Mining Intelligence and News
Mali

Yatela Mine

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Categories

Summary

Mine TypeOpen Pit
StatusClosing / Closed
Commodities
  • Gold
Mining Method
  • Truck & Shovel / Loader
SnapshotYatela was a significant open-pit gold mine active from 2001 to 2013, producing hundreds of thousands of ounces with heap-leach technology. Initially co-owned by foreign miners (a joint venture of AngloGold Ashanti and IAMGOLD) and the state, it was ultimately fully nationalized by Mali.

Today, the site has transitioned into state hands, with remediation efforts and potential exploration for residual mineralization underway.

Owners

SourceSource
CompanyInterestOwnership
Government of Mali 100 % Indirect
Mali’s transitional authorities have nationalized the Yatela gold mine, located in the western part of the country.

The state has signed a retrocession agreement with the South African and Canadian companies AngloGold Ashanti and IAMGOLD.

Deposit type

  • Sedimentary

Summary:

The Yatela mine comprises the Yatela and Alamoutala deposits located in northwest Mali within the Keniéba-Kedougou Inlier, a major Paleoproterozoic- Birimian inlier along the northeast margin of the Kenema-Man shield. The Yatela deposit is located in the north of the inlier and is hosted in sedimentary rocks of the Kofi Formation, which have been intruded by numerous felsic to intermediate intrusives. The sedimentary rocks consist of fine-grained greywackes, pelites and impure limestones with minor tuffs and acid volcanics. The primary gold mineralisation is hosted along a sheared contact between predominantly dolomitic carbonate rocks of the Kofi Formation to the west and a dioritic intrusion to the east. The secondary mineralisation was concentrated to economic grades through dissolution of the carbonate and subsequent concentration of the gold by eluvial processes and supergene enrichment.

Karst development at Yatela has formed deep pot holes, collectively named the Yatela Basin, which were gradually filled by sandstones and conglomerates during peneplanation of the Proterozoic rocks. Chaotic collapse during karstification, coupled with the infill sediments resulted in the deposit being hosted in a melange-type of rocks made up of sedimentary rocks and dissolution residues. Gold is disseminated in the unconsolidated ferruginous, clastic layer with sandy-clayey matrix that lines the bottom and walls of a deep trough with steep margins. The karst margin dips steeply on the west wall and more gently to the west on the east wall, following a keel-like geometry with tight closure on the folded diorite towards the south. The supergene enrichment of low-grade primary gold mineralisation associated with the karstification is the most important geological feature to the economics of the Yatela deposit.

Reserves

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Mining Methods

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Heavy Mobile Equipment

Fleet data has not been reported.

Comminution

Crushers and Mills

Milling equipment has not been reported.

Processing

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Commodity Production

CommodityUnits2018201720162015
Gold koz 57.51218
All production numbers are expressed as payable metal.

Production Costs

Commodity production costs have not been reported.

Aerial view:

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