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South Africa
Mogalakwena Mine

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 Location:
54 km W from Polokwane, South Africa

  Regional Office:
55 Marshall Street Marshalltown
Johannesburg
South Africa
2001
Phone+27-(0)11-638-2210
EmailEmail
WebsiteWeb
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  • Overview
  • Owners
  • Geology
  • Mining
  • Processing
  • Production
  • Reserves
  • Costs & Financials
  • Personnel
  • Filings & News

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Overview

StageProduction
Mine TypeOpen Pit
Commodities
  • PGM
  • Gold
  • Platinum
  • Palladium
  • Rhodium
  • Iridium
  • Ruthenium
  • Nickel
  • Copper
Mining Method
  • Truck & Shovel / Loader
Processing
  • Flotation
  • Leaching plant / circuit
  • Magnetic separation
  • Solvent Extraction & Electrowinning
Mine Life21 years (as of Jan 1, 2019)
Mogalakwena is the world’s biggest open pit platinum mine.


Owners & OPERATOR

Source: p. 9, 74
CompanyInterestOwnership
Anglo American plc. 100 % Indirect
Anglo American Platinum Ltd. (operator) 100 % Direct
Company operates three mining complexes in South Africa’s Bushveld complex: Mogalakwena, Amandelbult and Mototolo.

Deposit Type

  • Magmatic

Source: Source p.19, 39

Summary:

The mine exploits the Platreef, the primary PGM-bearing horizon developed in the Northern Limb of the Bushveld Complex. The reef averages 150m in thickness, with a prominently top- loaded grade profile, hosting optimal Mineralisation in the upper 30m to 40m of the reef package.

The Platreef is developed in the Northern Limb of the Bushveld Complex and can be described as a multiple-pulse mafic magmatic horizon, dominantly pyroxenitic in composition. It averages 150m in thickness, with a prominently top-loaded grade profile, where the optimal Mineralisation is located in the upper 30m to 40m of the package and strikes ~north-south, dipping at an average of 40° to 50° to the west.

In comparison to the Merensky and UG2 reefs, the Platreef is a far thicker and more variable orebody, typified by extensive contact with metasedimentary and granitic floor rocks and assimilation of footwall fragments. The variability of lithology and thickness along strike is attributed to underlying structures and assimilation of local country rocks. This assimilation ranges from shales and banded ironstones in the south, through to dolomites in the centre of the mining area, to granites in the northern portion of the property.

Carbonate floor rocks incorporated into the basal Platreef have been altered to mineralised parapyroxenites and calc-silicates formed during extensive syn-magmatic interaction with high-Mg silicate melts. Towards the north, where the Platreef country rock is Archaean basement granite, partial melting of this protolith has resulted in the formation of a metamorphic rock referred to as a Granofels. The Granofels is present in a prominent interaction zone developed between the base of the Platreef and the underlying basement granite. As a result, the Mineralised horizon defined for the Platreef orebody often incorporates significant portions of the immediate footwall.

At Mogalakwena Mine, the Platreef is structurally affected by dolerite dykes and several predominantly lateral fault systems orientated in a north-east/south-west direction. Zones adjacent to major fault systems constitute areas of no Mineralisation and are discounted as geological losses. The fault systems display normal to reverse fault displacements ranging between 50m and 600m, with up-thrown blocks proving favourable to mine design. The Platreef hosts significant dolomite inclusions in the southern region of the mining area and these also constitute geological loss zones.


Mining Methods

  • Truck & Shovel / Loader

Source: p.40

Summary:

MINING METHOD.
Mining of the orebody is by open pit methods (truck-and-shovel).

OPERATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE.
Current mining areas comprises five open pits: Sandsloot, Zwartfontein, Mogalakwena South, North and Central. Pit depths vary from 45m to 245m. Ore is milled on-mine at the North and South concentrators as well as at the Baobab concentrator.


Crushing and Grinding
Source: Source p.4


Processing

  • Flotation
  • Leaching plant / circuit
  • Magnetic separation
  • Solvent Extraction & Electrowinning

Flow Sheet: Source

Summary:

CRUSHING AND MILLING.
Ore is reduced in size with the aid of crushing and milling. Water is added to produce a pumpable slurry.

FLOTATION.
The separation of the valuable content from the ore takes place in flotation cells where reagents are added to an aerated slurry to produce high-grade PGMbearing concentrate.

SMELTING.
Use of electric furnaces to smelt concentrate to produce a sulfur-rich matte with gangue impurities removed as slag.

SLAG CLEANING.
Converter slag is reduced in an electric furnace to recover PGMs and base metals for recycling back to the converter.

CONVERTING.
Oxygen-enriched air is blown through a topsubmerged lance converter to oxidise sulfur and iron contained in furnace matte to SO2 gas and slag respectively. The resulting converter matte is slow-cooled to concentrate PGMs into a metallic fraction.

MAGNETIC CONCENTRATION PLANT (MCP).
Crushed converter matte is milled and the PGM fraction is separated magnetically. This is pressure leached to yield a solid final concentrate that is sent to PMR. Base metal-rich non-magnetic solids and leach solution are processed further in the base metal refinery.

ACID PLANT.
The SO2 gas is converted to SO3 by passing it over catalytic beds and the subsequent addition of water produces 98% sulfuric acid which is sold to fertiliser manufacturers.

LEACHING.
Base metal-rich solids are leached in high-pressure autoclaves and contacted with MCP leach solution to yield separate nickel and copper streams.

PURIFICATION.
The separate nickel and copper streams are purified. During this process cobalt sulfate is recovered.

ELECTRO-WINNING.
Nickel and copper metal cathodes are produced by passing electrical current through the separate purified stream.

CRYSTALLISATION.
Excess sulfur in solution is neutralised with sodium hydroxide and crystallised to form a sodium sulfate product.

PGM REFINING.
Final concentrate is dissolved using hydrochloric acid and chlorine gas. PGMs are sequentially separated and purified to yield platinum, palladium, iridium, rhodium, ruthenium and gold. Osmium is precipitated as a salt.


Production:

CommodityUnits202020192018201720162015
PGM koz 1,211 ^1,2151,1701,098980936
Gold koz 6258585350
Platinum koz 518495464412392
Palladium koz 558541509452430
Rhodium koz 3736323029
Iridium koz 8.37.96.86.86.6
Ruthenium koz 3332292727
Nickel kt 1616161717
Copper kt 1010101111
All production numbers are expressed as metal in concentrate. ^ Guidance / Forecast.

Operational Metrics:

Metrics201920182017201620152014
Total tonnes mined 81,315 kt89,062 kt88,328 kt96,374 kt92,406 kt95,594 kt
Waste 67,033 kt71,002 kt68,639 kt77,617 kt77,029 kt79,842 kt
Tonnes milled 13,710 kt13,775 kt13,622 kt12,623 kt11,725 kt11,731 kt
Stripping / waste ratio 4.7 3.9 3.5 4.1 5 5.1

Reserves at December 31, 2019:

CategoryOreTypeTonnage CommodityGradeContained Metal
Proven Stockpiles 20 Mt 4E (Pt, Pd, Rh, Au) 2.54 g/t 1.6 M oz
Proven In-Situ (OP) 767.3 Mt 4E (Pt, Pd, Rh, Au) 2.96 g/t 73 M oz
Probable Stockpiles 40.9 Mt 4E (Pt, Pd, Rh, Au) 1.47 g/t 1.9 M oz
Probable In-Situ (OP) 428 Mt 4E (Pt, Pd, Rh, Au) 3.07 g/t 42.2 M oz
Proven & Probable Stockpiles 60.8 Mt 4E (Pt, Pd, Rh, Au) 1.82 g/t 3.6 M oz
Proven & Probable In-Situ (OP) 1,195 Mt 4E (Pt, Pd, Rh, Au) 3 g/t 115.3 M oz
Measured & Indicated Stockpiles 67.5 Mt 4E (Pt, Pd, Rh, Au) 1.83 g/t 4 M oz
Measured & Indicated In-Situ (OP) 2,830 Mt 4E (Pt, Pd, Rh, Au) 2.62 g/t 238.7 M oz
Inferred In-Situ (OP) 596 Mt 4E (Pt, Pd, Rh, Au) 1.76 g/t 33.8 M oz
Total Resource Stockpiles 67.5 Mt 4E (Pt, Pd, Rh, Au) 1.83 g/t 4 M oz
Total Resource In-Situ (OP) 3,426 Mt 4E (Pt, Pd, Rh, Au) 2.47 g/t 272.4 M oz

Commodity Production Costs:

CommodityUnits201920182017201620152014
Cash costs PGM USD 564 / oz 592 / oz 498 / oz 528 / oz 574 / oz 742 / oz
Cash costs Platinum USD 1,325 / oz 1,398 / oz 1,179 / oz 1,257 / oz 1,369 / oz 1,742 / oz
All-in sustaining costs (sold) Platinum USD -429 / oz† 286 / oz† 340 / oz† 498 / oz† 269 / oz† 607 / oz†
† Net of By-Product.

Operating Costs:

Units201920182017201620152014
Total operating costs ($/t milled) ZAR 496456351428409437

Financials:

Units201920182017201620152014
Capital expenditures M ZAR 3,695  2,787  2,012  2,300   1,900  
Revenue M ZAR 25,845  18,106  16,118  14,227   13,864   13,779  
EBIT M ZAR 12,466  6,325  5,969  3,959   4,615   4,050  
EBITDA M ZAR 14,375  8,249  7,700  5,781   6,210   5,505  
Operating Cash Flow M ZAR 9,935  4,039  3,977  3,158   4,373   3,444  


Heavy Mobile Equipment:

Mine Management:

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
Mining Manager Hendrik van Niekerk LinkedIn Aug 12, 2020
Mining Section Manager Justin Winnan LinkedIn Aug 12, 2020
Production Manager Judd Barlow LinkedIn Aug 12, 2020
Sr. General Manager Richard Allen Cox LinkedIn Aug 12, 2020

Staff:

EmployeesContractorsTotal WorkforceYear
1,936 272 2,208 2019
1,886 282 2,162 2018
1,854 412 2,266 2017
1,828 424 2,252 2016
1,770 557 2,328 2015

Corporate Filings & Presentations:

DocumentYear
Annual Report 2019
Year-end Mineral Reserves 2019
Annual Report 2018
Year-end Mineral Reserves 2018
Annual Report 2017
Year-end Mineral Reserves 2017
Annual Report 2016
Financial Review 2016
Year-end Mineral Reserves 2016
Annual Report 2015
Corporate Presentation 2015
Year-end Mineral Reserves 2015
Other 2014
Other 2011

Aerial view:

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