Palabora Copper Mine, South Africa
Key Data:
Producer of
Copper, vermiculite, zircon, magnetite, uranium, precious metals
Location
Northeastern South Africa
Ownership
Rio Tinto (57.7%); Anglo American (28.9%)
Geology type
Carbonatite-hosted copper orebody hosted in an alkaline igneous complex
Mineral type
Copper: chalcopyrite, bornite, cubanite, chalcocite and vallerite
Zircon: baddeleyite
Uranium: uranothorianite
Iron: magnetite
Gold, silver, platinum and palladium
Reserve base
Underground 225Mt grading 0.7% copper
Annual production
10.7Mt of ore, containing 61,500t of copper in concentrates, 1.13Mt of magnetite and 198,000t of vermiculite, plus nickel sulphate, baddeleyite and precious metals (2006)
Mining method
Underground block caving
Processing method
Crushing, milling and flotation to recover copper concentrates; on-site smelting and refining
Employment
1,800
Key Equipment:
Underground
Shaft hoists: MAN-GHH
Crushers: ThyssenKrupp
Refrigeration: Howden
Monitoring: Endress & Hauser
Contractors
Shaft sinking: Shaft Sinkers Pty Ltd
Underground development: RUC Mining Contracting
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