Pratapolis and Liberdade Mines

Producer in Minas Gerais, Brazil with commodity Nickel
Sections on this page
  1. Identification information
  2. Geographic coordinates
  3. Site location context
  4. Geographic areas
  5. Commodities
  6. Materials information
  7. Mineral occurrence model information
  8. Host and associated rocks
  9. Nearby scientific data
  10. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  11. Ownership information
  12. Production statistics
  13. Reserves and resources
  14. Links to other databases
  15. Bibliographic references
  16. General comments
  17. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10069193
MRDS ID W002651
Record type Site
Current site name Pratapolis and Liberdade Mines
Alternate or previous names Morro Do Niquel

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -46.64899, -21.99744 (WGS84)

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Minas Gerais(province)

Brazil(country)

South America(continent)

Land(continent)

Geographic areas

Country State
Brazil Minas Gerais

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Nickel Critical Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Garnierite Ore
Limonite Ore

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 110
USGS model code 38a
Deposit model name Lateritic Ni

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Ultramafic Intrusive Rock > Peridotite
    Rock unit name Serie Minas
    Rock description Serie Minas
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic

Nearby scientific data

(1) -46.64899, -21.99744

Economic information

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Significant No

Ownership information

  • Type Owner
    Owner Morro Do Niquel S/A. Mineracao Industria E Comercio

Production statistics

  • Year 1972
    Material ORE NI
    Accuracy Estimate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^1.47 % Ni
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Ore Nickel Nickel 1wt-pct
  • Year 1972
    Material NI
    Accuracy Estimate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^In Ferronickel Est. 83% Recovery
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Nickel Nickel 83wt-pct

Comments on the production information

  • PRATAPOLIS IS A MINE/SMELTER COMPLEX, PRODUCING 200,OOO TPY OF ORE CONTAINING 2,700 T OF NICKEL. THE OUTPUT IS SMELTED TO FERRONICKEL.

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1972
    Total resources 31584000000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Nickel Ni 1.47 wt-pct Nickel Major 1972
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1972
    Total resources 31584000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Nickel Ni 1.47 wt-pct Nickel Major 1972

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • RESERVES FOR THE STATE OF MINAS GERA, AS OF 1973, IS REPORTED TO BE 9,325,012 M.T. ORE, NI CONTENT OF 158,482 M.T.-MEASURED RESERVES; 9,483,551 M.T. ORE, NI CONTENT OF 138,234 M.T.- INDICATED RESERVES; 12,774,990 M.T. ORE, NI CONTENT OF 170,213 M.T.-INFERRED RESERVES. SEE REFERENCE 2
  • THE PROBABLE RESERVES OF 305,357 T ORE CONTAIN 1.2 % NI.

Comments on development

  • PRATAPOLIS ONLY KNOWN TO BE WORKING IN 1987.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    BOLDT, JOSEPH R. JR., 1967, THE WINNING OF NICKEL: PRINCTON, NEW JERSEY, D. VAN NOSTRAND CO., INC., P.62-64

  • Deposit

    DEPARTAMENTO NACIONAL DA PRODUCAO MINERAL, 1973, I ANUARIO MINERAL BRASILEIRO; RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL, P.98-99

  • Deposit

    E/MJ, 1977, INTERNATIONAL DIRECTORY OF MINING AND MINERAL PROCESSING OPERATIONS.

  • Deposit

    DEYOUNG AND OTHERS, 1985: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY CIRCULAR 930-D, 62 P.

  • Deposit

    LEFOND, 1973, BRAZILIAN MINING- RELAXED GOVERNMENT ATTITUDES PAVE THE WAY FOR EXPLOITING CRITICAL RESERVES: MINING ENGINEERING, V. 25, NO. 11, P. 31-45.

  • Other Database

    ISMI

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit NI-RICH GARNIERITE FORMED ALONG JOINT CRACKS OR IN INTERSTICES OF WEATHERED HOST.
Deposit COORDINATES APPROXIMATE. MORRO DO NIQUEL S.A. (COMPANY) START OF PRODUCTION 1962. LIBERDADE IS ABOUT 200 MILES SE OF PRATAPOLIS. THESE TWO DEPOSITS APPEAR TO BE THE ONLY OPERATING DEPOSITS AT THIS TIME AND THE PRODUCTION AND RESERVES DATA OF THE STATE OF MINAS GERAIS IS ATTRIBUTED TO THEM.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-FEB-1975 Shaffer, Glenn L. (Saam, H. G.) U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-NOV-1987 Orris, Greta J. U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

Supplemental information added by qvyshift.com. Not part of the original USGS MRDS record.