Name of the Mine
Sudbury mining complex.
Location
Sudbury in Ontario, Canada.
Mine Owner/s
Vale.
Brief Description
The Sudbury mining complex is one of the biggest integrated mining complexes in the world. It comprises production-stage underground mines – Coleman, Copper Cliff, Creighton, Garson, Totten – and Stobie, a nonoperating mine with exploration stage and nonproducing deposits.
The complex further includes a combination of processing and refining operations in Sudbury and in Port Colborne, in Ontario.
Brief History
The Sudbury mining complex has been operating for more than 100 years.
Primary Metals/Minerals
Nickel.
Secondary Metals/Minerals
Cobalt, copper, platinum, palladium and gold.
Geology/Mineralisation
Deposits within the Sudbury Igneous Complex (SIC) are examples of nickel/copper mineralisation related to magnetism following a meteorite impact.
The SIC is exposed as an elliptical ring with a north-east-trending long axis of about 72 km and a short axis of about 27 km. The Sudbury deposits host three main styles of mineralisation – contact-style, offset-style and footwall-style. However, the three mineralisation environments can be quite variable, transitional, and many exhibit characteristics fitting more than one mineralisation environment description.
Reserves
Total proven and probable reserves as at December 31, 2021, were estimated at 53.8-million tons grading 1.33% nickel, 0.04% cobalt, 1.95% copper, 1.16 g/t platinum, 1.38 g/t palladium and 0.43 g/t gold.
Resources
Total measured and indicated resources as at December 31, 2021, were estimated at 57.9-million tons grading 1.54% nickel, 0.04% cobalt, 2.04% copper, 0.87 g/t platinum, 1.1 g/t palladium and 0.35 g/t gold. Inferred resources were estimated at 8.6-million tons grading 2.1% nickel, 0.05% cobalt, 2.5% copper, 1.5 g/t platinum, 1.8 g/t palladium and 0.6 g/t gold.
Mining Method
Underground using conventional bulk stoping or narrow vein cut-and-fill mining methods, depending on the mine and geological setting.
Major Infrastructure/Equipment
Sudbury comprises five mines, a mill, a smelter and a refinery.
Prospects
Vale is continuously investing in mineral exploration.
Contact Details
Vale Canada
Tel +1 705 682 4211
Email ontario.operations@vale.com
Sources
Vale. http://www.vale.com/canada/EN/Pages/default.aspx (2022).
Vale Form 20-F, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 14, 2022.