Overview

Mine Type	Underground
Status	Active
Commodities	Nickel Copper Cobalt Platinum Palladium Gold
Mining Method	Post Pillar Cut & Fill Mechanized Cut & Fill Slot-Slash Uppers Retreat
Backfill type	...
Production Start	...
Snapshot	Coleman mine is a part of Vale integrated Sudbury (Ontario) Operations which also includes: - underground mines (Copper Cliff, Creighton, Garson and Totten mines), - processing and refining facilities (Clarabelle Mill, Copper Cliff Smelter and Nickel Refinery, Port Colborne refining complex), - supported by the Clydach Refinery in Wales, - non-operating mines, and - non-producing properties. In July, 2022 Vale and Glencore signed an agreement called the Continued Use of Fraser mine Agreement, which established the framework for Coleman mine to continue to use the Fraser mine infrastructure following closure of the Fraser mine in 2025.

Deposit type

• Magmatic
• Footwall hosted
• Breccia pipe / Stockwork

Summary:

The Coleman Mine includes the original Coleman deposits, consisting of the Upper and Lower Coleman, and the High Shaft Copper deposit. No mining is currently conducted in these areas. It also includes the McCreedy East deposits, including the Main, West, 153 and 170 deposits where active mining is occurring. Other deposits include the inactive East and 7386/6166 Footwall Zone areas.

Structure
There are three major structural features encountered at the Coleman Mine:
- Fraser #2 Fault: also known as the #2 East Fault, strikes approximately north to south and is steeply dipping (60–80°). A splay of the Fraser #2 Fault has intersected the upper Main Orebody and has caused some localized difficult mining conditions;
- Lunchroom Fault: strikes roughly north to south, with a variable dip of 50–70° to the northeast along its length. Encountered on nearly every cut on the Main Orebody; locally associated with bad ground;
- Bob’s Lake Fault: strikes roughly northwest, and dips to the east at approximately 70–90°; locally associated with bad ground.

Mineralization
Contact-style mineralization forms high-grade nickel-rich pods or sulphide concentrations, that are surrounded by a low-grade halo in the host sublayer norite or footwall/granite breccia. The sulphide mineral assemblage consists of pyrrhotite, pentlandite, chalcopyrite and minor pyrite. Variations in style and orientation of mineralization occur abruptly over small distances, resulting in a complex mode of sulphide occurrence. The sulphide is mostly present as fine disseminations, blebs, and stingers in breccia matrix, locally as fracture fillings, or as semi-massive and massive ores. The Cu:Ni ratio for the Coleman contact nickel ores is approximately 0.7.

Footwall-style copper–nickel–PGE mineralization is hosted in Sudbury breccia. It is characterized by a sulphide mineral assemblage dominated by chalcopyrite, with lesser pentlandite, millerite, cubanite, bornite and pyrrhotite. The copper content in all footwall deposits is very high, with the Cu:Ni ratio typically exceeding 6.5, with correspondingly high PGE tenors (Pt + Pd + Au > 7.7 g/t).

Mining Methods

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Comminution

Crushers and Mills

Processing

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Production

Commodity	Units	2023	2022	2021	2020
Nickel	lbs	....	....	....	....
Copper	lbs	....	....	....	....

Operational metrics

Metrics	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
Ore tonnes mined	....	....	....	....	1,102 kt	618 kt	1,007 kt	1,209 kt	1,309 kt

Personnel

Job Title	Name	Profile	Ref. Date
.......................	.......................		May 24, 2024
.......................	.......................		May 24, 2024
.......................	.......................		May 24, 2024

Employees	Year
......	2022
......	2021