Name of the Mine
Mary River mine.

Location  
On Baffin Island, Nunavut, in Canada.

Mine Owner/s  
Baffinland Iron Mines Corporation, which is jointly owned by by The Energy and Minerals Group and ArcelorMittal.

Brief Description  
Mary River is one of the most northern mines in the world. It has among the richest iron-ore deposits ever discovered, which can be mined, crushed, and screened into marketable products.

Mining is currently focused on Deposit No 1.

Baffinland says that the mine is different from many other mines in the world in that it crushes and screens the ore on site, and then ships it directly to markets – no concentrating or processing is required, and, therefore, no tailings are produced.

Brief History  
Mary River started operations in 2015.

Primary Metals/Minerals  
Iron-ore.

Secondary Metals/Minerals  
None stated.

Geology/Mineralisation  
Mar River comprises five high-grade deposits and six prospects, which represent high-grade examples of Algomatype iron formation consisting of magnetite, hematite and specular hematite mineralisation.

Reserves  
Total proven and probable reserves as at December 31, 2021, were estimated at 91-million tonnes grading 65.1% iron.

Resources  
Total measured and indicated resources as at December 31, 2021, were estimated at 16-million tonnes grading 65.4% iron. Inferred mineral resources were estimated at 153-million tonnes grading 65.2%.

Mining Method  
Openpit truck-and-shovel.

Major Infrastructure/Equipment  
Baffinland mines out the iron-ore materials using hydraulic excavators and large front-end loaders, and uses  90 t and 212 t trucks to haul the ore. Ore is delivered to the company’s nearby portable crushers, while waste material is transported to a dump location on site.

There are two main operating locations – the mine site at Mary River and Milne port north of the mine. The sites are connected by a tote road, which has been upgraded to enable safe and efficient transportation of ore by truck from the mine site to Milne port.

Milne port has been fully developed to accommodate a 3.5 million-tonne ore stockpile, an ore dock, maintenance facility, and associated infrastructure for the operation of the port facilities.

The mine also includes an airstrip and aerodrome.

Prospects  
The Mary River mine is currently permitted to extract and ship up to six-million tonnes of iron-ore a year. To ensure the economic viability of the mine, Baffinland is seeking approval to expand its operations to 12-million tonnes a year.

The proposed Phase 2 expansion involves building a railway from the Mary River mine site to Milne port, adding a second ore dock and increasing the amount of ore delivered to its customers each year.

Contact Details
Baffinland Iron Mines Corporation
Tel + 1 416 364 8820
Email  investorrelations@baffinland.com

Sources
ArcelorMittal. ArcelorMittal Fact Book 2021.
ArcelorMittal. Annua Report 2021.

Baffinland Iron Mines Corporation. Website: https://baffinland.com/ [accessed on June 10, 2022].