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Brazil
Onca Puma Mine

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 Location:
21 km N from Tucuma, Brazil

  Address:

Ourilândia do Norte
Brazil
68533-000
Phone  ...  Subscription required
WebsiteWeb
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  • Overview
  • Owners
  • Geology
  • Mining
  • Processing
  • Production
  • Reserves
  • Personnel
  • Filings & News

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Overview

StageProduction
Mine TypeOpen Pit
Commodities
  • Nickel
Mining Method
  • Truck & Shovel / Loader
Processing
  • Calcining
  • Rotary kiln & Electric furnace
Mine Life2072
Company resumed operations at On¸ca Puma in September 2019, following a decision of the Brazilian Federal Supreme Court (STF).


Owners & OPERATOR

Source: p. 60
CompanyInterestOwnership
Vale S.A. (operator) 100 % Direct
Vale S.A., operates a nickel production system, Onca Puma, in the South Atlantic region.

Deposit Type

  • Laterite
  • Saprolite


Summary:

The Onca Puma mine is built on lateritic nickel deposits of saprolitic laterite ore.

Lateritic weathering profiles at Onca and Puma can be classified according to protolith mineralogy and the accumulation of quartz. Protolith mineralogy, the presence of significant chlorite and/or vermiculite in the serpentine #3 host at Puma distinguishes that deposit from Onca where the dominant Serpentinite #2 host is largely serpentine and chromite.

Each of the deposits has a saprolitic zone overlaid by a limonitic zone (if it has survived erosion). Nonsiliceous or normal profiles consist of serpentinite saprolite overlain by thin layers of limonite and in rare cases by some form o f ferricrete. Siliceous profiles are defined as having greater than 15% quartz in both siliceous saprolite and siliceous limonite. The limonite zones overlying tire On9a and Puma saprolites are generally thin, discontinuous, and from their chemistry consist of goethite, chromite, several manganese oxide phases, and sporadic amounts of quartz.

The principal minerals in the Onca saprolite in decreasing order of importance are serpentine, limonite, quartz, chromite and vermiculite. Ni occurs in solid solution largely in serpentine with subordinate amounts in goethite (=limonite) and vermiculite. Minor amounts of various green silicates, “gamierites” intergrown with chalcedonic quartz, are seen locally in Onca saprolite; grains of possible nepouite contained 13-19 wt% Ni have also been identified in mineralogical studies. Nickel and Cobalt also occur in manganese oxide phases but not in significant amounts of the saprolite unit. Intergrowths of a Mn-Al oxide phase have also been observed (typically this would be lithiophorite) and tamaite, (K,Ba)3Mn24(Si,Al)40(O,OH)u22*(H2O), with - 10% contained Ni.

Nickel in the Puma serpentinite is associated with narrow zones of fine-grained serpentine micro-breccia and centimeter-scale subhedral patches of very fine-grained polycrystalline chlorite and vermiculite. Locally significant amounts of chlorite and vermiculite are cut by millimeter to centimeter thick garnierite ± chalcedony veinlets controlled by a structural event which has cross-cut the igneous-layering. Vermiculite and chlorite are strongly enriched in nickel in the saprolite zone. Because both are more insoluble than serpentine, they persist upward in the laterite profile and are present in limonite and siliceous limonite.


Mining Methods

  • Truck & Shovel / Loader


Summary:

The On¸ca Puma mine is built to recover nickel from saprolitic ore deposit.


Crushing and Grinding


Processing

  • Calcining
  • Rotary kiln & Electric furnace

Source: Subscription required

Summary:

The operation produces ferronickel via the rotary kiln-electric furnace process. Company is currently operating a single line with one electric furnace and two lines of calcine and rotary kilns, with nominal capacity estimated at 27,000 metric tons per year.

The ferro-nickel is transported by truck to the Vila do Conde maritime terminal in the Brazilian state of Para, and exported in ocean containers.

Recoveries & Grades:

CommodityParameter2019201720162015201420132012
Nickel Head Grade, % 1.42.052.042.132.192.281.87

Production:

CommodityUnits201920182017201620152014
Nickel kt  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required25242421
All production numbers are expressed as metal in alloy.
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Operational Metrics:

Metrics20192017201620152014
Ore tonnes mined  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required1,710 kt1,024 kt1,358 kt
Annual production capacity  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Reserves at December 31, 2019:

CategoryTonnage CommodityGrade
Proven 60.3 M dmt Nickel 1.66 %
Probable 53.1 M dmt Nickel 1.38 %
Proven & Probable 113.3 M dmt Nickel 1.53 %


Heavy Mobile Equipment:

Mine Management:

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jun 26, 2020
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Corporate Filings & Presentations:

DocumentYear
................................... Subscription required 2019
................................... Subscription required 2018
Form 20-F 2017
Form 20-F 2016
Form 20-F 2015
Form 20-F 2014
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Aerial view:

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