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Brazil
Salobo Mine

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 Location:
159 km SW from Maraba, Brazil

  Regional Office:
Praia de Botafogo, 186, 18º Andar, Botafogo
Rio de Janeiro
Brazil
22.250-145
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WebsiteWeb
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  • Overview
  • Owners
  • Geology
  • Mining
  • Processing
  • Production
  • Reserves
  • Financials
  • Fleet
  • Personnel
  • Filings & News

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Overview

StageProduction
Mine TypeOpen Pit
Commodities
  • Copper
  • Gold
Mining Method
  • Truck & Shovel / Loader
Processing
  • Flotation
Mine Life2052


Owners & OPERATOR

Source: p. 88, 254
CompanyInterestOwnership
Vale S.A. 100 % Indirect
Salobo Metais S.A. (operator) 100 % Direct
Subsidiary - Salobo Metais S.A - Ownership 100%

Deposit Type

  • IOCG


Summary:

The deposit is considered to be an example of an iron oxide–copper–gold (IOCG) deposit.

The Salobo deposit is hosted in the Carajás Mining District within Carajás Province, a sigmoidal-shaped, west–northwest–east–southeast-trending late Archean basin.

The Archean basin contains a basement assemblage that is dominated by granite–tonalitic ortho-gneisses of the Pium Complex, and amphibolite, gneisses and migmatites of the Xingu Complex. The basement rocks are overlain by volcanic and sedimentary rocks of the Itacaiúnas Supergroup, which includes the Igarapé Salobo Group, the Igarapé Pojuca Group, Grão Pará Group and the Igarapé Bahia Group. The Itacaiúnas Supergroup hosts all the Carajás IOCG deposits, including Salobo.

Mineralization at the Salobo deposit is hosted by upper-greenschist-to-loweramphibolite-metamorphosed rocks of the Igarapé Salobo Group. The major host units are biotite and magnetite schists. The Salobo hydrothermal system has a core of massive magnetite that is surrounded by less intensely altered rocks. Away from the massive magnetite, the magnetite content gradually diminishes, giving way to biotite–garnet schist and/or garnet–grunerite schist.

The deposit extends over an area of approximately 4 km along strike (west–northwest), is 100–600 m wide, and has been recognized to depths of 750 m below the surface. The Salobo mineralization is limited in strike extent, but remains open at depth below the current design pit.

Sulphide mineralization typically consists of assemblages of magnetite–chalcopyrite–bornite and magnetite–bornite–chalcocite. Accessory minerals include hematite, molybdenite, ilmenite, uraninite, graphite, digenite, covellite, and sulphosalts.


Mining Methods

  • Truck & Shovel / Loader


Summary:

Mining at the Salobo Operations utilizes standard open pit methods with drilling and blasting, loading and hauling, using 15 m benches in rock and 8 m loading benches in saprolites. Electrical cable shovels with 220 t and 327 t trucks are used for bulk mining, hydraulic shovels, and 220 t trucks are used in the saprolites with soft ground conditions and occasionally at pit bottoms to improve selectivity.

In order to improve the ore recovery at the bottom of the pit even further, the last six benches will be developed with 25 m wide, 12% ramps, and mining will be performed with a Cat 374 backhoe with a 4.5 m bucket and 8 x 4 40 t trucks. Although blasting will continue to be in 15 m benches, the mining will take place in 4 m slices.

Production drilling is done using Atlas Copco Pit Viper 351 and BE 49R drills, both with 12½ inch (31.75 cm) drill bits. The drill pattern varies depending on ore or waste. Smaller drills are used for pre-splitting and pit wall control.


Crushing and Grinding


Processing

  • Flotation

Flow Sheet: Subscription required

Summary:

The run-of-mine is processed by means of standard primary and secondary crushing, conveying, roller press grinding, ball milling copper concentrate flotation, tailings disposal, concentrate thickening, filtration and load out.

Company truck the concentrate to a storage terminal in Parauapebas and then transport it via the EFC railroad to the Itaqui Port in Sao Luis, state of Maranhao. Company constructed a 90-kilometer road to link Salobo to Parauapebas.

Recoveries & Grades:

CommodityParameter201920182017201620152014
Copper Head Grade, % 0.690.690.630.620.620.84

Production:

CommodityUnits201920182017201620152014
Copper kt  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required19317615598
Gold koz  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required
All production numbers are expressed as metal in concentrate.
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Operational Metrics:

Metrics201920182017201620152014
Ore tonnes mined  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required57,279 kt44,296 kt18,644 kt
Annual production capacity  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required100 kt of copper metal in concentrate100 kt of copper metal in concentrate
Annual processing capacity  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Reserves at December 31, 2019:

CategoryTonnage CommodityGrade
Proven 316.1 M dmt Copper 0.57 %
Proven 316.1 M dmt Gold 0.3 g/t
Probable 832.4 M dmt Copper 0.62 %
Probable 832.4 M dmt Gold 0.32 g/t
Proven & Probable 1,148 M dmt Copper 0.6 %
Proven & Probable 1,148 M dmt Gold 0.32 g/t

Financials:

Units20202019
Capital expenditures (planned) M USD  ......  Subscription required
Capital expenditures M USD  ......  Subscription required
Subscription required - Subscription is required


Heavy Mobile Equipment as of December 31, 2015:
HME TypeModelSizeQuantity
Dozer (crawler) 781 HP 6
Dozer (crawler) 605 HP 9
Dozer (crawler) ....................... Subscription required 189 HP 2
Dozer (rubber tire) ....................... Subscription required 485 HP 5
Dozer (rubber tire) 854 HP 3
Dozer (rubber tire) ....................... Subscription required 485 HP 1
Drill ....................... Subscription required 12.25 inch 5
Drill ....................... Subscription required 5
Drill ....................... Subscription required 9.875 inch 1
Drill ....................... Subscription required 6.5 inch 5
Excavator ....................... Subscription required 38 cu. yd 3
Excavator ....................... Subscription required 310 HP 10
Grader 280 HP 9
Loader ....................... Subscription required 33 cu. yd 1
Loader ....................... Subscription required 33 cu. yd 4
Shovel (rope) ....................... Subscription required 42 cu. yd 4
Truck (haul) 240 tons 29
Truck (haul) ....................... Subscription required 360 tons 10
Truck (water) ....................... Subscription required 76 cu. m 3
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Mine Management:

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jun 27, 2020
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jun 27, 2020
Subscription required - Subscription is required.


Corporate Filings & Presentations:

DocumentYear
................................... Subscription required 2019
................................... Subscription required 2018
Form 20-F 2017
Form 20-F 2016
Form 20-F 2015
Press Release 2015
Technical Report 2015
Form 20-F 2014
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Aerial view:

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