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The miners in Chile were digging for gold and copper when the San Jose mine collapsed in August. Anchor Marco Werman reviews some of the many things copper is used for.

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MARCO WERMAN: The miners who were rescued in Chile this week had been digging for gold and for copper. Copper is a metal that’s in increasing demand these days, and that’s why the miners in Chile were digging so deep. Despite the anxiety people around the world felt as they waited to see if the miners would be rescued, demand for copper is not likely to let up soon. The reason is that copper has a wide variety of uses. Some are obvious. Copper is used to make electrical wiring, batteries and coins. But since it’s an excellent conductor of heat and electricity, and is also malleable and doesn’t rust, copper is used in lots of other things too. That includes refrigerators, air conditioners, cars, motors and computer circuits and chips. Copper prices have been rising this year, driven by demand for this versatile raw material from rapidly developing countries like China, Brazil, India and Russia. All of which probably means that miners around the globe will keep going deeper and deeper for copper and other useful metals.

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