Specifications - 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 | |
| Featured Suppliers | |
| Allmineral - Separation and Beneficiation Systems for Sand, Gravel, Ore, Coal, Lignite and Slag | |
| Clariant Mining Chemicals - Chemicals for Mineral Treatment | |
| Endress+Hauser - Measurement and Automation | |
| FLSmidth Dorr-Oliver Eimco - Flotation, Agglomeration and Filtering | |
| FLSmidth Minerals - Engineered Mineral Processing Equipment | |
| Flygt - Reliable Fluid Handling Solutions for the Mining Industry | |
| GE Transportation Systems - Electric Drive Systems | |
| Hansen Transmissions - Gear Units and Power Transmission Products | |
| Koch Transporttechnik - Bulk Material Handling and Processing Systems | |
| Norcast - Abrasion resistant Mill and Crusher Liners and Conical-Shaped Grinding Media | |
| REMA TIP TOP - Conveyor Belt Maintenance, Wear and Corrosion Protection | |
| SIEMAG - Hoisting and Hydrohoisting Technology, Shaft and Slope Hoisting | |
Copyright 2007 SPG Media Limited a subsidiary of SPG Media Group PLC
