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Hibbing Taconite Mine

Producer in St. Louis county in Minnesota, United States with commodities Iron, Silica
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Sections on this page
  1. Identification information
  2. Geographic coordinates
  3. Site location context
  4. Geographic areas
  5. Public Land Survey System information
  6. Commodities
  7. Materials information
  8. Nearby scientific data
  9. Ore body information
  10. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  11. Mining district
  12. Mineral rights holdings
  13. Land status
  14. Ownership information
  15. Production statistics
  16. Workings at the site
  17. Links to other databases
  18. Bibliographic references
  19. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10194856
MRDS ID W031983
MAS/MILS ID 0271370121
Record type Site
Current site name Hibbing Taconite Mine
Alternate or previous names Hibbing Taconite Co.
Related records 10107386

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Ore Body
Geographic coordinates: -92.95772, 47.46079 (WGS84)
Elevation 497
Location accuracy 100(meters)

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

St. Louis(county)

Minnesota(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Hibbing(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Hibbing(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Hibbing(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

St. Louis(hydrologic unit)

St. Louis(hydrologic accounting unit)

Western Lake Superior(hydrologic subregion)

Great Lakes(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Minnesota St. Louis

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
5th Principal 058 N 021 W 36 C SW Minnesota

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Iron Primary
Silica Tertiary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Calcite Unknown
Chert Unknown
Goethite Unknown
Hematite Unknown
Kaolinite Unknown
Magnetite Unknown
Quartz Unknown

Nearby scientific data

Ore Body (1) -92.95772, 47.46079
ListMap

Economic information

Ore body information

  • Strike N70E
    Dip 08S
    Length 12000M
    Width 2400M
    Depth to top 0M
    Field Value
    MAS Matrix # 1
    MAS Column # 1
    Type of Orebody #1 SEDIMENTARY
    Shape of Orebody #1 TABULAR
    Shape of Orebody #2 IRREGULAR
    Primary mode of Origin CONT METASOMATIC
    Secondary mode of Origin METAMORPHISM
    Primary Ore Control LITHOLOGY
    Degree of Wallrock Alter. UNKNOWN
    Type of Wallrock Alter. #1 UNKNOWN
    Strike And Dip N70E:08S
    Minimum Depth to Top 0
    Avg. Thick. Unconsol. Mat. 5
    Min. Thick. Unconsol. Mat. 5
    Date of Last Modification 910115
  • Area 2428HA
    Field Value
    Total Surface Area (HA) 2428
    Date of Last Modification 910418

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Surface
Development status Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Large
Significant Yes
Year of first production 1976

Mining district

District name Mesabi District

Mineral rights holdings

Type of mineral rights Fee Ownership

Land status

Ownership category State

Ownership information

  • Type Owner
    Owner Bethlehem Steel Corp, 8th Ave, Bethlehem, Pa 18016-7699
    ID 2101600
    Interest 70.3
    Home office Pennsylvania
    Year 1994
  • Type Owner
    Owner Stelco, Inc. P O Box 2030 Stelco Tower, Hamilton, On
    ID 2101600
    Interest 14.7
    Home office Canada
    Year 1994
  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Co.
    ID 2101600
    Interest 15
    Home office 1100 Superior Ave, Cleveland 44114
    Year 1994

Comments on the ownership information

  • OWNER: BETHLEHEM STEEL, STELCO, AND PICKANDS MATHER & CO. MAGNETITE AND TACONITE

Production statistics

  • Year 1981
    Description Taconite Pellets 7268731 Metric Tons Shipped
  • Year 1982
    Description Taconite Pellets 5719328 Metric Tons Shipped
  • Year 1983
    Description Taconite Pellets 4290771 Metric Tons Shipped
  • Year 1984
    Description Taconite Pellets 6106061 Metric Tons Shipped
  • Year 1985
    Description Taconite Pellets 5139200 Metric Tons Shipped
  • Year 1986
    Description Taconite Pellets 5030373 Metric Tons Shipped
  • Year 1987
    Description Taconite Pellets 7780479 Metric Tons Shipped
  • Year 1988
    Description Taconite Pellets 8776024 Metric Tons Shipped
  • Year 1989
    Description Taconite Pellets 8168705 Metric Tons Shipped
  • Year 1990
    Description Taconite Pellets 7941700 Metric Tons Shipped
  • Year 1991
    Description Taconite Pellets 8240300 Metric Tons Shipped
  • Year 1992
    Description Taconite Pellets 8539000 Metric Tons Shipped
  • Year 1993
    Description Taconite Pellets 8179000 Metric Tons Shipped
  • Year 1994
    Description Taconite Pellets Metric Tons Shipped

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • RESERVE DATA FROM MINNESOTA DEPT. OF REVENUE 1989 OCCUPATION TAX REPORT. GRADE FROM SKILLINGS, JULY 28, 1990. Q-MATRIX 2 REPRESENTS RESERVES ESTIMATED FOR THE ADIT UPDATE 1994 (JAN 1993 RESERVES - 1993 PRODUCTION).

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface
    Field Value
    MAS Development Schedule # 1
    Mining Record # 1
    Status of Mining Method ACTUAL
    Mining Method BENCH (BERM)
    Percent Waste Rock 28
    Avg. Overburden Thickness 5
    Primary Material Cover SAND, GRAVEL
    Secondary Material Cover HARD ROCKS
    Hardness of Ore HARD ROCKS
    Avg. Bench Height (meters) 15
    Max. Pit Slope (degrees) 45
    Capacity 82995
    Capacity Units MT ORE/DAY
    Preprod. Stripping Vol. 3682
    Unit Production Cost 2.34
    Units of Production $/MT ORE
    Operating Days per Year 365
    Operating Shifts per Day 3
    Year of Information 1989

Comments on other economic factors

  • OWNER: BETHLEHEM STEEL, STELCO, AND PICKANDS MATHER & CO MAGNETITE AND TACONITE. RESERVE DATA FROM MINNESOTA DEPT. OF REVENUE 1989 OCCUPATION TAX REPORT. GRADE FROM SKILLINGS, JULY 28, 1990. Q-MATRIX 2 REPRESENTS RESERVES ESTIMATED FOR THE ADIT UPDATE 1994 (JAN 1993 RESERVES - 1993 PRODUCTION). 95% OF TACONITE PELLET PRODUCTION IS RAILED TO ALLOUEZ, MINN AND THEN SHIPPED BY LAKE FREIGHTER TO ONE OF THE THREE PORTS SHOWN; 5% OF THE PELLETS (1989) WERE RAIL HAULED DIRECTLY TO USX CORP. FAIRFIELD STEEL WORKS AT BESSEMER, ALABAMA.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Geology

    MARSDEN, R. W., ET AL. THE MESABI IRON RANGE, MINN. IN

  • Geology

    RIDGE, J. D. EDITOR, ORE DEPOSITS OF THE UNITED STATES,

  • Geology

    1933-1967 (GRATON-SALES VOL I). CHAP 25, 1970, PP. 518-37.

  • Geology

    HOFFMAN, C.B. (DIRECTOR-ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS, PICKANDS

  • Geology

    MATHER & CO.). PERSONAL COMMUNICATION DEC. 21, 1990.

  • Production

    SANDSTROM, D.A. (INSPECTOR OF MINES). THE ANNUAL REPORT OF

  • Production

    THE INSPECTOR OF MINES, ST LOUIS CO. MINNESOTA, 1981-1989.

  • Production

    CARLSON, G. N. & R. A. BAUER. HIBBING TACONITE STORY -

  • Production

    PELLETIZING. SKILLINGS MINING REVIEW, MAR 22, 1980,

  • Production

    PP. 10-13.

  • Production

    SKILLINGS MINING REVIEW. NORTH AMERICAN IRON ORE INDUSTRY TO

  • Production

    APPROACH 100 MILLION GROSS TON PRODUCTION MARK IN 1989.

  • Production

    JULY 29, 1989, PP. 16-17.

  • Workings

    BORGESON, OLIVER W., & KURT F. JOPKE. THE HIBBING TACONITE

  • Workings

    STORY - MINING. SKILLINGS MINING REVIEW, MAR 8, 1980,

  • Workings

    PP. 12-15.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 25-SEP-1996 Dolzani, Roger L. U.S. Bureau of Mines

Beyond USGS

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

Current status (per MSHA)

StatusActive since 11/22/1978
MSHA mine ID2101600
Mine name (MSHA)Hibbing Taconite Company
Current operatorHibbing Taconite Company
Current controller (parent)Cleveland Cliffs Inc; US Steel
Mine typeSurface (Metal / non-metal)

MSHA cross-reference per the original MRDS record. Mine status and operator reflect MSHA's last published Mines export (February 2025); MSHA's public bulk feed has been unavailable since, so this may be out of date. See the Mine Data Retrieval System for current status.

Open MSHA's Mine Data Retrieval System for inspections, accidents, and violations for this mine.

Operator history (post-MRDS)

MRDS records operators as of each record's last update (≤ 2019). Some of the operators listed here have since changed hands or dissolved:

  • Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Co. — renamed to Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. (2017)
    Reorganized and renamed Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. in 2017 as the parent shifted from iron-ore focus to steelmaking.

Curated by qvyshift.com from publicly-reported M&A activity (SEC filings, press releases, USGS Mineral Yearbooks). Not authoritative — verify against primary sources before relying on it. The MSHA panel above is the current authoritative source for actively-permitted mines.

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