Description
One mining permit is currently held for copper at the Guelb Moghrein Mine, the only previously worked copper-gold deposit in Mauritania. The mine is located in the Inchiri region near the town of Akjoujt, 260 km north-east of the capital Nouakchott.
Copper mineralisation was discovered at Guelb Moghrein in the Precambrian Mauritanides in 1964 when Charter Consolidated, a UK registered company drilled on a significant copper anomaly. They estimated a resource of 23 Mt of copper oxide grading 1.8% Cu and 1.4 g/t gold with minor quantities of cobalt and nickel. In 1967, Societe Miniere de Mauritanie (SOMIMA) mined the copper oxide mineralisation. The mine closed however in 1978 due to depressed copper prices and increased fuel prices. In 1991, SAMIN (Societe Arab des Mines de l’Inchiri) and General Gold International (GGI) formed a joint venture to rework the copper mining tailings for gold between 1992 and 1996.
The JV was later renamed GEMAK and was given authorisation to recommence mining the gold, copper and cobalt bearing deposits at Guelb Moghrein. A resource estimated to contain 24 Mt grading 1.9% copper (oxide and sulphide) and 1.4 g/t gold has been outlined. To date, Kvaerner have been awarded the engineering contracts for the mine that requires some $181 million in financing. However, the project is still at feasibility stage and the feasibility study is currently investigating the economic viability of reopening the mine to extract and process the sulphide mineralisation only.
Organisations (2)
Societe Arab des Mines de l’Inchiri, Societé Arabe des Industries Metallurgiques Mauritano-Kuweitienne :[ Add More ]
Facilities (5)
Guelb El Rhein, Guelb Moghrein, Kedia d’Idjil, M’Haoudat, SNIM iron ore mine – Mauritania
