Both the Andrade and Serra Azul mines are located in the Iron Quadrangle (Quadrilátero Ferrífero), a widely-explored and mined region. The mineralization occurs as Itabirites, banded hematite-silica rocks, with varying weathering degrees.

The Serra Azul, westernmost section of the Serra do Curral, is 14 kilometers long. The east end of the section, a little less than 1 kilometer long, is in the southwest corner of the Igarape" quadrangle.

The large part of the range is in the Serra Azul and Itatiaiugu quadrangles. More than 11 kilometers of the crest of the Serra Azul is overlain by three long narrow canga sheets and associated rolado deposits. From east to west the three canga sheets are approximately 4, 5.5, and 2 kilometers long, respectively. A fourth canga sheet, 1.1 kilometers long and 250 meters wide, lies on the north side of the range at its east end and near the head of Corrego da Pedra Grande.

The canga and rolado deposits on the range crest mostly overlie the Caue" Itabtrite, but both the east and middle sheets locally overlie the Cercadinho Formation, which occurs near the range crest on the north side of the range, and the Caraga Group which occurs on the south side of the crest. The middle canga layer extends as much as half a kilometer south of the range crest, covering a dip slope of overturned Caue Itabirite. The canga sheet north of the range caps a pediment overlying the Fecho do Funil Formation, TaboSes Quartzite, and Sabara Formation. The canga deposits cover 2,300,000 square meters and have an average thickness of 2 meters. The rolado deposits have an aerial distribution of 200,000 square meters and an average thickness of 1 meter. The canga is estimated to average 62 percent iron; the rolado, 60 percent iron. Eight canga samples had an average iron content of 63.34 percent

ArcelorMittal operates an open pit mine and concentrating facility. The mine site is accessible by 80 kilometers of public highway from Belo Horizonte.

While the Serra Azul ore reserve estimates are constituted of rich friable Itabirites requiring some beneficiation, the Andrade ore reserve estimates are dominated by directly shippable hematite ore.

In addition to the open pit mine, processing operations consist of a crushing facility and a three-line concentration facility including screening, magnetic separation, spirals separators and jigging. Production is transported either by truck for local clients of lump, or by truck to two railway terminals located 35 and 50 kilometers, respectively, from the mine site for selling to local clients of sinter feed or for export through third-party port facilities located in the Rio de Janeiro State.