Mining Intelligence and News
Brazil

Santa Cruz Mine

Click for more information

Categories

Overview

Mine TypeOpen Pit
StatusActive
Commodities
  • Iron Ore
Mining Method
  • Truck & Shovel / Loader
Production Start... Lock
Mine Life... Lock
SnapshotUrucum mine is a part of Mineração Corumbaense Reunida (MCR) operations.

The Santa Cruz mine has an open pit of high-grade iron ore and has been operating since 1974. Its main product is high-grade lump iron ore, a unique product on the market. Furthermore, the Santa Cruz mine produces natural fines (sinter feed) with a grade above market average and granulometry that allows high productivity for the production of sinter.

Owners

SourceSource
CompanyInterestOwnership
Mineracao Corumbaense Reunida S.A. (operator) 100 % Direct
LHG Mining Ltda. 100 % Indirect
On April 6, 2022, Vale S.A. signed a binding agreement for the sale, to J&F Mineração Ltda., controlled by J&F Investimentos S.A., of all the shares issued by Mineração Corumbaense Reunida S.A., Mineração Mato Grosso S.A., International Iron Company, Inc. and Transbarge Navegación Sociedad Anónima, which hold Iron Ore, Manganese Ore and Logistics assets in the Midwestern System, including the full assumption by the buyer of the take-or-pay logistics contracts, subject to the consent of the applicable counterparties. Under the terms agreed, the enterprise value of the transaction is approximately US$ 1.2 billion for a set of assets.

Deposit type

  • Banded iron formation

Summary:

Corumba ore reserves are comprised of hematite ore type, which generates operations lump ore predominantly.

The manganese and iron deposits of the Morro do Uruclun are located about 25 kilometers south of the city of Corumba, Mato Grosso, Brazil.

The deposits of both manganese and iron occur in the Jacadigo series, of unknown but probably late pre-Cambrian or early Paleozoic age. This has been subdivided into the Urucum, the Corrego das Pedras, and the Band' Alta formations. The Urucum formation, between 400 and 500-meters thick, consists of continental deposits of arkose and conglomerate. It grades upward into the Corrego das Pedras formation, about 95 meters thick, in which ferruginous arkose at the base grades upward into ferruginous sandstone and ferruginous jasper. Above the Corrego daa Pedras formation is the Band' Alta formation, at least 300 meters in thickness, which contains the deposits of manganese and iron. At the base of the Band' Alta is a widespread bed of the manganese oxide cryptomelane. This is overlain by banded siliceous hematite, which makes up the greater part of the formation but is interbedded, about 40 meters or more above the base, with other lenticular beds or cryptomelnns, and, higher in the section, with lenticular beds of clastic rocks, including siltstone, sandstone, and, rarely, conglomerate. The formation is cut off at the top by an erosion surface.

The Corumba formation consists of calcareous shales and argillites, sandy shales, black, well-bedded limestone, gray limestone and dolomite, andwhlte dolomite. It extends at least 200 kilometers westward from Corumba into Bolivia, 100 kilometers to the south, more than 100 kilometers to the north, and an unknown distance to the east.

In many localities the Corumba formation has been marmorized. Although this recrystallization has been attributed to metamorphic effects of the intrusive granite which crops out near Fazenda do Urucum, it is more probably the result of dynamic stresses induced during the complex deformation of the area. There is no known evidence to prove or even strongly indicate that the granite is intrusive into the Corumba formation.

Reserves

Lock

- subscription is required.

Mining Methods

Lock

- subscription is required.

Comminution

Crushers and Mills

Milling equipment has not been reported.

Processing

Lock

- subscription is required.

Production

Starting from 2022, production data for the Urucum and Santa Cruz mines is not available separately due to a change in operational ownership. However, combined data for both mines is still accessible as part of the Mineracao Corumbaense Reunida (MCR) Operation.
CommodityUnits2021202020192018201720162015
Iron Ore Mt  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe2.42.52.41.92.8
All production numbers are expressed as lump & sinter.

Production Costs

Commodity production costs have not been reported.

Heavy Mobile Equipment

Fleet data has not been reported.

Personnel

Mine Management

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Nov 27, 2024
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Nov 27, 2024
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Nov 27, 2024

Aerial view:

Lock

- subscription is required.