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Bayan Obo Iron Ore Mine

Plant in Nei Mongol* (Inner Mongolia), China with commodity Iron
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Sections on this page
  1. Identification information
  2. Geographic coordinates
  3. Site location context
  4. Geographic areas
  5. Commodities
  6. Materials information
  7. Nearby scientific data
  8. Ore body information
  9. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  10. Mineral rights holdings
  11. Ownership information
  12. Reserves and resources
  13. Workings at the site
  14. Links to other databases
  15. Bibliographic references
  16. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10280541
MAS/MILS ID 5700190013
Record type Site
Current site name Bayan Obo Iron Ore Mine
Alternate or previous names Bayan E Bo, Pai Yun O Po

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Ore Body
Geographic coordinates: 109.96613, 41.76484 (WGS84)
Location accuracy 10000(meters)

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Nei Mongol* (Inner Mongolia)(province)

China(country)

Asia(continent)

Land(continent)

Geographic areas

Country State
China Nei Mongol* (Inner Mongolia)

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Iron Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Bastnasite Unknown
Hematite Unknown
Monazite Unknown

Nearby scientific data

Ore Body (1) 109.96613, 41.76484
ListMap

Economic information

Ore body information

  • Thickness 1000M
    Length 12000M
    Width 2000M
    Field Value
    MAS Matrix # 1
    MAS Column # 1
    Type of Orebody #1 REPLACEMENT
    Shape of Orebody #1 LENTICULAR
    Shape of Orebody #2 TABULAR
    Primary mode of Origin CONT METASOMATIC
    Primary Ore Control FOLDING
    Secondary Ore Control LITHOLOGY
    Date of Last Modification 921102

Comments on the geologic information

  • THE ORE OCCURS AS LENSES AND PODS IN DOLOMITIC LIMESTONE. THEY ARE HIGH-TEMPT METASOMATIC REPLACEMENT DEPOSITS, WITH AN UNUSUALLY HIGH FLUORITE CONTENT. STRUCTURALLY, THE ORE IS FOUND ON THE NORTH/SOUTH LIMBS OF A STEEPLY-DIPPING SYN- CLINE. THE FOOTWALL IS DOLOMITIC LIMESTONE, AND THE HANGING WALL IS A SLATE. IRON-ORE RESOURCES ARE 1.5 BILLION MT AT 35%. PRODUCTION IS 7.0 MILLION MTPY. THE IRON ORE IS PROCESSED LOCALLY INTO STEEL, AND THE RADIOACTIVE SLAG IS DUMPED IN SPECIAL AREAS. REO PRODUCTION IS A BYPRODUCT OF IRON PRODUCTION. THE REO OREBODY OCCURS AS A SEPARATE OPERATION FROM THE NEARBY IRON-ORE MINE. IT IS COMPOSED OF 800 MILLION MT OF ORE, CONTAINING 48 MILLION MT (6.0%) OF REO, AND 1.0 MILLION MT (0.13%) OF NIOBIUM. PRODUCTION IS IN THE RANGE OF 15,000 MTPY OF REO. IT IS THE LARGEST KNOWN BASTNAESITE DEPOSIT IN THE WORLD.
  • PRIMARY MINERALS ARE HEMATITE, MAGNETITE, MARTITE, BAST- NAESITE, MONAZITE, AND RUTILE.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Surface
Development status Plant
Commodity type Metallic
Significant Yes
Discovery year 1951
Mining method Open Pit
Year of first production 1957
Plant type Smelter
Plant subcategory Ferro Alloy Plant
Milling method Unspecified

Mineral rights holdings

Type of mineral rights Other

Ownership information

  • Type Owner
    Owner Government Of The People'S Republic Of China
    Interest 100
    Home office China Pr
    Year 1990
  • Type Operator
    Owner Baotou Iron, Steel And Rare Earth Co.
    Home office China Pr
    Year 1991

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1991
    Measured 1000000000mt ore
    Demonstrated 1000000000mt ore
    Total resources 1000000000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Iron Fe2O3 35.77 wt-pct Iron Major 1991

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • TOTAL IRON ORE RESERVES.
  • REFERENCES: UNPUBLISHED MANUSCRIPT BY L.J. DREW, USGS; WORLD MINING, JAN 1980 THIS IRON PROPERTY IS ADJACENT TO, BUT SEPARATE FROM THE REO/ NIOBIUM (COLUMBIUM) PROPERTY. PRODUCTION IS 7M MT IRON ORE PER YR.

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface
    Field Value
    MAS Development Schedule # 1
    Mining Record # 1
    Status of Mining Method ESTIMATE
    Mining Method OPEN PIT
    Capacity Units MT ORE/DAY
    Operating Days per Year 365
    Operating Shifts per Day 3
    Year of Information 1992

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Production

    THE ECONOMICS OF RARE EARTHS AND YTTRIUM; ROSKILL INFOR-

  • Production

    MATION SERVICES LTD., 8'TH ED. 1991.

  • Reserve-Resource

    CLARK AND ZHENG; CHINA'S RARE EARTH POTENTIAL, INDUSTRY,

  • Reserve-Resource

    AND POLICY; RARE EARTHS FUTURE PROSPECTS, INDUSTRIAL

  • Reserve-Resource

    MINERALS, 1991.

  • Reserve-Resource

    MANUSCRIPT BY L.J. DREW, USGS, UNDATED

  • Reserve-Resource

    WORLD MINING, JANUARY, 1980

  • Deposit

    THE YEARBOOK OF IRON AND STEEL INDUSTRY OF CHINA, VOL. 1,

  • Deposit

    METALLURGICAL INDUSTRY PRESS, 1989.

  • Deposit

    WERNER, A., THE MINERAL INDUSTRY OF CHINA; RESOURCE EVALU-

  • Deposit

    ATION DIVISION, ENERGY, MINES AND RESOURCES, CANADA, MAY

  • Deposit

    1988.

  • Deposit

    "MINE INTRODUCTION" PAMPHLET PROVIDED BY BAOTOU IRON, STEEL

  • Deposit

    AND RARE EARTH COMPANY, (1991?).

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 24-SEP-96 Jackson, Wayne U.S. Bureau of Mines

Beyond USGS

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

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