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Madagascar

Fort Dauphin (QMM) Operation

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Categories

Summary

Mine TypeOpen Pit
StatusActive
Commodities
  • Titanium
  • Zircon
  • Monazite
Mining Method
  • Dredging
  • Dry mining
Production Start... Lock
Mine Life... Lock
SnapshotIlmenite mined in Fort Dauphin (QMM) operations is being processed in Rio Tinto Iron and Titanium (RTIT) Quebec Operations plant in Canada.

QMM is a world-class ilmenite mining project. Ilmenite is a major source of titanium dioxide that is predominantly used as a white pigment in products such as paint and paper. QMM also produces zirsill.

Construction completed at QIT Madagascar Minerals (QMM) wind facility (16 MW) with commercial operations expected in 2026.

Owners

SourceSource
CompanyInterestOwnership
Government of Madagascar 15 % Indirect
Rio Tinto plc 85 % Indirect
QIT Madagascar Minerals (QMM) is 85% owned by Rio Tinto and 15% owned by the Government of Madagascar.

Contractors

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Deposit type

  • Mineral sands

Summary:

The heavy mineral sand deposit area extends over 70 km of the coastal zone surrounding Fort Dauphin. Three deposits of heavy mineral sands such as Mandena, Sainte Luce, and Petriky, have been identified within its boundaries.

The Fort-Dauphin beach sand placer is located in Flandrian Dunes surrounded by the Vohimena Mountains and the Indian Ocean in South-East of Madagascar Island. The placer contributes 2/3 of the total heavy mineral resources of this country.

The igneous formation occupies majority part of the Fort-Dauphin region and consists of the Vohimena and the Anosyenne Mountains granitic complexes. The essential compositions of the granitic complex are charnockite and garnet - biotite granite with few dozen meter of lenses containing apatite-biotite, zircon and large crystal of monazite. The Anosyenne granite is composed of ilmenite, monazite and magnetite (Andriamanantena, 2008). The coastal sedimentary formation consists of heavy minerals transported from eroded Anosyenne granite. Due to the potassium feldspar alteration, greenish yellow color is observed along the formation (Lacroix, 1922). The metamorphic formation in this area is characterized by the banded gneiss with biotite, cordierite, spinel, sillimanite, garnet, orthoclase and plagioclase (Bazot, 1974). The placer is very rich in titanium mineral accompanied with minerals bearing natural radioactive and heavy elements.

The major minerals of the deposit are monazite, zircon, quartz, garnet, spinel, sillimanite as non-refractory minerals; ilmenite, anatase, rutile, titanite, leucoxene, pseudorutile and as a refractory one. The average concentration of the ilmenite, monazite, zircon and other minerals is 66.72%, 2.3%, 2.8%, and 28.18% respectively. Ilmenite contains 63 wt.% of TiO2, Zircon - 44 wt.% of ZrO2, Monazite contains 53 wt.% of oxide rare earth elements (REE) and up to 2 wt.% of UO2 and 9 wt.% of ThO2.

Reserves

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Mining Methods

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Heavy Mobile Equipment

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Comminution

Crushers and Mills

Milling equipment has not been reported.

Processing

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Water usage

Parameter2024202320222021
River water 0.35 GL0.38 GL0.34 GL0.38 GL

Commodity Production

CommodityUnits2025202420232022202120202019201820172016
Titanium dioxide kt  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 1,206** 1,116** 1,315** 1,048**
All production numbers are expressed as slag. ** Combined production for Lac Tio (Havre St-Pierre) Mine, Fort Dauphin (QMM) Operation and Richards Bay Minerals (RBM) Mine

Production Costs

Commodity production costs have not been reported.

Personnel

Mine Management

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Mar 25, 2026
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Mar 25, 2026
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Mar 25, 2026
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Mar 25, 2026
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Mar 25, 2026
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Mar 25, 2026
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Mar 25, 2026

Workforce

EmployeesYear
...... Subscription required 2023
...... Subscription required 2020

Aerial view:

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