The zinc is corroding underneath the copper plating.
Think of it like a piece of steel corroding underneath a layer of paint and the blisters that form. The difference is that the electrochemistry of the copper and zinc couple makes the zinc corrode even worse. It doesn't take much to get zinc to oxidize/corrode anyway once it is exposed to the environment.
Think of it like a piece of steel corroding underneath a layer of paint and the blisters that form. The difference is that the electrochemistry of the copper and zinc couple makes the zinc corrode even worse. It doesn't take much to get zinc to oxidize/corrode anyway once it is exposed to the environment.