Geometallurgy of IOC Iron Ore Deposits

The project will employ geological and geochemical methods to distinguish the various generations of iron-rich minerals, principally magnetite and hermatite, present in rocks that are mined for iron ore by the Iron Ore Company of Canada (IOC) in Labrador City/Wabush. The geologic history of the magnetite and hermatite is complex, having originally formed in the rocks during deposition in seawater, but later modified when the rocks were buried deep in the crust, uplifted, and flushed with groundwaters near the Earth's surface. Once identified, we will characterize some of the properties of each variety of magnetite and hermatite that are relevant to metallurgical processing such as grain size, shape, density, mineral inclusions, and associations with other minerals, particularily minor phases that carry signficant quantitities of elements that are known to reduce the quality of finished iron ore pellets. The study will assist IOC in understanding how geological factors at the mine site result in variations in ore recoveries in the processing plant.

Faculty Supervisor:

Dr. Paul Sylvester

Student:

Alexander Kaul

Partner:

Iron Ore Company of Canada

Discipline:

Geography / Geology / Earth science

Sector:

Mining and quarrying

University:

Memorial University of Newfoundland