Kidd Mine
 | |
| Location | |
|---|---|
  Kidd Mine Location in Ontario | |
| Location | Timmins |
| Province | Ontario |
| Country | Canada |
| Production | |
| Products | Copper Zinc |
| History | |
| Opened | 1966 |
| Closed | 2020 (estimated) |
| Owner | |
| Company | Glencore Inc. |
| Website | Kidd Mine information on Xstrata website |
| Year of acquisition | 2013 (takeover of Xstrata Copper.) |
Kidd Mine is an underground base metal mine in the city of Timmins, Ontario, Canada. It is owned and operated by Glencore Inc, formerly owned by Xstrata Copper and Falconbridge Ltd. prior to that. Ore from the Kidd mine was processed at the Kidd Metallurgical Site, located 27 km (17 mi) southeast of the mine.[1] The ore is now shipped to Quebec for processing.[2] Kidd Mine is the world's deepest copper/zinc mine.[3]
History
The ore deposit at Kidd Mine was discovered in 1964 by the Texas Gulf Sulphur Corporation. During the initial exploration of the site, then known as Kidd-55, officers of the company engaged in insider trading in Texas Gulf shares.[4] The ensuing lawsuit by the Securities and Exchange Commission resulted in a landmark decision that established the right of all market participants to have "relatively equal access to material information."[5]
The mine began operation in 1966, as an open pit mine and eventually evolved into an underground mine. The mine produces copper, zinc, and several other metals.[3][6]
Geology
The Kidd deposit is one of the largest volcanogenic massive sulfide ore deposits in the world, and one of the world's largest base metal deposits.[3] It lies within the Abitibi greenstone belt.[7]
Current operation
Kidd Mine and Met Site collectively employ 3 3,200 employees and contractors, and in 2008 committed to investing $120 million to extend the production to 2017, and deepen the mine to 9,600 feet (2,900 m), from its current depth of 9,100 feet (2,800 m).[3][6] The investment would add 3.4 million tonnes of ore into the mine plan. The expansion will include the development of three additional production levels and deepening the ramp from the 9100 level to the 9600 level, where the loading pocket is located. There will be an extension of the ventilation and backfill systems to the new sections of the mine.The mine has since extended it's production life to 2020.[3]
Depth
The mine is the deepest base metal mine in the world. The maximum depth of almost 10,000 feet (3,000 m) and its northerly latitude mean that the bottom of the mine is the closest accessible point to the centre of the Earth.[8]
See also
References
- ^ "Strike begins at Xstrata's Ontario plant". The Toronto Star. Oct 1, 2008. Retrieved 2009-04-11.
- ^ Kidd Metallurgical Site
- ^ a b c d e Diekmeyer, Peter. "A supersized combo". CIM Magazine. 4 (2). Montreal: Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum: 54–57. ISSN 1718-4177.
- ^ Brooks, John (November 9, 1968). "A Reasonable Amount of Time". The New Yorker: 160–188.
- ^ Securities and Exchange Commission Historical Society. "Fair To All People: The SEC and the Regulation of Insider Trading".
- ^ a b Kerawala, Minaz (September–October 2008). "Xstrata Copper to extend Kidd mine with fresh investment". CIM Magazine. p. 20.
- ^ On Geology and Ore Deposits of the Timmins District, Ontario. Geological Survey Of Canada (open file 2161, field trip 6)
- ^ Godkin, David (1 February 2014). "Being safe is no accident". Canadian Mining Journal.