Modern Mining April 2019

MINERAL SANDS

US$439 million while Stage 2 (3,5 to 32,5 years) will require an additional US$67 million investment. The project – which has been extensively stud- ied by previous owners – is located in south-west Madagascar, 55 km north of the regional port town of Toliara, 18 km inland, and approximately 640 km south-west of Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar. T h e R a n o b e d e p o s i t , which is the basis for the project, is situated immedi- ately west of a prominent north-south escarpment. The mineralised dune is approximately 16 km long, 1 to 2 km wide and averages 20 to 30 m in thickness. The

 The Lower Sand Unit (LSU) – orange brown to yellow brownmedium-grained quartz sand with moderately low slimes content. It aver- ages 4 % HM and 6 % SL. The mineral resource estimate stands at 1 290 Mt at 5,1 % HM and 6,4 % SL, includ- ing 790 Mt at 5,8 % HM in the measured and indicated categories. The selected mining method is conven- tional dozer trap with in-pit tailings deposition, enabling a short 3-4 year cycle from initial clearing to final rehabilitation. Mining will be via D11 dozers, in 200 m x 100 m blocks, into the dozer-trap mining unit (DMU) with some excavator assistance. Run of mine feed (ROM) enters the DMU through a grizzly

heavy mineral (HM) mineralisation (including ilmenite, rutile and zircon) extends from the surface. The Ranobe deposit comprises three miner- alised units These are:  The Upper Sand Unit (USU) – a well-sorted, fine-grained, unconsolidated aeolian sedi- ment containing approximately 5 % slime or clay (SL) and approximately 6%HM, mainly ilmenite, zircon and rutile.  An Intermediate Clay Sand Unit (ICSU) – a thin unit of high slime content with a dark red to orange brown sandy clay and clayey sand material averaging 4 % HM and 25 % SL deposited in a low energy lagoonal environment.

A drill site at the Toliara project in south-west Madagascar.

The Ranobe deposit comprises three mineralised units.

April 2019  MODERN MINING  23