Copper is an important and necessary industrial metal, and copper deposits located around the world form a large portion of the copper resources available. Minggangtong copper mine, located in western China, is a major copper mine.
The copper mine has been in production since 1960 and is strip mined. It has a total area of 6.5 square kilometers, and the primary deposit of copper ore lies between a depth of 40 meters and 65 meters. As of 2018, the mine listed a stockpile of 7.5 million tons of ore with a grade of 0.76 percent copper. The average operating grade of the ore is between 0.60 percent and 0.64 percent. The mine aims to maintain an annual production of 200,000 tons of ore, and the ore yield is around 2.08 percent.
The mine is owned and operated by a subsidiary of the Yingkou Gold-Copper Mining Company Limited. Mining methods employed at the Minggangtong mine include traditional open-pit mining and underground mining. Mining is conducted using load-haul-dump (LHD) machines and diesel powered trucks for ore transportation. The ore is transported to a nearby dressing plant for upgrading and smelting. The resulting copper concentrate is sent to nearby copper smelting and processing plants for further refining and production.
The copper mine has seen many changes over the years since its opening. In recent years, the mining process has seen improvements in terms of mechanization as well as in efficiency. The overall mine production has also increased significantly, with a production capability of around 5,000 tons of ore per day. In addition, safety and environmental regulations have been strictly implemented in order to ensure high standards of production without the risk of unsafe practices.
The Minggangtong copper mine is an important contributor to the Chinese economy. With its large reserves and consistent production, it has become a major source of copper ore in the region. With improved methods and technologies, the copper mine is poised to expand its production even further and become a major player in the global copper mining industry.
