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Australia
Mount Isa Copper Mine

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 Location:
1 km W from Mount Isa, Queensland, Australia

  Address:
Private Mail Bag 6
Mount Isa
Queensland, Australia
4825
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Overview

StageProduction
Mine TypeUnderground
Commodities
  • Copper
  • Gold
  • Silver
Mining Method
  • Sub-level open stoping (SLOS)
  • Cemented backfill
  • Paste backfill
Production Start...
Mine Life2026
Mount Isa Mines is the second largest copper producer in Australia.

Mount Isa Mines copper operations consist of Enterprise underground mine, X41 underground mine, Copper Concentrator, Copper Smelter.

The life of mine of MICO is under review pending the outcome of several engineering studies.


Owners

Source: p. 17
CompanyInterestOwnership
Glencore plc. 100 % Indirect

Contractors

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Deposit Type

  • Breccia pipe / Stockwork
  • SEDEX


Summary:

The Mount Isa copper orebody as a whole covers an extent of over 4kms and a vertical extent of 1800 metres (Lilly et al, 2017).

Cu mineralisation occurs in extensive zones of silica-dolomite alteration. The main mineralised bodies include the 1100, 1900, 200, 500, 650, 3000 and 3500 orebodies.

The Cu orebodies fall into two broad orientation groups: the 500, 1900N and 3500 orebodies are broadly stratabound and dip west at between 60 and 80 degrees; and the 1100, 1900S, 3000, 200 and 650 orebodies dip moderately to steeply west-southwest (ie with an approximate 15 degree sinistral rotation from the orientation of bedding) (Miller, 2007). The 1100, 1900, 3000 and 3500 orebodies show local plunge variations which are broadly parallel to the intersection between bedding in the Urquhart Shale and the underlying basement contact with the Eastern Creek Volcanics. The 1100 and 1900 orebodies show a subhorizontal plunge, while the 3000 and 3500 orebodies plunge moderately to the north. The 200, 500 and 650 orebodies also show a moderate north plunge.

The Mount Isa Cu and Zn-Pb-Ag deposits are hosted within the Mesoproterozoic Urquhart Shale of the 1670Ma Mount Isa Group.

Major Host Rock: Variably laminated mudstones and siltstones which vary from siliceous to carbonate-rich, with significant and extensive accumulations of fine grained pyrite.
Minor Host Rock: A minor amount of copper mineralisation and associated alteration occurs in t ........


Mining Methods

  • Sub-level open stoping (SLOS)
  • Cemented backfill
  • Paste backfill


Summary:

The copper orebodies are accessed via two vertical shafts as well as a decline from surface. The X41 shaft services the southern portion (X41 mine) of the copper operations, whilst the R62 shaft services the northern deep portion (Enterprise mine) of the copper operation. The decline is used for the movement of large equipment as well as for egress. A further two vertical shafts are used for hoisting of ore. These are U62 and M62 shafts. M62 shaft is an internal shaft and hoists ore from the Enterprise mine. The ore from both Enterprise mine and X41 mine is hoisted up the U62 shaft to surface.

In the Mount Isa copper mine orebodies, sub-level open stoping, coupled with secondary and tertiary stoping is used to extract the ore. Blocks of ore 40 m-wide, 40 m-long at full orebody height are removed. To do this, 5.0 m x 5.0 m drilling sublevels are developed at 40 m intervals. At the bottom of the stope, a number of drawpoints are mined and equipped to extract the ore.

The broken ore falls to the bottom of the stope, and is extracted at the drawpoints by diesel-powered LHD wheel loaders with a 6.1 cu m bucket capacity. Then the ore is either tipped directly into the passes to feed the crusher or, if the stope is a long way from the crusher, into articulated haulage trucks. After crushing, the ore is sent via a 1.6 km cable belt to the U62 hoisting system, where 36 t skips take it to the surface.

The Enterprise and X41 copper mines are backfilled ........


Crushing and Grinding


Processing

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Summary:

- subscription is required.


Production:

CommodityUnits202120202019201820172016
Copper kt  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required*152*165*205*
Silver koz  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required*  ......  Subscription required*  ......  Subscription required*  ......  Subscription required*
Gold koz  ......  Subscription required*  ......  Subscription required*  ......  Subscription required*  ......  Subscription required*
* Combined production for Mount Isa Copper Mine, Ernest Henry Mine and CSA (Cobar) Mine
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Reserves at December 31, 2021:

CategoryTonnage CommodityGrade
Proven 5.9 Mt Copper 2.3 %
Probable 17.2 Mt Copper 2 %
Proven & Probable 23.1 Mt Copper 2 %
Measured 55.7 Mt Copper 2.1 %
Indicated 109.8 Mt Copper 1.6 %
Measured & Indicated 165.5 Mt Copper 1.8 %
Inferred 11.9 Mt Copper 1.5 %


Pipelines
TypeMaterialDiameterLengthDescription


Heavy Mobile Equipment:

Mine Management:

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required May 17, 2022
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required May 8, 2022
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required May 8, 2022
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Nov 3, 2022
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required May 8, 2022
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Staff:

Total WorkforceYear
Subscription required 2019

Corporate Filings & Presentations:

DocumentYear
Other 2022
................................... Subscription required 2021
................................... Subscription required 2021
................................... Subscription required 2020
................................... Subscription required 2020
................................... Subscription required 2020
................................... Subscription required 2019
................................... Subscription required 2019
Annual Report 2018
Year-end Mineral Reserves 2018
Annual Report 2017
Other 2017
Year-end Mineral Reserves 2017
Annual Report 2016
Corporate Presentation 2016
Year-end Mineral Reserves 2016
Other 2015
Corporate Presentation 2014
Other 2013
Fact Sheet 2009
Other 1995
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