At the Codli mines, the lower grade iron formation is folded and subsequently eroded into basinal areas amenable to open-pit mining. Economically mineable material occurs over an area of about 3.1 km by 1.6 km and is located between 84 metres above sea level and 50 metres below sea level. The formations show a general northwest-southeast trend with shallow to moderate dips towards the northeast with local reversals. The footwall is comprised manganiferous clay and decomposed quartzites and the stratigraphy of the ore body is cross cut by late dolerite dykes and sills which are manifested by pink clayey zones in the mine area.

The area surrounding the Sonshi mine is covered with laterite capping underlain by lumpy ore zone. The ore deposit at the Sonshi mine forms the northern limb of the northwest-southeast trending syncline. The formations dip 50 degrees to 60 degrees northeast. The principal deposit of the Sonshi mine comprises three distinct ore bodies that are folded into a syncline. The youngest ore body has a width of 50 metres, while the other ore bodies dip steeply to the northeast and have widths of approximately 20 metres to 25 metres. The intervening parting between the ore bodies comprised 50 metres of manganiferous clay and a 30 metre wide limonitic zone separating one ore body from the footwall phyllite. The depth extent of these bands has been outlined with deep drilling. Hematite is the major economic mineral in each of the bands.

The Codli mines are multi-pit, multi-lease fully mechanised mining units. The open-pits have a bench height of seven metres, haulage roads of 25 metres width and an overall pit slope of 26 degrees. The Codli mines have 14 basins, of which five pits have been exhausted. The lateritic overburden is removed either by ripping or dozing, and loaded by excavators and/or wheel loaders into heavy earth moving machinery such as rigid dumpers and articulated dumpers. Hauling within the mine is also done by rigid and articulated dumpers. An ore stockpile is maintained at all times to continuously feed the processing plants.

The open-pit mining operations at the Sonshi mine are fully mechanised. The hard laterite capping is loosened either by drilling, blasting or ripping/dozing. The soft sub lateritic zone is excavated and transported to respective laterite, clay and ore stacks. The material is then reloaded into smaller 10 tonnetrucks and transported to the plants for processing and beneficiation, which involves crushing, scrubbing, log washing, classifying, double stage cycloning and thickening. The waste is transported to a dump stockpile six to seven km away. Processing operations for the Sonshi mine are similar to those of the Codli mines described above. The processed ore is transported to the Amona jetty, loaded in barges and sent to Mormugao port approximately 35 nautical miles away.

There is no processing plant on-site. The extracted ore is transported by a fleet of contractors with 10-tonnetrucks to the processing plants at Amona (approximately nine km away) and at Cudnem (approximately six km away). The combined throughput capacity of the processing plants is 8.4 mmtpa. The plants undergo regular maintenance and annual repairs are carried out during the monsoon season.

Codli.
Vedanta Limited has extensive ore processing facilities for upgrading the ore, which include crushing, dry screening, scrubbing, log washing, classifying, hydrocycloning, and magnetic separation with a wet high-intensity magnetic separator. The four Codli processing plants are between 1 and 18 years old and throughput capacity of the four Codli processing plants is 10 mmtpa. The processed ore is transported by road to a riverhead jetty by 10 tonne tipper trucks and then further transported by barges to the Goa ports or transhipper for onward shipment. One plant is provided with a dry circuit to process high grade ore, while the remaining four wet plants process low grade ores. The Codli processing plants undergo regular maintenance and annual repairs are conducted during the monsoon season.

Sonshi.
There is no processing plant on-site. The extracted ore is transported by a fleet of contractors with 10-tonnetrucks to the processing plants at Amona (approximately nine km away) and at Cudnem (approximately six km away). The combined throughput capacity of the processing plants is 8.4 mmtpa. The plants undergo regular maintenance and annual repairs are carried out during the monsoon season.

The material from Sonshi mine is reloaded into smaller 10 tonne trucks and transported to the plants for processing and beneficiation, which involves crushing, scrubbing, log washing, classifying, double stage cycloning and thickening. The waste is transported to a dump stockpile six to seven km away.