U.S. Geological Survey reports on the yet-untapped global resources

Need to know which regions of the world have the largest identified copper resources and have the biggest potential in undiscovered resources? USGS says the first-ever, geologically-based global assessment of undiscovered copper resources estimates that 3.5 billion metric tons of copper may exist worldwide.

According to a recent USGS report, “Estimate of Undiscovered Copper Resources of the World, 2013,” it  outlined 225 areas for undiscovered copper in 11 regions of the world. The amount of undiscovered global copper estimated by the USGS would be enough to satisfy current world demand for more than 150 years.

According to the assessment, South America is the dominant source for both identified and undiscovered copper resources, and several regions of Asia including China, Mongolia and Indonesia, have lots of potential for undiscovered copper resources.

“This USGS assessment of future copper resources identifies a huge potential supply that is roughly six times greater than all the copper mined throughout human history,” said Interior Assistant Secretary for Water and Science, Anne Castle.