Throughout world history, copper has been a significant metal for a vast number of cultures, from the oldest civilizations on record to the Bronze Age and Greek and Roman antiquity.Though replaced by iron as the primary metal for tools and weapons in ancient civilizations, copper found new resurgence in the nineteenth century when it was discovered to haveparticularly high thermal and electrical conductivity. Copper mining quickly escalated into alarge-scale industry, and because of its vast reserves and innovative mining techniques, theUnited States seized the reins of global production with...