Malanjkhand: Proterozoic Porphyry Copper Deposit, M.P. India

The Malanjkhand porphyry copper deposit is estimated to contain 789 million tonnes averaging 0.83% Cu @ cut-off-grade of 0.20% Cu, 0.004wt% Mo, 0.2 gm/T Au, 6 gm/T Ag. 448 million tonnes 0.84% Cu (millhead grade) are available for open pit mining to a depth of 100 MRL. The deposit can support a mine, mill, smelter and refinery complex to produce 100,000 TPY of cathode copper at an installed cost of US$557.126 millions.

The deposit is arcuate in shape, 2,600 meter long, 142 meter wide, 900 meter deep and open for exploration at depth across and along strike. The deposit consists of a large body of primary copper ore in granitic rocks and is overlain by a cap of oxidized ore (7.532 million tonnes 0.8 wt % Cu). The granitic rocks are biotite granite, quartz diorite, granodiorite and adamellite (quartz monzonite). The granitic rocks are 1684±67m.y. and 1816±73m.y., (Middle Proterozoic age). Hypogene alteration includes sericitization, saussuritization, chloritization, propylitization, silicification, potassic and sodic alterations. The main primary copper mineral is chalcopyrite. The secondary copper minerals are a number of copper sulfides, sulfates, carbonates, oxides, native copper and chlorides.