Overview

Mine Type	Open Pit
Status	Closing / Closed
Commodities	Nickel Iron Ore
Mining Method	Truck & Shovel / Loader
Production Start	...
Snapshot	Agata Mine commenced operations in October 2014 and has completed a total project-to-date of 380 shipments of 20.67 million wet metric tonnes of nickel laterite through to July 31, 2023. Further shipments had not been expected at Agata following an earlier announcement that Agata Mining Ventures Inc. (AMVI) would cease operations at the end of November 2022.

Deposit type

• Laterite

Summary:

The Agata North lateritic nickel resource in the Philippines forms part of the resource base of MRL (MRL Nickel Philippines, Inc. is a Philippine subsidiary of Mindoro Resources Limited) and has been under active exploration by this company since 1997, with the first lateritic nickel resource drilling program completed in 2006.

Nickeliferous laterite deposits in the Agata area are a series of mineralised plateaus along the western range of the Surigao region of Mindanao. They form specific terrains within the range atop of the predominant underlying ultramafic rocks. The laterites have been developed over ultramafic rocks that lie along the Western Range and are variably mineralized. The rock types within the ultramafics are harzburgite, serpentinised harzburgite, peridotite, serpentinised peridotite, pyroxenite, serpentinised pyroxenite, serpentinite with localised lenses of dunite or serpentinised dunite.

Nickel laterites are the products of intense chemical weathering of the ultramafic rocks, especially the olivine-rich varieties like harzburgite and dunite. The high rainfalls and intense weathering breaks down the easily weathered harzburgite and dunite and the more mobile elements of Mg and Si tend to leave the profile at a much faster rate than the less mobile Feand Ni or Co. Thus high Fe laterite and limonite zones overlie the weathered saprolite of the ultramafic rocks and, where erosion of the upper Fe laterite is low, significant depths of weathering (>10m) can occur within the saprolitic zone.

Nickel mineralisation is predominantly at the base of the Fe laterite and the top of the saprolite and in more primary, Mg rich clays (saponite and stevensite) in the ultramafic saprolite. When weathering is very deep then more Ni can be located in the Fe laterite, but the greatest Ni enrichment is predominantly within the saprolite of the underlying ultramafic rock near the contact zone with the Fe laterite.

The Agata Nickel Laterite deposits located along the western range of the Surigao region, Mindanao Island all have had significant laterite formation and consequent nickel enrichment. The mineralisation can occur in both low and high relief terrains with the high relief terrains generally having lower limonite thicknesses and some exposure of bedrock. The low relief terrain however has no exposures of bedrock on its hillcrests, with the laterite being well developed and containing thick and highly mineralised limonite or saprolite and on occasions a transitional unit. Some boulders occur within the laterite profile and this is predominantly related to harder residual rocks within the laterite profile.

Mining Methods

- subscription is required.

Comminution

Crushers and Mills

Processing

Summary:

There will be no ore processed at the project site. Blending and ore drying activities will occur at the Pit stockpile on the top of the plateau approximately 3.5km from Payong Payong.

Following blending and drying, all ore will be trucked to a Port Loading Facility at Payong Payong bay and directly unloaded onto barges that will be moored at two berth causeway.

Production

Commodity	Units	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
Nickel	wmt	....	....	....	2,623,849	2,472,776	3,139,557	3,533,116	1,378,235

Personnel

Job Title	Name	Profile	Ref. Date
.......................	.......................		Sep 26, 2023

Employees	Year
......	2022
......	2019