Both the Minorca and Hibbing mines are located in the Mesabi iron range where iron ore has been extracted for over 100 years. The ore bodies are within the Biwabik Iron Formation, a series of shallow dipping Precambrian sedimentary rocks known as taconite with a total thickness in excess of 200 meters and running for approximately 200 kilometers.

Hibbing Taconite is a Lake Superior-type granular magnetite taconite deposit.

Ores at Hibbing Taconite are hosted by a granular quartz, magnetite, siderite, ankerite, minnesotaite, stilpnomelane and haematite mineral assemblage. Principal ore grading parameters include crude magnetic iron percentage (MagFe), weight recovery (WtRec), final concentrate silica content (SiO2), and an ore hardness and work index value that characterises magnetite liberation (LIS).

The Hibbing Taconite deposit is situated within the westcentral zone of the Mesabi Iron Range, occupying ~10 km of strike length, dipping 6° to 8° southeast, within the Biwabik Iron Formation. An approximately 50 m thick section is mined from the central portion of the Lower Cherty member.

Of the minable units in the Lower Cherty member, the upper three (37 m) are predominantly ‘cherty’ or granular magnetite taconite, with 15 - 30 cm thick massive silicate-chert zones separated by up to 5 cm thick slaty bands. The lower two units (10 m) are predominantly ‘slaty’ taconite with interbedded argillite, magnetite, and minor haematite forming slaty bands from 5 - 25 cm in thickness, separated by 5 - 10 cm cherty zones.

The Hibbing mine is located in the center of Minnesota’s Mesabi Iron Range and is approximately ten miles north of Hibbing, Minnesota, and five miles west of Chisholm, Minnesota. Over the past five years, the Hibbing mine has produced between 7.5 million and 8.2 million long tons of iron ore pellets annually. Mining is conducted on multiple mineral leases having varying expiration dates. Mining leases routinely are renegotiated and renewed as they approach their respective expiration dates. Hibbing is an open pit mine.

Single stage crushing, AG mills.

Hibbing operations consist of an open pit truck and shovel mine, a concentrator that utilizes single stage crushing, AG mills and magnetic separation to produce a magnetite concentrate, which is then delivered to an on-site pellet plant. From the site, pellets are transported by BNSF rail to a ship loading port at Superior, Wisconsin, operated by BNSF.