First Quantum’s CLC copper deposit is exceptionally rich, and with ore reserves grading 5% copper it is believed to be the highest-grade open-pit active copper mine worldwide.
Pit optimization is based on total ore costs of $5.49/ton processed, mining costs of $1.15/ton at surface and increasing $0.02/ton for every 50 feet of depth, and pit slope angles of 48 degrees. Tonnages are reported in short tons 2000lbs Tonnage and grade estimates are in Imperial units.
High-Grade Gold and Copper on the Pathway to Production with Doré Copper Mining CEO Ernest Mast – December 2, 2020 Highest-grade undeveloped copper and gold deposits in North America. In this interview, Doré Copper Mining’s president and CEO Ernest Mast provides an overview of the company’s investment value proposition, describes why
The average grade of copper ores in the 21st century is below 0.6 percent copper, with the proportion of ore minerals being less than 2 percent of the total volume of the ore rock.
A piece of mining equipment that produces a continuous flow of ore from the working face. Rich ore. As a verb, it refers to selective mining of the best ore in a deposit. Hoist low-grade deposit in which the copper minerals occur as discrete grains and veinlets throughout a large volume of rock.
According to Cox and Singer , the average copper ore grade in the mine x m was 1.67% around 1990 and in the case of the 25 copper mines analyzed, the average ore grade is 1.48%. These selected mines produced more than 5 million tons in 2009, which corresponded to 32% of the total world production that same year 42 .
Large Size, Low Grade – Porphyries typically have 100 million to 5 billion tonnes of ore with a lower grade 0.2% to >1% copper . It is the size of these deposits that allow for bulk mining and economies of scale. Long Mine Life – The size of porphyry systems usually mean that the life of the mine can be multi-decades long. This means that
As a rule of thumb, open pit mining can process ore for $10 per tonne and, where the ore grade is more than double that at $20 per tonne, results would be economic. Consider that 1% of a metric
As you can see in the example above, the deposit does not have to be enormous in size only 500 meters long by 100 meters wide to contain a valuable deposit approximately $6 billion worth of minerals . However, in order to be as realistic as possible about this valuation, you can not assume that the complete ore body contains the same grade i.e. 2% copper and 1.5 gram per tonne gold .