b; Cooke and others, 1998)

Grade and tonnage model: Porphyry copper, copper-gold subtype model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: High cost

Geologic feature assessed: Assemblage of Carboniferous through Triassic rocks formed as both island arcs and continental 

arcs by subduction of paleo-Tethyan oceanic crust below the East Malaya terrane

Number of known deposits: 1

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2010 60,010 0.81 8.9 6 4.3 68

Source

Hammarstrom, Bookstrom, Dicken, and others, 2013, Porphyry copper assessment of Southeast Asia and Melanesia: U.S. Geological Survey 

Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5090–D, http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2010/5090/d/.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.18

3.5

23

40

8.9

4.3

Tract 142pCu7022

Identified copper resources (0.81 Mt)

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 97. Tract 142pCu7022, Malaysia—Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand 331

Plate

97

0 25 50 75 100 KILOMETERS

0 25 50 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

Asia South Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 102°45' E.; latitude of origin 15° S.

SOUTH CHINA

SEA

JAVA SEA

INDONESIA

THAILAND

MALAYSIA

SINGAPORE

KUALA LUMPUR

SINGAPORE

Mengapur

102° E 104° E

6° N

2° N

SOUTH

CHINA

SEA

JAVA SEA

INDIAN

OCEAN

ANDAMAN

SEA

BURMA BURMA

CHINA

MALAYSIA

INDONESIA

INDONESIA

THAILAND

100° E 110° E

10° N

10° S

LAOS

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract 

142pCu7022

Porphyry copper deposit
332 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 98. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu7301abcd, Luzon Arc—

Philippines and Taiwan

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Berger and others, 2008; John and others, 2010); porphyry copper-gold 

models (Cox, 1986b; Cooke and others, 1998)

Grade and tonnage model: Porphyry copper, copper-gold subtype model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: High cost

Geologic feature assessed: Oligocene to Holocene Luzon arc

Number of known deposits: 16

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2011 23,698 16 31 4 15 25

Source

Hammarstrom, Bookstrom, DeMarr, and others, 2014, Porphyry copper assessment of East and Southeast Asia—Philippines, Taiwan 

(Republic of China), Republic of Korea (South Korea), and Japan: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5090–P, 

http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090P.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.20

1.7

22

75 98

31

15

Tract 142pCu7301abcd

Identified copper resources (16 Mt)

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 98. Tract 142pCu7301abcd, Luzon Arc—Philippines and Taiwan 333

Plate

98

0 50 100 150 200 KILOMETERS

0 50 100 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Asia South Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 120°45' E.; latitude of origin 15° S.

SOUTH

CHINA

SEA

PHILIPPINE

SEA

TAIWAN

PHILIPPINES

T'ainan

Kaoshsiung

Quezon City

MANILA

120° E 122° E

22° N

18° N

14° N

a

c

c

c

d

b

SOUTH

CHINA

SEA

EAST

CHINA

SEA

SULU

SEA

PHILIPPINE

SEA

CHINA

PHILIPPINES

MALAYSIA

TAIWAN

JAPAN

115° E 125° E

30° N

10° N

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract

142pCu7301abcd; details of

sub-tracts are on the

following pages

Porphyry copper deposit

Porphyry copper prospect
334 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

0 15 30 45 60 KILOMETERS

0 15 30 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

Asia South Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 120°30' E.; latitude of origin 15° S.

120° E 122° E

24° N

22° N

TAIWAN

T'ainan

Kaoshsiung

SOUTH CHINA SEA

PHILIPPINE SEA

SOUTH CHINA

SEA

EAST CHINA

SEA

PHILIPPINE

SEA

CHINA

TAIWAN

115° E 125° E

25° N

20° N

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper sub-tract 

142pCu7301a

Porphyry copper prospect
Plate 98. Tract 142pCu7301abcd, Luzon Arc—Philippines and Taiwan 335

Plate

98

0 10 20 30 40 KILOMETERS

0 10 20 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

Asia South Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 120°45' E.; latitude of origin 15° S.

Luzon

SOUTH

CHINA

SEA

PHILIPPINE

SEA

PHILIPPINES

Batong

Buhay

Group

Boneng Lobo

Botilao

Far Southeast-Bato Tabio

Guinaoang-Tirad

Hale-Mayabo

Kennon South East/Black

Mountain Group

Kilongolao

Santo Niño Group

Santo Tomas II Group

Tawi-Tawi

120°30' E 121°30' E

18°00' N

16°00' N

CHINA

PHILIPPINE

SEA

MALAYSIA

PHILIPPINES

TAIWAN

115° E 125° E

30° N

10° N

SOUTH

CHINA

SEA

EAST

CHINA

SEA

SULU

SEA

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper 

sub-tract 142pCu7301b

Porphyry copper deposit

Porphyry copper prospect
336 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

0 15 30 45 60 KILOMETERS

0 15 30 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

Asia South Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 121° E.; latitude of origin 15° S.

PHILIPPINES

Luzon

Quezon City

MANILA

120° E 122° E

15° N

14° N

Dizon

Ino-Capayang

Marcopper Group

Pisumpan

PHILIPPINE SEA

SOUTH

CHINA

SEA

SIBUYAN SEA

MANILA

BAY

Taysan

Laguna 

de Bay

Lake

Taal

LAMON BAY

Mindoro

CHINA

TAIWAN

110° E 130° E

20° N

10° N

PHILIPPINE

SEA

SOUTH

CHINA

SEA

PHILIPPINES

EXPLANATION

Porphyry copper deposit

Assessed porphyry copper sub-tract

 142pCu7301c

Porphyry copper prospect
Plate 98. Tract 142pCu7301abcd, Luzon Arc—Philippines and Taiwan 337

Plate

98

0 10 20 30 40 KILOMETERS

0 10 20 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

Asia South Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 121°45' E.; latitude of origin 15° S.

Calayan Island

PHILIPPINE SEA

SOUTH CHINA

SEA

Camiguin Island

PHILIPPINES

Luzon

121°30' E 122°30' E

20°00' N

18°00' N

CHINA

TAIWAN

PHILIPPINES

120° E 130° E

30° N

10° N

SOUTH CHINA

SEA

EAST CHINA

SEA

PHILIPPINE

SEA

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper 

sub-tract 142pCu7301d
338 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 99. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu7304ab, Sierra Madre 

Arc—Philippines

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Berger and others, 2008; John and others, 2010); porphyry copper-gold 

models (Cox, 1986b; Cooke and others, 1998)

Grade and tonnage model: Porphyry copper, copper-gold subtype model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: High cost

Geologic feature assessed: Eocene-Oligocene Sierra Madre arc

Number of known deposits: 1

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2010 13,966 0.31 1.4 69 0.69 99

Source

Hammarstrom, Bookstrom, DeMarr, and others, 2014, Porphyry copper assessment of East and Southeast Asia—Philippines, Taiwan 

(Republic of China), Republic of Korea (South Korea), and Japan: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5090–P, 

http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090P.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

2.9

6.8

1.4

0.69

Tract 142pCu7304ab

Identified copper resources (0.31 Mt)

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 99. Tract 142pCu7304ab, Sierra Madre Arc—Philippines 339

Plate

99

0 15 30 45 60 KILOMETERS

0 15 30 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

Asia South Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 121°45' E.; latitude of origin 15° S.

PHILIPPINES

Luzon

121° E 122° E

18° N

16° N

PHILIPPINE

SEA

TAIWAN

PHILIPPINES

CHINA

MALAYSIA

120° E 130° E

30° N

10° N

SOUTH CHINA

SEA

EAST CHINA

SEA

CELEBES

SEA

PHILIPPINE

SEA

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract 

 142pCu7304a

Porphyry copper prospect
340 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

0 10 20 30 40 KILOMETERS

0 10 20 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

Asia South Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 121°45' E.; latitude of origin 15° S.

PHILIPPINE

SEA

PHILIPPINES

Luzon

Quezon City

MANILA

Laguna de

Bay

LAMON BAY

SIBUYAN SEA

Lake

Taal

121° E 122° E

16° N

14° N

Lumbay

CHINA

MALAYSIA

PHILIPPINES

TAIWAN

120° E 130° E

20° N

10° N

SOUTH CHINA

SEA

CELEBES

SEA

EAST CHINA

SEA

PHILIPPINE

SEA

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract 

 142pCu7304b

Porphyry copper deposit

Porphyry copper prospect
Plate 99. Tract 142pCu7304ab, Sierra Madre Arc—Philippines 341

Plate

99

Plate 100 follows.
342 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 100. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu7302, Cordon Alkalic 

Complex—Philippines

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Berger and others, 2008; John and others, 2010); porphyry copper-gold 

models (Cox, 1986b; Cooke and others, 1998)

Grade and tonnage model: Porphyry copper, copper-gold subtype model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: High cost

Geologic feature assessed: Late Oligocene to early Miocene potassium-rich alkalic magmatic rocks at the south end of 

Cagayan rift basin

Number of known deposits: 3

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2010 4,860 1.4 4.9 4 2.4 79

Source

Hammarstrom, Bookstrom, DeMarr, and others, 2014, Porphyry copper assessment of East and Southeast Asia—Philippines, Taiwan 

(Republic of China), Republic of Korea (South Korea), and Japan: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5090–P, 

http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090P.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

1.2

13

23

4.9

2.4

Tract 142pCu7302

Identified copper resources (1.4 Mt)

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 100. Tract 142pCu7302, Cordon Alkalic Complex—Philippines 343

Plate

100

0 5 10 15 20 KILOMETERS

0 5 10 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

Asia South Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 121°15' E.; latitude of origin 15° S.

Luzon

PHILIPPINES

Dipidio Group

Marian

San Fabian

121°00' E 121°30' E

17°00' N

16°00' N

Pantabangan

Reservoir

CHINA

MALAYSIA

TAIWAN

PHILIPPINES

115° E 125° E

20° N

10° N

SOUTH CHINA 

SEA

EAST CHINA

SEA

SULU

SEA

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract 

142pCu7302

Porphyry copper deposit

Porphyry copper prospect
344 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 101. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu7309, Philippine Arc—

Philippines

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Berger and others, 2008; John and others, 2010); porphyry copper-gold 

models (Cox, 1986b; Cooke and others, 1998)

Grade and tonnage model: Porphyry copper, copper-gold subtype model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: High cost

Geologic feature assessed: Oligocene to Pleistocene Philippine arc

Number of known deposits: 5

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2010 20,650 5.7 24 3 12 34

Source

Hammarstrom, Bookstrom, DeMarr, and others, 2014, Porphyry copper assessment of East and Southeast Asia—Philippines, Taiwan 

(Republic of China), Republic of Korea (South Korea), and Japan: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5090–P, 

http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090P.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.96

2.4

15

58

80

24

12

Tract 142pCu7309

Identified copper resources (5.7 Mt)

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 101. Tract 142pCu7309, Philippine Arc—Philippines 345

Plate

101

0 30 60 90 120 KILOMETERS

0 30 60 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

Asia South Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 124°45' E.; latitude of origin 15° S.

Mindanao

Cebu

Panay

Negros

Bohol

Leyte

Samar

Masbate 

Luzon

PHILIPPINE SEA

CELEBES SEA

SULU SEA

MORO

GULF

BOHOL

SEA

VISAYAN SEA

SIBUYAN

SEA

PHILIPPINES

Davao

Amacan

Boyongan-BayugoGroup

Kingking

Luna-Asiga

Mapula Group

122° E 126° E

14° N

10° N

SOUTH CHINA

SEA

PHILIPPINE

SEA

INDIAN

OCEAN

EAST CHINA

SEA CHINA

PHILIPPINES

TAIWAN

MALAYSIA

INDONESIA

INDONESIA

110° E 120° E 130° E

30° N

0°

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract 

 142pCu7309

Porphyry copper deposit

Porphyry copper prospect
346 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 102. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu7311, Mindoro-TablasWest Panay Area—Philippines

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Berger and others, 2008; John and others, 2010); porphyry copper-gold 

models (Cox, 1986b; Cooke and others, 1998)

Grade and tonnage model: Porphyry copper, copper-gold subtype model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: High cost

Geologic feature assessed: Neogene Mindoro-Tablas-Western Panay magmatic arc

Number of known deposits: 0

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2011 9,168 0 3.2 29 1.5 89

Source

Hammarstrom, Bookstrom, DeMarr, and others, 2014, Porphyry copper assessment of East and Southeast Asia—Philippines, Taiwan 

(Republic of China), Republic of Korea (South Korea), and Japan: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5090–P, 

http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090P.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.67

7.3

14

3.2

1.5

Identified copper resources = 0

Tract 142pCu7311

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 102. Tract 142pCu7311, Mindoro-Tablas-West Panay Area—Philippines 347

Plate

102

0 25 50 75 100 KILOMETERS

0 25 50 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

Asia South Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 121° E.; latitude of origin 15° S.

Panay

Mindoro

Palawan

PHILIPPINES

120° E 122° E

13° N

11° N

Luzon

SULU SEA

SOUTH CHINA SEA

BOHOL SEA

Tablas

CHINA

INDONESIA MALAYSIA

TAIWAN

PHILIPPINES

110°E 130°E

20°N

0°

SOUTH

CHINA

SEA

PHILIPPINE

SEA EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 142pCu7311

Porphyry copper prospect
348 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 103. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu7305, Masbate-Negros 

Arc System—Philippines

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Berger and others, 2008; John and others, 2010); porphyry copper-gold 

models (Cox, 1986b; Cooke and others, 1998)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Skewed deep—0 to 250 meters (m), 10%; >250 to 500 m, 30%; >500 m to 1 km, 60%

Economic filter cost setting: High cost

Geologic feature assessed: Eocene to Holocene Masbate-Negros island-arc system (diorites, andesite porphyry stocks, 

andesites, dacites)

Number of known deposits: 5

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2010 12,226 6.8 7.8 20 3.5 86

Source

Hammarstrom, Bookstrom, DeMarr, and others, 2014, Porphyry copper assessment of East and Southeast Asia—Philippines, Taiwan 

(Republic of China), Republic of Korea (South Korea), and Japan: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5090–P, 

http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090P.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

2.8

18

31

7.8

3.5

Tract 142pCu7305

Identified copper resources (6.8 Mt)

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 103. Tract 142pCu7305, Masbate-Negros Arc System—Philippines 349

Plate

103

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

Asia South Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 123° E.; latitude of origin 15° S.

0 15 30 MILES

0 15 30 45 60 KILOMETERS

PHILIPPINES

Basay Group

Hinoba-an Group

Aya Aya

Sipalay Group

Suguibon

Panay 

Cebu

Negros

122° E 124° E

12° N

10° N

SULU SEA

PANAY

GULF

VISAYAN SEA

SIBUYAN SEA

BOHOL SEA

Masbate

Bohol

SOUTH CHINA

SEA

PHILIPPINE

SEA

EAST CHINA

SEA

BANDA

SEA

CHINA

PHILIPPINES

TAIWAN

INDONESIA

INDONESIA

120° E 135° E

30° N

0°

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract 

 142pCu7305

Porphyry copper deposit

Porphyry copper prospect
350 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 104. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu7306, Bohol-Cebu 

Area—Philippines

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Berger and others, 2008; John and others, 2010); porphyry copper-gold 

models (Cox, 1986b; Cooke and others, 1998)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Skewed shallow—0 to 250 meters (m), 35%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 40%

Economic filter cost setting: High cost

Geologic feature assessed: Miocene Bohol arc; Cretaceous rocks on Cebu Island

Number of known deposits: 2

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2011 2,601 6.4 5.0 30 2.6 86

Source

Hammarstrom, Bookstrom, DeMarr, and others, 2014, Porphyry copper assessment of East and Southeast Asia—Philippines, Taiwan 

(Republic of China), Republic of Korea (South Korea), and Japan: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5090–P, 

http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090P.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

1.0

11

20

2.6

5.0

Tract 142pCu7306

Identified copper resources (6.4 Mt)

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 104. Tract 142pCu7306, Bohol-Cebu Area—Philippines 351

Plate

104

0 5 10 15 20 KILOMETERS

0 5 10 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

Asia South Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 124° E.; latitude of origin 15° S.

Cebu

Bohol

PHILIPPINES

Atlas Group

Balak-5

123°30' E 124°30' E

10°30' N

10°00' N

BOHOL SEA

SOUTH CHINA

SEA PHILIPPINE

SEA

CHINA

MALAYSIA

PHILIPPINES

TAIWAN

INDONESIA

INDONESIA

120° E 140° E

20° N

0°

EXPLANATION

Porphyry copper deposit

Assessed porphyry copper tract 

142pCu7306

Porphyry copper prospect
352 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 105. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu7307, Sulu-Zamboanga 

Arc—Philippines

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Berger and others, 2008; John and others, 2010); porphyry copper-gold 

models (Cox, 1986b; Cooke and others, 1998)

Grade and tonnage model: Porphyry copper, copper-gold subtype model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Skewed deep—0 to 250 meters (m), 10%; >250 to 500 m, 30%; >500 m to 1 km, 60%

Economic filter cost setting: High cost

Geologic feature assessed: Northern late Miocene to Holocene Sulu-Zamboanga arc

Number of known deposits: 0

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2010 10,179 0 2.5 30 1.1 95

Source

Hammarstrom, Bookstrom, DeMarr, and others, 2014, Porphyry copper assessment of East and Southeast Asia—Philippines, Taiwan 

(Republic of China), Republic of Korea (South Korea), and Japan: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5090–P, 

http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090P.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.41

5.0

11

2.5

1.1

Identified copper resources = 0

Tract 142pCu7307

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 105. Tract 142pCu7307, Sulu-Zamboanga Arc—Philippines 353

Plate

105

0 10 20 30 40 KILOMETERS

0 10 20 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

Asia South Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 123°15' E.; latitude of origin 15° S.

Mindanao

CELEBES SEA

SULU SEA

MORO

GULF

Lake

Lanao

BOHOL SEA

PHILIPPINES

123°00' E 124°00' E

8°30' N

7°30' N

PHILIPPINE

SEA

SOUTH 

CHINA

SEA

CHINA

MALAYSIA

PHILIPPINES

INDONESIA

INDONESIA

120° E 140° E

20° N

0°

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract 

142pCu7307

Porphyry copper prospect
354 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 106. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu7308, Central 

Mindanao Volcanic Province—Philippines

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Berger and others, 2008; John and others, 2010); porphyry copper-gold 

models (Cox, 1986b; Cooke and others, 1998)

Grade and tonnage model: Porphyry copper, copper-gold subtype model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Skewed deep—0 to 250 meters (m), 10%; >250 to 500 m, 30%; >500 m to 1 km, 60%

Economic filter cost setting: High cost

Geologic feature assessed: Pliocene Central Mindanao volcanic province

Number of known deposits: 0

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2010 29,324 0 5.9 30 2.6 88

Source

Hammarstrom, Bookstrom, DeMarr, and others, 2014, Porphyry copper assessment of East and Southeast Asia—Philippines, Taiwan 

(Republic of China), Republic of Korea (South Korea), and Japan: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5090–P, 

http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090P.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

1.4

16

27

5.9

2.6

Identified copper resources = 0

Tract 142pCu7308

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 106. Tract 142pCu7308, Central Mindanao Volcanic Province—Philippines 355

Plate

106

0 15 30 45 60 KILOMETERS

0 15 30 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

Asia South Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 124°45' E.; latitude of origin 15° S.

Mindanao 

PHILIPPINES

Davao

124° E 126° E

9° N

7° N

CELEBES SEA

BOHOL SEA

MORO

GULF

Lanao

Lake

DAVAO

GULF

MALAYSIA

PHILIPPINES

INDONESIA

INDONESIA

PHILIPPINE

SEA

SOUTH 

CHINA

SEA

120° E 140° E

20° N

0°

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 142pCu7308

Porphyry copper prospect
356 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 107. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu7312, Cotabato Arc—

Philippines

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Berger and others, 2008; John and others, 2010); porphyry copper-gold 

models (Cox, 1986b; Cooke and others, 1998)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: High cost

Geologic feature assessed: Miocene to Pleistocene Cotabato arc

Number of known deposits: 1

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2010 9,699 15 4.6 7 2.3 85

Source

Hammarstrom, Bookstrom, DeMarr, and others, 2014, Porphyry copper assessment of East and Southeast Asia—Philippines, Taiwan 

(Republic of China), Republic of Korea (South Korea), and Japan: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5090–P, 

http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090P.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

Tract 142pCu7312

Identified copper resources (15 Mt)

0.088

1.3

9.9 18

4.6

2.3

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 107. Tract 142pCu7312, Cotabato Arc—Philippines 357

Plate

107

0 15 30 45 60 KILOMETERS

0 15 30 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

Asia South Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 124°45' E.; latitude of origin 15° S.

Mindanao

CELEBES SEA

Lake

Buluan

MORO

GULF

DAVAO

GULF

PHILIPPINES

Davao

Tampakan

124° E 125° E

7° N

6° N

CELEBES

SEA

MALAYSIA

PHILIPPINES

INDONESIA

INDONESIA

PHILIPPINE

SEA

SOUTH 

CHINA

SEA

120° E 140° E

20° N

0°

EXPLANATION

Porphyry copper deposit

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 142pCu7312

Porphyry copper prospect
358 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 108. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu7019, Central 

Kalimantan—Indonesia and Malaysia

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Berger and others, 2008; John and others, 2010); porphyry copper-gold 

models (Cox, 1986b; Cooke and others, 1998)

Grade and tonnage model: Porphyry copper, copper-gold subtype model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: High cost

Geologic feature assessed: A dispersed belt of Tertiary intermediate intrusive and volcanic rocks that postdate pre-Eocene 

subduction and deformation, uplift, and erosion of pre-Miocene rocks and continental basement 

in Kalimantan

Number of known deposits: 1

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2010 144,580 0.94 40 3 19 17

Source

Hammarstrom, Bookstrom, Dicken, and others, 2013, Porphyry copper assessment of Southeast Asia and Melanesia: U.S. Geological Survey 

Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5090–D, http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2010/5090/d/.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

1.0

2.8

25

100

130

40

19

Identified copper resources (0.94 Mt)

Tract 142pCu7019

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 108. Tract 142pCu7019, Central Kalimantan—Indonesia and Malaysia 359

Plate

108

0 50 100 150 200 KILOMETERS

0 50 100 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

Asia South Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 115° E.; latitude of origin 15° S.

INDONESIA

MALAYSIA

BRUNEI

Kuching

Kota Kinabalu

BANDAR SERI

BEGAWAN

Pontianak

Samarinda

Balikpapan

Palangkaraya

Mamut

110° E 115° E

5° N

0°

CELEBES SEA

SOUTH CHINA SEA

SULU

SEA

MALAYSIA

MALAYSIA

VIETNAM

INDONESIA BANDA

SEA

CELEBES

SEA

SOUTH CHINA

SEA

INDIAN OCEAN

100° E 120° E

10° N

10° S

0° 

EXPLANATION

Porphyry copper deposit

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 142pCu7019

Porphyry copper prospect
360 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 109. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu7020, Sumatra 

Island—Indonesia

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; Berger and others, 2008; John and others, 2010)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: High cost

Geologic feature assessed: An Eocene to Pliocene continental magmatic arc that straddles the northwest-trending Sumatran 

fault zone in western Sumatra. The known porphyry copper deposit and the prospects in this 

tract are Miocene to Pliocene in age

Number of known deposits: 1

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2010 131,027 0.90 23 7 11 46

Source

Hammarstrom, Bookstrom, Dicken, and others, 2013, Porphyry copper assessment of Southeast Asia and Melanesia: U.S. Geological Survey 

Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5090–D, http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2010/5090/d/.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.49

13

56

90

23

11

Tract 142pCu7020

Identified copper resources (0.90 Mt)

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 109. Tract 142pCu7020, Sumatra Island—Indonesia 361

Plate

109

0 75 150 225 300 KILOMETERS

0 75 150 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

Asia South Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 100°30' E.; latitude of origin 15° S.

INDONESIA

MALAYSIA

SINGAPORE

Medan

KUALA LUMPUR

Palembang

JAKARTA

Tangse

95° E 105° E

5° N

5° S

0°

INDIAN OCEAN

JAVA SEA

SOUTH CHINA SEA ANDAMAN SEA

Pegunungan Barisan

Sumatra

MALAYSIA

SOUTH

CHINA

SEA

JAVA SEA

INDIAN

OCEAN

INDONESIA

90° E 120° E

10° N

10° S

0°

INDIA

EXPLANATION

Porphyry copper deposit

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 142pCu7020

Porphyry copper prospect
362 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 110. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu7025a, Sunda Banda 

Arc (West)—Indonesia

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Berger and others, 2008; John and others, 2010); porphyry copper-gold 

models (Cox, 1986b; Cooke and others, 1998)

Grade and tonnage model: Porphyry copper, copper-gold subtype model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: High cost

Geologic feature assessed: The western part of the Eocene to Holocene Sunda-Banda magmatic arc; Java Island

Number of known deposits: 0 (1) (As shown on the map, one deposit was found after the assessment was done; the assessment 

results below reflect information available in 2010 for 0 deposits.)

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2010 61,201 0 10 6 4.8 62

Source

Hammarstrom, Bookstrom, Dicken, and others, 2013, Porphyry copper assessment of Southeast Asia and Melanesia: U.S. Geological Survey 

Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5090–D, http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2010/5090/d/.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.17

4.2

28

44

10

4.8

Identified copper resources = 0

Tract 142pCu7025a

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 110. Tract 142pCu7025a, Sunda Banda Arc (West)—Indonesia 363

Plate

110

0 50 100 150 200 KILOMETERS

0 50 100 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

Asia South Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 110° E.; latitude of origin 15° S.

INDONESIA

INDONESIA

Bandung Semarang

JAKARTA

Surabaja

108° E 114° E

6° S

10° S

JAVA SEA

INDIAN OCEAN

Tujuh-Bukit

Java

MALAYSIA

INDONESIA

INDONESIA

100° E 120° E

0°

10° S

INDIAN

OCEAN

BANDA 

SEA

JAVA SEA

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 142pCu7025a

Porphyry copper deposit discovered

 after the assessment 

Porphyry copper prospect
364 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 111. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu7025b, Sunda Banda 

Arc (Central)—Indonesia

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Berger and others, 2008; John and others, 2010); porphyry copper-gold 

models (Cox, 1986b; Cooke and others, 1998)

Grade and tonnage model: Porphyry copper, copper-gold subtype model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Skewed deep—0 to 250 meters (m), 10%; >250 to 500 m, 30%; >500 m to 1 km, 60%

Economic filter cost setting: High cost

Geologic feature assessed: The central part of the Eocene to Holocene Sunda-Banda magmatic arc; Bali Island to western 

Flores Island

Number of known deposits: 1

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2010 22,553 7.2 15 7 6.5 64

Source

Hammarstrom, Bookstrom, Dicken, and others, 2013, Porphyry copper assessment of Southeast Asia and Melanesia: U.S. Geological Survey 

Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5090–D, http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2010/5090/d/.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.41

8.0

41

15

6.5

59

Tract 142pCu7025b

Identified copper resources (7.2 Mt)

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 111. Tract 142pCu7025b, Sunda Banda Arc (Central)—Indonesia 365

Plate

111

0 50 100 150 200 KILOMETERS

0 50 100 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

Asia South Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 118°30' E.; latitude of origin 15° S.

Sumbawa

Sumba

Flores

Bali

Lombok

SAVU SEA

BALI SEA

INDIAN OCEAN

JAVA SEA

FLORES SEA

INDONESIA

INDONESIA

Mataram

Batu Hijau

115° E 120° E

6° S

10° S

INDIAN OCEAN

BANDA 

SEA

TIMOR

SEA

CELEBES

 SEA

AUSTRALIA

INDONESIA

INDONESIA

INDONESIA

MALAYSIA

105° E 135° E

0°

10° S

EXPLANATION

Porphyry copper deposit

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 142pCu7025b

Porphyry copper prospect
366 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 112. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu7025c, Sunda Banda 

Arc (East)—Indonesia

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Berger and others, 2008; John and others, 2010); porphyry copper-gold 

models (Cox, 1986b; Cooke and others, 1998)

Grade and tonnage model: Porphyry copper, copper-gold subtype model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Skewed deep—0 to 250 meters (m), 10%; >250 to 500 m, 30%; >500 m to 1 km, 60%

Economic filter cost setting: High cost

Geologic feature assessed: The eastern part of the Eocene to Holocene Sunda-Banda magmatic arc; eastern Flores Island to 

Wetar Island

Number of known deposits: 0

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2010 5,665 0 2.1 59 0.91 97

Source

Hammarstrom, Bookstrom, Dicken, and others, 2013, Porphyry copper assessment of Southeast Asia and Melanesia: U.S. Geological Survey 

Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5090–D, http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2010/5090/d/.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

4.7

9.8

2.1

0.91

Identified copper resources = 0

Tract 142pCu7025c

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 112. Tract 142pCu7025c, Sunda Banda Arc (East)—Indonesia 367

Plate

112

0 25 50 75 100 KILOMETERS

0 25 50 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

Asia South Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 125° E.; latitude of origin 15° S.

Wetar

INDONESIA

TIMOR-LESTE

TIMOR-LESTE

INDONESIA

INDONESIA

INDONESIA

DILI

Timor

Alor

Flores

124° E 126° E

7° S

9° S

TIMOR SEA

BANDA SEA

SAVU SEA

AUSTRALIA INDIAN

OCEAN

INDONESIA

INDONESIA

INDONESIA

TIMOR-LESTE

120° E 140° E

0°

10° S TIMOR

SEA

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract 

142pCu7025c
368 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 113. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu7026, West 

Sulawesi—Indonesia

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Berger and others, 2008; John and others, 2010); porphyry copper-gold 

models (Cox, 1986b; Cooke and others, 1998)

Grade and tonnage model: Porphyry copper, copper-gold subtype model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: High cost

Geologic feature assessed: The tract includes Miocene to Pliocene igneous rocks in the southern portion of the 1,200-km-long 

Sulawesi-Sangihe magmatic arc, located in southwestern Sulawesi

Number of known deposits: 0

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2010 60,272 0 3.4 30 1.6 90

Source

Hammarstrom, Bookstrom, Dicken, and others, 2013, Porphyry copper assessment of Southeast Asia and Melanesia: U.S. Geological Survey 

Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5090–D, http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2010/5090/d/.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.65

7.9

15

3.4

1.6

Identified copper resources = 0

Tract 142pCu7026

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 113. Tract 142pCu7026, West Sulawesi—Indonesia 369

Plate

113

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Asia South Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 120°30' E.; latitude of origin 15° S.

0 40 80

0 40 80

MILES

120 160 KILOMETERS

INDONESIA

Kendari

Makassar

Samarinda

118° E 122° E

0°

5° S

Sulawesi

CELEBES SEA

FLORES SEA

MOLUCCA

SEA

AUSTRALIA

INDONESIA

PHILIPPINES

INDONESIA

INDONESIA

TIMOR

SEA

CELEBES

SEA

PHILIPPINE

SEA

110° E 130° E

10° N

10° S

0°

INDIAN

OCEAN

SOUTH CHINA

SEA

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract 

 142pCu7026

Porphyry copper prospect
370 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 114. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu7027, North SulawesiSangihe—Indonesia

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Berger and others, 2008; John and others, 2010); porphyry copper-gold 

models (Cox, 1986b; Cooke and others, 1998)

Grade and tonnage model: Porphyry copper, copper-gold subtype model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: High cost

Geologic feature assessed: This tract includes the Miocene to Pliocene volcanic and intrusive rock portion of the North 

Sulawesi-Sangihe magmatic arc

Number of known deposits: 2

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2010 20,325 2.0 8.9 6 4.3 68

Source

Hammarstrom, Bookstrom, Dicken, and others, 2013, Porphyry copper assessment of Southeast Asia and Melanesia: U.S. Geological Survey 

Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5090–D, http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2010/5090/d/.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.22

3.8

23

38

8.9

4.3

Tract 142pCu7027

Identified copper resources (2.0 Mt)

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 114. Tract 142pCu7027, North Sulawesi-Sangihe—Indonesia 371

Plate

114

0 25 50 75 100 KILOMETERS

0 25 50 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

Asia South Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 123°30' E.; latitude of origin 15° S.

INDONESIA

Manado

Tapadaa

Tombulilato Group

Sulawesi

122° E 124° E

3° N

1° N

CELEBES SEA

MOLUCCA SEA

PHILIPPINE

SEA

SOUTH

CHINA

SEA

INDONESIA

INDONESIA

INDONESIA

MALAYSIA

PHILIPPINES

120° E 140° E

10° N

0°

10° S

EXPLANATION

Porphyry copper deposit

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 142pCu7027

Porphyry copper prospect
372 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 115. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu7202, Halmahera Arc, 

North Molucca Islands—Indonesia

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Berger and others, 2008; John and others, 2010); porphyry copper-gold 

models (Cox, 1986b; Cooke and others, 1998)

Grade and tonnage model: Porphyry copper, copper-gold subtype model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Skewed deep—0 to 250 meters (m), 10%; >250 to 500 m, 30%; >500 m to 1 km, 60%

Economic filter cost setting: High cost

Geologic feature assessed: Neogene Halmahera island arc

Number of known deposits: 1

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2010 12,245 0.25 4.8 31 2.1 90

Source

Hammarstrom, Bookstrom, Dicken, and others, 2013, Porphyry copper assessment of Southeast Asia and Melanesia: U.S. Geological Survey 

Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5090–D, http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2010/5090/d/.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.87

12

24

4.8

2.1

Tract 142pCu7202

Identified copper resources (0.25 Mt)

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 115. Tract 142pCu7202, Halmahera Arc, North Molucca Islands—Indonesia 373

Plate

115

0 15 30 45 60 KILOMETERS

0 15 30 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

Asia South Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 127°45' E.; latitude of origin 15° S.

INDONESIA

Kaputusan

127° E 129° E

2° N

0°

MOLUCCA SEA

PHILIPPINE

SEA

HALMAHERA SEA

CERAM SEA

Halmahera

Bacan

Kepulauan Obi

AUSTRALIA

INDONESIA

PHILIPPINES

120° E 140° E

10° N

10° S

0°

PHILIPPINE SEA

INDIAN

OCEAN

CELEBES

SEA

BANDA

SEA

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract 

 142pCu7202

Porphyry copper deposit

Porphyry copper prospect
374 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 116. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu7201, Ambon Arc, 

Central Molucca Islands—Indonesia

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Berger and others, 2008; John and others, 2010); porphyry copper-gold 

models (Cox, 1986b; Cooke and others, 1998)

Grade and tonnage model: Porphyry copper, copper-gold subtype model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Skewed deep—0 to 250 meters (m), 10%; >250 to 500 m, 30%; >500 m to 1 km, 60%

Economic filter cost setting: High cost

Geologic feature assessed: Pliocene to Quaternary Ambon island arc (northern Outer Banda arc), eastern Indonesia

Number of known deposits: 0

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2010 1,537 0 3.1 30 1.3 93

Source

Hammarstrom, Bookstrom, Dicken, and others, 2013, Porphyry copper assessment of Southeast Asia and Melanesia: U.S. Geological Survey 

Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5090–D, http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2010/5090/d/.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.66

6.7

13

3.1

1.3

Identified copper resources = 0

Tract 142pCu7201

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.
Plate 116. Tract 142pCu7201, Ambon Arc, Central Molucca Islands—Indonesia 375

Plate

116

0 10 20 30 40 KILOMETERS

0 10 20 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

Asia South Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 128° E.; latitude of origin 15° S.

Buru

Ambon

Ceram

INDONESIA

Ambon

127°30' E 128°30' E

3°00’ S

4°00’ S

BANDA SEA

CERAM SEA

INDONESIA

INDONESIA

120° E 130° E

0°

5° S BANDA SEA

ARAFURA

SEA

PACIFIC OCEAN

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract 

142pCu7201

Porphyry copper prospect
376 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 117. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu7208, Inner 

Melanesian Arc Terranes I—Indonesia

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Berger and others, 2008; John and others, 2010)

Grade and tonnage model: NA

Economic filter depth percentages: NA

Economic filter cost setting: NA

Geologic feature assessed: Late Cretaceous to early Miocene accreted Inner Melanesian magmatic arc terranes of western 

New Guinea Island (Indonesia)

Number of known deposits: 0

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons; NA, not applicable, as a quantitative assessment was not done]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2010 7,717 0 NA NA NA NA

Source

Hammarstrom, Bookstrom, Dicken, and others, 2013, Porphyry copper assessment of Southeast Asia and Melanesia: U.S. Geological Survey 

Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5090–D, http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2010/5090/d/.

Qualitative Assessment

Tract 142pCu7208 (Inner Melanesian Arc Terranes I—Indonesia) was delineated to recognize that Late Cretaceous to 

Miocene igneous rocks that are permissive for the occurrence of porphyry copper deposits are present in the accreted terranes 

along the western part of northern New Guinea Island and on offshore islands. The presence of coeval volcanic and plutonic 

rocks suggests that, at least in some areas, the erosion levels may be appropriate for preservation of deposits. However, the 

team had too little information available to make resource estimates. More information about the exploration history, ages, and 

lithologies of permissive igneous rocks would be helpful to assess the porphyry potential of the tract area. See tract 009pCu7208 

(Inner Melanesian Arc Terranes II—Papua New Guinea and Indonesia) for the eastward continuation of this tract into Papua 

New Guinea (pl. 123). Because Indonesia and Papua New Guinea are in two different United Nations world regions, the codes 

142 and 009 are used in the identifiers of these two tracts.
Plate 117. Tract 142pCu7208, Inner Melanesian Arc Terranes I—Indonesia 377

Plate

117

0 50 100 150 200 KILOMETERS

0 50 100 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Asia South Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 135°30' E.; latitude of origin 15° S.

INDONESIA

Jayapura

132° E 138° E

2° N

2° S

PACIFIC OCEAN

BANDA SEA

Pegunungan Maoke

CERAM SEA

TELUK 

CENDERAWASIH

PHILIPPINE SEA

INDONESIA PAPUA NEW 

GUINEA

PHILIPPINES

120° E 140° E

10° N

0°

10° S

PACIFIC

OCEAN

AUSTRALIA

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 142pCu7208
378 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 118. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu7205, Moon-UtawaUlar Merah Areas—Indonesia

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Berger and others, 2008; John and others, 2010); porphyry copper-gold 

models (Cox, 1986b; Cooke and others, 1998)

Grade and tonnage model: Porphyry copper, copper-gold subtype model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: High cost

Geologic feature assessed: Miocene Moon-Utawa arc and coeval rocks in the Ular Merah area of Papua and West Papua 

Provinces, Indonesia

Number of known deposits: 0

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2010 13,577 0 3.2 30 1.5 90

Source

Hammarstrom, Bookstrom, Dicken, and others, 2013, Porphyry copper assessment of Southeast Asia and Melanesia: U.S. Geological Survey 

Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5090–D, http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2010/5090/d/.

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.66

7.2

15

3.2

1.5

Identified copper resources = 0

Tract 142pCu7205
Plate 118. Tract 142pCu7205, Moon-Utawa-Ular Merah Areas—Indonesia 379

Plate

118

0 30 60 90 120 KILOMETERS

0 30 60 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

Asia South Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 134° E.; latitude of origin 15° S.

INDONESIA

132° E 136° E

0°

4° S

BANDA SEA

PACIFIC OCEAN

TELUK

CENDERAWASIH

CERAM SEA

PHILIPPINE SEA

INDONESIA

AUSTRALIA

PAPUA NEW 

GUINEA

PHILIPPINES

Pegunungan Maoke

120° E 140° E

10° N

0°

10° S

BANDA 

SEA

PACIFIC 

OCEAN

CORAL 

SEA

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 142pCu7205

Porphyry copper prospect
380 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 119. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu7203, Western Medial 

New Guinea Magmatic Belt—Indonesia

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Berger and others, 2008; John and others, 2010); porphyry copper-gold 

models (Cox, 1986b; Cooke and others, 1998)

Grade and tonnage model: Porphyry copper, copper-gold subtype model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: High cost

Geologic feature assessed: Eastern part of the late Miocene to Pliocene–Pleistocene Medial New Guinea magmatic belt

Number of known deposits: 1

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2010 13,268 24 14 6 6.7 54

Source

Hammarstrom, Bookstrom, Dicken, and others, 2013, Porphyry copper assessment of Southeast Asia and Melanesia: U.S. Geological Survey 

Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5090–D, http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2010/5090/d/.

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.31

6.5

36

54

14

6.7

Tract 142pCu7203

Identified copper resources (24 Mt)
Plate 119. Tract 142pCu7203, Western Medial New Guinea Magmatic Belt—Indonesia 381

Plate

119

0 25 50 75 100 KILOMETERS

0 25 50 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

Asia South Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 135° E.; latitude of origin 15° S.

INDONESIA

Grasberg Group

Pegunungan Maoke

134° E 136° E 138° E

2° S

4° S

CERAM

SEA

TELUK CENDERAWASIH

INDONESIA

AUSTRALIA

PAPUA NEW

GUINEA

PHILIPPINES

120° E 140° E

10° N

0°

10° S

PACIFIC

OCEAN

ARAFURA

SEA

BANDA

SEA

EXPLANATION

Porphyry copper deposit

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 142pCu7203

Porphyry copper prospect
382 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 120. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu7204, RotanburgTaratatua Area—Indonesia and Papua New Guinea

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; John and others, 2010)

Grade and tonnage model: NA

Economic filter depth percentages: NA

Economic filter cost setting: NA

Geologic feature assessed: Late Miocene to Pliocene–Pleistocene intrusive rocks

Number of known deposits: 0

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons; NA, not applicable, as a quantitative assessment was not done]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2010 9,371 0 NA NA NA NA

Source

Hammarstrom, Bookstrom, Dicken, and others, 2013, Porphyry copper assessment of Southeast Asia and Melanesia: U.S. Geological Survey 

Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5090–D, http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2010/5090/d/.

Qualitative Assessment

Some geologic maps indicate that the igneous rocks in tract 142pCu7204 (Rotanburg-Taratatua Area—Indonesia and 

Papua New Guinea) may be related to those in the Grasberg-Ertsberg area to the west in tract 142pCu7203 (pl. 119) that 

hosts the world-class Grasberg Group porphyry copper system. The tract area may be too deeply eroded to preserve porphyry 

copper deposits. On the basis of a lack of additional information and anecdotal reports of lack of mineralization, this tract was 

considered permissive, but no quantitative assessment was done. Further work in the tract area may change the outlook for 

undiscovered deposits in the tract area.
Plate 120. Tract 142pCu7204, Rotanburg-Taratatua Area—Indonesia and Papua New Guinea 383

Plate

120

0 15 30 45 60 KILOMETERS

0 15 30 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

Asia South Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 139°30' E.; latitude of origin 15° S.

INDONESIA

PAPUA

NEW

GUINEA

Jayapura

138° E 140° E

3° S

4° S

PACIFIC

OCEAN

Pegunungan Maoke

AUSTRALIA

INDONESIA PAPUA NEW

GUINEA

PHILIPPINES

135° E 150° E

0°

10° S

CORAL 

SEA

PACIFIC

OCEAN

BANDA

SEA

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 142pCu7204
384 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 121. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 009pCu7203a, Eastern Medial 

New Guinea Magmatic Belt (West)—Papua New Guinea and Indonesia

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Berger and others, 2008; John and others, 2010); porphyry copper-gold 

models (Cox, 1986b; Cooke and others, 1998)

Grade and tonnage model: Porphyry copper, copper-gold subtype model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: High cost

Geologic feature assessed: Late Miocene to Pliocene–Pleistocene Medial New Guinea magmatic belt

Number of known deposits: 3

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2010 14,229 6.1 5.1 29 2.5 85

Source

Hammarstrom, Bookstrom, Dicken, and others, 2013, Porphyry copper assessment of Southeast Asia and Melanesia: U.S. Geological Survey 

Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5090–D, http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2010/5090/d/.

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

1.2

12

24

5.1

2.5

Tract 009pCu7203a

Identified copper resources (6.1 Mt)
Plate 121. Tract 009pCu7203a, Eastern Medial New Guinea Magmatic Belt (West)—Papua New Guinea and Indonesia 385

Plate

121

0 25 50 75 100 KILOMETERS

0 25 50 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

Asia South Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 141°45' E.; latitude of origin 15° S.

INDONESIA

PAPUA NEW

GUINEA

Ok Tedi

Star Mount Futik Group

Star Mount Nong River

141° E 143° E

5° S

6° S

Central Range

Pegunungan Maoke

INDONESIA

PAPUA NEW 

GUINEA

140° E 150° E

0°

10° S

BISMARCK

SEA

ARAFURA SEA

PACIFIC OCEAN

EXPLANATION

Porphyry copper deposit

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 009pCu7203a

Porphyry copper prospect
386 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 122. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 009pCu7203b, Eastern Medial 

New Guinea Magmatic Belt (East)—Papua New Guinea

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Berger and others, 2008; John and others, 2010); porphyry copper-gold 

models (Cox, 1986b; Cooke and others, 1998)

Grade and tonnage model: Porphyry copper, copper-gold subtype model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Skewed deep—0 to 250 meters (m), 10%; >250 to 500 m, 30%; >500 m to 1 km, 60%

Economic filter cost setting: High cost

Geologic feature assessed: Late Miocene to Pliocene–Pleistocene Medial New Guinea magmatic belt

Number of known deposits: 3

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2010 53,222 11 20 7 8.7 54

Source

Hammarstrom, Bookstrom, Dicken, and others, 2013, Porphyry copper assessment of Southeast Asia and Melanesia: U.S. Geological Survey 

Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5090–D, http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2010/5090/d/.

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.39

55

76

20

10 8.7

Tract 009pCu7203b

Identified copper resources (11 Mt)
Plate 122. Tract 009pCu7203b, Eastern Medial New Guinea Magmatic Belt (East)—Papua New Guinea 387

Plate

122

0 50 100 150 200 KILOMETERS

0 50 100 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

Asia South Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 146°30' E.; latitude of origin 15° S.

SOLOMON SEA

BISMARCK SEA

CORAL SEA

GULF OF

PAPUA

New Britain

PAPUA NEW

GUINEA

Lae

PORT MORESBY

Kodu

Wafi-Golpu Group

Yandera

Owen Stanley Range

145° E 150° E

6° S

10° S

ARAFURA

SEA

CORAL

SEA

PACIFIC OCEAN

AUSTRALIA

INDONESIA

PAPUA NEW 

GUINEA

SOLOMON 

ISLANDS

135° E 150° E

0°

10° S

EXPLANATION

Porphyry copper deposit

Assessed porphyry copper tract 

009pCu7203b

Porphyry copper prospect
388 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 123. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 009pCu7208, Inner 

Melanesian Arc Terranes II—Papua New Guinea and Indonesia

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Berger and others, 2008; John and others, 2010)

Grade and tonnage model: NA

Economic filter depth percentages: NA

Economic filter cost setting: NA

Geologic feature assessed: Late Cretaceous to early Miocene accreted Inner Melanesian magmatic arc terranes of New Guinea 

Island

Number of known deposits: 0

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons; NA, not applicable, as a quantitative assessment was not done]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2010 29,141 0 NA NA NA NA

Source

Hammarstrom, Bookstrom, Dicken, and others, 2013, Porphyry copper assessment of Southeast Asia and Melanesia: U.S. Geological Survey 

Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5090–D, http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2010/5090/d/.

Qualitative Assessment

Tract 009pCu7208 (Inner Melanesian Arc Terranes II—Papua New Guinea and Indonesia) was delineated to recognize that 

Late Cretaceous to Miocene igneous rocks that are permissive for the occurrence of porphyry copper deposits are present in the 

accreted terranes along the eastern part of northern New Guinea Island and on offshore islands. The presence of coeval volcanic 

and plutonic rocks suggests that, at least in some areas, the erosion levels may be appropriate for preservation of deposits. 

However, the team had too little information available to make resource estimates. More information about the exploration 

history, ages, and lithologies of permissive igneous rocks would be helpful to assess the porphyry potential of the tract area. 

See tract 142pCu7208 (Inner Melanesian Arc Terranes I—Indonesia) for the western continuation of this tract into Indonesia 

(pl. 117). Because Indonesia and Papua New Guinea are in two different United Nations world regions, the codes 142 and 009 

are used in the identifiers of these two tracts.
Plate 123. Tract 009pCu7208, Inner Melanesian Arc Terranes II—Papua New Guinea and Indonesia 389

Plate

123

0 75 150 225 300 KILOMETERS

0 75 150 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

Asia South Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 147° E.; latitude of origin 15° S.

New Britain

INDONESIA

PAPUA NEW

GUINEA

AUSTRALIA

Jayapura

Lae

PORT MORESBY

Central Range

Pegunungan Maoke

BISMARCK SEA

SOLOMON SEA

CORAL SEA

GULF OF

PAPUA

144° E 150° E

2° S

10° S

CORAL SEA

ARAFURA

SEA

PACIFIC OCEAN

AUSTRALIA

INDONESIA

PAPUA NEW 

GUINEA

SOLOMON 

ISLANDS

140° E 160° E

0°

10° S

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 009pCu7208
390 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 124. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 009pCu7205, Maramuni Arc—

Papua New Guinea

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Berger and others, 2008; John and others, 2010); porphyry copper-gold 

models (Cox, 1986b; Cooke and others, 1998)

Grade and tonnage model: Porphyry copper, copper-gold subtype model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Skewed shallow—0 to 250 meters (m), 35%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 40%

Economic filter cost setting: High cost

Geologic feature assessed: Miocene Maramuni magmatic arc

Number of known deposits: 1

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2010 38,975 8.6 9.9 20 5.1 64

Source

Hammarstrom, Bookstrom, Dicken, and others, 2013, Porphyry copper assessment of Southeast Asia and Melanesia: U.S. Geological Survey 

Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5090–D, http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2010/5090/d/.

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

3.3

27

44

9.9

5.1

Tract 009pCu7205

Identified copper resources (8.6 Mt)
Plate 124. Tract 009pCu7205, Maramuni Arc—Papua New Guinea 391

Plate

124

0 50 100 150 200 KILOMETERS

0 50 100 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

Asia South Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 144° E.; latitude of origin 15° S.

GULF OF PAPUA

BISMARCK SEA

Central Range

PAPUA NEW

GUINEA

INDONESIA

Lae

Frieda River Group

142° E 146° E

4° S

8° S

CORAL SEA

ARAFURA

SEA

SOLOMON

SEA

PACIFIC

INDONESIA OCEAN

PAPUA 

NEW 

GUINEA

AUSTRALIA

140° E 150° E

0°

10° S

EXPLANATION

Porphyry copper deposit

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 009pCu7205

Porphyry copper prospect
392 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 125. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 009pCu7206, Miocene Alkalic 

Rocks, Southeastern New Guinea Island—Papua New Guinea

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Berger and others, 2008; John and others, 2010); porphyry copper-gold 

models (Cox, 1986b; Cooke and others, 1998)

Grade and tonnage model: Porphyry copper, copper-gold subtype model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: High cost

Geologic feature assessed: Miocene alkalic island-arc intrusive rocks

Number of known deposits: 0

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2010 1,638 0 1.2 71 0.58 99

Source

Hammarstrom, Bookstrom, Dicken, and others, 2013, Porphyry copper assessment of Southeast Asia and Melanesia: U.S. Geological Survey 

Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5090–D, http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2010/5090/d/.

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

2.0

4.7

1.2

0.58

Identified copper resources = 0

Tract 009pCu7206
Plate 125. Tract 009pCu7206, Miocene Alkalic Rocks, Southeastern New Guinea Island—Papua New Guinea 393

Plate

125

0 5 10 15 20 KILOMETERS

0 5 10 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

Asia South Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 150° E.; latitude of origin 15° S.

149°30' E 150°30' E

10°00’ S

10°30' S

PAPUA NEW

GUINEA

Owen Stanley Range

CORAL SEA

SOLOMON SEA

145° E 155° E

5° S

15° S

CORAL SEA

SOLOMON

SEA

PAPUA

NEW 

GUINEA

SOLOMON 

ISLANDS

AUSTRALIA

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract 

009pCu7206

Porphyry copper prospect
394 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 126. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 009pCu7209, Inner 

Melanesian Arc (New Britain)—Papua New Guinea

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Berger and others, 2008; John and others, 2010); porphyry copper-gold 

models (Cox, 1986b; Cooke and others, 1998)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Skewed deep—0 to 250 meters (m), 10%; >250 to 500 m, 30%; >500 m to 1 km, 60%

Economic filter cost setting: High cost

Geologic feature assessed: Late Cretaceous to early Miocene Inner Melanesian magmatic arc on New Britain

Number of known deposits: 1

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2010 17,987 0.72 8.5 7 3.8 82

Source

Hammarstrom, Bookstrom, Dicken, and others, 2013, Porphyry copper assessment of Southeast Asia and Melanesia: U.S. Geological Survey 

Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5090–D, http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2010/5090/d/.

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.18

3.2

18

32

8.5

3.8

Tract 009pCu7209

Identified copper resources (0.72 Mt)
Plate 126. Tract 009pCu7209, Inner Melanesian Arc (New Britain)—Papua New Guinea 395

Plate

126

0 25 50 75 100 KILOMETERS

0 25 50 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

Asia South Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 150°30' E.; latitude of origin 15° S.

New Britain

PAPUA NEW

GUINEA

Simuku

New Britain

150° E 152° E

4° S

6° S

BISMARCK SEA

SOLOMON SEA

PACIFIC OCEAN

CORAL SEA

ARAFURA

SEA

INDONESIA

AUSTRALIA

PAPUA NEW 

GUINEA SOLOMON 

ISLANDS

140° E 160° E

0°

10° S

EXPLANATION

Porphyry copper deposit

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 009pCu7209

Porphyry copper prospect
396 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 127. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 009pCu7207, Outer 

Melanesian Arc I—Papua New Guinea

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Berger and others, 2008; John and others, 2010); porphyry copper-gold 

models (Cox, 1986b; Cooke and others, 1998)

Grade and tonnage model: Porphyry copper, copper-gold subtype model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Skewed deep—0 to 250 meters (m), 10%; >250 to 500 m, 30%; >500 m to 1 km, 60%

Economic filter cost setting: High cost

Geologic feature assessed: Eocene to Holocene Outer Melanesian magmatic arc, Papua New Guinea

Number of known deposits: 2

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2010 16,834 7.2 17 4 7.4 59

Source

Hammarstrom, Bookstrom, Dicken, and others, 2013, Porphyry copper assessment of Southeast Asia and Melanesia: U.S. Geological Survey 

Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5090–D, http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2010/5090/d/.

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.26

1.2

9.8

42

61

17

7.4

Tract 009pCu7207

Identified copper resources (7.2 Mt)
Plate 127. Tract 009pCu7207, Outer Melanesian Arc I—Papua New Guinea 397

Plate

127

0 50 100 150 200 KILOMETERS

0 50 100 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

Asia South Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 152° E.; latitude of origin 15° S.

PAPUA

NEW GUINEA

Lae

Arie

Panguna

New Britain

New Ireland

Bougainville

150° E 156° E

2° S

6° S

BISMARCK SEA

SOLOMON SEA

PACIFIC OCEAN

CORAL SEA

ARAFURA

SEA

PACIFIC OCEAN

INDONESIA

AUSTRALIA

PAPUA NEW 

GUINEA

SOLOMON

 ISLANDS

140° E 160° E

0°

10° S

EXPLANATION

Porphyry copper deposit

Assessed porphyry copper tract 

009pCu7207

Porphyry copper prospect
398 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 128. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 009pCu7210, Outer 

Melanesian Arc—Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and Fiji

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Berger and others, 2008; John and others, 2010); porphyry copper-gold 

models (Cox, 1986b; Cooke and others, 1998)

Grade and tonnage model: Porphyry copper, copper-gold subtype model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Skewed deep—0 to 250 meters (m), 10%; >250 to 500 m, 30%; >500 m to 1 km, 60%

Economic filter cost setting: High cost

Geologic feature assessed: Eocene–Oligocene to late Miocene–Pliocene–Pleistocene Outer Melanesian magmatic arc and 

Melanesian borderlands in the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and Fiji

Number of known deposits: 3

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2011 38,180 6.9 16 7 7.0 61

Source

Hammarstrom, Bookstrom, Dicken, and others, 2013, Porphyry copper assessment of Southeast Asia and Melanesia: U.S. Geological Survey 

Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5090–D, http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2010/5090/d/.

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.48

9.1

40

60

16

7.0

Tract 009pCu7210

Identified copper resources (6.9 Mt)
Plate 128. Tract 009pCu7210, Outer Melanesian Arc—Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and Fiji 399

Plate

128

0 150 300 450 600 KILOMETERS

0 150 300 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

Asia South Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 166° E.; latitude of origin 15° S.

CORAL SEA

PACIFIC OCEAN

PAPUA NEW

GUINEA

NEW

CALEDONIA

SOLOMON

ISLANDS

VANUATU

FIJI

SUVA

NOUMÉA

Koloula

Namosi Group

Waivaka

160° E 170° E 180°

10° S

20° S

CORAL

SEA

PACIFIC

OCEAN

AUSTRALIA

PAPUA NEW

GUINEA

VANUATU

SOLOMON

ISLANDS

140° E 180°

10° S

30° S

EXPLANATION

Porphyry copper deposit

Assessed porphyry copper tract 

009pCu7210

Porphyry copper prospect
400 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 129. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 009pCu8004d, East Tasmanide 

(North)—Australia

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; John and others, 2010); porphyry copper-gold models 

(Cox, 1986b; Panteleyev, 1995b, 2005b; Cooke and others, 1998; Jaireth and Miezitis, 2004); 

porphyry copper-molybdenum model (Cox, 1986c); porphyry Cu±Mo±Au models (Panteleyev, 

1995a, 2005a)

Grade and tonnage model: NA

Economic filter depth percentages: NA

Economic filter cost setting: NA

Geologic feature assessed: Continental magmatic arcs of Silurian to Early Cretaceous age, mostly in the New England orogen 

and North Queensland orogen, Australia

Number of known deposits: 0

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons; NA, not applicable, as a quantitative assessment was not done]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2010 34,759 0 NA NA NA NA

Source

Bookstrom and others, 2014, Porphyry copper assessment of eastern Australia: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 

2010–5090–L, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090L.

Qualitative Assessment

For purposes of assessment of undiscovered porphyry copper resources, successive magmatic belts were combined 

into one permissive tract, 009pCu8004 (East Tasmanide—Australia), because they are spatially contiguous and have similar 

assemblages of permissive rocks. Only the Central sub-tract was assessed quantitatively (pl. 130, sub-tract 009pCu8004b). 

The South sub-tract of the East Tasmanide tract is defined by igneous rocks of permissive composition at the southern end of 

the New England orogen in northeastern New South Wales (pl. 132, sub-tract 009pCu8004c). This South sub-tract contains no 

known porphyry copper deposits or significant prospects, and the distribution of permissive rocks suggests that the area of this 

sub-tract is too deeply eroded for preservation of porphyry copper deposits. The probability that the North sub-tract (this plate, 

sub-tract 009pCu8004d) contains undiscovered porphyry copper deposits was qualitatively judged to be very low. The Island 

Arc sub-tract (pl. 131, sub-tract 009pCu8004a) contains no known pre-accretionary porphyry copper deposits or significant 

prospects; the probability that it contains undiscovered pre-accretionary porphyry copper deposits was qualitatively judged to be 

very low.
Plate 129. Tract 009pCu8004d, East Tasmanide (North)—Australia 401

Plate

129

0 25 50 75 100 KILOMETERS

0 25 50 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

Asia South Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 144° E.; latitude of origin 15° S.

AUSTRALIA

Great Dividing Range

142° E 146° E

10° S

15° S

CORAL SEA

ARAFURA

SEA

CORAL SEA

ARAFURA

SEA

PACIFIC OCEAN

AUSTRALIA

INDONESIA

PAPUA

 NEW 

GUINEA

135° E 150° E

0°

30° S

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract 

 009pCu8004d
402 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 130. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 009pCu8004b, East Tasmanide 

(Central)—Australia

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; John and others, 2010); porphyry copper-gold models 

(Cox, 1986b; Panteleyev, 1995b, 2005b; Cooke and others, 1998; Jaireth and Miezitis, 2004); 

porphyry copper-molybdenum model (Cox, 1986c); porphyry Cu±Mo±Au models (Panteleyev, 

1995a, 2005a)

Grade and tonnage model: Eastern Australia custom model (Bookstrom and others, 2014)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: Typical cost

Geologic feature assessed: Continental magmatic arcs of Silurian to Early Cretaceous age, mostly in the New England orogen 

and North Queensland orogen, Australia

Number of known deposits: 14

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2010 290,646 2.3 0.28 9 0 100

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.19

0.69 0.86

0.28

Tract 009pCu8004b

Identified copper resources (2.3 Mt)

Source

Bookstrom and others, 2014, Porphyry copper assessment of eastern Australia: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 

2010–5090–L, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090L.
Plate 130. Tract 009pCu8004b, East Tasmanide (Central)—Australia 403

Plate

130

0 75 150 225 300 KILOMETERS

0 75 150 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

Asia South Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 149° E.; latitude of origin 15° S.

Great Dividing Range

CORAL SEA

AUSTRALIA Rockhampton

Brisbane

Townsville

Darling River

Ben Mohr

Chinaman Creek

Coalstoun

Dimbulah

Julivon Creek

Kiwi Carpet

Limonite Hill

Mount Abbot

Mount Cannindah

Mount Leslie

Ruddygore

Struck Oil

Whitewash

Yeppoon

140° E 150° E

20°S

25° S

GREAT

AUSTRALIAN

BIGHT

TASMAN

SEA

PACIFIC

OCEAN

AUSTRALIA

PAPUA

NEW GUINEA

NEW

ZEALAND

120° E 150° E

10° S

30° S

EXPLANATION

Porphyry copper deposit

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 009pCu8004b

Porphyry copper prospect
404 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 131. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 009pCu8004a, East Tasmanide 

(Island Arc)—Australia

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; John and others, 2010); porphyry copper-gold models 

(Cox, 1986b; Panteleyev, 1995b, 2005b; Cooke and others, 1998; Jaireth and Miezitis, 2004); 

porphyry copper-molybdenum model (Cox, 1986c); porphyry Cu±Mo±Au models (Panteleyev, 

1995a, 2005a)

Grade and tonnage model: NA

Economic filter depth percentages: NA

Economic filter cost setting: NA

Geologic feature assessed: Paleozoic igneous rocks formed offshore in island arcs and subsequently accreted to the eastern 

Australia continental margin

Number of known deposits: 0

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons; NA, not applicable, as a quantitative assessment was not done]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2010 16,741 0 NA NA NA NA

Source

Bookstrom and others, 2014, Porphyry copper assessment of eastern Australia: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 

2010–5090–L, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090L.

Qualitative Assessment

For purposes of assessment of undiscovered porphyry copper resources, successive magmatic belts were combined into one 

permissive tract, 009pCu8004 (East Tasmanide—Australia), because they are spatially contiguous and have similar assemblages 

of permissive rocks. Only the Central sub-tract was assessed quantitatively (pl. 130, sub-tract 009pCu8004b). The Island Arc 

sub-tract (this plate, sub-tract 009pCu8004a) contains no known pre-accretionary porphyry copper deposits or significant 

prospects; the probability that it contains undiscovered pre-accretionary porphyry copper deposits was qualitatively judged to be 

very low.
Plate 131. Tract 009pCu8004a, East Tasmanide (Island Arc)—Australia 405

Plate

131

0 50 100 150 200 KILOMETERS

0 50 100 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

Asia South Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 151°30' E.; latitude of origin 15° S.

Rockhampton

Brisbane

AUSTRALIA

Great Dividing Range

150° E 154° E

25° S

30° S

TASMAN SEA

CORAL SEA

TASMAN

SEA

CORAL

SEA

GREAT

AUSTRALIAN

BIGHT

PACIFIC

OCEAN

PAPUA NEW 

GUINEA

NEW 

ZEALAND

AUSTRALIA

140° E 160° E

0°

60° S

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract 

 009pCu8004a
406 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 132. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 009pCu8004c, East Tasmanide 

(South)—Australia

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; John and others, 2010); porphyry copper-gold models 

(Cox, 1986b; Panteleyev, 1995b, 2005b; Cooke and others, 1998; Jaireth and Miezitis, 2004); 

porphyry copper-molybdenum model (Cox, 1986c); porphyry Cu±Mo±Au models (Panteleyev, 

1995a, 2005a)

Grade and tonnage model: NA

Economic filter depth percentages: NA

Economic filter cost setting: NA

Geologic feature assessed: Continental magmatic arcs of Silurian to Early Cretaceous age, mostly in the New England orogen 

and North Queensland orogen, Australia

Number of known deposits: 0

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons; NA, not applicable, as a quantitative assessment was not done]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2010 76,737 0 NA NA NA NA

Source

Bookstrom and others, 2014, Porphyry copper assessment of eastern Australia: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 

2010–5090–L, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090L.

Qualitative Assessment

For purposes of assessment of undiscovered porphyry copper resources, successive magmatic belts were combined into 

one permissive tract, 009pCu8004 (East Tasmanide—Australia), because they are spatially contiguous and have similar 

assemblages of permissive rocks. Only the Central sub-tract was assessed quantitatively (pl. 130, sub-tract 009pCu8004b). 

The South sub-tract (this plate, sub-tract 009pCu8004c) of the East Tasmanide tract is defined by igneous rocks of permissive 

composition at the southern end of the New England orogen in northeastern New South Wales. This South sub-tract contains no 

known porphyry copper deposits or significant prospects, and the distribution of permissive rocks suggests that the area of this 

sub-tract is too deeply eroded for preservation of porphyry copper deposits. The probability that the South sub-tract contains 

undiscovered porphyry copper deposits was qualitatively judged to be very low.
Plate 132. Tract 009pCu8004c, East Tasmanide (South)—Australia 407

Plate

132

0 25 50 75 100 KILOMETERS

0 25 50 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

Asia South Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 152° E.; latitude of origin 15° S.

AUSTRALIA

151° E 153° E

28° S

32° S

Great Dividing Range

TASMAN

SEA

TASMAN

SEA

GREAT

AUSTRALIAN

BIGHT

CORAL SEA

AUSTRALIA

ANTARCTICA

INDONESIA

PAPUA NEW GUINEA

NEW 

ZEALAND

140° E 160° E

0°

60° S

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract 

009pCu8004c
408 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 133. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 009pCu8002, Macquarie—

Australia

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; John and others, 2010); porphyry copper-gold models 

(Cox, 1986b; Panteleyev, 1995b, 2005b; Cooke and others, 1998; Jaireth and Miezitis, 2004); 

porphyry Cu±Mo±Au models (Panteleyev, 1995a, 2005a)

Grade and tonnage model: Porphyry copper, copper-gold subtype model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Skewed deep—0 to 250 meters (m), 10%; >250 to 500 m, 30%; >500 m to 1 km, 60%

Economic filter cost setting: Typical cost

Geologic feature assessed: Macquarie arc, an accreted island-arc of Ordovician to Early Silurian age in the Lachlan orogen

Number of known deposits: 9

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2010 41,463 13 21 4 14 52

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.35

1.5

13

52

72

21

14

Tract 009pCu8002

Identified copper resources (13 Mt)

Source

Bookstrom and others, 2014, Porphyry copper assessment of eastern Australia: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 

2010–5090–L, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090L.
Plate 133. Tract 009pCu8002, Macquarie—Australia 409

Plate

133

0 25 50 75 100 KILOMETERS

0 25 50 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

Asia South Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 148°30' E.; latitude of origin 15° S.

Great Dividing Range

AUSTRALIA

Canberra

Cadia Group Cargo

Copper Hill

Marsden

Northparkes Group

Racecourse

Temora Central Group

Temora South Group

Yiddah

148° E 150° E

32° S

34° S

GREAT

AUSTRALIAN

BIGHT

TASMAN SEA

CORAL

SEA

INDONESIA

NEW 

ZEALAND

AUSTRALIA

ANTARCTICA

PAPUA 

NEW GUINEA

140° E 160° E

30° S

60° S

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract 

 009pCu8002

Porphyry copper deposit

Porphyry copper prospect
410 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 134. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 009pCu8003, Yeoval—

Australia

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; John and others, 2010); porphyry Cu±Mo±Au models 

(Panteleyev, 1995a, 2005a)

Grade and tonnage model: Eastern Australia custom model (Bookstrom and others, 2014)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: Typical cost

Geologic feature assessed: Continental magmatic arc of Late Silurian to Early Devonian age in the Lachlan orogen

Number of known deposits: 1

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2010 53,157 0.049 0.071 24 0 100

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.025

0.21

0.31

0.071

Tract 009pCu8003

Identified copper resources (0.049 Mt)

Source

Bookstrom and others, 2014, Porphyry copper assessment of eastern Australia: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 

2010–5090–L, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090L.
Plate 134. Tract 009pCu8003, Yeoval—Australia 411

Plate

134

0 25 50 75 100 KILOMETERS

0 25 50 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

Asia South Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 148°30' E.; latitude of origin 15° S.

AUSTRALIA

Canberra

Murray River

Yeoval

147° E 150° E

34° S

38° S

Great Dividing Range

TASMAN

SEA

CORAL SEA

TASMAN

SEA GREAT

AUSTRALIAN

BIGHT

AUSTRALIA

ANTARCTICA

NEW 

ZEALAND

140° E 160° E

10° S

30° S

50° S

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract 

 009pCu8003

Porphyry copper deposit

Porphyry copper prospect
412 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 135. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 009pCu8001b, Delamerian 

(Victoria)—Australia

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; John and others, 2010); porphyry copper-gold models 

(Cox, 1986b; Panteleyev, 1995b, 2005b; Cooke and others, 1998; Jaireth and Miezitis, 2004); 

porphyry Cu±Mo±Au models (Panteleyev, 1995a, 2005a)

Grade and tonnage model: NA

Economic filter depth percentages: NA

Economic filter cost setting: NA

Geologic feature assessed: Accreted island arcs and continental magmatic arcs of Cambrian age in the Delamerian orogen

Number of known deposits: 0

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons; NA, not applicable, as a quantitative assessment was not done]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2010 1,314 0 NA NA NA NA

Source

Bookstrom and others, 2014, Porphyry copper assessment of eastern Australia: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 

2010–5090–L, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090L.

Qualitative Assessment

Although volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks that occur within the Victoria sub-tract (009pCu8001b) of the Delamerian—

Australia tract are considered marginally permissive for the occurrence of porphyry copper, they contain no known porphyry 

copper deposits or prospects. Furthermore, no intrusive rocks are exposed. Therefore, this sub-tract was not quantitatively 

assessed for porphyry copper resources. In a qualitative assessment, the team concluded that the Victoria sub-tract is unlikely to 

contain significant undiscovered porphyry copper resources.
Plate 135. Tract 009pCu8001b, Delamerian (Victoria)—Australia 413

Plate

135

0 10 20 30 40 KILOMETERS

0 10 20 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

Asia South Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 145°30' E.; latitude of origin 15° S.

AUSTRALIA

Great Dividing Range

145°00’ E 146°00’ E

36°30' S

37°30' S

AUSTRALIA

NEW 

ZEALAND

VANUATU

120° E 150° E

30° S

50° S

GREAT

AUSTRALIAN

BIGHT

TASMAN

SEA

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract 

009pCu8001b
414 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 136. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 009pCu8001c, Delamerian 

(Tasmania)—Australia

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; John and others, 2010); porphyry copper-gold models 

(Cox, 1986b; Panteleyev, 1995b, 2005b; Cooke and others, 1998; Jaireth and Miezitis, 2004); 

porphyry Cu±Mo±Au models (Panteleyev, 1995a, 2005a)

Grade and tonnage model: NA

Economic filter depth percentages: NA

Economic filter cost setting: NA

Geologic feature assessed: Accreted island arcs and continental magmatic arcs of Cambrian age in the Delamerian orogen

Number of known deposits: 0

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons; NA, not applicable, as a quantitative assessment was not done]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2010 9,328 0 NA NA NA NA

Source

Bookstrom and others, 2014, Porphyry copper assessment of eastern Australia: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 

2010–5090–L, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090L.

Qualitative Assessment

The Tasmania sub-tract (009pCu8001c) of the Delamerian—Australia tract includes some igneous rock types that are 

permissive for the occurrence of porphyry copper deposits. However, no porphyry copper deposits or prospects are known. 

The tract does host other types of deposits unrelated to the porphyry copper type. The assessment team concluded that this 

permissive sub-tract has significantly less potential to contain undiscovered porphyry copper deposits than the Adelaide 

sub-tract (pl. 137, sub-tract 009pCu8001a) of the Delamerian—Australia tract.
Plate 136. Tract 009pCu8001c, Delamerian (Tasmania)—Australia 415

Plate

136

0 10 20 30 40 KILOMETERS

0 10 20 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

Asia South Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 145°45' E.; latitude of origin 15° S.

Tasmania

Lake

Gordon

Macquarie Harbour

GREAT

AUSTRALIAN

BIGHT

BASS STRAIT

Lake

Pedder 

AUSTRALIA

145° E 146° E

41° S

43° S

AUSTRALIA

ANTARCTICA

CORAL

SEA

TASMAN

SEA

140° E 160° E

30° S

60° S

GREAT

AUSTRALIAN

BIGHT

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract 

 009pCu8001c
416 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 137. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 009pCu8001a, Delamerian 

(Adelaide)—Australia

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; John and others, 2010); porphyry copper-gold models 

(Cox, 1986b; Panteleyev, 1995b, 2005b; Cooke and others, 1998; Jaireth and Miezitis, 2004); 

porphyry Cu±Mo±Au models (Panteleyev, 1995a, 2005a)

Grade and tonnage model: Eastern Australia custom model (Bookstrom and others, 2014)

Economic filter depth percentages: Skewed deep—0 to 250 meters (m), 10%; >250 to 500 m, 30%; >500 m to 1 km, 60%

Economic filter cost setting: Typical cost

Geologic feature assessed: Accreted island arcs and continental magmatic arcs of Cambrian age in the Delamerian orogen

Number of known deposits: 0

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2010 50,747 0 0.14 27 0 100

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.052

0.41

0.56

0.14

Identified copper resources = 0

Tract 009pCu8001a

Source

Bookstrom and others, 2014, Porphyry copper assessment of eastern Australia: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 

2010–5090–L, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090L.
Plate 137. Tract 009pCu8001a, Delamerian (Adelaide)—Australia 417

Plate

137

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

Asia South Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 140°30' E.; latitude of origin 15° S.

0 30 60 MILES

0 30 60 90 120 KILOMETERS

Darling River

Flinders Range

GREAT

AUSTRALIAN

BIGHT

Lake

Frome

AUSTRALIA

Adelaide

Murray River

140° E 144° E

30° S

35° S

Lake

Alexandrina

Lake

Albert

TASMAN SEA GREAT

AUSTRALIAN

BIGHT

INDIAN OCEAN

PACIFIC

OCEAN

CORAL SEA

AUSTRALIA

ANTARCTICA

INDONESIA

PAPUA NEW

GUINEA

120° E 160° E

30° S

60° S

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract 

 009pCu8001a

Porphyry copper prospect
418 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 138. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu8901, Darra Alasang—

Afghanistan

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; John and others, 2010)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Skewed shallow—0 to 250 meters (m), 35%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 40%

Economic filter cost setting: High cost

Geologic feature assessed: A Carboniferous through Triassic continental margin arc in northern Afghanistan

Number of known deposits: 0

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2006 35,088 0 4.0 31 2.1 89

Source

Ludington, Orris, and others, 2007, Preliminary mineral resource assessment of selected mineral deposit types in Afghanistan: U.S. Geological 

Survey Open-File Report 2007–1005, http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2007/1005/.

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.70

8.5

17

4.0

2.1

Identified copper resources= 0

Tract 142pCu8901
Plate 138. Tract 142pCu8901, Darra Alasang—Afghanistan 419

Plate

138

0 30 60 90 120 KILOMETERS

0 30 60 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Asia North Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 69°45' E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

AFGHANISTAN

PAKISTAN

UZBEKISTAN

TURKMENISTAN

TAJIKISTAN

KABUL

Amu Darya

Indus River

68°E 72°E

38°N

36°N

Hindū Kush 

Pamirs

CHINA

TAJIKISTAN

UZBEKISTAN

TURKMENISTAN

IRAN

INDIA

PAKISTAN

AFGHANISTAN

60° E 80° E

40° N

30° N

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 142pCu8901
420 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 139. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu8902, Kundalyan—

Afghanistan

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; John and others, 2010)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Skewed shallow—0 to 250 meters (m), 35%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 40%

Economic filter cost setting: High cost

Geologic feature assessed: An assemblage of Cretaceous intrusive rocks in central Afghanistan

Number of known deposits: 0

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2006 4,446 0 4.0 29 2.1 88

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.82

9.0

17

4.0

2.1

Identified copper resources = 0

Tract 142pCu8902

Source

Ludington, Orris, and others, 2007, Preliminary mineral resource assessment of selected mineral deposit types in Afghanistan: U.S. Geological 

Survey Open-File Report 2007–1005, http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2007/1005/.
Plate 139. Tract 142pCu8902, Kundalyan—Afghanistan 421

Plate

139

0 15 30 45 60 KILOMETERS

0 15 30 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

Asia North Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 67° E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

AFGHANISTAN

PAKISTAN

66° E 68° E

33° N

32° N

IRAN

INDIA

PAKISTAN

CHINA

AFGHANISTAN

60° E 75° E

35° N

30° N

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 142pCu8902
422 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 140. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu8903, Oruzgan—

Afghanistan

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; John and others, 2010)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: High cost

Geologic feature assessed: An assemblage of Tertiary igneous rocks in central and western Afghanistan

Number of known deposits: 0

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2006 82,464 0 10 20 4.9 75

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

3.5

26

43

10

4.9

Identified copper resources = 0

Tract 142pCu8903

Source

Ludington, Orris, and others, 2007, Preliminary mineral resource assessment of selected mineral deposit types in Afghanistan: U.S. Geological 

Survey Open-File Report 2007–1005, http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2007/1005/.
Plate 140. Tract 142pCu8903, Oruzgan—Afghanistan 423

Plate

140

0 30 60 90 120 KILOMETERS

0 30 60 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Asia North Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 64°30' E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

AFGHANISTAN

IRAN

TURKMENISTAN

PAKISTAN

Herat

Kandahar

KABUL

Hindū Kush 

64° E 68° E

36° N

32° N

IRAN

INDIA PAKISTAN

CHINA

AFGHANISTAN

TURKMENISTAN

60° E 75° E

40° N

30° N

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 142pCu8903
424 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 141. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu8904, Spin Boldak—

Afghanistan and Pakistan

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; John and others, 2010)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Skewed shallow—0 to 250 meters (m), 35%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 40%

Economic filter cost setting: High cost

Geologic feature assessed: A belt of Tertiary igneous rocks in southeastern Afghanistan

Number of known deposits: 0

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2006 7,452 0 4.4 31 2.3 87

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.80

10

19

4.4

2.3

Identified copper resources = 0

Tract 142pCu8904

Source

Ludington, Orris, and others, 2007, Preliminary mineral resource assessment of selected mineral deposit types in Afghanistan: U.S. Geological 

Survey Open-File Report 2007–1005, http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2007/1005/.
Plate 141. Tract 142pCu8904, Spin Boldak—Afghanistan and Pakistan 425

Plate

141

0 10 20 30 40 KILOMETERS

0 10 20 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

Asia North Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 66°30' E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

AFGHANISTAN

PAKISTAN

Quetta

66° E 67° E

32° N

30° N

PAKISTAN

INDIA

IRAN

AFGHANISTAN

60° E 70° E

35° N

25° N

GULF OF OMAN

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 142pCu8904
426 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 142. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu9013, Chagai—

Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; Berger and others, 2008; John and others, 2010)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: Typical cost

Geologic feature assessed: Middle Eocene to late Miocene island-arc to continental-arc rocks of the Tethyan metallogenic belt

Number of known deposits: 4

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2012 19,075 26 12 7 8.0 33

Source

Zürcher and others, 2015, Porphyry copper assessment of the Tethys region of western and southern Asia: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific 

Investigations Report 2010–5090–V, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090V.

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.26

5.6

28

46

12

8.0

Tract 142pCu9013

Identified copper resources (26 Mt)
Plate 142. Tract 142pCu9013, Chagai—Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran 427

Plate

142

0 40 80 120 160 KILOMETERS

0 40 80 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Asia South Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 63° E.; latitude of origin 15° S.

Central Makran Range

AFGHANISTAN

IRAN

IRAN

PAKISTAN

Dasht-e-Kain

Reko Diq Group

Tanjeel

Saindak

62° E 64° E

30° N

28° N

ARABIAN SEA

IRAN

PAKISTAN

AFGHANISTAN

OMAN

INDIA

60° E 70° E

36° N

29° N

22° N

EXPLANATION

Porphyry copper deposit

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 142pCu9013

Porphyry copper prospect
428 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 143. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu9017c, Pliocene–

Quaternary (Bazman)—Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; Berger and others, 2008; John and others, 2010)

Grade and tonnage model: NA

Economic filter depth percentages: NA

Economic filter cost setting: NA

Geologic feature assessed: Late Miocene to Holocene continental-arc rocks and postcollisional rocks recording magmatism of 

the Tethyan metallogenic belt

Number of known deposits: 0

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons; NA, not applicable, as a quantitative assessment was not done]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2013 21,298 0 NA NA NA NA

Source

Zürcher and others, 2015, Porphyry copper assessment of the Tethys region of western and southern Asia: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific 

Investigations Report 2010–5090–V, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090V.

Qualitative Assessment

Tract 142pCu9017 is permissive for Pliocene to Quaternary porphyry copper deposits in the Tethyan region and includes 

three sub-tracts. Sub-tracts 142pCu9017a (pl. 164, Pliocene–Quaternary (Konya)—Turkey sub-tract) and 142pCu9017b (pl. 158, 

Pliocene–Quaternary (Postcollisional)—Iran, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, and Russia) lie to the west of the Bazman 

sub-tract 142pCu9017c.

For sub-tract 142pCu9017c (this plate), the subduction-related setting is permissive for porphyry copper deposits; however, 

factors that greatly diminish the favorability include the predominance of volcanic rocks with levels of preservation that are, 

for the most part, too shallow for porphyry systems. The fledgling arc-building event represented by this sub-tract has been 

active only during the past 8 million years, and the relatively short timeframe may account for the paucity of porphyry copper 

occurrences. The presence of a low-grade porphyry copper-gold system at depth (0.14-percent copper at 128 meters in drill 

core) in an altered intrusion associated with the Koh-i-Sultan stratovolcano is shown as the prospect on the map. Despite the 

permissive geology, the geologic favorability was deemed unlikely to add significant copper resources to the overall assessment 

(less than a 10-percent chance of one undiscovered deposit). Therefore, a quantitative assessment of undiscovered porphyry 

copper deposits in the Bazman sub-tract was not warranted.
Plate 143. Tract 142pCu9017c, Pliocene–Quaternary (Bazman)—Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran 429

Plate

143

0 40 80 120 160 KILOMETERS

0 40 80 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Asia South Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 62° E.; latitude of origin 15° S.

AFGHANISTAN

IRAN

PAKISTAN

Zahedan

Central Makran Range

60° E 63° E

30° N

27° N

ARABIAN

SEA

IRAN

PAKISTAN

AFGHANISTAN

OMAN

54° E 63° E

36° N

27° N

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 142pCu9017c

Porphyry copper prospect
430 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 144. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu9012, Sistan—Iran

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; Berger and others, 2008; John and others, 2010)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: Typical cost

Geologic feature assessed: A Late Cretaceous to early Miocene island-arc volcano-plutonic belt within the Sistan suture zone 

associated with the Tethyan metallogenic belt

Number of known deposits: 0

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2013 32,820 0 9.8 20 6.6 50

Source

Zürcher and others, 2015, Porphyry copper assessment of the Tethys region of western and southern Asia: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific 

Investigations Report 2010–5090–V, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090V.

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

3.2

24

41

9.8

6.6

Identified copper resources = 0

Tract 142pCu9012
Plate 144. Tract 142pCu9012, Sistan—Iran 431

Plate

144

0 30 60 90 120 KILOMETERS

0 30 60 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Europe Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 61° E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

60° E 63° E

34° N

30° N

Zahedan

Herat

Silsilah-ye

Safed Koh

IRAN

AFGHANISTAN

PAKISTAN

ARABIAN SEA

IRAN

AFGHANISTAN

PAKISTAN

OMAN

TURKMENISTAN

58° E 65° E

36° N

27° N

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract

142pCu9012

Porphyry copper prospect
432 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 145. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu9010, Lut Tertiary—

Iran

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; Berger and others, 2008; John and others, 2010)

Grade and tonnage model: Porphyry copper, copper-gold subtype model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Skewed deep—0 to 250 meters (m), 10%; >250 to 500 m, 30%; >500 m to 1 km, 60%

Economic filter cost setting: Typical cost

Geologic feature assessed: A 700-km-long and as much as 250-km-wide subduction-related magmatic arc of middle Eocene 

to early Miocene age associated with the Tethyan metallogenic belt

Number of known deposits: 0

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2012 56,256 0 7.5 20 5.0 83

Source

Zürcher and others, 2015, Porphyry copper assessment of the Tethys region of western and southern Asia: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific 

Investigations Report 2010–5090–V, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090V.

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

2.6

20

33

7.5

5.0

Identified copper resources = 0

Tract 142pCu9010
Plate 145. Tract 142pCu9010, Lut Tertiary—Iran 433

Plate

145

0 30 60 90 120 KILOMETERS

0 30 60 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Europe Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 59° E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

AFGHANISTAN

PAKISTAN

IRAN

Zahedan

Kerman

57° E 60° E

34° N

30° N

ARABIAN SEA

CASPIAN

SEA

IRAN

OMAN

PAKISTAN

AFGHANISTAN

TURKMENISTAN

51° E 62° E

42° N

30° N

18° N

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract 

142pCu9010

Porphyry copper prospect
434 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 146. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu9000, Lut Jurassic—

Iran

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; Berger and others, 2008; John and others, 2010)

Grade and tonnage model: NA

Economic filter depth percentages: NA

Economic filter cost setting: NA

Geologic feature assessed: Middle Jurassic continental-arc rocks of the Tethyan metallogenic belt

Number of known deposits: 0

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons; NA, not applicable, as a quantitative assessment was not done]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2013 2,965 0 NA NA NA NA

Source

Zürcher and others, 2015, Porphyry copper assessment of the Tethys region of western and southern Asia: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific 

Investigations Report 2010–5090–V, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090V.

Qualitative Assessment

The Middle Jurassic continental-arc setting of tract 142pCu9000 (Lut Jurassic—Iran) is permissive for the occurrence of 

porphyry copper deposits. However, insufficient information is available to characterize the geology and copper resources of the 

only porphyry copper prospect positively identified to date in the poorly preserved, deeply exhumed, and extensively covered 

Lut Jurassic tract. The lack of Jurassic volcanic rocks, the dominance of rocks having felsic calc-alkalic to peraluminous igneous 

compositions, deep-seated tin-bearing metal associations in related hydrothermal systems, and the fact that rocks younger than 

Jurassic age cover about 67 percent of the tract area all indicate a low favorability for undiscovered porphyry copper deposits. 

The near absence of porphyry prospects of Jurassic age in the Tethyan region further adds considerable uncertainty. Despite 

the permissive geology and the presence of one positively identified porphyry copper prospect, the geologic favorability was 

deemed too low to add significant undiscovered porphyry copper resources to the overall assessment.
Plate 146. Tract 142pCu9000, Lut Jurassic—Iran 435

Plate

146

0 15 30 45 60 KILOMETERS

0 15 30 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

Asia South Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 59° E.; latitude of origin 15° S.

IRAN

58° E 60° E

34° N

32° N

IRAN

TURKMENISTAN

AFGHANISTAN

PAKISTAN

54° E 60° E

35° N

30° N

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract 

142pCu9000

Porphyry copper prospect
436 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 147. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu9006, Lut 

Cretaceous—Iran

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; Berger and others, 2008; John and others, 2010)

Grade and tonnage model: NA

Economic filter depth percentages: NA

Economic filter cost setting: NA

Geologic feature assessed: Late Cretaceous–Paleocene continental-arc rocks of the Tethyan metallogenic belt

Number of known deposits: 0

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons; NA, not applicable, as a quantitative assessment was not done]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2013 12,030 0 NA NA NA NA

Source

Zürcher and others, 2015, Porphyry copper assessment of the Tethys region of western and southern Asia: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific 

Investigations Report 2010–5090–V, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090V.

Qualitative Assessment

Tract 142pCu9006 (Lut Cretaceous—Iran) is delimited by permissive units of an erratically exposed 800-km-long 

subduction-related continental arc of Late Cretaceous–Paleocene age in eastern Iran. One copper-molybdenum-(gold) porphyry 

prospect and one tin-molybdenum-copper porphyry-related occurrence have been identified in this tract. Rocks younger than 

Cretaceous cover about 74 percent of the tract area. The low permissive unit volcanic-to-plutonic ratio of 16 implies that the 

level of preservation is generally deep, whereas the high percentage of younger cover rocks suggests that unidentified porphyry 

systems of this age range are likely to be buried. Exploration for porphyry deposits of this age range appears to have been 

limited in this region. Despite the permissive geology and the presence of prospects, the assessment team concluded that the 

favorability was too low to add significant undiscovered porphyry copper resources to the overall assessment (less than a 

10-percent chance of one undiscovered deposit).
Plate 147. Tract 142pCu9006, Lut Cretaceous—Iran 437

Plate

147

0 50 100 150 200 KILOMETERS

0 50 100 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Asia South Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 59° E.; latitude of origin 15° S.

AFGHANISTAN

IRAN

PAKISTAN

TURKMENISTAN

Herat

Kerman

Bandar-e Abbas

Zahedan

56° E 60° E

34° N

30° N

Zagros Mountains

IRAN

PAKISTAN

AFGHANISTAN

ARABIAN SEA

CASPIAN

SEA

TURKMENISTAN

OMAN

51° E 62° E

40° N

30° N

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract 

142pCu9006

Porphyry copper prospect
438 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 148. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu9011, Makran—Iran

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; Berger and others, 2008; John and others, 2010)

Grade and tonnage model: NA

Economic filter depth percentages: NA

Economic filter cost setting: NA

Geologic feature assessed: Late Cretaceous to late Eocene island-arc rocks of the Tethyan metallogenic belt

Number of known deposits: 0

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons; NA, not applicable, as a quantitative assessment was not done]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2013 24,117 0 NA NA NA NA

Source

Zürcher and others, 2015, Porphyry copper assessment of the Tethys region of western and southern Asia: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific 

Investigations Report 2010–5090–V, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090V.

Qualitative Assessment

Tract 142pCu9011 (Makran—Iran) is an arcuate area in southeastern Iran that is 420 km long and up to 110 km wide; this 

east-west-trending belt of permissive rocks represents a Late Cretaceous–early Paleocene back-arc setting exposed in the north, 

as well as a late Paleocene–late Eocene fore-arc environment in the south. The back-arc and fore-arc environments are separated 

by a fragment of cratonic crust. No porphyry prospects are identified in the tract area. The permissive units are deeply exhumed 

in this fold-and-thrust belt. Because of the exhumation and the thick intervening syn-orogenic and younger sedimentary cover 

rocks that together occupy 84 percent of the tract area, appropriate exposure levels for porphyry systems of this age range appear 

to be limited. Despite the permissive geology, the assessment team concluded that the favorability was too low to add significant 

undiscovered porphyry copper resources to the overall assessment (less than a 10-percent chance of one undiscovered deposit).
Plate 148. Tract 142pCu9011, Makran—Iran 439

Plate

148

0 25 50 75 100 KILOMETERS

0 25 50 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

Asia South Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 60° E.; latitude of origin 15° S.

IRAN

PAKISTAN

Zahedan

GULF OF OMAN

58° E 60° E

28° N

26° N

IRAN

OMAN

PAKISTAN

ARABIAN SEA

55° E 60° E 65° E

30° N

25° N

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 142pCu9011
440 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 149. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu9009, Khorasan—

Afghanistan and Iran

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; Berger and others, 2008; John and others, 2010)

Grade and tonnage model: Porphyry copper, copper-gold subtype model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Skewed deep—0 to 250 meters (m), 10%; >250 to 500 m, 30%; >500 m to 1 km, 60%

Economic filter cost setting: Typical cost

Geologic feature assessed: Late Cretaceous to middle Miocene island-arc rocks of the Tethyan metallogenic belt

Number of known deposits: 0

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2013 38,311 0 8.1 20 5.5 75

Source

Zürcher and others, 2015, Porphyry copper assessment of the Tethys region of western and southern Asia: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific 

Investigations Report 2010–5090–V, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090V.

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

2.6

22

37

8.1

5.5

Identified copper resources = 0

Tract 142pCu9009
Plate 149. Tract 142pCu9009, Khorasan—Afghanistan and Iran 441

Plate

149

0 50 100 150 200 KILOMETERS

0 50 100 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Asia South Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 57° E.; latitude of origin 15° S.

Alborz Mountains

IRAN

TURKMENISTAN

AFGHANISTAN

Sari

Semnan

Yazd

ASHGABAT

Mashhad

CASPIAN

SEA

54° E 60° E

38° N

34° N

ARABIAN SEA

CASPIAN

SEA

IRAN

PAKISTAN

KAZAKHSTAN

AFGHANISTAN

TURKMENISTAN

UZBEKISTAN

50° E 60° E

40° N

30° N

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 142pCu9009

Porphyry copper prospect
442 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 150. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu9016, Kerman—Iran

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; Berger and others, 2008; John and others, 2010)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: Typical cost

Geologic feature assessed: Late Eocene to early Pliocene continental to syn-collisional arc of the Tethyan metallogenic belt

Number of known deposits: 12

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2012 32,800 15 22 3 15 14

Source

Zürcher and others, 2015, Porphyry copper assessment of the Tethys region of western and southern Asia: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific 

Investigations Report 2010–5090–V, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090V.

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.95

2.4

13

49

78

22

15

Tract 142pCu9016

Identified copper resources (15 Mt)
Plate 150. Tract 142pCu9016, Kerman—Iran 443

Plate

150

0 50 100 150 200 KILOMETERS

0 50 100 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Asia South Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 57° E.; latitude of origin 15° S.

IRAN

Zagros Mountains

Yazd

Kerman

Bandar-e Abbas

Darreh-Zerreshk

Ali-Abad

Iju

Chah-Firuzeh

Meiduk

Sar Kuh

Now Chun

Sar Cheshmeh

Darreh Zar

Bagh Khoshk

Dar Alu

Raigan

54° E 57° E

32° N

28° N

PERSIAN GULF

ARABIAN SEA

IRAN

SAUDI

ARABIA OMAN

TURKMENISTAN

50° E 60° E

36° N

29° N

22° N

EXPLANATION

Porphyry copper deposit

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 142pCu9016

Porphyry copper prospect
444 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 151. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu9015, Yazd—Iran

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; Berger and others, 2008; John and others, 2010)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: Typical cost

Geologic feature assessed: Middle Eocene to middle Miocene back-arc and continental-arc rocks of the Tethyan metallogenic 

belt

Number of known deposits: 2

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2012 25,711 0.27 13 6 8.7 31

Source

Zürcher and others, 2015, Porphyry copper assessment of the Tethys region of western and southern Asia: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific 

Investigations Report 2010–5090–V, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090V.

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.23

5.5

32

53

13

8.7

Tract 142pCu9015

Identified copper resources (0.27 Mt)
Plate 151. Tract 142pCu9015, Yazd—Iran 445

Plate

151

0 30 60 90 120 KILOMETERS

0 30 60 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Europe Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 52° E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

Alborz Mountains

Zagros Mountains

IRAN

Sari

Semnan

TEHRAN

Esfahan

Arak

Shiraz

Shahr-e Kord

CASPIAN SEA

PERSIAN

GULF

Dalli

Kahang

51° E 54° E

34° N

30° N

CASPIAN

SEA

PERSIAN

GULF

IRAN

IRAQ

SAUDI

ARABIA

TURKMENISTAN

RUSSIA

OMAN

45° E 54° E

40° N

30° N

Porphyry copper deposit

Porphyry copper prospect

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract 

 142pCu9015
446 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 152. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu9008, Esfahan—Iran, 

Iraq, and Turkey

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; Berger and others, 2008; John and others, 2010)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: Typical cost

Geologic feature assessed: Late Paleocene to middle–late Eocene back-arc rocks of the Tethyan metallogenic belt

Number of known deposits: 1

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2013 56,857 0.64 15 20 10 37

Source

Zürcher and others, 2015, Porphyry copper assessment of the Tethys region of western and southern Asia: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific 

Investigations Report 2010–5090–V, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090V.

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

4.2

43

71

15

10

Tract 142pCu9008

Identified copper resources (0.64 Mt)
Plate 152. Tract 142pCu9008, Esfahan—Iran, Iraq, and Turkey 447

Plate

152

0 100 200 300 400 KILOMETERS

0 100 200 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Europe Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 54° E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

Zagros Mountains

Alborz Mountains

SAUDI

ARABIA

IRAQ

AZERBAIJAN

IRAN

KUWAIT

TURKMENISTAN

TURKEY

Lake

Van

Al Mawsil

BAGHDAD

KUWAIT CITY

Ahvaz

Al Basrah

BAKU

Rasht

ASHGABAT

Mashhad

TEHRAN

Hamadan

Kermanshah

Arbil

Tabriz

Esfahan

Shiraz

Kerman

CASPIAN

SEA

PERSIAN

GULF

Lake Urmia

Tigris River

Euphrates River

Murat River

Kale Kafi

44° E 52° E 60° E

35° N

30° N

ARABIAN SEA

IRAN IRAQ

SAUDI

ARABIA

TURKEY

RUSSIA

40° E 60° E

40° N

30° N

EXPLANATION

Porphyry copper deposit

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 142pCu9008

Porphyry copper prospect
448 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 153. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu9014c, Azerbaijan 

(Caucasus)—Iran, Azerbaijan, and Armenia

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; Berger and others, 2008; John and others, 2010)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: Typical cost

Geologic feature assessed: Late Eocene to early Miocene postcollisional magmatism of the Tethyan metallogenic belt

Number of known deposits: 5

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2012 58,270 11 27 7 18 13

Source

Zürcher and others, 2015, Porphyry copper assessment of the Tethys region of western and southern Asia: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific 

Investigations Report 2010–5090–V, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090V.

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.56

16

65

97

27

18

Tract 142pCu9014c

Identified copper resources (11 Mt)
Plate 153. Tract 142pCu9014c, Azerbaijan (Caucasus)—Iran, Azerbaijan, and Armenia 449

Plate

153

0 50 100 150 200 KILOMETERS

0 50 100 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Europe Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 51° E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

Alborz Mountains

Zagros Mountains

Caucasus Mountains

IRAQ

AZERBAIJAN

IRAN

TURKMENISTAN

GEORGIA RUSSIA

ARMENIA

TURKEY

Arbil

Kirkuk

Sari

Semnan

TEHRAN

BAKU

Turkmenbashi

TABRIZ

Rasht

NAXÇIVAN

Orumiyeh

As-Sulaymaniyah

Kermanshah

Sanandaj

Hamadan

Zanjan

TBILISI

CASPIAN SEA

Lake

Urmia

Lake

Sevan

Ankavan

Kadjaran

Haft Cheshmeh

Masjed Daghi Sungun

48° E 54° E

40° N

35° N

CASPIAN

SEA

BLACK

SEA

IRAN

IRAQ

TURKEY

RUSSIA

45° E 60° E

43° N

36° N

EXPLANATION

Porphyry copper deposit

Assessed porphyry copper tract 

142pCu9014c

Porphyry copper prospect
450 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 154. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu9003, SanandajSirjan—Iran, Iraq, and Turkey

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; Berger and others, 2008; John and others, 2010)

Grade and tonnage model: NA

Economic filter depth percentages: NA

Economic filter cost setting: NA

Geologic feature assessed: Late Triassic–Early Cretaceous continental-arc rocks of the Tethyan metallogenic belt

Number of known deposits: 0

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons; NA, not applicable, as a quantitative assessment was not done]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2013 20,160 0 NA NA NA NA

Source

Zürcher and others, 2015, Porphyry copper assessment of the Tethys region of western and southern Asia: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific 

Investigations Report 2010–5090–V, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090V.

Qualitative Assessment

The long-lasting and mature continental-arc setting of tract 142pCu9003 (Sanandaj-Sirjan—Iran, Iraq, and Turkey) 

is permissive for the occurrence of porphyry copper deposits. However, factors that diminish the favorability include 

synmineralization and postmineralization deformation events that have highly exhumed this region, largely exposing 

metamorphosed rocks and deeper more evolved peraluminous plutons with tin and tungsten associations. Permissive 

Late Triassic to Early Cretaceous volcanic and plutonic units make up less than 10 percent of the tract area. Older basement 

underlies about 13 percent, broadly coeval nonpermissive rocks account for 25 percent, and younger rocks cover about 

50 percent of the tract area. Even though one porphyry copper prospect is known, the low percentage of permissive units and 

high percentage of younger cover imply that levels of preservation are too deep and that the extent of younger cover is too 

extensive for porphyry systems to be exposed.
Plate 154. Tract 142pCu9003, Sanandaj-Sirjan—Iran, Iraq, and Turkey 451

Plate

154

0 100 200 300 400 KILOMETERS

0 100 200 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Europe Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 50° E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

Alborz Mountains

Zagros Mountains

SYRIA

SAUDI

ARABIA

IRAQ

AZERBAIJAN

IRAN

KUWAIT

TURKMENISTAN

TURKEY

Al Mawsil

Esfahan

KUWAIT CITY

Ahvaz

Al Basrah

BAKU

Rasht

ASHGABAT

Arbil

Hamadan

Orumiyeh

Kerman

BAGHDAD

As-Sulaymaniyah

Diyarbakir

YEREVAN

Tabriz

Kermanshah

Shiraz

TEHRAN

CASPIAN SEA

PERSIAN

GULF

Lake 

Van

Lake

Urmia

Tigris River

Euphrates River

Mura t River

45° E 54° E

36° N

30° N

BLACK SEA

ARABIAN

SEA

IRAQ IRAN

SAUDI

ARABIA

TURKEY

RUSSIA

40° E 60° E

40° N

30° N

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract 

142pCu9003

Porphyry copper prospect
452 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 155. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu9004c, Pontide (Asia)-

Caucasus—Iran, Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Georgia

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; Berger and others, 2008; John and others, 2010)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Skewed deep—0 to 250 meters (m), 10%; >250 to 500 m, 30%; >500 m to 1 km, 60%

Economic filter cost setting: Typical cost

Geologic feature assessed: Late Cretaceous to middle Eocene island-are to continental arc rocks and back-arc rocks of the 

Tethyan metallogenic belt

Number of known deposits: 0

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2013 24,289 0 3.3 31 2.1 84

Source

Zürcher and others, 2015, Porphyry copper assessment of the Tethys region of western and southern Asia: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific 

Investigations Report 2010–5090–V, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090V.

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.47

7.0

13

3.3

2.1

Identified copper resources = 0

Tract 142pCu9004c
Plate 155. Tract 142pCu9004c, Pontide (Asia)-Caucasus—Iran, Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Georgia 453

Plate

155

0 60 120 180 240 KILOMETERS

0 60 120 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Europe Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 45° E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

Caucasus Mountains

Alborz Mountains

IRAQ

AZERBAIJAN

IRAN

GEORGIA RUSSIA

TURKEY

ARMENIA

Tabriz

Kars

YEREVAN

Al Mawsil Arbil

BAKU

Rasht

TBILISI

Van

NAXÇIVAN

Zanjan

TEHRAN

CASPIAN SEA

Lake

Urmia

Lake Van

Lake

Sevan

Murat River

Tigris River

Orumiyeh

45° E 50° E

42° N

38° N

IRAN

IRAQ

RUSSIA

TURKEY

SYRIA

BLACK

SEA

CASPIAN

SEA

40° E 60° E

45° N

36° N

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract 

142pCu9004c

Porphyry copper prospect
454 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 156. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu9001, Cimmeride 

Lesser Caucasus—Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Iran

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; Berger and others, 2008; John and others, 2010)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Custom—0 to 250 meters (m), 17%; >250 to 500 m, 28%; >500 m to 1 km, 55%

Economic filter cost setting: Typical cost

Geologic feature assessed: Middle Jurassic to Early Cretaceous island-arc to continental-arc rocks of the Tethyan metallogenic 

belt

Number of known deposits: 3

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2012 17,369 2.3 7.1 19 4.7 62

Source

Zürcher and others, 2015, Porphyry copper assessment of the Tethys region of western and southern Asia: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific 

Investigations Report 2010–5090–V, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090V.

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

2.5

16

27

7.1

4.7

Tract 142pCu9001

Identified copper resources (2.3 Mt)
Plate 156. Tract 142pCu9001, Cimmeride Lesser Caucasus—Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Iran 455

Plate

156

0 20 40 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009) 0 20 40 60 80 KILOMETERS

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Europe Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 45° E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

Caucasus Mountains

Lake

Sevan

Teghout

Kedabek

Kavarta

Mingəçevir

Su Anbarı 

GEORGIA

TURKEY

ARMENIA

AZERBAIJAN

IRAN

RUSSIA

NAXÇIVAN

YEREVAN

44° E 48° E

41° N

39° N

CASPIAN

SEA

BLACK

SEA

IRAN

TURKEY

RUSSIA

IRAQ

SYRIA

40° E 50° E

43° N

36° N

EXPLANATION

Porphyry copper deposit

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 142pCu9001

Porphyry copper prospect
456 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 157. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu9002, Cimmeride 

Greater Caucasus—Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Russia

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; Berger and others, 2008; John and others, 2010)

Grade and tonnage model: NA

Economic filter depth percentages: NA

Economic filter cost setting: NA

Geologic feature assessed: Middle Jurassic back-arc and island-arc rocks of the Tethyan metallogenic belt

Number of known deposits: 0

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons; NA, not applicable, as a quantitative assessment was not done]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2013 16,688 0 NA NA NA NA

Source

Zürcher and others, 2015, Porphyry copper assessment of the Tethys region of western and southern Asia: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific 

Investigations Report 2010–5090–V, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090V.

Qualitative Assessment

The back-arc and island-arc setting of tract 142pCu9002 (Cimmeride Greater Caucasus—Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Russia) 

is permissive for porphyry copper deposits, despite the fact that no porphyry-related systems are known. The very high ratio 

of areas of permissive Middle Jurassic volcanic units to volcanic and plutonic rocks ({volcanic/[volcanic+plutonic]} = 91) in 

this complex fold-and-thrust belt implies that any porphyry copper systems may largely be concealed. The absence of known 

porphyry-related occurrences further suggests that the region may have experienced limited exploration for this type of deposit, 

adding considerable uncertainty. Despite the permissive geology, the assessment team concluded that favorability was too low 

to add significant undiscovered copper resources to the overall assessment (less than a 10-percent chance of one undiscovered 

deposit).
Plate 157. Tract 142pCu9002, Cimmeride Greater Caucasus—Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Russia 457

Plate

157

0 50 100 150 200 KILOMETERS

0 50 100 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Europe Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 45° E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

AZERBAIJAN

RUSSIA

TURKEY

ARMENIA

GEORGIA

Majkop

Bat'umi

Trabzon Rize

Nal'chik

Vladikavkaz

TBILISI

Kars

YEREVAN

Stavropol

Groznyy

Sokhumi Machackala

Erzurum

Dogukaradeniz Dagları

Caucasus Mountains

CASPIAN SEA

BLACK SEA

Lake

Sevan

Euphrates River

42° E 48° E

44° N

42° N

40° N

CASPIAN

SEA

BLACK SEA

RUSSIA

TURKEY

IRAN

UKRAINE KAZAKHSTAN

SYRIA IRAQ

30° E 40° E 50° E

43° N

36° N

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract 

142pCu9002
458 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 158. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu9017b, Pliocene–

Quaternary (Postcollisional)—Iran, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, and 

Russia

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; Berger and others, 2008; John and others, 2010)

Grade and tonnage model: NA

Economic filter depth percentages: NA

Economic filter cost setting: NA

Geologic feature assessed: Late Miocene to Holocene postcollisional rocks recording magmatism of the Tethyan metallogenic 

belt

Number of known deposits: 0

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons; NA, not applicable, as a quantitative assessment was not done]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2013 193,763 0 NA NA NA NA

Source

Zürcher and others, 2015, Porphyry copper assessment of the Tethys region of western and southern Asia: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific 

Investigations Report 2010–5090–V, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090V.

Qualitative Assessment

Tract 142pCu9017 is permissive for Pliocene to Quaternary porphyry copper deposits in the Tethyan region and includes 

three sub-tracts. Sub-tract 142pCu9017c (pl. 143, Pliocene–Quaternary (Bazman)—Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran) lies to the 

east of sub-tract 142pCu9017b (this plate), and sub-tract 142pCu9017a (pl. 164, Pliocene–Quaternary (Konya)—Turkey) lies to 

the west.

The postcollisional setting of sub-tract 142pCu9017b is permissive for the occurrence of porphyry copper deposits. 

However, this sub-tract is dominated by volcanic rocks with levels of preservation that are, for the most part, too shallow for 

porphyry systems. This sub-tract hosts numerous epithermal systems and several active geothermal systems, and porphyrystyle alteration has been recognized under some of these systems. Three prospects associated with the sub-tract and shown 

on the map are, from north to south, an epithermal and copper-molybdenum porphyry prospect in northwestern Iran, a 

molybdenum-(copper) porphyry occurrence near Tehran, and a copper-gold porphyry prospect in the southern Urumieh-Dokhtar 

Magmatic Belt.

Advanced stages of exploration for porphyry copper deposits of the Pliocene to Quaternary age range in the Tethyan region 

appear to have been limited. Despite the permissive geology, the geologic favorability was deemed too low to add significant 

undiscovered porphyry copper resources to the overall assessment.
Plate 158. Tract 142pCu9017b, Pliocene–Quaternary (Postcollisional)—Iran, Armenia, and Neighboring Countries 459

Plate

158

0 150 300 450 600 KILOMETERS

0 150 300 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Europe Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 47° E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

Alborz Mountains

Zagros Mountains

Rostov-on-Don

Taurus Mountains

Caucasus Mountains

JORDAN

SYRIA

GEORGIA

TURKEY

KAZAKHSTAN

EGYPT

SAUDI ARABIA

IRAQ

IRAN

TURKMENISTAN

UZBEKISTAN

RUSSIA

UKRAINE

BULGARIA

ROMANIA

OMAN

AZERBAIJAN

ARMENIA

KUWAIT

Alexandria

CAIRO

BUCHAREST

ISTANBUL

Aleppo

DAMASCUS

Odesa Donets'k

TEHRAN

KUWAIT

CITY

RIYADH

YEREVAN BAKU

TBILISI

BAGHDAD

Volgograd

Mashhad

Ankara

Smyrana

CASPIAN

SEA

ARAL

SEA

BLACK SEA

SEA OF

AZOV

MEDITERRANEAN SEA

RED

SEA

PERSIAN

GULF GULF OF

OMAN

Volga

Nile River

Syr Darya

Amu Darya

Tigris Rive

E

r

uphr ates River

Murat River

Severskiy Donets

40° E 60° E

40° N

30° N

Dogukaradeniz Dagları

ARABIAN

SEA

IRAN PAKISTAN

IRAQ

SAUDI

ARABIA

RUSSIA

SUDAN OMAN

KAZAKHSTAN

EGYPT

TURKEY

UKRAINE

20° E 70° E

42° N

20° N

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract 

142pCu9017b

Porphyry copper prospect
460 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 159. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu9007, Border Folds—

Iran, Iraq, and Turkey

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; Berger and others, 2008; John and others, 2010)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Skewed shallow—0 to 250 meters (m), 35%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 40%

Economic filter cost setting: Typical cost

Geologic feature assessed: Late Cretaceous to early Paleocene continental arc of the Tethyan metallogenic belt

Number of known deposits: 0

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2012 45,285 0 4.6 31 3.2 72

Source

Zürcher and others, 2015, Porphyry copper assessment of the Tethys region of western and southern Asia: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific 

Investigations Report 2010–5090–V, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090V.

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.76

10

20

4.6

3.2

Identified copper resources = 0

Tract 142pCu9007
Plate 159. Tract 142pCu9007, Border Folds—Iran, Iraq, and Turkey 461

Plate

159

0 75 150 225 300 KILOMETERS

0 75 150 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Europe Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 42° E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

Pontus Mountains

Caucasus Mountains

Alborz Mountains

Zagros Mountains

CASPIAN SEA

Lake

Urmia

BLACK SEA

Lake

Van

M urat River

Euphrates River

Euphr ates River

Tigris River

JORDAN

SYRIA

TURKEY

SAUDI ARABIA

IRAQ

AZERBAIJAN

IRAN

RUSSIA

GEORGIA

ARMENIA

Aleppo

Samsun

Al Mawsil

DAMASCUS

BAGHDAD

BAKU

Tabriz

Aintab

Kermanshah

YEREVAN

TBILISI

Buḩayrat

ath Tharthār 

36° E 42° E 48° E

42° N

38° N

34° N

SYRIA

IRAN

TURKEY

IRAQ

EGYPT SAUDI

ARABIA

RUSSIA

BLACK SEA

40° E 60° E

40° N

30° N

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract 

142pCu9007

Porphyry copper prospect
462 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 160. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu9004b, Pontide (Asia, 

Northeastern)—Turkey and Georgia

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; Berger and others, 2008; John and others, 2010)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: Typical cost

Geologic feature assessed: Late Cretaceous to middle Eocene island-arc to continental-arc rocks, back-arc rocks, and 

postcollisional rocks recording magmatism of the Tethyan metallogenic belt

Number of known deposits: 4

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2013 45,539 1.5 15 7 10 26

Source

Zürcher and others, 2015, Porphyry copper assessment of the Tethys region of western and southern Asia: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific 

Investigations Report 2010–5090–V, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090V.

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.26

7.1

37

57

15

10

Tract 142pCu9004b

Identified copper resources (1.5 Mt)
Plate 160. Tract 142pCu9004b, Pontide (Asia, Northeastern)—Turkey and Georgia 463

Plate

160

0 40 80 120 160 KILOMETERS

0 40 80 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Europe Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 39° E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

TURKEY

Sokhumi

Ordu

Giresun

Bat'umi

Trabzon Rize

Erzurum

Kars

Sivas Erzincan

BLACK SEA

Euphrates River

Ulutas

Gumushane

Caucasus Mountains

39° E 42° E

42° N

40° N

Pontus Mountains

GEORGIA

Guzelyayla

Balcili-Yuksekoba

Murat River 37° E 44° E

45° N

40° N

GEORGIA

IRAQ

UKRAINE

TURKEY

RUSSIA

IRAN

BLACK SEA EXPLANATION

Porphyry copper deposit

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 142pCu9004b

Porphyry copper prospect
464 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 161. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu9014b, Azerbaijan 

(East)—Turkey

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; Berger and others, 2008; John and others, 2010)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Skewed deep—0 to 250 meters (m), 10%; >250 to 500 m, 30%; >500 m to 1 km, 60%

Economic filter cost setting: Typical cost

Geologic feature assessed: Late Eocene to early Miocene back-arc rocks recording magmatism of the Tethyan metallogenic 

belt

Number of known deposits: 1

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2013 7,754 1.7 1.5 69 0.97 97

Source

Zürcher and others, 2015, Porphyry copper assessment of the Tethys region of western and southern Asia: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific 

Investigations Report 2010–5090–V, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090V.

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

2.5

5.6

1.5 0.97

Identified copper resources (1.7 Mt)

Tract 142pCu9014b
Plate 161. Tract 142pCu9014b, Azerbaijan (East)—Turkey 465

Plate

161

0 50 100 150 200 KILOMETERS

0 50 100 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Europe Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 39° E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

36° E 40° E

40° N

38° N

SYRIA

TURKEY

IRAQ

Malatya

Kayseri

Seyhan

Samsun

Diyarbakir

Aintab

Sivas

BLACK SEA

Lake Van

MEDITERRANEAN

SEA

Taurus Mountains

Pontus Mountains

GEORGIA

Euphrates River

Tigris River

Murat River

Cevizlidere

EuphratesRiver

36° E 44° E

42° N

36° N

TURKEY

IRAN

IRAQ

SYRIA

RUSSIA

BLACK SEA

EXPLANATION

Porphyry copper deposit

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 142pCu9014b

Porphyry copper prospect
466 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 162. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu9005c, AnatolideTauride (Eastern Turkey-Caucasus)—Iran, Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Turkey

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; Berger and others, 2008; John and others, 2010)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: Typical cost

Geologic feature assessed: Late Cretaceous to middle–late Eocene arc- and back-arc-related rocks and rocks recording 

syncollisional to postcollisional magmatism of the Tethyan metallogenic belt

Number of known deposits: 4

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2013 21,675 1.2 8.2 21 5.5 54

Source

Zürcher and others, 2015, Porphyry copper assessment of the Tethys region of western and southern Asia: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific 

Investigations Report 2010–5090–V, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090V.

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

2.7

19

32

8.2

5.5

Tract 142pCu9005c

Identified copper resources (1.2 Mt)
Plate 162. Tract 142pCu9005c, Anatolide-Tauride (Eastern Turkey-Caucasus)—Iran, Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Turkey 467

Plate

162

0 50 100 150 200 KILOMETERS

0 50 100 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Europe Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 42° E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

SYRIA

GEORGIA

IRAQ

AZERBAIJAN

AZERBAIJAN

IRAN

ARMENIA

RUSSIA

TURKEY

Aintab

Aleppo

Samsun

Diyarbakir

Al Mawsil Arbil

Tabriz

TBILISI

Erzurum Sivas

Malatya

Vladikavkaz

BLACK SEA

Copler

Karakartal

Agarak

Dastakert

Murat River

Caucasus Mountains

Pontus Mountains

40° E 45° E

42° N

38° N

Orumiyeh

Lake

Van

Lake

Urmia

Lake

Sevan

YEREVAN

Tigris River

EuphratesRiver

30° E 40° E 50° E

43° N

36° N

UKRAINE

BLACK SEA

IRAN

TURKEY

IRAQ

RUSSIA

SYRIA

CASPIAN

SEA

EXPLANATION

Porphyry copper deposit

Assessed porphyry copper tract 

142pCu9005c

Porphyry copper prospect
468 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 163. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu9005b, AnatolideTauride (Central)—Turkey

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; Berger and others, 2008; John and others, 2010)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Skewed shallow—0 to 250 meters (m), 35%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 40%

Economic filter cost setting: Typical cost

Geologic feature assessed: Late Cretaceous to middle–late Eocene arc- and back-arc-related rocks and rocks recording 

syncollisional to postcollisional magmatism of the Tethyan metallogenic belt

Number of known deposits: 0

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2013 36,208 0 1.3 70 0.90 96

Source

Zürcher and others, 2015, Porphyry copper assessment of the Tethys region of western and southern Asia: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific 

Investigations Report 2010–5090–V, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090V.

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

2.2

5.1

1.3

0.90

Identified copper resources = 0

Tract 142pCu9005b
Plate 163. Tract 142pCu9005b, Anatolide-Tauride (Central)—Turkey 469

Plate

163

0 35 70 105 140 KILOMETERS

0 35 70 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Europe Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 36° E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

33° E 36° E 39° E

40° N

38° N

ANKARA

Malatya

Aintab

Kayseri

Samsun

Corum

Taurus Mountains

Pontus Mountains

Tuz

Gölü

BLACK SEA

TURKEY

Euphrates River

Murat River

Euphrates River

30° E 40° E

43° N

36° N

TURKEY

SYRIA IRAQ

RUSSIA

GEORGIA

BLACK SEA

MEDITERRANEAN SEA

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 142pCu9005b

Porphyry copper prospect
470 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 164. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu9017a, Pliocene–

Quaternary (Konya)—Turkey

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; Berger and others, 2008; John and others, 2010)

Grade and tonnage model: NA

Economic filter depth percentages: NA

Economic filter cost setting: NA

Geologic feature assessed: The Konya arc: a late Miocene to Holocene continental-arc and back-arc volcano-plutonic belt 

related to the active Hellenic-Cyprian subduction zone

Number of known deposits: 0

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons; NA, not applicable, as a quantitative assessment was not done]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2013 11,788 0 NA NA NA NA

Source

Zürcher and others, 2015, Porphyry copper assessment of the Tethys region of western and southern Asia: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific 

Investigations Report 2010–5090–V, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090V.

Qualitative Assessment

Tract 142pCu9017 is permissive for Pliocene to Quaternary porphyry copper deposits in the Tethyan region and includes 

three sub-tracts. Sub-tracts 142pCu9017b (pl. 158, Pliocene–Quaternary (Postcollisional)—Iran, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, 

Turkey, and Russia) and 142pCu9017a (this plate) lie to the east of sub-tract 142pCu9017c (pl. 143, Pliocene–Quaternary 

(Bazman)—Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran).

The Pliocene–Quaternary (Konya)—Turkey sub-tract 142pCu9017a (this plate) is partially superimposed on parts of 

two older sub-tracts: the Anatolide-Tauride (Central)—Turkey sub-tract 142pCu9005b (pl. 163) and the Azerbaijan (East)—

Turkey sub-tract 142pCu9014b (pl. 161). Factors that greatly diminish the favorability of the Konya sub-tract for porphyry 

copper deposits include the predominance of volcanic rocks with levels of preservation that are, for the most part, too shallow 

for porphyry systems. With the exception of one acid-sulfate epithermal and associated copper-gold-molybdenum porphyry 

prospect, exploration for porphyry copper deposits in this region is in its early stages. Despite the permissive geology, the 

geologic favorability was deemed unlikely to add significant copper resources to the overall assessment (less than a 10-percent 

chance of one undiscovered deposit). Therefore, a quantitative assessment of undiscovered porphyry copper deposits in the 

Konya sub-tract was not warranted.
Plate 164. Tract 142pCu9017a, Pliocene–Quaternary (Konya)—Turkey 471

Plate

164

0 30 60 90 120 KILOMETERS

0 30 60 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Europe Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 33° E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

Lake

Tuz

Taurus Mountains

32° E 36° E

39° N

36° N

Konya

Seyhan

ANKARA Eskisehir

Kutahya

Isparta

Antalya

Kayseri

Mersin

Antioch

MEDITERRANEAN SEA SYRIA

TURKEY

Lake Beyşehir

30° E 40° E

42° N

36° N

BLACK SEA

TURKEY

SYRIA

CYPRUS

MEDITERRANEAN SEA

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract 

142pCu9017a

Porphyry copper prospect
472 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 165. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu9004a, Pontide (Asia, 

Northwestern)—Turkey

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; Berger and others, 2008; John and others, 2010)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Custom—0 to 250 meters (m), 17%; >250 to 500 m, 28%; >500 m to 1 km, 55%

Economic filter cost setting: Typical cost

Geologic feature assessed: Late Cretaceous to middle Eocene fore-arc and back-arc rocks and rocks recording postcollisional 

magmatism of the Tethyan metallogenic belt

Number of known deposits: 1

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2013 32,671 0.40 4.1 29 2.7 77

Source

Zürcher and others, 2015, Porphyry copper assessment of the Tethys region of western and southern Asia: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific 

Investigations Report 2010–5090–V, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090V.

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.84

8.9

17

4.1

2.7

Tract 142pCu9004a

Identified copper resources (0.40 Mt)
Plate 165. Tract 142pCu9004a, Pontide (Asia, Northwestern)—Turkey 473

Plate

165

0 60 120 180 240 KILOMETERS

0 60 120 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Europe Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 33° E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

Lake

Beyşehir

BULGARIA

TURKEY

ANKARA

Varna

Istanbul

Eskisehir

Konya

Seyhan

Samsun

Samsun

Bursa

Kocaeli

Smyrana

Kayseri

Bakircay

Taurus Mountains

Pontus Mountains

Balkan Mountains

30° E 36° E

42° N

38° N

BLACK SEA

SEA OF

MARMARA

AEGEAN

SEA

Lake

Tuz

30° E 45° E

43° N

36° N

TURKEY

RUSSIA

IRAQ

SYRIA

ROMANIA

UKRAINE

BLACK SEA

MEDITERRANEAN SEA

GREECE

EXPLANATION

Porphyry copper deposit

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 142pCu9004a

Porphyry copper prospect
474 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 166. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu9005a, AnatolideTauride (West)—Turkey

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; Berger and others, 2008; John and others, 2010)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Skewed shallow—0 to 250 meters (m), 35%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 40%

Economic filter cost setting: Typical cost

Geologic feature assessed: Late Cretaceous to middle Eocene arc-related rocks and rocks recording postcollisional 

magmatism of the Tethyan metallogenic belt

Number of known deposits: 2

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2013 5,940 0.38 3.0 31 2.1 79

Source

Zürcher and others, 2015, Porphyry copper assessment of the Tethys region of western and southern Asia: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific 

Investigations Report 2010–5090–V, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090V.

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

In-place Economic

Copper, in millions of metric tons

Tract 142pCu9005a

Identified copper resources (0.38 Mt)

Percent Mean

1

0.01

0.10

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.46

6.1

11

3.0

2.1
Plate 166. Tract 142pCu9005a, Anatolide-Tauride (West)—Turkey 475

Plate

166

0 20 40 60 80 KILOMETERS

0 20 40 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Europe Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 31° E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

TURKEY

Bolu Sakarya

Bursa

Eskisehir

Afyon

Usak

Kutahya

Kocaeli

Muratdere

SEA OF

MARMARA

İznik Lake

Eber Lake

Akşehir Lake

30° E 32° E

40° N

39° N

Saricayiryayla

28° E 36° E

42° N

38° N

SYRIA

GREECE

TURKEY

BULGARIA

BLACK SEA

MEDITERRANEAN SEA

EXPLANATION

Porphyry copper deposit

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 142pCu9005a

Porphyry copper prospect
476 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 167. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu9014a, Azerbaijan 

(West)—Turkey

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; Berger and others, 2008; John and others, 2010)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: Typical cost

Geologic feature assessed: Late Eocene to early Miocene rocks recording back-arc magmatism of the Tethyan metallogenic 

belt

Number of known deposits: 3

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2013 65,178 1.1 14 7 9.4 32

Source

Zürcher and others, 2015, Porphyry copper assessment of the Tethys region of western and southern Asia: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific 

Investigations Report 2010–5090–V, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090V.

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.13

5.3

35

56

14

9.4

Tract 142pCu9014a

Identified copper resources (1.1 Mt)
Plate 167. Tract 142pCu9014a, Azerbaijan (West)—Turkey 477

Plate

167

0 50 100 150 200 KILOMETERS

0 50 100 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Europe Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 30° E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

BULGARIA

TURKEY

Edirne

Istanbul

Eskisehir

Konya

Antalya

Smyrana

Bursa

Kocaeli

ANKARA

Halilaga

Tepeoba

Ayazmant

Taurus Mountains

28° E 32° E

42° N

39° N

AEGEAN

SEA

SEA OF

MARMARA

BLACK SEA

GREECE

TURKEY

SYRIA

ROMANIA

BLACK SEA

MEDITERRANEAN SEA

BULGARIA

RUSSIA

24° E 36° E

42° N

36° N

EXPLANATION

Porphyry copper deposit

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 142pCu9014a

Porphyry copper prospect

Lake

Tuz

Lake

Beyşehir
478 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 168. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 150pCu6001, TransylvaniaBalkan Mountains—Bulgaria, Serbia, Romania, and Turkey

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; Berger and others, 2008; John and others, 2010)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: Mixed cost

Geologic feature assessed: Late Cretaceous and Paleocene calc-alkalic volcanic and intrusive rocks in the westernmost part of 

the Late Cretaceous Tethyan Eurasian metallogenic belt

Number of known deposits: 15

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2010 28,469 30 16 4 10 29

Source

Sutphin and others, 2013, Porphyry copper assessment of Europe, exclusive of the Fennoscandian Shield: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific 

Investigations Report 2010–5090–K, http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2010/5090/k/.

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.25

0.95

8.2

36

57

16

10

Tract 150pCu6001

Identified copper resources (30 Mt)
Plate 168. Tract 150pCu6001, Transylvania-Balkan Mountains—Bulgaria, Serbia, Romania, and Turkey 479

Plate

168

0 50 100 150 200 KILOMETERS

0 50 100 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Europe Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 24°45' E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

MACEDONIA

SERBIA

HUNGARY

BULGARIA

MOLDOVA

TURKEY

ROMANIA UKRAINE

SOFIA

BUCHAREST

CHISINAU

BELGRADE

Danube

Cerovo

Derekoy-Karadere

Dumitru Potok Group

Elatsite

Ikiztepeler

Karlievo

Majdanpek

Medet

Prohorovo Tsar Assen

20° E 25° E 30° E

46° N

42° N

Carpathian Mountains

Balkan Mountains

Dinaric Alps

BLACK SEA

Sukrupasa Group

Assarel

Group

VlaykovVruh Group

Bor Group

Moldova Noua

20° E 30° E

45° N

40° N

BULGARIA

SERBIA

GREECE

ROMANIA

TURKEY

UKRAINE HUNGARY

BLACK

SEA

EXPLANATION

Porphyry copper deposit

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 150pCu6001

Porphyry copper prospect
480 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 169. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 150pCu6003, Apuseni 

Mountains—Romania

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper, copper-gold subtype models (Cox, 1986b; Berger and others, 2008; John and 

others, 2010)

Grade and tonnage model: Porphyry copper, copper-gold subtype model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: Mixed cost

Geologic feature assessed: Miocene intrusive and volcanic intermediate and acidic rocks of the Golden Quadrilateral and 

surrounding areas in the Apuseni Mountains of southern Romania

Number of known deposits: 7

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2010 4,156 5.7 10 7 5.4 64

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

Tract 150pCu6003

Identified copper resources (5.7 Mt)

0.27

4.6

26

43

10

5.4

Source

Sutphin and others, 2013, Porphyry copper assessment of Europe, exclusive of the Fennoscandian Shield: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific 

Investigations Report 2010–5090–K, http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2010/5090/k/.
Plate 169. Tract 150pCu6003, Apuseni Mountains—Romania 481

Plate

169

0 10 20 30 40 KILOMETERS

0 10 20 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

Europe Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 22°30' E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

ROMANIA

Deva

Bolcana Group

Deva

Musariu

Talagiu

22°00' E 23°00' E

46°30' N

46°00' N

Rovina Valley Group

Bucium Tarnita

Rosia Poieni

Carpathian Mountains

ROMANIA

HUNGARY

SERBIA

SLOVAKIA UKRAINE

BULGARIA

20° E 25° E

48° N

44° N

EXPLANATION

Porphyry copper deposit

Assessed porphyry copper tract 

150pCu6003

Porphyry copper prospect
482 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 170. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 150pCu6004, Northern 

Carpathians—Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, and Ukraine

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper, copper-gold subtype models (Cox, 1986b; Berger and others, 2008; John and 

others, 2010)

Grade and tonnage model: Porphyry copper, copper-gold subtype model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Skewed deep—0 to 250 meters (m), 10%; >250 to 500 m, 30%; >500 m to 1 km, 60%

Economic filter cost setting: Mixed cost

Geologic feature assessed: An arcuate belt of calc-alkalic volcanic and intrusive rocks that formed in a postsubduction setting 

due to extension, lithospheric thinning, and mantle upwelling

Number of known deposits: 1

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2010 28,846 0.73 7.9 19 3.9 81

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

2.9

21

34

7.9

3.9

Tract 150pCu6004

Identified copper resources (0.73 Mt)

Source

Sutphin and others, 2013, Porphyry copper assessment of Europe, exclusive of the Fennoscandian Shield: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific 

Investigations Report 2010–5090–K, http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2010/5090/k/.
Plate 170. Tract 150pCu6004, Northern Carpathians—Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, and Ukraine 483

Plate

170

0 30 60 90 120 KILOMETERS

0 30 60 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Europe Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 22°45' E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

SERBIA

SLOVAKIA

HUNGARY

CROATIA

POLAND

ROMANIA

UKRAINE

CZECHIA

BUDAPEST

Krakow

L'viv

Danube

Stiavnica Group

18° E 24° E

50° N

46° N

Carpathian Mountains

SERBIA

SLOVAKIA

UKRAINE

ROMANIA

POLAND

HUNGARY

20° E 30° E

50° N

45° N

EXPLANATION

Porphyry copper deposit

Assessed porphyry copper tract 

150pCu6004

Porphyry copper prospect
484 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 171. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 150pCu6002, Dinaride-Aegean 

Region—Eastern Europe

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper, copper-gold subtype models (Cox, 1986b; Berger and others, 2008; John and 

others, 2010)

Grade and tonnage model: Porphyry copper, copper-gold subtype model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: Mixed cost

Geologic feature assessed: Paleocene to Miocene calc-alkalic volcanic and intrusive rocks that formed in a postsubduction 

environment; includes the Serbomacedonian-Rhodope metallogenic belt

Number of known deposits: 4

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2010 92,723 7.2 12 7 7.7 59

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

95 90 50 10 5

0.32

5.7

32

48

12

7.7

Tract 150pCu6002

Identified copper resources (7.2 Mt)

Source

Sutphin and others, 2013, Porphyry copper assessment of Europe, exclusive of the Fennoscandian Shield: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific 

Investigations Report 2010–5090–K, http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2010/5090/k/.
Plate 171. Tract 150pCu6002, Dinaride-Aegean Region—Eastern Europe 485

Plate

171

0 100 200 300 400 KILOMETERS

0 100 200 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Europe Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 19° E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

SERBIA

AUSTRIA

SLOVAKIA

HUNGARY

BULGARIA

MOLDOVA

TURKEY

GREECE

ITALY

CROATIA

ROMANIA

UKRAINE

Naples

ROME

BELGRADE

Smyrana

ATHENS

SOFIA

BUCHAREST

Milan

VIENNA

Munich

BUDAPEST

Istanbul

Odesa

Danube

Danube

Bucim Group

Ilovitza

Recsk

Skouries Group

Carpathian Mountains

Appennines

Alps

Pindus Mountains 

IONIAN SEA

ADRIATIC SEA

TYRRHENIAN SEA AEGEAN

SEA

10° E 20° E

45° N

40° N

30° E

SLOVENIA

ALBANIA

FRANCE

ITALY

UKRAINE

TURKEY

ROMANIA

POLAND

GREECE

0° 15° E 30° E

50° N

40° N

MEDITERRANEAN SEA

EXPLANATION

Porphyry copper deposit

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 150pCu6002

Porphyry copper prospect
486 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 172. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu8202, Tagil-Polar 

Urals—Russia

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; Berger and others, 2008; John and others, 2010)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: High cost

Geologic feature assessed: Silurian to Late Devonian Tagil intra-oceanic volcanic arc and middle Paleozoic calc-alkalic 

intrusions and volcanic rocks of the northern and polar Urals

Number of known deposits: 0

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2016 49,605 0 17 6 8.3 57

Source

Hammarstrom, Mihalasky, and others, 2017, Undiscovered porphyry copper resources in the Urals—A probabilistic mineral resource 

assessment: Ore Geology Reviews, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.oregeorev.2016.09.007.

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

95 90 50 10 5

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

Copper, in millions of metric tons

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

7.1

43

70

17

8.3

0.32

Identified copper resources = 0

Tract 142pCu8202
Plate 172. Tract 142pCu8202, Tagil-Polar Urals—Russia 487

Plate

172

0 75 150 225 300 KILOMETERS

0 75 150 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Europe Lambert Conformal Conic projection

Central meridian 64° E.; latitude of origin 40° N.

Ural Mountains

RUSSIA

Tyumen

Yekaterinburg

Kurgan

Perm

Vorkuta

Tobol River

Pechora River

Ob River

60° E 70° E

65° N

60° N

Irtysh

River

Kama River

RUSSIA

KAZAKHSTAN

45° E 60° E 75° E 90° E

70° N

50° N

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract 

 142pCu8202

Porphyry copper prospect
488 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 173. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu8201, Magnitogorsk—

Russia and Kazakhstan

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; Berger and others, 2008; John and others, 2010)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: Mixed cost

Geologic feature assessed: Middle to Late Devonian rocks of the Magnitogorsk intra-oceanic volcanic arc

Number of known deposits: 1

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2016 49,321 0.041 17 4 10 59

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

95 90 50 10 5

17

10

1.2

8.2

41

67

0.30

Identified copper resources (0.041 Mt) 

Tract 142pCu8201

Source

Hammarstrom, Mihalasky, and others, 2017, Undiscovered porphyry copper resources in the Urals—A probabilistic mineral resource 

assessment: Ore Geology Reviews, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.oregeorev.2016.09.007.
Plate 173. Tract 142pCu8201, Magnitogorsk—Russia and Kazakhstan 489

Plate

173

0 50 100 150 200 KILOMETERS

0 50 100 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Europe Lambert Conformal Conic projection

Central meridian 59° E.; latitude of origin 40° N.

Ural Mountains

Yubileinoe

RUSSIA

KAZAKHSTAN

Ufa

Orenburg

Chelyabinsk

Aktyubinsk

55° E 60° E

55° N

50° N

Ural River

Tobol Rive r

UZBEKISTAN

RUSSIA

KAZAKHSTAN

45° E 60° E

60° N

45° N

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract 

 142pCu8201

Porphyry copper deposit

Porphyry copper prospect
490 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 174. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu8203, East Uralian—

Russia and Kazakhstan

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; Berger and others, 2008; John and others, 2010)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: Mixed cost

Geologic feature assessed: Late Devonian to early Carboniferous volcanic-arc fragments intruded by syncollisional and 

postcollisional Carboniferous and Permian granites in the East Uralian tectonic zone

Number of known deposits: 2

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2015 80,239 1.6 24 3 14 20

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

Copper, in millions of metric tons

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

95 90 50 10 5

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

24

13 14

61

0.55

94

2.0

Tract 142pCu8203

Identified copper resources (1.6 Mt)

Source

Hammarstrom, Mihalasky, and others, 2017, Undiscovered porphyry copper resources in the Urals—A probabilistic mineral resource 

assessment: Ore Geology Reviews, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.oregeorev.2016.09.007.
Plate 174. Tract 142pCu8203, East Uralian—Russia and Kazakhstan 491

Plate

174

0 75 150 225 300 KILOMETERS

0 75 150 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Europe Lambert Conformal Conic projection

Central meridian 60° E.; latitude of origin 40° N.

Birgilda

Tomino

Ural Mountains

Perm

Tyumen

Yekaterinburg

Ufa

Orenburg

Kurgan

Kostanay

Aktyubinsk

Chelyabinsk

Tobol River

KAZAKHSTAN

RUSSIA

60°00' E 67°30' E

55°00' N

50°00' N

Ural River

Kama

River

RUSSIA

KAZAKHSTAN

45° E 60° E 75° E

60° N

45° N

UZBEKISTAN

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract 

142pCu8203

Porphyry copper deposit

Porphyry copper prospect
492 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 175. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 142pCu8204, Transuralian—

Kazakhstan and Russia

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; Berger and others, 2008)

Grade and tonnage model: General porphyry copper model (Singer, Berger, and Moring, 2008)

Economic filter depth percentages: Skewed deep—0 to 250 meters (m), 10%; >250 to 500 m, 30%; >500 m to 1 km, 60%

Economic filter cost setting: High cost

Geologic feature assessed: Early Carboniferous subduction-related calc-alkalic complexes in the Transuralian tectonic zone; 

includes Valerianovka continental margin arc in the east and Alexandrovskaya and Irgizskaya 

arcs in the west

Number of known deposits: 4

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2016 128,788 4.3 24 4 11 57

Source

Hammarstrom, Mihalasky, and others, 2017, Undiscovered porphyry copper resources in the Urals—A probabilistic mineral resource 

assessment: Ore Geology Reviews, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.oregeorev.2016.09.007.

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

Copper, in millions of metric tons

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

95 90 50 10 5

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

24

11 11

64

0.21

100

1.0

Tract 142pCu8204

Identified copper resources (4.3 Mt)
Plate 175. Tract 142pCu8204, Transuralian—Kazakhstan and Russia 493

Plate

175

0 50 100 150 200 KILOMETERS

0 50 100 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Europe Lambert Conformal Conic projection

Central meridian 62° E.; latitude of origin 40° N.

Sverdlovsk

Kurgan

Chelyabinsk

Kostanay

Benkala North

Varvarinskoe

Mikheevskoe

Tarutino

KAZAKHSTAN

RUSSIA

60° E 65° E

55° N

50° N

Ural River

Tobol River

RUSSIA

KAZAKHSTAN

60° E 75° E

60° N

45° N

UZBEKISTAN

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract 

 142pCu8204

Porphyry copper deposit

Porphyry copper prospect
494 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 176. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 150pCu6006, Southern and 

Central European Variscan—France, Italy, and Poland

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; Berger and others, 2008; John and others, 2010)

Grade and tonnage model: NA

Economic filter depth percentages: NA

Economic filter cost setting: NA

Geologic feature assessed: Discrete areas of intrusive and volcanic rocks of the late Paleozoic Variscan orogeny, where some 

evidence of porphyry-style hydrothermal activity is preserved

Number of known deposits: 1

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons; NA, not applicable, as a quantitative assessment was not done]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2010 45,963 0.88 NA NA NA NA

Source

Sutphin and others, 2013, Porphyry copper assessment of Europe, exclusive of the Fennoscandian Shield: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific 

Investigations Report 2010–5090–K, http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2010/5090/k/.

Qualitative Assessment

Tract 150pCu6006 (Southern and Central European Variscan—France, Italy, and Poland) contains pluton-related copper 

deposits of Variscan age that are widely scattered throughout Europe. The Myszków porphyry copper deposit and nearby 

prospects in Poland and prospects in the French Massif Central and in Sardinia, occur within the tract. Permissive Variscan 

rocks crop out as intrusions in uplifted massifs. Coeval volcanic rocks typically are absent, and the level of erosion is such 

that porphyry copper deposits that may have formed in association with Variscan rocks have probably been lost to erosion 

unless preserved under younger cover or in down-dropped basins. Deep erosion has removed nearly all of the subvolcanic 

environments in which porphyry copper deposits may have formed in parts of the Massif Central of France. Postmineralization 

structural disruption makes it difficult to delineate coherent magmatic arcs or belts. The assessment team concluded that no 

probabilistic estimate was warranted.
Plate 176. Tract 150pCu6006, Southern and Central European Variscan—France, Italy, and Poland 495

Plate

176

0 100 200 300 400 KILOMETERS

0 100 200 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Europe Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 13° E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

Alps

Tisa River

Rhone River

Ebro R

Vistula R

Sava R

ADRIATIC SEA

TYRRHENIAN SEA

BALEARIC

SEA

IONIAN

SEA

MEDITERRANEAN SEA

Sardinia

AUSTRIA

SLOVAKIA

HUNGARY

FRANCE

SPAIN

ITALY

CROATIA

GERMANY

POLAND

CZECHIA

SWITZERLAND

SERBIA

Barcelona

BELGRADE

PARIS

Turin Milan

PRAGUE

Munich

BUDAPEST

ROME

Naples

VIENNA

Danube River

Rhine River

Myszków

0° 15° E

50° N

40° N

ENGLISH

CHANNEL

Loire River

Seine River

Pyrenees

Appennines 

Po River

Elbe R

BELGIUM Odra River

GREECE

ALBANIA

Dinaric Alps 

ROMANIA

SPAIN

FRANCE

ALGERIA

ITALY

0° 20° E

50° N

40° N

MEDITERRANEAN SEA

EXPLANATION

Porphyry copper deposit

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 150pCu6006

Porphyry copper prospect
496 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 177. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 150pCu6005, Western PeriMediterranean Region—Italy, Morocco, Algeria, and Spain

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; Berger and others, 2008; John and others, 2010)

Grade and tonnage model: NA

Economic filter depth percentages: NA

Economic filter cost setting: NA

Geologic feature assessed: Fragments of Oligocene and Miocene postcollisional volcanic belts related to the Alpine orogeny 

in the western peri-Mediterranean area

Number of known deposits: 1

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons; NA, not applicable, as a quantitative assessment was not done]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2010 9,461 0.13 NA NA NA NA

Source

Sutphin and others, 2013, Porphyry copper assessment of Europe, exclusive of the Fennoscandian Shield: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific 

Investigations Report 2010–5090–K, http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2010/5090/k/.

Qualitative Assessment

Tract 150pCu6005 (Western Peri-Mediterranean Region—Italy, Morocco, Algeria, and Spain) contains calc-alkalic 

volcanic rocks of the Betic Cordillera in Spain that are permissive for porphyry copper deposits; all of the known mineralization 

in the region is epithermal. No data were available on the depth of volcanic cover, although caldera structures and volcanic 

domes suggest that the volcanic pile may be thick, and there were no specific indications of porphyry-related systems at depth. 

Deep drilling, below or adjacent to, epithermal systems might change this analysis. Although the igneous rocks in the Rif 

Mountains of Morocco are permissive, the andesitic volcanic rocks may be too thick and the exposed skarn may represent too 

deep a level of exposure for porphyry copper deposits, if they ever formed, to be present within 1 km of the surface. On the 

basis of the small tract area and low grade of the identified resources at the Calabona deposit in Sardinia, Italy, and the lack 

of any reported copper occurrences or alteration suggestive of porphyry systems in the Betic-Rif mountain belt of Spain and 

northeastern Morocco and the Tell Atlas Mountains in Algeria, the assessment team concluded that no probabilistic estimate was 

warranted.
Plate 177. Tract 150pCu6005, Western Peri-Mediterranean Region—Italy, Morocco, Algeria, and Spain 497

Plate

177

0 75 150 225 300 KILOMETERS

0 75 150 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Europe Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 2°30' E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

FRANCE

MOROCCO

ALGERIA

SPAIN

TUNISIA

ITALY

Oran

ALGIERS

Zaragoza

Valencia

MADRID

Barcelona

Calabona

Segre River

 Tajo River

Guadalquivir River

Sardinia

0° 6° E

42° N

34° N

Betic Cordillera 

ALBORAN SEA Tell Atlas Mountains

BALEARIC

SEA

MEDITERRANEAN SEA

Rif Mountains

Atlas de Blida

Duero River

Ebro River

Guadiana River

Moulouya River

ALGERIA

SPAIN

LIBYA

FRANCE

ITALY

MOROCCO

15° W 15° E

40° N

30° N

ATLANTIC

OCEAN

MEDITERRANEAN SEA

EXPLANATION

Porphyry copper deposit

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 150pCu6005

Porphyry copper prospect
498 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 178. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 150pCu6007, Western 

European Caledonian—Belgium and United Kingdom

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper models (Cox, 1986a; Berger and others, 2008; John and others, 2010)

Grade and tonnage model: NA

Economic filter depth percentages: NA

Economic filter cost setting: NA

Geologic feature assessed: Fragments of a Late Cambrian to earliest Devonian continental-margin arc formed during the 

Caledonian orogeny

Number of known deposits: 2

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons; NA, not applicable, as a quantitative assessment was not done]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2010 17,471 0.63 NA NA NA NA

Source

Sutphin and others, 2013, Porphyry copper assessment of Europe, exclusive of the Fennoscandian Shield: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific 

Investigations Report 2010–5090–K, http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2010/5090/k/.

Qualitative Assessment

Two porphyry copper deposits associated with the Late Cambrian to earliest Devonian Caledonian orogeny are known 

in western Europe: one is in Wales (United Kingdom) and the other is in Belgium. Neither has ever been mined. They are 

both included in tract 150pCu6007 (Western European Caledonian—Belgium and United Kingdom). Caledonian porphyry 

copper occurrences are widely scattered throughout Europe. Postmineralization tectonic disruption precludes delineation of 

coherent magmatic arcs or belts. Caledonian deposits and prospects in Europe that have been investigated have not proven to 

represent significant resources. Porphyry copper deposits of Caledonian age are present in other parts of the world, such as the 

Cadia Group deposits (~10 Mt contained copper) in the Macquarie arc of eastern Australia (pl. 133) and the Bozshakol deposit 

(~6.7 Mt contained copper) in Kazakhstan (pl. 78). On the basis of available data and the past exploration results at known 

prospects, the assessment team concluded that a probabilistic assessment for undiscovered Caledonian age porphyry copper 

deposits within 1 km of the surface was not warranted for tract 150pCu6007. Any future interest in the porphyry copper within 

the tract rocks is likely to focus on extensions of identified resources.
Plate 178. Tract 150pCu6007, Western European Caledonian—Belgium and United Kingdom 499

Plate

178

0 75 150 225 300 KILOMETERS

0 75 150 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Europe Albers Equal-Area Conic Projection

Central meridian 0°; latitude of origin 30° N.

NORTH SEA

CELTIC

SEA

IRISH SEA

ENGLISH CHANNEL

BELGIUM

FRANCE

UNITED

KINGDOM

IRELAND

GERMANY

Birmingham

LONDON

Leeds

Rotterdam

Manchester DUBLIN

AMSTERDAM

Rhine River

Herzogenhugel

Grampian Mountains 

Cambrian Mountains

6° W 6° E

54° N

50° N

Coed y Brenin

DENMARK

NETHERLANDS

BAY OF

BISCAY

ATLANTIC

OCEAN FRANCE

ITALY

NORWAY SWEDEN

UNITED 

KINGDOM

IRELAND

20° W 20° E

60° N

50° N

EXPLANATION

Porphyry copper deposit

Assessed porphyry copper tract

 150pCu6007

Porphyry copper prospect
500 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 179. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 150pCu6108, Southern 

Ostrobothnia—Finland

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper (gold, molybdenum) model (Eilu, 2014)

Grade and tonnage model: Precambrian porphyry copper model (Rasilainen, 2014)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: Typical cost

Geologic feature assessed: Early orogenic to synorogenic Paleoproterozoic (1.89–1.88 Ga?) granitoid rocks along the western 

margin of the Central Finland granitoid complex

Number of known deposits: 0

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2012 2,317 0 0.31 70 0.052 95

Source

Rasilainen and others, 2014, Quantitative assessment of undiscovered resources in volcanogenic massive sulphide deposits, 

porphyry copper deposits and Outokumpu-type deposits in Finland: Geological Survey of Finland Report of Investigation 208, 

http://tupa.gtk.fi/julkaisu/tutkimusraportti/tr_208.pdf.

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

95 90 50 10 5

0.40

1.2

0.31

0.052

Identified copper resources = 0

Tract 150pCu6108
Plate 179. Tract 150pCu6108, Southern Ostrobothnia—Finland 501

Plate

179

0 5 10 15 20 KILOMETERS

0 5 10 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from de Ferranti and Hormann (2009)

Finland Zone 3 projection

Central meridian 22° E.; latitude of origin 0°

FINLAND

GULF OF

BOTHNIA

21°45' E 22°30' E

62°30' N

62°00' N

BARENTS

NORWEGIAN SEA

SEA

RUSSIA

POLAND

POLAND

BELARUS

UKRAINE

LATVIA

ESTONIA

0° 30° E

70° N

60° N

50° N

FINLAND

GERMANY

SWEDEN

NORWAY

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract 

150pCu6108

Porphyry copper prospect
502 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 180. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 150pCu6104, Häme—Finland

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper (gold, molybdenum) model (Eilu, 2014)

Grade and tonnage model: Precambrian porphyry copper model (Rasilainen, 2014)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: Typical cost

Geologic feature assessed: Early orogenic to synorogenic Paleoproterozoic (1.89–1.88 Ga) granitoid rock within the Häme 

volcanic belt of southern Finland

Number of known deposits: 0

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2012 4,716 0 1.9 7 0.32 33

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

95 90 50 10 5

0.63

0.32

5.0

7.5

1.9

Identified copper resources = 0

Tract 150pCu6104

Source

Rasilainen and others, 2014, Quantitative assessment of undiscovered resources in volcanogenic massive sulphide deposits, 

porphyry copper deposits and Outokumpu-type deposits in Finland: Geological Survey of Finland Report of Investigation 208, 

http://tupa.gtk.fi/julkaisu/tutkimusraportti/tr_208.pdf.
Plate 180. Tract 150pCu6104, Häme—Finland 503

Plate

180

0 15 30 45 60 KILOMETERS

0 15 30 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from de Ferranti and Hormann (2009)

Finland Zone 3 projection

Central meridian 24° E.; latitude of origin 0°

22°00' E 24°00' E

61°30' N

60°45' N

FINLAND

Turku

HELSINKI

0° 20° E 40° E

57° N

64° N

FINLAND

BELARUS

LATVIA

RUSSIA

POLAND

ESTONIA

NORWEGIAN 

SEA

SWEDEN

NORWAY

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract 

150pCu6104

Porphyry copper prospect
504 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 181. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 150pCu6101, Central 

Finland—Finland

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper (gold, molybdenum) model (Eilu, 2014)

Grade and tonnage model: Precambrian porphyry copper model (Rasilainen, 2014)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: Typical cost

Geologic feature assessed: Early orogenic to synorogenic Paleoproterozoic (1.89–1.88 Ga) granitoid rocks along the southern 

part of the Central Finland granitoid complex

Number of known deposits: 0

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2012 3,859 0 0.76 31 0.31 56

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

95 90 50 10 5

0.93

0.31

2.4

4.0

0.76

Identified copper resources = 0

Tract 150pCu6101

Source

Rasilainen and others, 2014, Quantitative assessment of undiscovered resources in volcanogenic massive sulphide deposits, 

porphyry copper deposits and Outokumpu-type deposits in Finland: Geological Survey of Finland Report of Investigation 208, 

http://tupa.gtk.fi/julkaisu/tutkimusraportti/tr_208.pdf.
Plate 181. Tract 150pCu6101, Central Finland—Finland 505

Plate

181

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from de Ferranti and Hormann (2009)

Finland Zone 3 projection

Central meridian 24° E.; latitude of origin 0°

0 10 20 30 40 KILOMETERS

0 10 20 MILES

FINLAND

Jyvaskyla

23°45' E 25°00' E

62°30' N

62°00' N

NORWAY

SWEDEN

RUSSIA

LATVIA

ESTONIA

0° 20° E 40° E

64° N

57° N

FINLAND

NORWEGIAN

SEA

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract 

150pCu6101

Porphyry copper prospect
506 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 182. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 150pCu6105, Mäntsälä—

Finland

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper (gold, molybdenum) model (Eilu, 2014)

Grade and tonnage model: Precambrian porphyry copper model (Rasilainen, 2014)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: Typical cost

Geologic feature assessed: Early orogenic to synorogenic Paleoproterozoic (1.89–1.88 Ga) granitoid rocks in southern Finland

Number of known deposits: 0

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2012 1,730 0 0.27 70 0.046 95

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

95 90 50 10 5

0.27

0.046

0.44

1.6

Identified copper resources = 0

Tract 150pCu6105

Source

Rasilainen and others, 2014, Quantitative assessment of undiscovered resources in volcanogenic massive sulphide deposits, 

porphyry copper deposits and Outokumpu-type deposits in Finland: Geological Survey of Finland Report of Investigation 208, 

http://tupa.gtk.fi/julkaisu/tutkimusraportti/tr_208.pdf.
Plate 182. Tract 150pCu6105, Mäntsälä—Finland 507

Plate

182

0 5 10 15 20 KILOMETERS

0 5 10 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from de Ferranti and Hormann (2009)

Finland Zone 3 projection

Central meridian 26° E.; latitude of origin 0°

25°00' E 26°00' E

60°45' N

60°30' N

FINLAND

20° E 40° E

57° N

64° N

SWEDEN

RUSSIA

FINLAND NORWAY

LATVIA

ESTONIA

LITHUANIA

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract 

150pCu6105

Porphyry copper prospect
508 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 183. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 150pCu6107, Ruokolahti—

Finland

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper (gold, molybdenum) model (Eilu, 2014)

Grade and tonnage model: Precambrian porphyry copper model (Rasilainen, 2014)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: Typical cost

Geologic feature assessed: Early orogenic to synorogenic Paleoproterozoic (1.89–1.88 Ga?) granitoid rocks in southern 

Finland

Number of known deposits: 0

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2012 805 0 0.23 71 0.039 95

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

95 90 50 10 5

0.35

1.1

0.23

0.039

Identified copper resources = 0

Tract 150pCu6107

Source

Rasilainen and others, 2014, Quantitative assessment of undiscovered resources in volcanogenic massive sulphide deposits, 

porphyry copper deposits and Outokumpu-type deposits in Finland: Geological Survey of Finland Report of Investigation 208, 

http://tupa.gtk.fi/julkaisu/tutkimusraportti/tr_208.pdf.
Plate 183. Tract 150pCu6107, Ruokolahti—Finland 509

Plate

183

0 3 6 9 12 KILOMETERS

0 3 6 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from de Ferranti and Hormann (2009)

Finland Zone 3 projection

Central meridian 29° E.; latitude of origin 0°

RUSSIA

FINLAND

SAIMAA

28°30' E 29°00' E

61°30' N

61°15' N

20° E 40° E

64° N

57° N

ESTONIA

RUSSIA

FINLAND

SWEDEN

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract 

150pCu6107

Porphyry copper prospect
510 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 184. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 150pCu6110, Tampere—

Finland

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper (gold, molybdenum) model (Eilu, 2014)

Grade and tonnage model: Precambrian porphyry copper model (Rasilainen, 2014)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: Typical cost

Geologic feature assessed: Early orogenic to synorogenic Paleoproterozoic (1.89–1.88 Ga) granitoid rocks along the southern 

part of the Central Finland granitoid complex

Number of known deposits: 0

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2012 5,046 0 2.0 7 0.34 33

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

95 90 50 10 5

5.1

7.7

2.0

0.34

0.66

Identified copper resources = 0

Tract 150pCu6110

Source

Rasilainen and others, 2014, Quantitative assessment of undiscovered resources in volcanogenic massive sulphide deposits, 

porphyry copper deposits and Outokumpu-type deposits in Finland: Geological Survey of Finland Report of Investigation 208, 

http://tupa.gtk.fi/julkaisu/tutkimusraportti/tr_208.pdf.
Plate 184. Tract 150pCu6110, Tampere—Finland 511

Plate

184

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from de Ferranti and Hormann (2009)

Finland Zone 3 projection

Central meridian 24° E.; latitude of origin 0°

0

0 15

15 30 45 60 KILOMETERS

30 MILES

24°00' E 26°00' E

62°15' N

61°30' N

FINLAND

Jyvaskyla

0° 20° E 40° E

64° N

57° N

NORWAY

LATVIA

RUSSIA

NORWEGIAN

SEA

FINLAND

SWEDEN

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract 

150pCu6110

Porphyry copper prospect
512 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 185. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 150pCu6109, Southern Savo—

Finland

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper (gold, molybdenum) model (Eilu, 2014)

Grade and tonnage model: Precambrian porphyry copper model (Rasilainen, 2014)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: Typical cost

Geologic feature assessed: Synorogenic Paleoproterozoic (1.89–1.88 Ga?) granitoid rocks that intruded Svecofennian mica 

gneisses and mafic volcanic rocks in southeastern Finland

Number of known deposits: 0

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2012 603 0 0.28 7 0.047 95

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

95 90 50 10 5

0.34

1.3

0.28

0.047

Identified copper resources = 0

Tract 150pCu6109

Source

Rasilainen and others, 2014, Quantitative assessment of undiscovered resources in volcanogenic massive sulphide deposits, 

porphyry copper deposits and Outokumpu-type deposits in Finland: Geological Survey of Finland Report of Investigation 208, 

http://tupa.gtk.fi/julkaisu/tutkimusraportti/tr_208.pdf.
Plate 185. Tract 150pCu6109, Southern Savo—Finland 513

Plate

185

0 5 10 15 20 KILOMETERS

0 5 10 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from de Ferranti and Hormann (2009)

Finland Zone 3 projection

Central meridian 28° E.; latitude of origin 0°

FINLAND

27°45' E 28°30' E

62°15' N

62°00' N

SWEDEN

LATVIA

RUSSIA

FINLAND

ESTONIA

20° E 40° E

64° N

57° N

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract 

150pCu6109

Porphyry copper prospect
514 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 186. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 150pCu6102, Central 

Ostrobothnia—Finland

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper (gold, molybdenum) model (Eilu, 2014)

Grade and tonnage model: Precambrian porphyry copper model (Rasilainen, 2014)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: Typical cost

Geologic feature assessed: Felsic intrusive rocks of the northern part of the Paleoproterozoic (1.88 Ga) Central Finland 

granitoid complex

Number of known deposits: 1

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2012 11,155 0.045 1.9 7 0.32 33

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

1.9

0.32

0.016

0.67

5.1

7.5

95 90 50 10 5

Identified copper resources (0.045 Mt) 

Tract 150pCu6102

Source

Rasilainen and others, 2014, Quantitative assessment of undiscovered resources in volcanogenic massive sulphide deposits, 

porphyry copper deposits and Outokumpu-type deposits in Finland: Geological Survey of Finland Report of Investigation 208, 

http://tupa.gtk.fi/julkaisu/tutkimusraportti/tr_208.pdf.
Plate 186. Tract 150pCu6102, Central Ostrobothnia—Finland 515

Plate

186

0 10 20 30 40 KILOMETERS

0 10 20 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from de Ferranti and Hormann (2009)

Finland Zone 3 projection

Central meridian 25° E.; latitude of origin 0°

FINLAND

Jyvaskyla

Kopsa

24°00' E 25°30' E

64°00' N

63°00' N

GULF OF

BOTHNIA

0° 30° E

70° N

60° N

50° N

RUSSIA

POLAND

NORWAY

BELARUS

UKRAINE

LATVIA

ESTONIA

NORWEGIAN

SEA

BARENTS

SEA

GERMANY

SWEDEN

FINLAND

EXPLANATION

Porphyry copper prospect

Porphyry copper deposit

Assessed porphyry copper tract 

150pCu6102
516 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 187. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 150pCu6103, Haaparanta—

Finland

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper (gold, molybdenum) model (Eilu, 2014)

Grade and tonnage model: Precambrian porphyry copper model (Rasilainen, 2014)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: Typical cost

Geologic feature assessed: Extent of known intrusions of the Paleoproterozoic (1.88 Ga) Haaparanta suite in Finland

Number of known deposits: 0

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2012 5,823 0 1.5 20 0.25 50

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

95 90 50 10 5

4.1

0.34

6.0

1.5

0.25

Identified copper resources = 0

Tract 150pCu6103

Source

Rasilainen and others, 2014, Quantitative assessment of undiscovered resources in volcanogenic massive sulphide deposits, 

porphyry copper deposits and Outokumpu-type deposits in Finland: Geological Survey of Finland Report of Investigation 208, 

http://tupa.gtk.fi/julkaisu/tutkimusraportti/tr_208.pdf.
Plate 187. Tract 150pCu6103, Haaparanta—Finland 517

Plate

187

0 15 30 45 60 KILOMETERS

0 15 30 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from de Ferranti and Hormann (2009)

Finland Zone 3 projection

Central meridian 25° E.; latitude of origin 0°

24° E 26° E

68° N

67° N

66° N

FINLAND

SWEDEN

GULF OF

BOTHNIA

0° 30° E

70° N

60° N

50° N

RUSSIA

POLAND

FINLAND NORWAY

BELARUS

UKRAINE

LATVIA

GERMANY

SWEDEN

BARENTS

SEA NORWEGIAN

SEA

Assessed porphyry copper tract 

150pCu6103

EXPLANATION
518 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 188. Porphyry Copper Assessment for Tract 150pCu6106, Nilipää—Finland

Descriptive model: Porphyry copper (gold, molybdenum) model (Eilu, 2014)

Grade and tonnage model: Precambrian porphyry copper model (Rasilainen, 2014)

Economic filter depth percentages: Default—0 to 250 meters (m), 25%; >250 to 500 m, 25%; >500 m to 1 km, 50%

Economic filter cost setting: Typical cost

Geologic feature assessed: Paleoproterozoic (2.1 Ga) granitoid intrusions in the contact zone of the Central Lapland granitoid 

complex and greenstone belt along the Venejoki fault in Finland

Number of known deposits: 0

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Porphyry Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

Mean estimate of 

economic resources 

(Mt)

Probability of 0 

economic resources 

(percent)

2012 2,035 0 0.21 70 0.035 95

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

Copper, in millions of metric tons

0.01

0.10

1

10

100

1,000

In-place Economic

Percent Mean

95 90 50 10 5

0.30

0.21

0.035

1.2

Identified copper resources = 0

Tract 150pCu6106

Source

Rasilainen and others, 2014, Quantitative assessment of undiscovered resources in volcanogenic massive sulphide deposits, 

porphyry copper deposits and Outokumpu-type deposits in Finland: Geological Survey of Finland Report of Investigation 208, 

http://tupa.gtk.fi/julkaisu/tutkimusraportti/tr_208.pdf.
Plate 188. Tract 150pCu6106, Nilipää—Finland 519

Plate

188

0 10 20 30 40 KILOMETERS

0 10 20 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from de Ferranti and Hormann (2009)

Finland Zone 3 projection

Central meridian 26° E.; latitude of origin 0°

FINLAND

25°00' E 27°00' E

67°30' N

67°00' N

NORWEGIAN

SEA

BARENTS

SEA

RUSSIA

SWEDEN

FINLAND

20° E 40° E

65° N

70° N

NORWAY

EXPLANATION

Assessed porphyry copper tract 

150pCu6106

Plates 189–236. Results of Regional-Scale 

Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper 

Assessments
522 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 189. Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper Assessment for Tract 

005ssCu5100, Neuquén Basin—Argentina and Chile

Descriptive model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper—Sandstone copper subtype model (Cox and others, 2007; 

Zientek, Hayes, and Hammarstrom, 2013)

Geologic feature assessed: Jurassic to Cretaceous sedimentary rocks of the Neuquén Basin

Number of known deposits: 9

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper

Source

Zientek, Wintzer, and others, 2015, Qualitative assessment of selected areas of the world for undiscovered sediment-hosted stratabound copper 

deposits: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5090–Y, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090Y.

[Assessment depth, 0 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Qualitative assessment ranking

Analytic hierarchy process—

Alternative utility*

(percent)

Overall rank

2012 126,175 0.18 9.23 7th of 10 areas

*

Alternative utility is a numerical weight derived from evaluation of three assessment criteria.

Graph showing qualitative 

ranking of basins determined by 

the analytic hierarchy process 

(AHP). Alternative utility is the 

overall score derived from the 

AHP method.

14.7

12.6 12.3

10.3 10.1

9.35 9.23

7.57

6.92 6.88

Northwest

Botswana

Rift

(pl. 235)

Benguela

& Cuanza

Basins

(pl. 236)

Egypt-IsraelJordan Rift

(pl. 229)

Redstone

Copperbelt

(pl. 194)

Dongchuan

Group rocks

(pl. 218)

Belt-Purcell

Basin

(pl. 193)

Neuquén

Basin

(pl. 189)

Maritimes

Basin

(pl. 196)

Chuxiong

Basin

(pl. 219)

Salta Rift

System

(pl. 190)

Tract name (plate number)

15

13

11

9

7

5

3

1

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

Alternative utility, in percent

005ssCu5100

Mineralization

Extent of tract area

Lithostratigraphic framework

EXPLANATION
Plate 189. Tract 005ssCu5100, Neuquén Basin—Argentina and Chile 523

Plate

189

0 40 80 120 160 KILOMETERS

0 40 80 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

South America Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 69° W.; latitude of origin 32° S.

Andes Mountains

ARGENTINA

CHILE

72° W 69° W 66° W

35° S

40° S

Cerro Mesa

Sauzal Bonito

Tordillos

San Romeleo

El Porvanir

Minas La Cuprosa and La Barrosa

Barda Gonzalez

Mina Huemul

Palo Quernado

Talca

Neuquén

San Juan

Mendoza

Valparaiso

San Luis

SANTIAGO

ARGENTINA

ATLANTIC

OCEAN

PACIFIC

OCEAN

75° W 60° W

30° S

45° S

CHILE

EXPLANATION

Assessed sediment-hosted

 copper tract 005ssCu5100

Sediment-hosted copper deposit

Sediment-hosted copper prospect
524 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 190. Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper Assessment for Tract 

005rfCu5101, Salta Rift System—Argentina

Descriptive model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper—Reduced-facies copper subtype model (Cox and others, 

2007; Zientek, Hayes, and Hammarstrom, 2013)

Geologic feature assessed: Marine carbonaceous and continental clastic rocks of the Upper Cretaceous Lecho and Yacoraite 

Formations and Pirgua Subgroup of the Salta Group, Salta Rift System

Number of known deposits: 2

Source

Zientek, Wintzer, and others, 2015, Qualitative assessment of selected areas of the world for undiscovered sediment-hosted stratabound copper 

deposits: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5090–Y, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090Y.

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper

[Assessment depth, 0 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Qualitative assessment ranking

Analytic hierarchy process—

Alternative utility*

(percent)

Overall rank

2012 27,345 0.21 6.88 10th of 10 areas

*

Alternative utility is a numerical weight derived from evaluation of three assessment criteria.

Graph showing qualitative 

ranking of basins determined by 

the analytic hierarchy process 

(AHP). Alternative utility is the 

overall score derived from the 

AHP method.

14.7

12.6 12.3

10.3 10.1

9.35 9.23

7.57

6.92 6.88

Northwest

Botswana

Rift

(pl. 235)

Benguela

& Cuanza

Basins

(pl. 236)

Egypt-IsraelJordan Rift

(pl. 229)

Redstone

Copperbelt

(pl. 194)

Dongchuan

Group rocks

(pl. 218)

Belt-Purcell

Basin

(pl. 193)

Neuquén

Basin

(pl. 189)

Maritimes

Basin

(pl. 196)

Chuxiong

Basin

(pl. 219)

Salta Rift

System

(pl. 190)

Tract name (plate number)

15

13

11

9

7

5

3

1

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

Alternative utility, in percent

005rfCu5101

Mineralization

Extent of tract area

Lithostratigraphic framework

EXPLANATION
Plate 190. Tract 005rfCu5101, Salta Rift System—Argentina 525

Plate

190

0 30 60 90 120 KILOMETERS

0 30 60 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

South America Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 65° W.; latitude of origin 32° S.

ARGENTINA

BOLIVIA

CHILE

San Miguel de Tucumán

San Salvador

de Jujuy

Salta

Leon

Martín Bronce

Andes Mountains

66° W 64° W

22° S

24° S

26° S

ARGENTINA

BOLIVIA

CHILE

PERU

PACIFIC

OCEAN

70° W 60° W

20° S

30° S

EXPLANATION

Assessed sediment-hosted

 copper tract 005rfCu5101

Sediment-hosted copper deposit

Sediment-hosted copper prospect
526 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 191. Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper Assessment for Tract 

003rfnbCu3002, Great Plains (GP04), Anadarko-Palo Duro-Midland Permian 

Basin—United States

Descriptive model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper—Reduced-facies-nonbrecciated copper subtype model 

(Cox and others, 2007; Zientek, Hayes, and Hammarstrom, 2013)

Grade and tonnage model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper—Reduced-facies-nonbrecciated copper subtype model 

(Zientek, Hayes, and Taylor, 2013)

Geologic feature assessed: Marine carbonaceous rocks of the Permian (Guadalupian) Flowerpot Shale interbedded with 

continental clastic rocks of the San Angelo Formation, Anadarko, Palo Duro, and Midland 

Permian Basins

Number of known deposits: 3

Source

U.S. Geological Survey National Mineral Resource Assessment Team, 2002, Assessment of undiscovered deposits of gold, silver, copper, lead, 

and zinc in the United States: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 02–198, http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2002/of02-198/.

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Median estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of mean 

or greater 

(percent)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

1998 186,791 0.046 5.8 16 32 7

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

Tract 003rfnbCu3002

Identified copper resources (0.046 Mt)

0.01

0.10

10

100

1,000

Copper, in millions of metric tons

1

95 90 50 10 5 Mean

Percent

0.060

5.8

46

66

16

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper
Plate 191. Tract 003rfnbCu3002, Great Plains (GP04), Anadarko-Palo Duro-Midland Permian Basin—United States 527

Plate

191

0 60 120 180 240 KILOMETERS

0 60 120 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

U.S. Contiguous States Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 100°0' W.; latitude of origin 37°30' N.

Oklahoma City

Dallas

Santa Fe

105° W 100° W 95° W

36° N

33° N

UNITED

STATES Crowell (McClellan)

Creta

Mangum

Rio Grande

Arkansas River

120° W 90° W 60° W

50° N

30° N

CANADA

UNITED

STATES 

MEXICO

PACIFIC

OCEAN

ATLANTIC

OCEAN

EXPLANATION

Sediment-hosted copper deposit

Assessed sediment-hosted

 copper tract 003rfnbCu3002

Sediment-hosted copper prospect
528 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 192. Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper Assessment for Tract 

003rfnbCu3003, Lake Superior (LS07), Midcontinent Rift—United States

Descriptive model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper—Reduced-facies-nonbrecciated copper subtype model 

(Cox and others, 2007; Zientek, Hayes, and Hammarstrom, 2013)

Grade and tonnage model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper—Reduced-facies-nonbrecciated copper subtype model 

(Zientek, Hayes, and Taylor, 2013)

Geologic feature assessed: Marine carbonaceous rocks of the Mesoproterozoic Nonesuch Formation overlying Mesoproterozoic 

continental clastic rocks of the Copper Harbor Formation, Midcontinent Rift

Number of known deposits: 2

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

Tract 003rfnbCu3003

Identified copper resources (9.4 Mt)

0.01

0.10

10

100

1,000

Copper, in millions of metric tons

1

95 90 50 10 5 Mean

Percent

0.076

0.59

10

47

67

18

Source

U.S. Geological Survey National Mineral Resource Assessment Team, 2002, Assessment of undiscovered deposits of gold, silver, copper, lead, 

and zinc in the United States: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 02–198, http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2002/of02-198/.

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Median estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of mean 

or greater 

(percent)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

1998 123,147 9.4 10 18 35 4
Plate 192. Tract 003rfnbCu3003, Lake Superior (LS07), Midcontinent Rift—United States 529

Plate

192

0 100 200 300 400 KILOMETERS

0 100 200 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

North America Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 90° W.; latitude of origin 40° N.

Lake Superior CANADA

Kansas City

St Louis

Detroit

Cleveland

Chicago

Cincinnati

Ohio

River

White

Pine Presque

Isle

96° W 90° W 84° W

48° N

42° N

UNITED

STATES

Lake

Huron

Lake

Erie

Lake

Michigan

Milwaukee

Arkansas River

Missouri River

Minneapolis

Mississippi River

CANADA

105° W 90° W 75° W

50° N

40° N

UNITED

STATES

Sediment-hosted copper deposit

EXPLANATION

Assessed sediment-hosted copper

 tract 003rfnbCu3003
530 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 193. Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper Assessment for Tract 

003ssCu3100, Belt-Purcell Basin—United States and Canada

Descriptive model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper—Sandstone copper subtype model (Cox and others, 2007; 

Zientek, Hayes, and Hammarstrom, 2013)

Grade and tonnage model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper—Sandstone copper subtype model (Zientek, Hayes, and 

Taylor, 2013)

Geologic feature assessed: Coarse-grained siliciclastic rocks of the Middle Proterozoic Revett and Creston Formations, 

Belt-Purcell Basin

Number of known deposits: 11

Sources

U.S. Geological Survey National Mineral Resource Assessment Team, 2002, Assessment of undiscovered deposits of gold, silver, copper, lead, 

and zinc in the United States: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 02–198, http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2002/of02-198/.

Zientek, Wintzer, and others, 2015, Qualitative assessment of selected areas of the world for undiscovered sediment-hosted stratabound copper 

deposits: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5090–Y, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090Y.

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper—Comparison of 

Results from Two Methods

[Assessment depth, 0 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Qualitative assessment ranking

Analytic hierarchy process—

Alternative utility*

(percent)

Overall rank

2012 1,633 3.2 9.35 6th of 10 areas

*

Alternative utility is a numerical weight derived from evaluation of three assessment criteria.

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Median estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of mean 

or greater 

(percent)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

1998 1,633 3.2 5.2 10 33 1

Data Related to the Estimated Probability Distribution of Undiscovered Copper Resources

Data Related to the Alternative Utility Derived from the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP)
Plate 193. Tract 003ssCu3100, Belt-Purcell Basin—United States and Canada 531

Plate

193

0 10 20 30 40 KILOMETERS

0 10 20 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

North America Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 115° W.; latitude of origin 40° N.

Rocky Mountains

Bitterroot Mountains

UNITED STATES

CANADA

Spar Lake

JF

Rock Creek

Copper Gulch

Horizon Basin

Montanore

Rock Peak

Vermilion River

Niagara

Missoula National

Snowstorm

116° W 115° W

49° N

48° N

Lake Pend

Oreille

CANADA

UNITED STATES

120° W 110° W

54° N

46° N

EXPLANATION

Assessed sediment-hosted

 copper tract 003ssCu3100

Sediment-hosted copper deposit

Sediment-hosted copper prospect
532 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

Tract 003ssCu3100

Identified copper resources (3.2 Mt)

0.01

0.10

10

100

1,000

Copper, in millions of metric tons

1

95 90 50 10 5 Mean

Percent

0.87

1.4

5.2

26 34

10
Plate 193. Tract 003ssCu3100, Belt-Purcell Basin—United States and Canada 533

Plate

193

Graph showing qualitative 

ranking of basins determined by 

the analytic hierarchy process 

(AHP). Alternative utility is the 

overall score derived from the 

AHP method.

14.7

12.6 12.3

10.3 10.1

9.35 9.23

7.57

6.92 6.88

Northwest

Botswana

Rift

(pl. 235)

Benguela

& Cuanza

Basins

(pl. 236)

Egypt-IsraelJordan Rift

(pl. 229)

Redstone

Copperbelt

(pl. 194)

Dongchuan

Group rocks

(pl. 218)

Belt-Purcell

Basin

(pl. 193)

Neuquén

Basin

(pl. 189)

Maritimes

Basin

(pl. 196)

Chuxiong

Basin

(pl. 219)

Salta Rift

System

(pl. 190)

Tract name (plate number)

15

13

11

9

7

5

3

1

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

Alternative utility, in percent

003ssCu3100

Mineralization

Extent of tract area

Lithostratigraphic framework

EXPLANATION
534 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 194. Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper Assessment for Tract 

003rfCu3000, Redstone Copperbelt—Canada

Descriptive model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper—Reduced-facies copper subtype model (Cox and others, 

2007; Zientek, Hayes, and Hammarstrom, 2013)

Geologic feature assessed: Marine carbonaceous rocks of the Neoproterozoic Coppercap Formation, Redstone Copperbelt, 

Mackenzie Mountains

Number of known deposits: 3

Source

Zientek, Wintzer, and others, 2015, Qualitative assessment of selected areas of the world for undiscovered sediment-hosted stratabound copper 

deposits: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5090–Y, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090Y.

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper

[Assessment depth, 0 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Qualitative assessment ranking

Analytic hierarchy process—

Alternative utility*

(percent)

Overall rank

2012 8,923 1.4 10.3 4th of 10 areas

*

Alternative utility is a numerical weight derived from evaluation of three assessment criteria.

Graph showing qualitative 

ranking of basins determined by 

the analytic hierarchy process 

(AHP). Alternative utility is the 

overall score derived from the 

AHP method.

14.7

12.6 12.3

10.3 10.1

9.35 9.23

7.57

6.92 6.88

Northwest

Botswana

Rift

(pl. 235)

Benguela

& Cuanza

Basins

(pl. 236)

Egypt-IsraelJordan Rift

(pl. 229)

Redstone

Copperbelt

(pl. 194)

Dongchuan

Group rocks

(pl. 218)

Belt-Purcell

Basin

(pl. 193)

Neuquén

Basin

(pl. 189)

Maritimes

Basin

(pl. 196)

Chuxiong

Basin

(pl. 219)

Salta Rift

System

(pl. 190)

Tract name (plate number)

15

13

11

9

7

5

3

1

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

Alternative utility, in percent

003rfCu3000

Mineralization

Extent of tract area

Lithostratigraphic framework

EXPLANATION
Plate 194. Tract 003rfCu3000, Redstone Copperbelt—Canada 535

Plate

194

0 15 30 45 60 KILOMETERS

0 15 30 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Canada Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 128° W.; latitude of origin 40° N.

Rocky Mountains

CANADA

Jay

Coates Lake

June Creek

MacKenzie River

129° W 126° W

64° N

62° N

CANADA

135° W 120° W

70° N

62° N

GULF OF 

ALASKA

BEAUFORT 

SEA

EXPLANATION

Assessed sediment-hosted

 copper tract 003rfCu3000

Sediment-hosted copper deposit

Sediment-hosted copper prospect
536 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 195. Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper Assessment for Tract 

003rfnbCu3004, Southern Appalachian Mountains (SA18), Culpeper Basin—

United States

Descriptive model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper—Reduced-facies-nonbrecciated copper subtype model 

(Cox and others, 2007; Zientek, Hayes, and Hammarstrom, 2013)

Grade and tonnage model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper—Reduced-facies-nonbrecciated copper subtype model 

(Zientek, Hayes, and Taylor, 2013)

Geologic feature assessed: Triassic lacustrine carbonaceous mudstone intervals within sequences of continental sandstone and 

siltstones of the Newark Supergroup, Culpeper Basin

Number of known deposits: 0

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

0.01

0.10

10

100

1,000

Copper, in millions of metric tons

1

Percent

95 90 50 10 5 Mean

Identified copper resources = 0

Tract 003rfnbCu3004

0.037

1.4

19

31

6.6

Source

U.S. Geological Survey National Mineral Resource Assessment Team, 2002, Assessment of undiscovered deposits of gold, silver, copper, lead, 

and zinc in the United States: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 02–198, http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2002/of02-198/.

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Median estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of mean 

or greater 

(percent)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

1998 11,566 0 1.4 6.6 25 7
Plate 195. Tract 003rfnbCu3004, Southern Appalachian Mountains (SA18), Culpeper Basin—United States 537

Plate

195

0 30 60 90 120 KILOMETERS

0 30 60 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

North America Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 76° W.; latitude of origin 40° N.

Newark

Harrisburg

Trenton

Appalachian Mountains

78° W 75° W

40° N

38° N

ATLANTIC OCEAN

UNITED STATES

New York

Philadelphia

Baltimore

WASHINGTON

DC

84° W 72° W

42° N

36° N

CANADA

ATLANTIC

OCEAN

UNITED

STATES

EXPLANATION

Assessed sediment-hosted

 copper tract 003rfnbCu3004

Sediment-hosted copper prospect
538 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 196. Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper Assessment for Tract 

003shCu1000, Maritimes Basin—Canada

Descriptive model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper model (Cox and others, 2007; Zientek, Hayes, and 

Hammarstrom, 2013)

Geologic feature assessed: Carboniferous sedimentary rocks, Maritimes Basin

Number of known deposits: 2

Source

Zientek, Wintzer, and others, 2015, Qualitative assessment of selected areas of the world for undiscovered sediment-hosted stratabound copper 

deposits: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5090–Y, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090Y.

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper

[Assessment depth, 0 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Qualitative assessment ranking

Analytic hierarchy process—

Alternative utility*

(percent)

Overall rank

2012 71,941 0.050 7.57 8th of 10 areas

*

Alternative utility is a numerical weight derived from evaluation of three assessment criteria.

Graph showing qualitative 

ranking of basins determined by 

the analytic hierarchy process 

(AHP). Alternative utility is the 

overall score derived from the 

AHP method.

14.7

12.6 12.3

10.3 10.1

9.35 9.23

7.57

6.92 6.88

Northwest

Botswana

Rift

(pl. 235)

Benguela

& Cuanza

Basins

(pl. 236)

Egypt-IsraelJordan Rift

(pl. 229)

Redstone

Copperbelt

(pl. 194)

Dongchuan

Group rocks

(pl. 218)

Belt-Purcell

Basin

(pl. 193)

Neuquén

Basin

(pl. 189)

Maritimes

Basin

(pl. 196)

Chuxiong

Basin

(pl. 219)

Salta Rift

System

(pl. 190)

Tract name (plate number)

15

13

11

9

7

5

3

1

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

Alternative utility, in percent

003shCu1000

Mineralization

Extent of tract area

Lithostratigraphic framework

EXPLANATION
Plate 196. Tract 003shCu1000, Maritimes Basin—Canada 539

Plate

196

0 70 140 210 280 KILOMETERS

0 70 140 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Canada Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 61° W.; latitude of origin 40° N.

CANADA

UNITED

STATES

Halifax

Saint John Canfield Creek

Dorchester

ATLANTIC OCEAN

GULF OF

ST LAWRENCE

BAY OF 

FUNDY

66° W 60° W

50° N

46° N

CANADA

UNITED

STATES

ATLANTIC

OCEAN

80° W 55° W 30° W

50° N

40° N

30° N

EXPLANATION

Sediment-hosted copper deposit

Assessed sediment-hosted

 copper tract 003shCu1000

Sediment-hosted copper prospect
540 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 197. Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper Assessment for Tract 

003rfnbCu0004, Ravnefjeld Formation (CE 2 and CE 4–15), Central European Basin 

System—Greenland

Descriptive model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper—Reduced-facies-nonbrecciated copper subtype model (Cox 

and others, 2007; Zientek, Hayes, and Hammarstrom, 2013)

Grade and tonnage model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper—Reduced-facies-nonbrecciated copper subtype model 

(Zientek, Hayes, and Taylor, 2013)

Geologic feature assessed: Marine carbonaceous rocks of the upper Permian Ravnefjeld Formation (Zechstein 1 equivalent) 

overlying Devonian to lower Permian continental clastic sedimentary and volcanic rocks, central 

East Greenland

Number of known deposits: 0

Source

Stensgaard and others, 2011, Quantitative mineral resource assessment—Sedimentary-hosted copper in Greenland: Geological Survey of 

Denmark and Greenland (GEUS) Report 2011/104.

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

0.01

0.10

10

100

1,000

Copper, in millions of metric tons

1

Percent

95 90 50 10 5 Mean

Identified copper resources = 0

Tract 003rfnbCu0004

0.27

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates*

Median estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of mean 

or greater 

(percent)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

2009 2,176 0 0 0.27 4 96

*

Estimates from Stensgaard and others (2011) were revised slightly to conform with project protocols for spatial aggregation and definition of identified resources.
Plate 197. Tract 003rfnbCu0004, Ravnefjeld Formation (CE 2 and CE 4–15), Central European Basin System—Greenland 541

Plate

197

0 12 24 36 48 KILOMETERS

0 12 24 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Howat and others (2014)

North America Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 23° W.; latitude of origin 40° N.

GREENLAND

SEA

GREENLAND

24° W 22° W

74° N

72° N

FOSTER

BAY

GREENLAND

SEA

30° W 15° W

78° N

70° N

GREENLAND

ICELAND

EXPLANATION

Assessed sediment-hosted

 copper tract 003rfnbCu0004

Sediment-hosted copper

 prospect 
542 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 198. Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper Assessment for Tract 

003rfnbCu0001, Pingel Dal Beds (CE 1B), Jameson Land Basin—Greenland

Descriptive model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper—Reduced-facies-nonbrecciated copper subtype model 

(Cox and others, 2007; Zientek, Hayes, and Hammarstrom, 2013)

Grade and tonnage model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper—Reduced-facies-nonbrecciated copper subtype model 

(Zientek, Hayes, and Taylor, 2013)

Geologic feature assessed: Lacustrine carbonaceous rocks of the Upper Triassic Pingel Dal Beds of the Edderfugledal 

Member, Fleming Fjord Formation, Jameson Land Basin, central East Greenland

Number of known deposits: 0

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

0.01

0.10

10

100

1,000

Copper, in millions of metric tons

1

Percent

95 90 50 10 5 Mean

Identified copper resources = 0

Tract 003rfnbCu0001

0.17

Source

Stensgaard and others, 2011, Quantitative mineral resource assessment—Sedimentary-hosted copper in Greenland: Geological Survey of 

Denmark and Greenland (GEUS) Report 2011/104.

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates*

Median estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of mean 

or greater 

(percent)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

2009 917 0 0 0.17 3 96

*

Estimates from Stensgaard and others (2011) were revised slightly to conform with project protocols for spatial aggregation and definition of identified resources.
Plate 198. Tract 003rfnbCu0001, Pingel Dal Beds (CE 1B), Jameson Land Basin—Greenland 543

Plate

198

0 3 6 9 12 KILOMETERS

0 3 6 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Howat and others (2014)

North America Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 24° W.; latitude of origin 40° N.

24°00' W 23°30' W

72°00' N

71°45' N

GREENLAND

GREENLAND

ICELAND

45° W 30° W 15° W

75° N

70° N

65° N

GREENLAND

SEA EXPLANATION

Assessed sediment-hosted

 copper tract 003rfnbCu0001
544 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 199. Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper Assessment for Tract 

003rfnbCu0005, Pingel Dal Beds (CE 1A), Jameson Land Basin—Greenland

Descriptive model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper—Reduced-facies-nonbrecciated copper subtype model 

(Cox and others, 2007; Zientek, Hayes, and Hammarstrom, 2013)

Grade and tonnage model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper—Reduced-facies-nonbrecciated copper subtype model 

(Zientek, Hayes, and Taylor, 2013)

Geologic feature assessed: Lacustrine carbonaceous rocks of the Upper Triassic Pingel Dal Beds of the Edderfugledal 

Member, Fleming Fjord Formation, Jameson Land Basin, central East Greenland

Number of known deposits: 0

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

0.01

0.10

10

100

1,000

Copper, in millions of metric tons

1

Percent

95 90 50 10 5 Mean

Identified copper resources = 0

Tract 003rfnbCu0005

1.6

0.68

Source

Stensgaard and others, 2011, Quantitative mineral resource assessment—Sedimentary-hosted copper in Greenland: Geological Survey of 

Denmark and Greenland (GEUS) Report 2011/104.

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates*

Median estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of mean 

or greater 

(percent)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

2009 2,507 0 0 0.68 7 91

*

Estimates from Stensgaard and others (2011) were revised slightly to conform with project protocols for spatial aggregation and definition of identified resources.
Plate 199. Tract 003rfnbCu0005, Pingel Dal Beds (CE 1A), Jameson Land Basin—Greenland 545

Plate

199

0 6 12 18 24 KILOMETERS

0 6 12 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Howat and others (2014)

North America Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 23° W.; latitude of origin 40° N.

GREENLAND

GREENLAND SEA

23° W 22° W

72° N

71° N

GREENLAND

ICELAND

GREENLAND

SEA

28° W 20° W

70° N

65° N

EXPLANATION

Assessed sediment-hosted

 copper tract 003rfnbCu0005

Sediment-hosted copper

 prospect
546 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 200. Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper Assessment for Tract 

003ssCu0001, Huledal Formation (CE 15), Jameson Land Basin—Greenland

Descriptive model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper—Sandstone copper subtype model (Cox and others, 2007; 

Zientek, Hayes, and Hammarstrom, 2013)

Grade and tonnage model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper—Sandstone copper subtype model (Zientek, Hayes, and 

Taylor, 2013)

Geologic feature assessed: Coarse-grained siliciclastic rocks of the Permian Huledal Formation, Jameson Land Basin, central 

East Greenland

Number of known deposits: 0

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

0.01

0.10

10

100

1,000

Copper, in millions of metric tons

1

Percent

95 90 50 10 5 Mean

Identified copper resources = 0

Tract 003ssCu0001

0.012

Source

Stensgaard and others, 2011, Quantitative mineral resource assessment—Sedimentary-hosted copper in Greenland: Geological Survey of 

Denmark and Greenland (GEUS) Report 2011/104.

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates*

Median estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of mean 

or greater 

(percent)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

2009 154 0 0 0.012 3 97

*

Estimates from Stensgaard and others (2011) were revised slightly to conform with project protocols for spatial aggregation and definition of identified resources.
Plate 200. Tract 003ssCu0001, Huledal Formation (CE 15), Jameson Land Basin—Greenland 547

Plate

200

0 3 6 9 12 KILOMETERS

0 3 6 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Howat and others (2014)

North America Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 21° W.; latitude of origin 40° N.

21°30' W 21°00' W

74°00' N

73°45' N

GAEL HAMKES

BAY

GREENLAND

40° W 20° W 0°

GREENLAND

SEA

ATLANTIC

OCEAN

GREENLAND

ICELAND

70° N

62° N

EXPLANATION

Assessed sediment-hosted

 copper tract 003ssCu0001
548 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 201. Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper Assessment for Tract 

003ssCu0002, Huledal Formation (CE 13–14), Jameson Land Basin—Greenland

Descriptive model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper—Sandstone copper subtype model (Cox and others, 2007; 

Zientek, Hayes, and Hammarstrom, 2013)

Grade and tonnage model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper—Sandstone copper subtype model (Zientek, Hayes, and 

Taylor, 2013)

Geologic feature assessed: Coarse-grained siliciclastic rocks of the Permian Huledal Formation, Jameson Land Basin, central 

East Greenland

Number of known deposits: 0

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

0.01

0.10

10

100

1,000

Copper, in millions of metric tons

1

Percent

95 90 50 10 5 Mean

Identified copper resources = 0

Tract 003ssCu0002

0.016

0.13

1.5

4.5

0.92

Source

Stensgaard and others, 2011, Quantitative mineral resource assessment—Sedimentary-hosted copper in Greenland: Geological Survey of 

Denmark and Greenland (GEUS) Report 2011/104.

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates*

Median estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of mean 

or greater 

(percent)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

2009 362 0 0.13 0.92 14 6

*

Estimates from Stensgaard and others (2011) were revised slightly to conform with project protocols for spatial aggregation and definition of identified resources.
Plate 201. Tract 003ssCu0002, Huledal Formation (CE 13–14), Jameson Land Basin—Greenland 549

Plate

201

0 3 6 9 12 KILOMETERS

0 3 6 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Howat and others (2014)

North America Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 22° W.; latitude of origin 40° N.

22°30' W 22°00' W

73°30' N

73°20' N

GREENLAND

GREENLAND 

SEA

60° W 40° W 20° W 0°

70° N

62° N

GREENLAND

SEA

ATLANTIC

OCEAN

GREENLAND

ICELAND

EXPLANATION

Sediment-hosted copper

 prospect

Assessed sediment-hosted 

 copper tract 003ssCu0002
550 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 202. Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper Assessment for Tract 

003ssCu0003, Huledal Formation (CE 2), Jameson Land Basin—Greenland

Descriptive model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper—Sandstone copper subtype model (Cox and others, 2007; 

Zientek, Hayes, and Hammarstrom, 2013)

Grade and tonnage model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper—Sandstone copper subtype model (Zientek, Hayes, and 

Taylor, 2013)

Geologic feature assessed: Coarse-grained siliciclastic rocks of the Permian Huledal Formation, Jameson Land Basin, central 

East Greenland

Number of known deposits: 0

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

0.01

0.10

10

100

1,000

Copper, in millions of metric tons

1

Percent

95 90 50 10 5 Mean

Identified copper resources = 0

Tract 003ssCu0003

0.11 0.12

Source

Stensgaard and others, 2011, Quantitative mineral resource assessment—Sedimentary-hosted copper in Greenland: Geological Survey of 

Denmark and Greenland (GEUS) Report 2011/104.

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates*

Median estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of mean 

or greater 

(percent)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

2009 395 0 0 0.12 5 93

*

Estimates from Stensgaard and others (2011) were revised slightly to conform with project protocols for spatial aggregation and definition of identified resources.
Plate 202. Tract 003ssCu0003, Huledal Formation (CE 2), Jameson Land Basin—Greenland 551

Plate

202

0 3 6 9 12 KILOMETERS

0 3 6 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Howat and others (2014)

North America Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 23° W.; latitude of origin 40° N.

GREENLAND

GREENLAND SEA

23°00' W 22°30' W

71°45' N

71°30' N

GREENLAND

ICELAND

30° W 5° W

75° N

65° N

GREENLAND 

SEA

EXPLANATION

Assessed sediment-hosted

 copper tract 003ssCu0003
552 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 203. Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper Assessment for Tract 

003ssCu0004, Huledal Formation (CE 8–12), Jameson Land Basin—Greenland

Descriptive model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper—Sandstone copper subtype model (Cox and others, 2007; 

Zientek, Hayes, and Hammarstrom, 2013)

Grade and tonnage model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper—Sandstone copper subtype model (Zientek, Hayes, and 

Taylor, 2013)

Geologic feature assessed: Coarse-grained siliciclastic rocks of the Permian Huledal Formation, Jameson Land Basin, central 

East Greenland

Number of known deposits: 0

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

0.01

0.10

10

100

1,000

Copper, in millions of metric tons

1

Percent

95 90 50 10 5 Mean

Identified copper resources = 0

Tract 003ssCu0004

0.018

0.13

1.7

6.1

1.2

Source

Stensgaard and others, 2011, Quantitative mineral resource assessment—Sedimentary-hosted copper in Greenland: Geological Survey of 

Denmark and Greenland (GEUS) Report 2011/104.

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates*

Median estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of mean 

or greater 

(percent)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

2009 445 0 0.13 1.2 13 6

*

Estimates from Stensgaard and others (2011) were revised slightly to conform with project protocols for spatial aggregation and definition of identified resources.
Plate 203. Tract 003ssCu0004, Huledal Formation (CE 8–12), Jameson Land Basin—Greenland 553

Plate

203

0 4 8 12 16 KILOMETERS

0 4 8 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Howat and others (2014)

North America Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 23° W.; latitude of origin 40° N.

GREENLAND

23°15' W 22°30' W

73°00' N

72°30' N

GREENLAND SEA

GREENLAND

40° W 20° W 0°

75° N

65° N

GREENLAND

SEA

ICELAND

EXPLANATION

Assessed sediment-hosted

 copper tract 003ssCu0004

Sediment-hosted copper prospect
554 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 204. Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper Assessment for Tract 

003ssCu0005, Huledal Formation (CE 4–7), Jameson Land Basin—Greenland

Descriptive model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper—Sandstone copper subtype model (Cox and others, 2007; 

Zientek, Hayes, and Hammarstrom, 2013)

Grade and tonnage model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper—Sandstone copper subtype model (Zientek, Hayes, and 

Taylor, 2013)

Geologic feature assessed: Coarse-grained siliciclastic rocks of the Permian Huledal Formation, Jameson Land Basin, central 

East Greenland

Number of known deposits: 0

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

0.01

0.10

10

100

1,000

Copper, in millions of metric tons

1

Percent

95 90 50 10 5 Mean

Identified copper resources = 0

Tract 003ssCu0005

0.13 0.099

Source

Stensgaard and others, 2011, Quantitative mineral resource assessment—Sedimentary-hosted copper in Greenland: Geological Survey of 

Denmark and Greenland (GEUS) Report 2011/104.

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates*

Median estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of mean 

or greater 

(percent)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

2009 821 0 0 0.099 6 93

*

Estimates from Stensgaard and others (2011) were revised slightly to conform with project protocols for spatial aggregation and definition of identified resources.
Plate 204. Tract 003ssCu0005, Huledal Formation (CE 4–7), Jameson Land Basin—Greenland 555

Plate

204

0 5 10 15 20 KILOMETERS

0 5 10 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Howat and others (2014)

North America Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 24° W.; latitude of origin 30° N.

GREENLAND

GREENLAND

SEA

24°45' W 24°00' W

72°00' N

71°30' N

GREENLAND

ICELAND

30° W 20° W 10° W

75° N

70° N

65° N

GREENLAND

SEA

EXPLANATION

Assessed sediment-hosted

 copper tract 003ssCu0005
556 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 205. Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper Assessment for Tract 

003rfnbCu0002, Eleonore Bay Supergroup (CE 7–8), Eleonore Bay Basin—

Greenland

Descriptive model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper—Reduced-facies-nonbrecciated copper subtype model 

(Cox and others, 2007; Zientek, Hayes, and Hammarstrom, 2013)

Grade and tonnage model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper—Reduced-facies-nonbrecciated copper subtype model 

(Zientek, Hayes, and Taylor, 2013)

Geologic feature assessed: Calcareous and dolomitic shales of the uppermost part of the Neoproterozoic Ymer Ø Group 

overlying shallow-marine and continental siliciclastic sedimentary rocks of the Nathorst Land 

and Lyell Land Groups of the Neoproterozoic Eleonore Bay Supergroup, Eleonore Bay Basin, 

North-East Greenland

Number of known deposits: 0

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

0.01

0.10

10

100

1,000

Copper, in millions of metric tons

1

Percent

95 90 50 10 5 Mean

Identified copper resources = 0

Tract 003rfnbCu0002

1.6

0.70

Source

Stensgaard and others, 2011, Quantitative mineral resource assessment—Sedimentary-hosted copper in Greenland: Geological Survey of 

Denmark and Greenland (GEUS) Report 2011/104.

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates*

Median estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of mean 

or greater 

(percent)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

2009 998 0 0 0.70 7 91

*

Estimates from Stensgaard and others (2011) were revised slightly to conform with project protocols for spatial aggregation and definition of identified resources.
Plate 205. Tract 003rfnbCu0002, Eleonore Bay Supergroup (CE 7–8), Eleonore Bay Basin—Greenland 557

Plate

205

0 4 8 12 16 KILOMETERS

0 4 8 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Howat and others (2014)

North America Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 25° W.; latitude of origin 40° N.

GREENLAND

25°30' W 24°45' W

74°00' N

73°30' N

GREENLAND

SEA

40° W 20° W 0°

80° N

70° N

GREENLAND

ICELAND

GREENLAND

SEA

EXPLANATION

Assessed sediment-hosted

 copper tract 003rfnbCu0002

Sediment-hosted copper prospect
558 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 206. Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper Assessment for Tract 

003rfnbCu0003, Eleonore Bay Supergroup (CE 1–6 and CE 9–16), Eleonore Bay 

Basin—Greenland

Descriptive model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper—Reduced-facies-nonbrecciated copper subtype model 

(Cox and others, 2007; Zientek, Hayes, and Hammarstrom, 2013)

Grade and tonnage model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper—Reduced-facies-nonbrecciated copper subtype model 

(Zientek, Hayes, and Taylor, 2013)

Geologic feature assessed: Calcareous and dolomitic shales of the uppermost part of the Neoproterozoic Ymer Ø Group 

overlying shallow-marine and continental siliciclastic sedimentary rocks of the Nathorst Land 

and Lyell Land Groups of the Neoproterozoic Eleonore Bay Supergroup, Eleonore Bay Basin, 

North-East Greenland

Number of known deposits: 0

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

0.01

0.10

10

100

1,000

Copper, in millions of metric tons

1

Percent

95 90 50 10 5 Mean

Identified copper resources = 0

Tract 003rfnbCu0003

0.67

0.56

Source

Stensgaard and others, 2011, Quantitative mineral resource assessment—Sedimentary-hosted copper in Greenland: Geological Survey of 

Denmark and Greenland (GEUS) Report 2011/104.

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates*

Median estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of mean 

or greater 

(percent)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

2009 2,057 0 0 0.56 5 93

*

Estimates from Stensgaard and others (2011) were revised slightly to conform with project protocols for spatial aggregation and definition of identified resources.
Plate 206. Tract 003rfnbCu0003, Eleonore Bay Supergroup (CE 1–6 and CE 9–16), Eleonore Bay Basin—Greenland 559

Plate

206

0 15 30 45 60 KILOMETERS

0 15 30 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Howat and others (2014)

North America Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 23° W.; latitude of origin 40° N.

GREENLAND

25°00' W 22°30' W

75°00' N

72°00' N

GREENLAND

SEA

FOSTER

BAY

GREENLAND

SEA

ICELAND

30° W 20° W 10° W

80° N

70° N

GREENLAND

EXPLANATION

Assessed sediment-hosted

 copper tract 003rfnbCu0003
560 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 207. Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper Assessment for Tract 

150ssCu0001, Sulban, Kodar-Udokan Trough—Russia

Descriptive model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper—Sandstone copper subtype model (Cox and others, 2007; 

Zientek, Hayes, and Hammarstrom, 2013)

Grade and tonnage model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper—Sandstone copper subtype model (Zientek, Hayes, and 

Taylor, 2013)

Geologic feature assessed: Paleoproterozoic coarse-grained siliciclastic rocks in the Chinei and Kemen Groups, 

Kodar-Udokan Trough

Number of known deposits: 0

Source

Zientek, Chechetkin, and others, 2014, Assessment of undiscovered sandstone copper deposits of the Kodar-Udokan area, Russia: U.S. 

Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5090–M, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090M.

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

0.01

0.10

10

100

1,000

Copper, in millions of metric tons

1

Percent

95 90 50 10 5 Mean

Identified copper resources = 0

Tract 150ssCu0001

0.12

0.32

1.8

16

24

5.3

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper

[Assessment depth, 2 kilometers (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Median estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of mean 

or greater 

(percent)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

2009 591 0 1.8 5.3 25 3
Plate 207. Tract 150ssCu0001, Sulban, Kodar-Udokan Trough—Russia 561

Plate

207

0 4 8 12 16 KILOMETERS

0 4 8 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

Asia North Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 117° E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

RUSSIA

117°00' E 117°30' E

56°50' N

56°40' N

Lake

Bol’shoye Leprindo

RUSSIA

MONGOLIA CHINA

SEA OF

OKHOTSK

95° E 120° E 145° E

60° N

50° N

EXPLANATION

Sediment-hosted copper prospect

Assessed sediment-hosted

 copper tract 150ssCu0001
562 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 208. Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper Assessment for Tract 

150ssCu0002, Saku, Kodar-Udokan Trough—Russia

Descriptive model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper—Sandstone copper subtype model (Cox and others, 2007; 

Zientek, Hayes, and Hammarstrom, 2013)

Grade and tonnage model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper—Sandstone copper subtype model (Zientek, Hayes, and 

Taylor, 2013)

Geologic feature assessed: Paleoproterozoic coarse-grained siliciclastic rocks in the Kemen Group, Kodar-Udokan Trough

Number of known deposits: 1

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

Tract 150ssCu0002

Identified copper resources (19 Mt)

0.01

0.10

10

100

1,000

Copper, in millions of metric tons

1

95 90 50 10 5 Mean

Percent

0.052

0.19

1.5

15 21

4.7

Source

Zientek, Chechetkin, and others, 2014, Assessment of undiscovered sandstone copper deposits of the Kodar-Udokan area, Russia: U.S. 

Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5090–M, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090M.

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper

[Assessment depth, 2 kilometers (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Median estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of mean 

or greater 

(percent)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

2009 826 19 1.5 4.7 24 4
Plate 208. Tract 150ssCu0002, Saku, Kodar-Udokan Trough—Russia 563

Plate

208

0 5 10 15 20 KILOMETERS

0 5 10 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

Asia North Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 118°30' E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

RUSSIA

Udokan

118°00' E 118°30' E 119°00' E

56°45' N

56°30' N

RUSSIA

MONGOLIA CHINA

100° E 120° E 140° E

60° N

50° N

EXPLANATION

Sediment-hosted copper deposit

Assessed sediment-hosted

 copper tract 150ssCu0002

Sediment-hosted copper prospect
564 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 209. Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper Assessment for Tract 

150ssCu0003, Ingamakit, Kodar-Udokan Trough—Russia

Descriptive model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper—Sandstone copper subtype model (Cox and others, 2007; 

Zientek, Hayes, and Hammarstrom, 2013)

Grade and tonnage model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper—Sandstone copper subtype model (Zientek, Hayes, and 

Taylor, 2013)

Geologic feature assessed: Paleoproterozoic coarse-grained siliciclastic rocks in the Chinei and Kemen Groups, 

Kodar-Udokan Trough

Number of known deposits: 0

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

0.01

0.10

10

100

1,000

Copper, in millions of metric tons

1

Percent

95 90 50 10 5 Mean

Identified copper resources = 0

Tract 150ssCu0003

0.069

1.1

12

19

3.9

Source

Zientek, Chechetkin, and others, 2014, Assessment of undiscovered sandstone copper deposits of the Kodar-Udokan area, Russia: U.S. 

Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5090–M, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090M.

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper

[Assessment depth, 2 kilometers (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Median estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of mean 

or greater 

(percent)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

2009 565 0 1.1 3.9 23 6
Plate 209. Tract 150ssCu0003, Ingamakit, Kodar-Udokan Trough—Russia 565

Plate

209

0 4 8 12 16 KILOMETERS

0 4 8 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Asia North Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 119° E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

RUSSIA

118°30' E 119°00' E

56°30' N

56°15' N

RUSSIA

MONGOLIA CHINA

100° E 120° E 140° E

60° N

50° N

SEA OF

OKHOTSK

EXPLANATION

Sediment-hosted copper prospect

Assessed sediment-hosted

 copper tract 150ssCu0003
566 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 210. Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper Assessment for Tract 

150ssCu0004, Unkur, Kodar-Udokan Trough—Russia

Descriptive model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper—Sandstone copper subtype model (Cox and others, 2007; 

Zientek, Hayes, and Hammarstrom, 2013)

Grade and tonnage model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper—Sandstone copper subtype model (Zientek, Hayes, and 

Taylor, 2013)

Geologic feature assessed: Paleoproterozoic coarse-grained siliciclastic rocks in the Kemen Group of the Udokan Complex

Number of known deposits: 1

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

Tract 150ssCu0004

Identified copper resources (0.68 Mt)

0.01

0.10

10

100

1,000

Copper, in millions of metric tons

1

95 90 50 10 5 Mean

Percent

0.29

3.7

11

1.8

Source

Zientek, Chechetkin, and others, 2014, Assessment of undiscovered sandstone copper deposits of the Kodar-Udokan area, Russia: U.S. 

Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5090–M, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090M.

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper

[Assessment depth, 2 kilometers (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Median estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of mean 

or greater 

(percent)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

2009 301 0.68 0.29 1.8 15 19
Plate 210. Tract 150ssCu0004, Unkur, Kodar-Udokan Trough—Russia 567

Plate

210

0 3 6 9 12 KILOMETERS

0 3 6 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Asia North Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 118° E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

RUSSIA

Unkur

118°30' E 119°00' E

56°50' N

56°40' N

RUSSIA

CHINA MONGOLIA

100° E 120° E 140° E

60° N

50° N

EXPLANATION

Assessed sediment-hosted 

 copper tract 150ssCu0004

Sediment-hosted copper deposit
568 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 211. Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper Assessment for Tract 

150ssCu0005, Krasnoe, Kodar-Udokan Trough—Russia

Descriptive model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper—Sandstone copper subtype model (Cox and others, 2007; 

Zientek, Hayes, and Hammarstrom, 2013)

Grade and tonnage model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper—Sandstone copper subtype model (Zientek, Hayes, and 

Taylor, 2013)

Geologic feature assessed: Paleoproterozoic coarse-grained siliciclastic rocks in the Chinei and Kemen Groups, 

Kodar-Udokan Trough

Number of known deposits: 0

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

0.01

0.10

10

100

1,000

Copper, in millions of metric tons

1

Percent

95 90 50 10 5 Mean

Identified copper resources = 0

Tract 150ssCu0005

0.058

0.97

11

19

3.6

Source

Zientek, Chechetkin, and others, 2014, Assessment of undiscovered sandstone copper deposits of the Kodar-Udokan area, Russia: U.S. 

Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5090–M, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090M.

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper

[Assessment depth, 2 kilometers (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Median estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of mean 

or greater 

(percent)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

2009 603 0 0.97 3.6 21 7
Plate 211. Tract 150ssCu0005, Krasnoe, Kodar-Udokan Trough—Russia 569

Plate

211

0 5 10 15 20 KILOMETERS

0 5 10 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Asia North Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 119° E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

RUSSIA

119°00' E 119°30' E

56°50' N

56°40' N

105° E 120° E 135° E

60° N

50° N

RUSSIA

CHINA

MONGOLIA

EXPLANATION

Sediment-hosted copper prospect

Assessed sediment-hosted

 copper tract 150ssCu0005
570 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 212. Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper Assessment for Tract 

150ssCu0006, Burpala, Kodar-Udokan Trough—Russia

Descriptive model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper—Sandstone copper subtype model (Cox and others, 2007; 

Zientek, Hayes, and Hammarstrom, 2013)

Grade and tonnage model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper—Sandstone copper subtype model (Zientek, Hayes, and 

Taylor, 2013)

Geologic feature assessed: Paleoproterozoic coarse-grained siliciclastic rocks in the Chinei and Kemen Groups, 

Kodar-Udokan Trough

Number of known deposits: 0

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

0.01

0.10

10

100

1,000

Copper, in millions of metric tons

1

Percent

95 90 50 10 5 Mean

Identified copper resources = 0

Tract 150ssCu0006

0.016

0.18

2.1

7.4

1.3

Source

Zientek, Chechetkin, and others, 2014, Assessment of undiscovered sandstone copper deposits of the Kodar-Udokan area, Russia: U.S. 

Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5090–M, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090M.

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper

[Assessment depth, 2 kilometers (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Median estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of mean 

or greater 

(percent)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

2009 129 0 0.18 1.3 14 7
Plate 212. Tract 150ssCu0006, Burpala, Kodar-Udokan Trough—Russia 571

Plate

212

0 2 4 6 8 KILOMETERS

0 2 4 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

Asia North Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 119°30' E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

RUSSIA

119°30' E 119°40' E

56°30' N

56°25' N

110° E 120° E 130° E

60° N

55° N

50° N

RUSSIA

CHINA

EXPLANATION

Sediment-hosted copper prospect

Assessed sediment-hosted 

 copper tract 150ssCu0006
572 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 213. Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper Assessment for Tract 

142ssCu8001, Dzhezkazgan Subbasin, Chu-Sarysu Basin—Kazakhstan

Descriptive model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper—Sandstone copper subtype model (Cox and others, 2007; 

Zientek, Hayes, and Hammarstrom, 2013)

Grade and tonnage model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper—Sandstone copper subtype model (Zientek, Hayes, and 

Taylor, 2013)

Geologic feature assessed: Structural subbasin extending north from the main body of the Chu-Sarysu Basin, upper 

Carboniferous nonmarine alluvial clastic sequence (red beds): Dzhezkazgan and Taskuduk 

Formations

Number of known deposits: 6

Source

Box and others, 2012, Sandstone copper assessment of the Chu-Sarysu Basin, central Kazakhstan: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific 

Investigations Report 2010–5090–E, http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2010/5090/e/.

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

Tract 142ssCu8001

Identified copper resources (25 Mt)

0.01

0.10

10

100

1,000

Copper, in millions of metric tons

1

95 90 50 10 5 Mean

Percent

0.13

0.32

1.7

16 22

5.1

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper

[Assessment depth, 2 kilometers (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Median estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of mean 

or greater 

(percent)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

2009 753 25 1.7 5.1 25 3
Plate 213. Tract 142ssCu8001, Dzhezkazgan Subbasin, Chu-Sarysu Basin—Kazakhstan 573

Plate

213

0 2 4 6 8 KILOMETERS

0 2 4 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

Asia North Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 67°30' E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

KAZAKHSTAN

Karashoshak

West Saryoba Kipshakpay

East Saryoba

Itauz

Dzhezkazgan

67°30' E 67°45' E

48°15' N

48°00' N

ARAL

SEA

UZBEKISTAN

UZBEKISTAN

KAZAKHSTAN

RUSSIA

60° E 70° E 80° E

50° N

40° N

EXPLANATION

Assessed sediment-hosted

 copper tract 142ssCu8001

Sediment-hosted copper deposit

Sediment-hosted copper prospect
574 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 214. Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper Assessment for Tract 

142ssCu8002, Tesbulak Subbasin, Chu-Sarysu Basin—Kazakhstan

Descriptive model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper—Sandstone copper subtype model (Cox and others, 2007; 

Zientek, Hayes, and Hammarstrom, 2013)

Grade and tonnage model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper—Sandstone copper subtype model (Zientek, Hayes, and 

Taylor, 2013)

Geologic feature assessed: Northeastern structural subbasin of the Chu-Sarysu Basin, upper Carboniferous nonmarine alluvial 

clastic sequence (red beds): Dzhezkazgan and Taskuduk Formations

Number of known deposits: 2

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

Tract 142ssCu8002

Identified copper resources (2.7 Mt)

0.01

0.10

10

100

1,000

Copper, in millions of metric tons

1

95 90 50 10 5 Mean

Percent

0.36

0.82

4.8

26 34

9.9

Source

Box and others, 2012, Sandstone copper assessment of the Chu-Sarysu Basin, central Kazakhstan: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific 

Investigations Report 2010–5090–E, http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2010/5090/e/.

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper

[Assessment depth, 2 kilometers (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Median estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of mean 

or greater 

(percent)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

2009 31,681 2.7 4.8 9.9 33 2
Plate 214. Tract 142ssCu8002, Tesbulak Subbasin, Chu-Sarysu Basin—Kazakhstan 575

Plate

214

0 20 40 60 80 KILOMETERS

0 20 40 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

Asia North Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 69° E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

KAZAKHSTAN

Zhezkazgan

Taskora

Zhaman-Aibat

68° E 70° E

48° N

46° N

KAZAKHSTAN

RUSSIA

CHINA

KYRGYZSTAN

ARAL

SEA

60° E 70° E 80° E

50° N

40° N

EXPLANATION

Assessed sediment-hosted

 copper tract 142ssCu8002

Sediment-hosted copper deposit

Sediment-hosted copper prospect
576 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 215. Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper Assessment for Tract 

142ssCu8003, Kokpansor Subbasin, Chu-Sarysu Basin—Kazakhstan

Descriptive model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper—Sandstone copper subtype model (Cox and others, 2007; 

Zientek, Hayes, and Hammarstrom, 2013)

Grade and tonnage model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper—Sandstone copper subtype model (Zientek, Hayes, and 

Taylor, 2013)

Geologic feature assessed: Northwestern structural subbasin of the Chu-Sarysu Basin, upper Carboniferous nonmarine alluvial 

clastic sequence (red beds): Dzhezkazgan and Taskuduk Formations

Number of known deposits: 0

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

0.01

0.10

10

100

1,000

Copper, in millions of metric tons

1

Percent

95 90 50 10 5 Mean

Identified copper resources = 0

Tract 142ssCu8003

0.15

0.40

3.2

23 31

8.0

Source

Box and others, 2012, Sandstone copper assessment of the Chu-Sarysu Basin, central Kazakhstan: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific 

Investigations Report 2010–5090–E, http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2010/5090/e/.

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper

[Assessment depth, 2 kilometers (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Median estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of mean 

or greater 

(percent)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

2009 28,227 0 3.2 8.0 30 3
Plate 215. Tract 142ssCu8003, Kokpansor Subbasin, Chu-Sarysu Basin—Kazakhstan 577

Plate

215

0 15 30 45 60 KILOMETERS

0 15 30 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

Asia North Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 68° E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

KAZAKHSTAN

Zhezkazgan

67° E 68° E 69° E

48° N

46° N

KAZAKHSTAN

RUSSIA

CHINA

ARAL

SEA

KYRGYZSTAN

60° E 70° E 80° E

50° N

40° N

EXPLANATION

Assessed sediment-hosted

 copper tract 142ssCu8003

Sediment-hosted copper prospect
578 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 216. Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper Assessment for Tract 

142ssCu8004, Muyunkum Subbasin, Chu-Sarysu Basin—Kazakhstan and 

Kyrgyzstan

Descriptive model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper—Sandstone copper subtype model (Cox and others, 2007; 

Zientek, Hayes, and Hammarstrom, 2013)

Grade and tonnage model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper—Sandstone copper subtype model (Zientek, Hayes, and 

Taylor, 2013)

Geologic feature assessed: Southern structural subbasin of the Chu-Sarysu Basin, upper Carboniferous nonmarine alluvial 

clastic sequence (red beds): Dzhezkazgan and Taskuduk Formations

Number of known deposits: 0

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

0.01

0.10

10

100

1,000

Copper, in millions of metric tons

1

Percent

95 90 50 10 5 Mean

Identified copper resources = 0

Tract 142ssCu8004

0.21

5.5

13

2.1

Source

Box and others, 2012, Sandstone copper assessment of the Chu-Sarysu Basin, central Kazakhstan: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific 

Investigations Report 2010–5090–E, http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2010/5090/e/.

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper

[Assessment depth, 2 kilometers (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Median estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of mean 

or greater 

(percent)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

2009 64,856 0 0.21 2.1 18 29
Plate 216. Tract 142ssCu8004, Muyunkum Subbasin, Chu-Sarysu Basin—Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan 579

Plate

216

0 40 80 120 160 KILOMETERS

0 40 80 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Asia North Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 70° E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

KAZAKHSTAN

KYRGYZSTAN

Tian Shan

Shymkent

Dzhambul

Syr Darya

69° E 72° E

45° N

44° N

43° N

Lake

Balkhash

ARAL

SEA

KAZAKHSTAN

CHINA

60° E 70° E 80° E

50° N

40° N

EXPLANATION

Assessed sediment-hosted

 copper tract 142ssCu8004

Sediment-hosted copper prospect
580 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 217. Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper Assessment for Tract 

142ssCu8050, Teniz Basin—Kazakhstan

Descriptive model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper—Sandstone copper subtype model (Cox and others, 2007; 

Zientek, Hayes, and Hammarstrom, 2013)

Grade and tonnage model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper—Sandstone copper subtype model (Zientek, Hayes, and 

Taylor, 2013)

Geologic feature assessed: Middle and upper Carboniferous and lower Permian coarse-grained siliciclastic strata, Teniz Basin

Number of known deposits: 0

Source

Cossette and others, 2014, Sandstone copper assessment of the Teniz Basin, Kazakhstan: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations 

Report 2010–5090–R, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090R.

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

0.01

0.10

10

100

1,000

Copper, in millions of metric tons

1

Percent

95 90 50 10 5 Mean

Identified copper resources = 0

Tract 142ssCu8050

0.13

0.33

3.7

25 33

8.9

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper

[Assessment depth, 2 kilometers (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Median estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of mean 

or greater 

(percent)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

2011 49,714 0 3.7 8.9 31 3
Plate 217. Tract 142ssCu8050, Teniz Basin—Kazakhstan 581

Plate

217

0 35 70 105 140 KILOMETERS

0 35 70 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

Asia North Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 69° E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

KAZAKHSTAN

Astana

66° E 69° E 72° E

52° N

50° N

ARAL SEA

RUSSIA

KAZAKHSTAN

60° E 80° E

55° N

50° N

45° N

EXPLANATION

Assessed sediment-hosted

 copper tract 142ssCu8050

Sediment-hosted copper prospect
582 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 218. Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper Assessment for Tract 

142rfCu4000, Dongchuan Group Rocks, Yangtze Block, South China Craton—

China

Descriptive model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper—Reduced-facies copper subtype model (Cox and others, 

2007; Zientek, Hayes, and Hammarstrom, 2013)

Geologic feature assessed: Marine carbonaceous rocks of the Paleoproterozoic to Mesoproterozoic Luoxue Formation, 

Yangtze Block, South China Craton

Number of known deposits: 8

Source

Zientek, Wintzer, and others, 2015, Qualitative assessment of selected areas of the world for undiscovered sediment-hosted stratabound copper 

deposits: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5090–Y, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090Y.

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper

[Assessment depth, 0 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Qualitative assessment ranking

Analytic hierarchy process—

Alternative utility*

(percent)

Overall rank

2012 8,747 3.2 10.1 5th of 10 areas

*

Alternative utility is a numerical weight derived from evaluation of three assessment criteria.

Graph showing qualitative 

ranking of basins determined by 

the analytic hierarchy process 

(AHP). Alternative utility is the 

overall score derived from the 

AHP method.

14.7

12.6 12.3

10.3 10.1

9.35 9.23

7.57

6.92 6.88

Northwest

Botswana

Rift

(pl. 235)

Benguela

& Cuanza

Basins

(pl. 236)

Egypt-IsraelJordan Rift

(pl. 229)

Redstone

Copperbelt

(pl. 194)

Dongchuan

Group rocks

(pl. 218)

Belt-Purcell

Basin

(pl. 193)

Neuquén

Basin

(pl. 189)

Maritimes

Basin

(pl. 196)

Chuxiong

Basin

(pl. 219)

Salta Rift

System

(pl. 190)

Tract name (plate number)

15

13

11

9

7

5

3

1

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

Alternative utility, in percent

142rfCu4000

Mineralization

Extent of tract area

Lithostratigraphic framework

EXPLANATION
Plate 218. Tract 142rfCu4000, Dongchuan Group Rocks, Yangtze Block, South China Craton—China 583

Plate

218

0 20 40 60 80 KILOMETERS

0 20 40 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

Asia South Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 102° E.; latitude of origin 15° S.

Dalou Shan

Xi River

CHINA

Kunming

Yangtze River

Tangdan

ShiZhiShan

Qinglongchang

LaoXue

Lanniping

Fengshan

Yinmin

ShiShan

102° E 103° E

26° N

24° N

Dian

Lake

CHINA

LAOS

BURMA

THAILAND

VIETNAM

100° E 105° E

30° N

20° N

GULF OF

TONKIN

EXPLANATION

Assessed sediment-hosted

 copper tract 142rfCu4000

Sediment-hosted copper deposit

Sediment-hosted copper prospect
584 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 219. Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper Assessment for Tract 

142ssCu6000, Chuxiong Basin—China

Descriptive model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper—Sandstone copper subtype model (Cox and others, 2007; 

Zientek, Hayes, and Hammarstrom, 2013)

Geologic feature assessed: Cretaceous, coarse-grained siliciclastic rocks, Chuxiong Basin

Number of known deposits: 12

Source

Zientek, Wintzer, and others, 2015, Qualitative assessment of selected areas of the world for undiscovered sediment-hosted stratabound copper 

deposits: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5090–Y, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090Y.

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper

[Assessment depth, 0 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Qualitative assessment ranking

Analytic hierarchy process—

Alternative utility*

(percent)

Overall rank

2012 19,847 1.3 6.92 9th of 10 areas

*

Alternative utility is a numerical weight derived from evaluation of three assessment criteria.

Graph showing qualitative 

ranking of basins determined by 

the analytic hierarchy process 

(AHP). Alternative utility is the 

overall score derived from the 

AHP method.

14.7

12.6 12.3

10.3 10.1

9.35 9.23

7.57

6.92 6.88

Northwest

Botswana

Rift

(pl. 235)

Benguela

& Cuanza

Basins

(pl. 236)

Egypt-IsraelJordan Rift

(pl. 229)

Redstone

Copperbelt

(pl. 194)

Dongchuan

Group rocks

(pl. 218)

Belt-Purcell

Basin

(pl. 193)

Neuquén

Basin

(pl. 189)

Maritimes

Basin

(pl. 196)

Chuxiong

Basin

(pl. 219)

Salta Rift

System

(pl. 190)

Tract name (plate number)

15

13

11

9

7

5

3

1

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

Alternative utility, in percent

142ssCu6000

Mineralization

Extent of tract area

Lithostratigraphic framework

EXPLANATION
Plate 219. Tract 142ssCu6000, Chuxiong Basin—China 585

Plate

219

0 20 40 60 80 KILOMETERS

0 20 40 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

Asia South Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 102° E.; latitude of origin 15° S.

CHINA

Kunming

Haojiahe

Datongchang

Moudin

Dacun

Liuju

Xiwangmiao

Shimenkan

Qingshuihe

Laoqingshan

Geyiza

Tongchangjing

Moboliangzi

Dalou Shan

Dian

Lake Mekong River

Yangtze River

101° E 102° E

27° N

26° N

25° N

CHINA

BURMA

INDIA

LAOS

100° E 108° E

30° N

20° N

GULF OF

TONKIN

EXPLANATION

Sediment-hosted copper deposit

Assessed sediment-hosted

 copper tract 142ssCu6000

Sediment-hosted copper prospect
586 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 220. Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper Assessment for Tract 

150rfnbCu0001, Hercynian-Thüringian Basin, Southern Permian Basin—Germany

Descriptive model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper—Reduced-facies-nonbrecciated copper subtype model 

(Cox and others, 2007; Zientek, Hayes, and Hammarstrom, 2013)

Grade and tonnage model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper—Reduced-facies-nonbrecciated copper subtype model 

(Zientek, Hayes, and Taylor, 2013)

Geologic feature assessed: Marine carbonaceous rocks of the Lopingian (Upper Permian) Kupferschiefer bed overlying 

Permian reservoir-facies, continental clastic rocks of the upper Rotliegend Formation in the 

Hercynian-Thüringian Basin, Southern Permian Basin

Number of known deposits: 4

Source

Zientek, Oszczepalski, and others, 2015, Assessment of undiscovered copper resources associated with the Permian Kupferschiefer, Southern 

Permian Basin, Europe: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5090–U, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090U.

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

Tract 150rfnbCu0001

Identified copper resources (3.0 Mt)

0.01

0.10

10

100

1,000

Copper, in millions of metric tons

1

95 90 50 10 5 Mean

Percent

13

25

4.2

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper

[Assessment depth, 2.5 kilometers (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Median estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of mean 

or greater 

(percent)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

2010 18,268 3.0 0 4.2 17 57
Plate 220. Tract 150rfnbCu0001, Hercynian-Thüringian Basin, Southern Permian Basin—Germany 587

Plate

220

0 12 24 36 48 KILOMETERS

0 12 24 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Europe Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 11° E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

GERMANY

Hannover

Erfurt

Magdeburg

Leipzig

Tiefscholle

Osterhausen

Mansfeld

Sangerhausen

Feld Heldrungen

(Thuringen)

Erzgebirge

10° E 11° E 12° E

53° N

52° N

51° N

NORTH

SEA

BALTIC

 SEA

GERMANY

POLAND

FRANCE

AUSTRIA

SWEDEN

CZECHIA

ITALY

DENMARK

5° E 10° E 15° E

55° N

50° N

EXPLANATION

Assessed sediment-hosted

 copper tract 150rfnbCu0001

Sediment-hosted copper deposit

Sediment-hosted copper prospect

Sediment-hosted copper significant

 historic occurence
588 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 221. Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper Assessment for Tract 

150rfnbCu0002, Hessian Depression, Southern Permian Basin—Germany

Descriptive model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper—Reduced-facies-nonbrecciated copper subtype model 

(Cox and others, 2007; Zientek, Hayes, and Hammarstrom, 2013)

Grade and tonnage model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper—Reduced-facies-nonbrecciated copper subtype model 

(Zientek, Hayes, and Taylor, 2013)

Geologic feature assessed: Marine carbonaceous rocks of the Lopingian (Upper Permian) Kupferschiefer bed overlying 

Permian reservoir-facies, continental clastic rocks of the upper Rotliegend Formation in the 

Hessian Depression, Southern Permian Basin

Number of known deposits: 1

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

Tract 150rfnbCu0002

Identified copper resources (0.42 Mt)

0.01

0.10

10

100

1,000

Copper, in millions of metric tons

1

95 90 50 10 5 Mean

Percent

0.060

5.7

42

62

15

Source

Zientek, Oszczepalski, and others, 2015, Assessment of undiscovered copper resources associated with the Permian Kupferschiefer, Southern 

Permian Basin, Europe: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5090–U, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090U.

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper

[Assessment depth, 2.5 kilometers (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Median estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of mean 

or greater 

(percent)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

2010 38,172 0.42 5.7 15 32 7
Plate 221. Tract 150rfnbCu0002, Hessian Depression, Southern Permian Basin—Germany 589

Plate

221

0 16 32 48 64 KILOMETERS

0 16 32 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Europe Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 10° E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

GERMANY

Hannover

Frankfurt

Stuttgart

Richelsdorf

Danube River

Rhine River

9°00' E 10°30' E 12°00' E

52°00' N

50°00' N

GERMANY

FRANCE

ITALY

AUSTRIA

NORTH

SEA

BALTIC

SEA

BELGIUM

SWITZERLAND

SWEDEN DENMARK

NETHERLANDS

5° E 15° E

55° N

50° N

EXPLANATION

Assessed sediment-hosted

 copper tract 150rfnbCu0002

Sediment-hosted copper deposit

Sediment-hosted copper prospect

Sediment-hosted copper significant

 historic occurence
590 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 222. Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper Assessment for Tract 

150rfnbCu0003, North Sea, Southern Permian Basin—Netherlands and United 

Kingdom

Descriptive model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper—Reduced-facies-nonbrecciated copper subtype model 

(Cox and others, 2007; Zientek, Hayes, and Hammarstrom, 2013)

Geologic feature assessed: Marine carbonaceous rocks of the Lopingian (Upper Permian) Kupferschiefer bed overlying 

Permian reservoir-facies, continental clastic rocks of the upper Rotliegend Formation in the 

North Sea area, Southern Permian Basin

Number of known deposits: 0

Source

Zientek, Oszczepalski, and others, 2015, Assessment of undiscovered copper resources associated with the Permian Kupferschiefer, Southern 

Permian Basin, Europe: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5090–U, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090U.

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper

Qualitative Assessment

The stratigraphic equivalents of the well-mineralized Kupferschiefer beds were deposited over most of the Netherlands and 

northeastern England. No economic concentrations of copper are known in the permissive rocks in England. In the Netherlands, 

the depth to the Copper Shale Member of the Werra Formation, which is equivalent to the Kupferschiefer, is greater than 1 km 

and no information was found on the metal content of the shale in this area.

Tract 150rfnbCu0003 outlines a broadly permissive area for copper deposits on the basis of geology alone. The area is 

unlikely to contain deposits and no further assessment was done.

[Assessment depth, 2.5 kilometers (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons; NA, not applicable, as no quantitative or AHP assessment was 

done]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Median estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of mean 

or greater 

(percent)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

2010 23,893 0 NA NA NA NA
Plate 222. Tract 150rfnbCu0003, North Sea, Southern Permian Basin—Netherlands and United Kingdom 591

Plate

222

0 40 80 120 160 KILOMETERS

0 40 80 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Europe Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 3° E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

BELGIUM

FRANCE

UNITED

KINGDOM

NETHERLANDS

GERMANY

Leeds

Rotterdam

LONDON

BRUSSELS

AMSTERDAM

Rhine River

NORTH SEA

ENGLISH

CHANNEL

0° 4° E

54° N

52° N

FRANCE

GERMANY

SWEDEN

UNITED

KINGDOM

IRELAND

DENMARK

NETHERLANDS

10° W 0° 10° E 20° E

54° N

46° N

CELTIC

SEA

NORTH

SEA EXPLANATION

Assessed sediment-hosted

 copper tract 150rfnbCu0003
592 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 223. Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper Assessment for Tract 

150rfnbCu0004, Dolny Śląsk (Lower Silesia), Southern Permian Basin—Poland 

and Germany

Descriptive model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper—Reduced-facies-nonbrecciated copper subtype model 

(Cox and others, 2007; Zientek, Hayes, and Hammarstrom, 2013)

Grade and tonnage model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper—Reduced-facies-nonbrecciated copper subtype model 

(Zientek, Hayes, and Taylor, 2013)

Geologic feature assessed: Marine carbonaceous rocks of the Lopingian (Upper Permian) Kupferschiefer bed overlying 

Permian reservoir-facies, continental clastic rocks of the upper Rotliegend Formation in the 

Fore-Sudetic, Intra-Sudetic, and North Sudetic Basins, Southern Permian Basin

Number of known deposits: 3

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

Tract 150rfnbCu0004

Identified copper resources (74 Mt)

0.01

0.10

10

100

1,000

Copper, in millions of metric tons

1

95 90 50 10 5 Mean

Percent

7.2

17

84

190 230

96

Source

Zientek, Oszczepalski, and others, 2015, Assessment of undiscovered copper resources associated with the Permian Kupferschiefer, Southern 

Permian Basin, Europe: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5090–U, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090U.

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper

[Assessment depth, 2.5 kilometers (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Median estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of mean 

or greater 

(percent)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

2010 18,670 74 84 96 44 1
Plate 223. Tract 150rfnbCu0004, Dolny Śląsk (Lower Silesia), Southern Permian Basin—Poland and Germany 593

Plate

223

0 20 40 60 80 KILOMETERS

0 20 40 MILES

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

Europe Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 17° E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

Konrad-Grodziec-Wartowice

Lubin-Sieroszowice

Lena-Nowy Kosciół

GERMANY

CZECHIA

POLAND

Poznan

Wroclaw

16° E 18° E

52° N

51° N

POLAND

GERMANY

SLOVAKIA

CZECHIA

SWEDEN

10° E 20° E

55° N

50° N

EXPLANATION

Sediment-hosted copper deposit

Assessed sediment-hosted

 copper tract 150rfnbCu0004

Sediment-hosted copper prospect
594 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 224. Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper Assessment for Tract 

150rfnbCu0005, Spremberg-Wittenberg, Southern Permian Basin—Germany

Descriptive model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper—Reduced-facies-nonbrecciated copper subtype model 

(Cox and others, 2007; Zientek, Hayes, and Hammarstrom, 2013)

Grade and tonnage model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper—Reduced-facies-nonbrecciated copper subtype model 

(Zientek, Hayes, and Taylor, 2013)

Geologic feature assessed: Marine carbonaceous rocks of the Lopingian (Upper Permian) Kupferschiefer bed overlying 

Permian reservoir-facies, continental clastic rocks of the upper Rotliegend Formation in the 

Barnim Basin in the Spremberg-Wittenberg area of the Southern Permian Basin

Number of known deposits: 2

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

Tract 150rfnbCu0005

Identified copper resources (1.5 Mt)

0.01

0.10

10

100

1,000

Copper, in millions of metric tons

1

95 90 50 10 5 Mean

Percent

0.065

3.3

30

48

11

Source

Zientek, Oszczepalski, and others, 2015, Assessment of undiscovered copper resources associated with the Permian Kupferschiefer, Southern 

Permian Basin, Europe: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5090–U, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090U.

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper

[Assessment depth, 2.5 kilometers (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Median estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of mean 

or greater 

(percent)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

2010 6,144 1.5 3.3 11 30 7
Plate 224. Tract 150rfnbCu0005, Spremberg-Wittenberg, Southern Permian Basin—Germany 595

Plate

224

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

Europe Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 14° E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

0 10 20 30 40 KILOMETERS

0 10 20 MILES

13° E 14° E 15° E

52° N

51° N

Graustein

Spremberg

Dresden

GERMANY

POLAND

10° E 15° E 20° E

55° N

50° N

CZECHIA

GERMANY

POLAND

NORTH BALTIC SEA

SEA

EXPLANATION

Assessed sediment-hosted

 copper tract 150rfnbCu0005

Sediment-hosted copper deposit

Sediment-hosted copper prospect
596 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 225. Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper Assessment for Tract 

150rfnbCu0006, Baltic Basin, Southern Permian Basin—Lithuania, Poland, and 

Russia

Descriptive model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper—Reduced-facies-nonbrecciated copper subtype model 

(Cox and others, 2007; Zientek, Hayes, and Hammarstrom, 2013)

Geologic feature assessed: Marine carbonaceous rocks of the Lopingian (Upper Permian) Kupferschiefer bed overlying 

Permian reservoir-facies, continental clastic rocks of the upper Rotliegend Formation in the 

Baltic Basin, Southern Permian Basin

Number of known deposits: 0

Source

Zientek, Oszczepalski, and others, 2015, Assessment of undiscovered copper resources associated with the Permian Kupferschiefer, Southern 

Permian Basin, Europe: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5090–U, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090U.

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper

[Assessment depth, 2.5 kilometers (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons; NA, not applicable, as no quantitative or AHP assessment was 

done]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Median estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of mean 

or greater 

(percent)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

2010 53,084 0 NA NA NA NA

Qualitative Assessment

Tract 150rfnbCu0006 consists of three areas in the Baltic Basin where Kupferschiefer or correlative rocks occur. Likely 

host rocks for copper mineralization are thin in these areas. Metal concentrations and mineralogy encountered in drilling do not 

indicate the presence of a significant copper ore system. Therefore, no further assessment was done.
Plate 225. Tract 150rfnbCu0006, Baltic Basin, Southern Permian Basin—Lithuania, Poland, and Russia 597

Plate

225

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Europe Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 21° E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

0 45 90 135 180 KILOMETERS

0 45 90 MILES

20° E 25° E

54° N

51° N

BALTIC SEA

GULF OF GDANSK

Kaliningrad

Poznan

Wroclaw

Lodz

WARSAW

VILNIUS

BELARUS

RUSSIA

POLAND

LITHUANIA

UKRAINE

0° 20° E 40° E

60° N

50° N

SWEDEN

NORWAY FINLAND

RUSSIA

UKRAINE

BLACK SEA

NORTH

SEA

BELARUS POLAND

EXPLANATION

Sediment-hosted copper prospect

Assessed sediment-hosted

 copper tract 150rfnbCu0006
598 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 226. Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper Assessment for Tract 

150rfnbCu0007, Jutland Peninsula, Southern Permian Basin—Denmark and 

Germany

Descriptive model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper—Reduced-facies-nonbrecciated copper subtype model 

(Cox and others, 2007; Zientek, Hayes, and Hammarstrom, 2013)

Geologic feature assessed: Marine carbonaceous rocks of the Lopingian (Upper Permian) Kupferschiefer bed overlying 

Permian reservoir-facies, continental clastic rocks of the upper Rotliegend Formation near 

Jutland, Southern Permian Basin

Number of known deposits: 0

Source

Zientek, Oszczepalski, and others, 2015, Assessment of undiscovered copper resources associated with the Permian Kupferschiefer, Southern 

Permian Basin, Europe: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5090–U, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090U.

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper

[Assessment depth, 2.5 kilometers (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons; NA, not applicable, as no quantitative or AHP assessment was 

done]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Median estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of mean 

or greater 

(percent)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

2010 4,157 0 NA NA NA NA

Qualitative Assessment

Permissive tract 150rfnbCu0007 occurs where the Kupferschiefer overlies Rotliegend rocks in the Jutland Peninsula. 

This tract has a generally favorable paleotopographic setting where the Kupferschiefer and subjacent Rotliegend onlap on 

local basement rock highs. However, the basal Zechstein rocks (including the Kupferschiefer) are buried everywhere by at 

least 1.3 km of younger sedimentary rocks. The tract locally contains Rote Fäule alteration, a positive indication of copper 

mineralization. However, copper concentrations in 10 holes along the 190-km length of the alteration zone are only slightly 

above background levels, and no significant copper enrichments have been identified within the tract area.
Plate 226. Tract 150rfnbCu0007, Jutland Peninsula, Southern Permian Basin—Denmark and Germany 599

Plate

226

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

Europe Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 11° E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

0 25 50 75 100 KILOMETERS

0 25 50 MILES

8° E 12° E

56° N

54° N

STOREBÆLT 

HESSELØ BAY

KATTEGAT 

BALTIC SEA

NORTH

SEA

Aarhus

Odense

Kiel

Malmö

COPENHAGEN

GERMANY

DENMARK

SWEDEN

0° 10° E 20° E

58° N

54° N

NORWAY

POLAND

GERMANY

SWEDEN

NORTH SEA

BALTIC SEA

EXPLANATION DENMARK

Assessed sediment-hosted 

copper tract 150rfnbCu0007
600 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 227. Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper Assessment for Tract 

142rfCu4001, Aynak (sedcu01), Kabul Block—Afghanistan

Descriptive model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper—Reduced-facies copper subtype model (Cox and others, 

2007; Zientek, Hayes, and Hammarstrom, 2013)

Grade and tonnage model: Sediment-hosted copper—Reduced-facies copper subtype model (30b.2) (Zientek, Hayes, and 

Taylor, 2013)

Geologic feature assessed: Neoproterozoic to Lower Cambrian Loy Khwar Formation, Kabul Block

Number of known deposits: 6

Source

Peters and others, 2007, Preliminary non-fuel mineral resource assessment of Afghanistan: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 

2007–1214, http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2007/1214/.

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

Tract 142rfCu4001

Identified copper resources (6.4 Mt)

0.01

0.10

10

100

1,000

Copper, in millions of metric tons

1

95 90 50 10 5 Mean

Percent

0.053

4.8

36

59

13

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Median estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of mean 

or greater 

(percent)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

2007 4,439 6.4 4.8 13 31 7
Plate 227. Tract 142rfCu4001, Aynak (sedcu01), Kabul Block—Afghanistan 601

Plate

227

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

Asia North Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 69° E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

0 8 16 24 32 KILOMETERS

0 8 16 MILES

68°30' E 69°00' E 69°30' E

35°00' N

34°00' N

Hindu ̄ Kush

Darband

Aynak

Sorbog Dashtak

Katasang Jawkhar

KABUL

AFGHANISTAN

65° E 70° E

35° N

30° N

KYRGYZSTAN

PAKISTAN

AFGHANISTAN

TAJIKISTAN

UZBEKISTAN

EXPLANATION

Assessed sediment-hosted 

copper tract 142rfCu4001

Sediment-hosted copper deposit

Sediment-hosted copper prospect
602 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 228. Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper Assessment for Tract 

142rfCu4002, Kundalyan (sedcu02), Kundalyan Area—Afghanistan

Descriptive model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper—Reduced-facies copper subtype model (Cox and others, 

2007; Zientek, Hayes, and Hammarstrom, 2013)

Geologic feature assessed: Neoproterozoic to Lower Cambrian Loy Khwar Formation in the southwestern part of Zabul 

Province

Number of known deposits: 0

Source

Peters and others, 2007, Preliminary non-fuel mineral resource assessment of Afghanistan: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 

2007–1214, http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2007/1214/.

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper

[Assessment depth, 1 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons; NA, not applicable, as no quantitative or AHP assessment was done]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Median estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of mean 

or greater 

(percent)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

2007 331 0 NA NA NA NA

Qualitative Assessment

No known stratabound copper-bearing mineral occurrences are within any of the tract areas, although a number of copper 

skarn occurrences are present in the southern parts of tract 142rfCu4002. No known exploration for stratabound copper deposits 

has taken place within the tract. However, extensive exploration for igneous-related, base- and precious-metal deposits has 

occurred throughout and adjacent to most parts of the tract. Intermediate-scale (1:100,000) geologic mapping of the parts of the 

tract that have anomalous concentrations of copper minerals would improve the assessment.

An optimistic factor for undiscovered deposits is that large copper resources occur in tract 142rfCu4001 (pl. 227) to the 

north in the same stratigraphic sequence. However, no known stratabound occurrences are present in tract 142rfCu4002. No 

quantitative assessment was made due to low probabilities of occurrence and insufficient knowledge about the tract.
Plate 228. Tract 142rfCu4002, Kundalyan (sedcu02), Kundalyan Area—Afghanistan 603

Plate

228

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Asia North Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 67° E.; latitude of origin 30° N.

0 8 16 24 32 KILOMETERS

0 8 16 MILES

66°30' E 67°00' E 67°30' E

32°45' N

32°30' N

32°15' N

AFGHANISTAN

60° E 70° E

35° N

30° N

IRAN

PAKISTAN

AFGHANISTAN

INDIA

EXPLANATION

Assessed sediment-hosted 

copper tract 142rfCu4002
604 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 229. Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper Assessment for Tract 

002rfCu2001, Egypt-Israel-Jordan Rift—Egypt, Israel, and Jordan

Descriptive model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper—Reduced-facies copper subtype model (Cox and others, 

2007; Zientek, Hayes, and Hammarstrom, 2013)

Geologic feature assessed: Marine carbonaceous rocks of the Middle Cambrian Burj, Timna, and Nasib Formations, 

Egypt-Israel-Jordan Rift

Number of known deposits: 4

Source

Zientek, Wintzer, and others, 2015, Qualitative assessment of selected areas of the world for undiscovered sediment-hosted stratabound copper 

deposits: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5090–Y, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090Y.

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper

[Assessment depth, 0 kilometers (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Qualitative assessment ranking

Analytic hierarchy process—

Alternative utility*

(percent)

Overall rank

2012 25,992 1.5 12.3 3d of 10 areas

*

Alternative utility is a numerical weight derived from evaluation of three assessment criteria.

Graph showing qualitative 

ranking of basins determined by 

the analytic hierarchy process 

(AHP). Alternative utility is the 

overall score derived from the 

AHP method.

14.7

12.6 12.3

10.3 10.1

9.35 9.23

7.57

6.92 6.88

Northwest

Botswana

Rift

(pl. 235)

Benguela

& Cuanza

Basins

(pl. 236)

Egypt-IsraelJordan Rift

(pl. 229)

Redstone

Copperbelt

(pl. 194)

Dongchuan

Group rocks

(pl. 218)

Belt-Purcell

Basin

(pl. 193)

Neuquén

Basin

(pl. 189)

Maritimes

Basin

(pl. 196)

Chuxiong

Basin

(pl. 219)

Salta Rift

System

(pl. 190)

Tract name (plate number)

15

13

11

9

7

5

3

1

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

Alternative utility, in percent

002rfCu2001

Mineralization

Extent of tract area

Lithostratigraphic framework

EXPLANATION
Plate 229. Tract 002rfCu2001, Egypt-Israel-Jordan Rift—Egypt, Israel, and Jordan 605

Plate

229

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

Africa Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 34° E.; latitude of origin 0°

0 35 70 105 140 KILOMETERS

0 35 70 MILES

28° N

30° N

32° E 34° E 36° E

DEAD SEA

GULF OF AQABA

GULF OF SUEZ

RED SEA

MEDITERRANEAN SEA

Nile River

Khirbet El Nahas

Feinan

Wadi Abu Khushaybah

Timna

Zagazig

Port Said

Ismailia

Suez

El'arish

Gaza City

Beersheba

Dumyat

JERUSALEM

AMMAN

SAUDI ARABIA

JORDAN

ISRAEL

EGYPT

28° E 36° E 44° E

38° N

30° N

22° N

EGYPT

IRAQ

SAUDI

ARABIA

TURKEY

SYRIA

SUDAN

MEDITERRANEAN SEA

RED

SEA

EXPLANATION

Assessed sediment-hosted 

copper tract 002rfCu2001

Sediment-hosted copper deposit

Sediment-hosted copper prospect
606 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 230. Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper Assessment for Tract 

002rfceCu1000a, Southern Carbonate Écaille, Katanga Basin—Democratic 

Republic of the Congo

Descriptive model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper—Reduced-facies–carbonate-écaille copper subtype model 

(Cox and others, 2007; Zientek, Hayes, and Hammarstrom, 2013)

Grade and tonnage model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper—Reduced-facies–carbonate-écaille copper subtype model 

(Zientek, Hayes, and Taylor, 2013)

Geologic feature assessed: Marine carbonaceous rocks of the Neoproterozoic Mines Subgroup that overlie Neoproterozoic 

continental clastic rocks of the Roches Argilo-Talqueuses (R.A.T.) Subgroup, Katanga Basin

Number of known deposits: 2

Source

Zientek, Bliss, and others, 2014, Sediment-hosted stratabound copper assessment of the Neoproterozoic Roan Group, Central African 

Copperbelt, Katanga Basin, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 

2010–5090–T, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090T.

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

Tract 002rfceCu1000a

Identified copper resources (0.15 Mt)

0.01

0.10

10

100

1,000

Copper, in millions of metric tons

1

95 90 50 10 5 Mean

Percent

0.31

1.3

9.1

32 42

13

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper

[Assessment depth, 2 kilometers (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Median estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of mean 

or greater 

(percent)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

2010 1,334 0.15 9.1 13 37 3
Plate 230. Tract 002rfceCu1000a, Southern Carbonate Écaille, Katanga Basin—Democratic Republic of the Congo 607

Plate

230

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

Africa Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 26° E.; latitude of origin 0°

0 15 30 45 60 KILOMETERS

0 15 30 MILES

25°00' E 26°00' E 27°00' E

10°30' S

11°00' S

11°30' S

Lac de

Retenue

de la

Lufira

Lake Nzilo

River

Lualaba

Kalongwe

Shinkolobwe Signal

ZAMBIA

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC 

OF THE CONGO

20° E 30° E

10° S

18° S

DEMOCRATIC

REPUBLIC 

OF THE CONGO

ANGOLA

ZAMBIA

TANZANIA

NAMIBIA

EXPLANATION

Assessed sediment-hosted 

copper tract 002rfceCu1000a

Sediment-hosted copper deposit

Sediment-hosted copper prospect
608 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 231. Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper Assessment for Tract 

002rfceCu1000b, Central Carbonate Écaille, Katanga Basin—Democratic 

Republic of the Congo and Zambia

Descriptive model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper—Reduced-facies–carbonate-écaille copper subtype model 

(Cox and others, 2007; Zientek, Hayes, and Hammarstrom, 2013)

Grade and tonnage model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper—Reduced-facies–carbonate-écaille copper subtype model 

(Zientek, Hayes, and Taylor, 2013)

Geologic feature assessed: Marine carbonaceous rocks of the Neoproterozoic Mines Subgroup that overlie Neoproterozoic 

continental clastic rocks of the Roches Argilo-Talqueuses (R.A.T.) Subgroup, Katanga Basin

Number of known deposits: 52

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

Tract 002rfceCu1000b

Identified copper resources (61 Mt)

0.01

0.10

10

100

1,000

Copper, in millions of metric tons

1

95 90 50 10 5 Mean

Percent

25

49

120

220 240

130

Source

Zientek, Bliss, and others, 2014, Sediment-hosted stratabound copper assessment of the Neoproterozoic Roan Group, Central African 

Copperbelt, Katanga Basin, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 

2010–5090–T, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090T.

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper

[Assessment depth, 2 kilometers (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Median estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of mean 

or greater 

(percent)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

2010 3,538 61 120 130 45 0
Plate 231. Tract 002rfceCu1000b, Central Carbonate Écaille, Katanga Basin—Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia 609

Plate

231

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

Africa Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 26°30' E.; latitude of origin 0°

0 25 50 75 100 KILOMETERS

0 25 50 MILES

26° E 27° E 28° E

11° S

12° S

Lake Nzilo

Lualaba River 

Kiwana II

Taratara

Lufomboshi

Saafi

Shamitumba

Etoile Extension

Bangwe

Luita

Kamatanda

Karavia

Kababankola

Kazibizi Kalumbwe-Myunga

Niamumenda

Kipoi North

Kasonta

South

Kamwale

Kasonta

Karu East

Disele/Kankeru

Kipapila

Lukuni

Kananga

Luiswishi

Kamoya

Kabolela North and South

Kalukundi-Kii

Shituru

Principal-Anticline

Mutoshi Northwest

Mutoshi

M'Sesa

Mukondo

Kamfundwa

Mutoshi 

(breche)

Kakanda East-Kakanda

North-Kakanda South

Lupoto

Fwalu

Dilala East

Mwandinkomba

Kolwezi

Etoile

Ruashi

Luishia

Kwatebala

Tenke

Fungurume

Kansalawile-Mambilima

Kambove PrincipalKambove West Mutanda-YaMukonkota

DIMA

Kamoto-KOV- Musonie-Mupine

Lubumbashi

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC 

OF THE CONGO

ZAMBIA

20° E 30° E 40° E

10° S

20° S

ANGOLA ZAMBIA

TANZANIA

NAMIBIA

DEMOCRATIC

REPUBLIC

OF THE CONGO EXPLANATION

Assessed sediment-hosted

copper tract 002rfceCu1000b

Sediment-hosted copper deposit

Sediment-hosted copper prospect
610 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 232. Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper Assessment for Tract 

002rfceCu1000c, Northern Carbonate Écaille, Katanga Basin—Democratic 

Republic of the Congo

Descriptive model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper—Reduced-facies–carbonate-écaille copper subtype model 

(Cox and others, 2007; Zientek, Hayes, and Hammarstrom, 2013)

Grade and tonnage model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper—Reduced-facies–carbonate-écaille copper subtype model 

(Zientek, Hayes, and Taylor, 2013)

Geologic feature assessed: Marine carbonaceous rocks of the Neoproterozoic Mines Subgroup that overlie Neoproterozoic 

continental clastic rocks of the Roches Argilo-Talqueuses (R.A.T.) Subgroup, Katanga Basin

Number of known deposits: 2

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

Tract 002rfceCu1000c

Identified copper resources (4.1 Mt)

0.01

0.10

10

100

1,000

Copper, in millions of metric tons

1

95 90 50 10 5 Mean

Percent

0.25

1.1

9.6

28 34

12

Source

Zientek, Bliss, and others, 2014, Sediment-hosted stratabound copper assessment of the Neoproterozoic Roan Group, Central African 

Copperbelt, Katanga Basin, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 

2010–5090–T, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090T.

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper

[Assessment depth, 2 kilometers (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Median estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of mean 

or greater 

(percent)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

2010 4,311 4.1 9.6 12 42 3
Plate 232. Tract 002rfceCu1000c, Northern Carbonate Écaille, Katanga Basin—Democratic Republic of the Congo 611

Plate

232

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

Africa Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 27° E.; latitude of origin 0°

0 20 40 60 80 KILOMETERS

0 20 40 MILES

26° E 27° E 28° E

11° S

12° S

Lualaba River

Lake Nzilo

Kinsevere

Kimbwe

Lubumbashi

ZAMBIA

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC

 OF THE CONGO

20° E 30° E

10° S

20° S

DEMOCRATIC

REPUBLIC 

OF THE CONGO

ANGOLA

ZAMBIA

TANZANIA

NAMIBIA

EXPLANATION

Assessed sediment-hosted 

copper tract 002rfceCu1000c

Sediment-hosted copper deposit

Sediment-hosted copper prospect
612 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 233. Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper Assessment for Tract 

002rfnbCu1001, Ore Shale, Katanga Basin—Democratic Republic of the Congo 

and Zambia

Descriptive model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper—Reduced-facies-nonbrecciated copper subtype model 

(Cox and others, 2007; Zientek, Hayes, and Hammarstrom, 2013)

Grade and tonnage model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper—Reduced-facies-nonbrecciated copper subtype model 

(Zientek, Hayes, and Taylor, 2013)

Geologic feature assessed: Marine carbonaceous rocks of the Neoproterozoic Ore Shale member of the Kitwe Formation that 

overlie Neoproterozoic continental clastic rocks of the Mindola Formation, Katanga Basin

Number of known deposits: 9

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

Tract 002rfnbCu1001

Identified copper resources (71 Mt)

0.01

0.10

10

100

1,000

Copper, in millions of metric tons

1

95 90 50 10 5 Mean

Percent

0.016

0.88

15

24

5.1

Source

Zientek, Bliss, and others, 2014, Sediment-hosted stratabound copper assessment of the Neoproterozoic Roan Group, Central African 

Copperbelt, Katanga Basin, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 

2010–5090–T, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090T.

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper

[Assessment depth, 2 kilometers (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Median estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of mean 

or greater 

(percent)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

2010 890 71 0.88 5.1 23 7
Plate 233. Tract 002rfnbCu1001, Ore Shale, Katanga Basin—Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia 613

Plate

233

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

Africa Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 28° E.; latitude of origin 0°

0 6 12 MILES

0 6 12 18 24 KILOMETERS

27°55' E 28°20' E

12°30' S

13°00' S

Fitwaola

Mindola-Nkana N-S

Konkola-Musoshi

Chingola-Nchanga

Pitanda

Chambishi Main and West

Ichimpe

Chambishi Southeast

Baluba-Muliashi-Luanshya

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC

OF THE CONGO

ZAMBIA

25° E 30° E

10° S

14° S

ZIMBABWE

ZAMBIA

DEMOCRATIC

REPUBLIC

OF THE CONGO

EXPLANATION

Sediment-hosted copper prospect

Sediment-hosted copper deposit

Assessed sediment-hosted 

copper tract 002rfnbCu1001
614 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 234. Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper Assessment for Tract 

002ssCu1002, Roan Arenite, Katanga Basin—Democratic Republic of the Congo 

and Zambia

Descriptive model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper—Sandstone copper subtype model (Cox and others, 2007; 

Zientek, Hayes, and Hammarstrom, 2013)

Grade and tonnage model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper—Sandstone copper subtype, Roan arenite model (Zientek, 

Hayes, and Taylor, 2013)

Geologic feature assessed: Neoproterozoic coarse-grained siliciclastic rocks in the lower Roan Subgroup near the Kafue Anticline and adjacent basement-cored domes, Katanga Basin

Number of known deposits: 20

Graph showing the estimated 

probability distribution of 

undiscovered copper resources, 

where each bar represents the 

minimum amount estimated at 

the indicated percentage.

Tract 002ssCu1002

Identified copper resources (16 Mt)

0.01

0.10

10

100

1,000

Copper, in millions of metric tons

1

95 90 50 10 5 Mean

Percent

0.77

1.4

6.4

19 23

8.4

Source

Zientek, Bliss, and others, 2014, Sediment-hosted stratabound copper assessment of the Neoproterozoic Roan Group, Central African 

Copperbelt, Katanga Basin, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 

2010–5090–T, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090T.

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper

[Assessment depth, 2 kilometers (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Undiscovered copper resource estimates

Median estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Mean estimate of 

in-place resources 

(Mt)

Probability of mean 

or greater 

(percent)

Probability of 0 

in-place resources 

(percent)

2010 13,060 16 6.4 8.4 39 2
Plate 234. Tract 002ssCu1002, Roan Arenite, Katanga Basin—Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia 615

Plate

234

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from ESRI (2008)

Africa Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 28° E.; latitude of origin 0°

0 15 30 45 60 KILOMETERS

0 15 30 MILES

28° E 29° E

12° S

14° S

Chifupu

Mwerkera

Nsato

Fitula

Mwambashi B

Ndola East

Lubembe

Kinsenda

Mufulira

Itawa

Mutundu North

Mokambo North

Bwana Mkubwa

Chibuluma South

Mokambo Project - Mokambo South

Chibuluma-Chibuluma West

Kasaria-Luansobe

Mimbula

Pitanda South

Sebembere

Ndola

Kabwe

Lubumbashi

ZAMBIA

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC 

OF THE CONGO

25° E 30° E

10° S

20° S

DEMOCRATIC

REPUBLIC

OF THE CONGO

BOTSWANA

TANZANIA

ZAMBIA

ZIMBABWE

EXPLANATION

Sediment-hosted copper prospect

Sediment-hosted copper deposit

Assessed sediment-hosted 

copper tract 002ssCu1002
616 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 235. Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper Assessment for Tract 

002rfCu2002, Northwest Botswana Rift—Botswana and Namibia

Descriptive model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper—Reduced-facies copper subtype model (Cox and others, 

2007; Zientek, Hayes, and Hammarstrom, 2013)

Geologic feature assessed: Marine carbonaceous rocks of the Neoproterozoic Klein Aub and D’Kar Formations, Northwest 

Botswana Rift, which includes the Kalahari Copperbelt

Number of known deposits: 18

Source

Zientek, Wintzer, and others, 2015, Qualitative assessment of selected areas of the world for undiscovered sediment-hosted stratabound copper 

deposits: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5090–Y, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090Y.

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper

[Assessment depth, 0 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Qualitative assessment ranking

Analytic hierarchy process—

Alternative utility*

(percent)

Overall rank

2012 135,005 4.2 14.7 1st of 10 areas

*

Alternative utility is a numerical weight derived from evaluation of three assessment criteria.

Graph showing qualitative 

ranking of basins determined by 

the analytic hierarchy process 

(AHP). Alternative utility is the 

overall score derived from the 

AHP method.

14.7

12.6 12.3

10.3 10.1

9.35 9.23

7.57

6.92 6.88

Northwest

Botswana

Rift

(pl. 235)

Benguela

& Cuanza

Basins

(pl. 236)

Egypt-IsraelJordan Rift

(pl. 229)

Redstone

Copperbelt

(pl. 194)

Dongchuan

Group rocks

(pl. 218)

Belt-Purcell

Basin

(pl. 193)

Neuquén

Basin

(pl. 189)

Maritimes

Basin

(pl. 196)

Chuxiong

Basin

(pl. 219)

Salta Rift

System

(pl. 190)

Tract name (plate number)

15

13

11

9

7

5

3

1

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

Alternative utility, in percent

002rfCu2002

Mineralization

Extent of tract area

Lithostratigraphic framework

EXPLANATION
Plate 235. Tract 002rfCu2002, Northwest Botswana Rift—Botswana and Namibia 617

Plate

235

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Africa Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 20° E.; latitude of origin 0°

0 70 140 210 280 KILOMETERS

0 70 140 MILES

16° E 20° E 24° E

18° S

22° S

Gemsbockvley

Oamites

Klein Aub

Christiadore Witvlei Pos

Malachite Pan

Okasewa

Zeta (Ngwako Pan)

Petra and Plutus

Banana Zone

Ghanzi project - zone 6

Ghanzi project - zone 5

Ophion

Dordabis (Koperberg)

Zeta NE

Corner K

Selene

NE Mango

WINDHOEK

ZAMBIA

BOTSWANA

ANGOLA

NAMIBIA

Zambezi River

15° E 30° E

15° S

30° S

ATLANTIC

OCEAN

INDIAN

OCEAN

ANGOLA

ZAMBIA

SOUTH

AFRICA

BOTSWANA

NAMIBIA

EXPLANATION

Assessed sediment-hosted 

copper tract 002rfCu2002

Sediment-hosted copper deposit

Sediment-hosted copper prospect
618 Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015

Plate 236. Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper Assessment for Tract 

002rfCu2000, Benguela and Cuanza Basins—Angola

Descriptive model: Sediment-hosted stratabound copper—Reduced-facies copper subtype model (Cox and others, 

2007; Zientek, Hayes, and Hammarstrom, 2013)

Geologic feature assessed: Lower Cretaceous Cuvo Formation of the Benguela and Cuanza Basins

Number of known deposits: 2

Source

Zientek, Wintzer, and others, 2015, Qualitative assessment of selected areas of the world for undiscovered sediment-hosted stratabound copper 

deposits: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5090–Y, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20105090Y.

Selected Resource Assessment Results for Sediment-Hosted Stratabound Copper

[Assessment depth, 0 kilometer (km); km2, square kilometer; Mt, millions of metric tons]

Date of 

assessment

Tract area 

(km2)

Identified 

copper 

resources 

(Mt)

Qualitative assessment ranking

Analytic hierarchy process—

Alternative utility*

(percent)

Overall rank

2012 7,626 0.15 12.6 2d of 10 areas

*

Alternative utility is a numerical weight derived from evaluation of three assessment criteria.

Graph showing qualitative 

ranking of basins determined by 

the analytic hierarchy process 

(AHP). Alternative utility is the 

overall score derived from the 

AHP method.

14.7

12.6 12.3

10.3 10.1

9.35 9.23

7.57

6.92 6.88

Northwest

Botswana

Rift

(pl. 235)

Benguela

& Cuanza

Basins

(pl. 236)

Egypt-IsraelJordan Rift

(pl. 229)

Redstone

Copperbelt

(pl. 194)

Dongchuan

Group rocks

(pl. 218)

Belt-Purcell

Basin

(pl. 193)

Neuquén

Basin

(pl. 189)

Maritimes

Basin

(pl. 196)

Chuxiong

Basin

(pl. 219)

Salta Rift

System

(pl. 190)

Tract name (plate number)

15

13

11

9

7

5

3

1

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

Alternative utility, in percent

002rfCu2000

Mineralization

Extent of tract area

Lithostratigraphic framework

EXPLANATION
Plate 236. Tract 002rfCu2000, Benguela and Cuanza Basins—Angola 619

Plate

236

Political boundaries from U.S. Department of State (2009)

Shaded relief from Earth Resources Observation and

Science (EROS) Center (2011)

Africa Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Central meridian 13° E.; latitude of origin 0°

0 30 60 90 120 KILOMETERS

0 30 60 MILES

12° E 14° E

8° S

12° S

ANGOLA

LUANDA

Benguela

English Mine (Unango)

Cachoeiras de Binga

ATLANTIC OCEAN

10° E 20° E

5° S

15° S

ATLANTIC

OCEAN

REPUBLIC OF

THE CONGO

DEMOCRATIC

REPUBLIC OF

THE CONGO

ANGOLA

NAMIBIA

EXPLANATION

Assessed sediment-hosted 

copper tract 002rfCu2000

Sediment-hosted copper deposit

Sediment-hosted copper prospect


Hammarstrom and others—Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2015—Scientific Investigations Report 2018–5160, ver. 1.1

ISSN 2328-031X (print)

ISSN 2328-0328 (online)

https://doi.org/10.3133/sir20185160 Printed on recycled paper