Cornish copper find raises hopes for once ‘richest square mile’ – by Steven Morris (The Guardian – April 22, 2020)

https://www.theguardian.com/

A fresh discovery of copper in an area once labelled the richest square mile on Earth because of its abundant metal deposits has raised the possibility of a revival for one of the UK’s most historic industries.

During exploration for lithium in hot underground springs in Cornwall, engineers came instead upon high-grade copper in a previously unmined area.

Further drilling will take place to confirm the extent of the discovery in the parish of Gwennap, near Redruth, but there is cautious optimism that the discovery could kickstart something of a comeback for the industry.

“It’s a very exciting new discovery,” said Richard Williams, the chief executive of Strongbow Exploration, which owns the mineral rights at the site United Downs.

“It tells us there are areas of mineralisation that are relatively close to the surface and are potentially mineable. The plan is to get back in there and do some additional drilling to find out how big the zone is.”

For the rest of this article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/apr/22/cornish-copper-find-metal-mining-industry