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United Taconite Mine

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Summary

Mine TypeOpen Pit
StatusActive
Commodities
  • Iron Ore
Mining Method
  • Truck & Shovel / Loader
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Mine Life... Lock
SnapshotUnited Taconite operation is a part of Cleveland-Cliffs 'Steelmaking segment' Operation.

The United Taconite Property includes the Thunderbird Mine North and Thunderbird Mine South, collectively the Thunderbird Mine, in Eveleth, Minnesota and the Fairlane processing facility in Forbes, Minnesota. The Thunderbird Mine is a large, operating, open-pit iron mine that produces pellets from a magnetite iron ore regionally known as taconite.

The ore is sent approximately 10 miles by rail to the concentrator for produce a magnetite concentrate, which is delivered to the on-site pellet plant. From the plant site, pellets are transported by CN rail to a ship loading port at Duluth, Minnesota, operated by CN.

Owners

SourceSource
CompanyInterestOwnership
Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. 100 % Indirect
United Taconite LLC (operator) 100 % Direct
Iron ore mining property owned and operated by United Taconite LLC, an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Cleveland-Cliffs Inc.

Contractors

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Deposit type

  • Banded iron formation

Summary:

The Property includes the Thunderbird Mine North (TBN) and Thunderbird Mine South (TBS), collectively the Thunderbird Mine. The TBN and TBS deposits are examples of Lake Superior-type banded iron formation (BIF) deposits.

The iron ore deposit exploited on the Property was originally subdivided into two areas, TBN and TBS. United Taconite still retains the Thunderbird nomenclature in a number of publications and unpublished company reports.

The Thunderbird deposits are overlain by Pleistocene glacial till, outwash, and lacustrine sediment. Overburden thicknesses average approximately 50 ft; however, thicknesses up to 199 ft have been drilled at TBS. Glacial sediment is generally thinnest on the northern portion of the Property and thickens to the south and west.

Mineralization
Magnetite-bearing taconite is currently the principal iron-bearing rock of economic interest on the property. In line with other Superior-type iron formations, magnetite-bearing intervals within the Biwabik IF occur as laterally extensive, stratiform intervals. Economically mineable magnetite occurs exclusively within granular iron-formation (cherty) units of the Biwabik IF.

Magnetite formed during diagenesis of precursor iron hydroxides, carbonates, and silicates in the primary iron-formation chemical sediment. Reduction of ferric iron and subsequent ferrous iron mobility within the sedimentary package played a key role in magnetite formation. Units with high primary permeability and porosity display a predilection to formation of magnetite. The high total iron content of the highest magnetite content ores suggests that ferrous iron mobility locally enriched the iron content of the primary iron-formation chemical sediment (Larson, 2010).

Current mining operations exploit stratigraphic units of the Upper Cherty (44% of total mining) and Lower Cherty (56%) members. Mineable crude ore intercepts are generally identified by their thickness, crude ore magnetic iron content (MagFe), and concentrate silica content.

Reserves

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Mining Methods

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Heavy Mobile Equipment

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Comminution

Crushers and Mills

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Processing

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Commodity Production

CommodityUnits2024202320222021202020192018201720162015
Iron Ore M long tons  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe5.35.24.81.53.1
All production numbers are expressed as pellets.

Operational metrics

Metrics2024202320222021202020192018201720162015
Annual production capacity  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe5.4 M long tons of iron ore pellets5.4 M long tons of iron ore pellets5.4 M long tons of iron ore pellets5.4 M long tons of iron ore pellets5.4 M long tons of iron ore pellets
Ore tonnes mined  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe15,916,000 wet long tons14,543,000 wet long tons13,710,000 wet long tons5,061,000 wet long tons8,297,000 wet long tons
Waste  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe22,595,000 wet long tons16,633,000 wet long tons15,073,000 wet long tons4,679,000 wet long tons10,736,000 wet long tons
Total tonnes mined  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe
Tonnes milled  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe15,113,000 wet long tons14,589,000 wet long tons13,689,000 wet long tons5,037,000 wet long tons8,345,000 wet long tons

Production Costs

Commodity production costs have not been reported.

Mine Financials

Units202420232022
Book Value M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe

Personnel

Mine Management

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Workforce

EmployeesYear
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Aerial view:

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