The mineralized zones are at the western end of the Katangan copper belt.

These deposits are hosted mainly by metasedimentary rocks of the late Proterozoic Katangan system, a 7km thick succession of sediments with minor volcanics, volcanoclastics and intrusive rocks.

Primary mineralisation, in the form of sulphides, within the Lower Roan is associated with the Dolomies Stratified (DSTRAT) and Roches Siliceuses Feuilletées Foliated (Laminated) and Silicified Rocks (RFS) for the Ore-body Inferior (OBI) and the Schistes De Base or Basal Schists and Shales Dolomitiques Superieurs (SDB) or Upper Dolomitic Shales for the Ore-body Superior (OBS) and is thought to be syn-sedimentary in origin. Typical primary copper sulphide minerals are bornite, chalcopyrite, chalcocite and occasional native copper while cobalt is in the form of carrolite. The mineralization occurs as disseminations or in association with hydrothermal carbonate alteration and silicification.

These deposits are hosted mainly by metasedimentary rocks of the Late Proterozoic Katangan System, a 7km thick succession of sediments with minor volcanics, volcanoclastics and intrusives. Geochronological data indicate an age of deposition of the Katangan sediments of ~880 Ma and deformation during the Katangan Orogeny at <650 Ma. This deformation led to the formation of the northwest-southeast trending Lufilian Arc, which extends from Namibia on the west coast of Africa through to Zambia, lying to the south of the DRC. Within the DRC, the zone extends for more than 300 km from Kolwezi in the northwest to Lubumbashi in the southeast.

Stratigraphically, the rich copper and cobalt deposits found in Zambia and the DRC occur localised in the Roan Supergroup (Roan). The Roan occurs at the base of the Katanga succession, overlying the basement rock of Kibaran age (Mid-Proterozic). The Roan is separated from the overlying rocks of the Kundelungu and the Nguba Groups by a conglomerate, the Grand Conglomerat. The Nguba is composed of sandstones and shales with a basal conglomerate while the Kundelungu consists essentially of sediments and is separated from the Nguba by a conglomerate, the Petit Conglomerat.

Within the Lufilian Arc are large scale east west to northwest-southeast trending folds with wavelengths extending for kilometres. The folds are faulted along the crests of the anticlines through which rocks of the Roan Group have been diapirically injected into the fault zones, squeezed up fault planes and over thrust to lie above rocks of the younger Kundelungu. The overthrusted Roan lithologies occur as segments or fragments on surface which are intact units preserving the original geological succession within each of the fragments. A fragment could be of hundreds of metres aligned across the fault plane.

KTO is an operational UG mine that produced 1.94 Mt during the full year 2014. The current LOM plan is to ramp yearly production up to 2.2 Mt of sulphide.

The three mining methods practised at KTO include:
- Room and Pillar with Hydraulic Backfill (RAP) at dips of less than 12º;
- Transversal Longhole Retreat with Backfill (TLHR) between 13º and 55º; and
- Longitudinal Longhole Retreat with Backfill (LLHR) at dips greater than 55º.

Room and Pillar
The RAP mining practised at KTO is applied to the OBS and OBI horizons. Access drives are developed along strike on the hanging wall contact, 6m wide by 5 m high on 25 m centres. Cross drives (6 m x 5 m) are developed 25 m centre to centre along the centre of the stope for the full length thereof and then finally connected by drifts, 25 m centre to centre, for ease of loading the broken ore and for ventilation purposes. A strike gathering drive is developed at the bottom of the stope for cleaning of ore. The cross drives are then slyped to a full width of 12.5 m and 5 m high. Benching of drives takes place by drilling long down-holes and slots from the slyped cut to the footwall of the stope and blasted from the gathering drive end. Benching operations take place under a hanging wall that is supported in the development and slyping stages of mining.

The 12.5 m stopes with 12.5 m pillars are mined as primary stopes and backfilled with cemented hydraulic fill to provide support for pillars. If fill is not used, much larger pillars would be required for a stable layout. As an indication, for a mining height of 15m with a 12.5m wide roadway, the required pillar width to provide a FoS of 1.2 would be close to 50 m. Overall volumetric extraction would reduce to approximately 40%. After curing pillars can be developed and mined as Secondary stopes in a similar fashion as the Primary stopes. These Secondary stopes are filled with waste rock or hydraulic fill for regional stability. This is a high extraction mining method with relatively minimal losses and dilutions. Pillar extraction ore mining secondary stopes was not very successful historically at KTO due to the quality of the fill in the primary stopes.

Transversal Longhole Retreat with Backfill
This method is practiced in Zones 1, 6 and 7 for dips between 12° and 55°. Stopes are 15 -17 m wide and pillars 8 m wide along strike.

The mining method requires a 6 m x 5 m drive on the hanging wall contact at 15 m vertical intervals. Crosscuts (6 m x 5 m) are developed to the foot wall contact of the specific ore body at 23 m centres and in this position drives are again established on either side of the crosscut to eventually create one continuous drive on the footwall contact.

Crosscuts are then slyped to 16 m wide chambers by 5 m high establishing 16 m wide stopes and pillars 8 m wide along strike. Drifts are supported with 2.4 m bolts at 1.2 m centres while the 16 m wide chambers are supported with additional 4 m long anchors at 2 m centres. A connection drive is developed to connect the chambers at the footwall contact. Slot raises and longhole blast rings are drilled from the top and bottom of the chambers to the outline of the ore body. Rings are blasted sequentially towards the slot from the top down and bottom up. Stopes are backfilled depending on the availability of waste rock from other production areas. Hydraulic fill is used if development waste is unavailable and appropriate backfill logistics exist in the area in question.

Longitudinal Longhole Retreat with Backfill
This method is used in Etang North for dips off 55° and higher. The vertical level spacing is 15 m in old areas and 20 m to 25 m in undeveloped areas. Stopes are designed at the width of the ore body, 60 m in length and with 8 m rib pillars.

Stopes are designed at the width of the ore body, 60 m in length with 8 m rib pillars. These pillars serve to provide regional support and protection for the contained access ways and infrastructure.

Level access is developed through a ramp system. Strike drives (6 m x 5 m) are developed and located at the safest position in the ore body, for that level, based on geotechnical and geological parameters. These drives are developed to the full width of the ore body. The initial development is 6 m x 5 m and is supported with 2.4 m bolts at 1.2 m centres. The ore body width slyped section is supported with 4 m bolts or anchors at 2 m centres. Down holes are drilled from the upper slyped drive for the slot and the stope. The slots and rings are blasted and cleaned from the lower level access on a retreat basis. Ore extraction is achieved using remotely operated loading equipment. On completion of ore extraction, barricades are constructed in the drill drives at each end of the panel and panels are backfilled with waste rock or hydraulic fill depending on availability.

KTC currently comprises the following operations. Ore crushing and milling
- Oxide ore crushing and milling section treating mixed ore; and
- Sulphide ore crushing and milling section treating sulphide ore Flotation
- Oxide ore flotation treating mixed ore; and
- Sulphide ore flotation treating sulphide ore.

Concentrate handling The Luilu Plant currently comprises the following operations:
- Concentrate Receiving;
- Roasting;
- Leaching;
- Copper circuit;
- Cobalt circuit;
- Solvent extraction;

Mixed ore from the KOV OP is transported by truck and stockpiled near the oxide crushing area. It is blended before being crushed by jaw crushers and conveyed to stockpiles in the milling section.

Milled mixed ore is processed in the flotation circuit to produce a final sulphide concentrate, a final oxide concentrate, and a tailings stream. This is achieved by first treating the milled mixed ore in a roughing st ........