Copper grades across 25 deposits and groups in Congo and Zambia

A single geological belt crosses the border

The deposits shown are associated with sedimentary rocks of the Roan Group in the Katanga Basin. On the map, selected groups in DR Congo extend east from the Kolwezi area through Tenke and Kambove. The Zambian records continue southeast through the Copperbelt, with Sebembere farther south. The table gives the country recorded for each site. The geological study follows the host rocks across the border. Source 1 Source 2

Grade and tonnage tell different parts of the story

Kambove Principal and Kambove West were grouped at 46.9 million tonnes of ore with an average copper grade of 6.59%. Chingola and Nchanga were grouped at 567 million tonnes with a grade of 2.80%. Multiplying tonnage by grade gives an indication of contained copper. It yields about 3.1 million tonnes and 15.9 million tonnes respectively in the two published estimates. Source 1

How the study grouped nearby deposits

USGS grouped nearby deposits using a 500 metre aggregation rule for modelling grade and tonnage. This changes what a point represents. A group such as Konkola and Musoshi has an aggregate estimate and a representative location. The group pin cannot show the full area of the deposits or how many mines worked them. Source 1

Cobalt grades are available for some entries

The study reports 1.40% cobalt for Mukondo and 0.588% for Mutanda and Ya-Mukonkota. For some records the source uses zero to mark missing cobalt data. Those cells appear as dashes in the table. The measured grades are weights relative to ore, while the amount of cobalt ultimately recovered depends on extraction and processing. Source 1

Historical estimates differ from operating records

The 2014 assessment compiled geological information for mineral-resource modelling. Ore tonnage and grade describe the deposit estimates used in that study. Determining today’s remaining reserves, annual output or operating status requires a more recent technical report or official production record for the site. Source 1 Source 2