Barro Alto

Producer in Goias, 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. Nearby scientific data
  8. Ore body information
  9. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  10. Mining district
  11. Ownership information
  12. Production statistics
  13. Workings at the site
  14. Links to other databases
  15. Bibliographic references
  16. General comments
  17. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10206849
MAS/MILS ID 3510170007
Record type Site
Current site name Barro Alto

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Ore Body
Geographic coordinates: -48.83238, -14.83099 (WGS84)
Elevation 900

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Goias(province)

Brazil(country)

South America(continent)

Land(continent)

Geographic areas

Country State
Brazil Goias

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Nickel Critical Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Garnierite Unknown
Limonite Unknown

Nearby scientific data

Ore Body (1) -48.83238, -14.83099

Economic information

Ore body information

  • Thickness 7.7M
    Length 26000M
    Width 1850M
    Depth to top 2.5M
    Field Value
    MAS Matrix # 1
    MAS Column # 3
    Type of Orebody #1 OTHER
    Shape of Orebody #1 TABULAR
    Shape of Orebody #2 IRREGULAR
    Primary mode of Origin RESIDUAL CONCENT
    Primary Ore Control BEDDING
    Secondary Ore Control LITHOLOGY
    Degree of Wallrock Alter. UNKNOWN
    Type of Wallrock Alter. #1 UNKNOWN
    Minimum Depth to Top 0
    Avg. Thick. Unconsol. Mat. 2.5
    Min. Thick. Unconsol. Mat. 0
    Date of Last Modification 830718

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Surface
Development status Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Significant No
Discovery year 1945
Mining method Strip-Hillside
Milling method Hydrometallurgy Unspecified

Mining district

District name Goias

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Baminco-Mineracao E Siderurgica S. A.
    Interest 100
    Home office Brazil
    Year 1981

Production statistics

  • Year 1980
    Description Nickel Output Will Be 1.58% 1224899 Mt Ore/Yr
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Nickel Nickel 1224899mt 2wt-pct

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • FROM BUREAU ESTIMATES

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface
    Area 400HA
    Field Value
    MAS Development Schedule # 1
    Mining Record # 1
    Status of Mining Method ESTIMATE
    Mining Method OPEN PIT
    Primary Material Cover M-HARD ROCKS
    Hardness of Ore M-HARD ROCKS
    Capacity 4083
    Capacity Units MT ORE/DAY
    Unit Production Cost 5
    Units of Production $/MT ORE
    Operating Days per Year 300
    Operating Shifts per Day 2
    Year of Information 1981

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    PERSONAL COMMUNICATIONS.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit BAMINCO-MINERACAO E SIDERURGICA S.A. IS OWNED BY INTERN NATIONAL NICKEL CORP. OF CANADA (49%), EXPLORATION & BERGBAU, FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY (25%), METALLGESE- LLSCHAFT A.G., FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY (25%), AND PRIVATE BRAZILIAN CAPITAL (1.0%). AT LEAST EIGHT OREBODIES HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED, ALTHOUGH, FOR MINING PURPOSES, THE DEPOSITS HAVE BEEN COMBINED INTO FOUR MINING AREAS. THE ORE HAS BEEN DIVIDED INTO TWO TYPES, EAST ORE AND WEST ORE, BASED ON PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE ORE. THE EAST ORE IS A CONTINUOUS "BLANKET" DEPOSIT ON PLATEAUS, AND THE WEST ORE IS STEEP TO MODERATELY DIPPING LENSES ON SLOPES. THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO TYPES IS THOUGHT TO REPRESENT DIFFERENCES IN PARENT ROCK COMPOSITION AS WELL AS GEOMORPHOLOGICAL VARIATIONS THE DEVELOPMENT SCHEDULE PROPOSED IN THE FEASIBILITY STUDY CALLS FOR A SERIES OF OPEN PITS WITH A SMELTER/REFINERY COMPLEX. THERE ARE NO FIRM PLANS TO DEVELOP THE PROPERTY AT PRESENT AS THE OWNERS ARE SEEKING FINANCING. ORE WILL BE MINED FROM SEVERAL FACES IN DIFFERENT ORE ZONES TO MAINTAIN A SUITABLE ORE BLEND FOR SMELTING. THE EAST OREBODIES WILL BE MINED BY A SINGLE LIFT CUT, BUT SOME OF THE WEST ORE ZONES WILL PROBABLY HAVE TO BE MINED BY BENCHES. PREPRODUCTION STRIPPING OF APPROXIMATELY 1 MILLION TONES OF OVERBURDEN.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 18-APR-1995 Eastern Field Operations Center (EFOC) U.S. Bureau of Mines

Beyond USGS

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