Name of the Mine
Serra Norte Complex.

Location  
In the municipality of Parauapebas, state of Pará, in Brazil.

Mine Owner/s  
Multinational mining company Vale.

Brief Description  
The Serra Norte property consists of the N1, N2, N3, N4, and N5 orebodies.

Brief History  
The Carajás Complex has undergone exploration work since 1922. In July 1967, United States Steel (USS) started an exploration programme in the region to search for manganese deposits, resulting in the first field surveys of the Serra Norte (N1, N2, N3, N4, and N5), as well as the nearby Serra Sul. Exploration and evaluation activities continued, and in 1977 Vale acquired a shareholding in USS and assumed control of the project. Construction started in 1979, with operations at Serra Norte starting in 1984 at the N4E mine. 

Primary Metals/Minerals  
Iron-ore.

Secondary Metals/Minerals  
None stated.

Geology/Mineralisation  
The principal Carajás iron-ore deposits are associated with flat-topped elevated plateaus, defined along two main morphological alignments corresponding to Serra Norte and Serra Sul. These alignments form the flanks of the Carajás Syncline structure. 

The Serra Norte complex corresponds to the inverted flank of the Carajás Syncline. 

Mineralisation is predominantly the product of supergene enrichment developed over jaspilites (banded iron formation, or BIF, interlayered with basalts), producing high-grade ore as friable hematite, compact hematite and manganiferous hematite. The main structural controls are faults and folds that favoured the BIF’s thickening of the levels of jaspilite by duplication, and the efficiency of supergenic processes through the tilting and fracturing of these rocks. The mineralisation also includes tailings deposited in the Gelado dam.

Reserves  
As at December 31, 2024, total proven and probable reserves were estimated at 1.57-billion tonnes grading at 64.8%.

Resources  
Serra Norte has measured and indicated resources, as at December 31, 2024, of 1.29-billion tonnes grading at 66.4%. Inferred resources are estimated at 425.3-million tonnes grading 66.4%.

Type of Mine
Openpit.

Mining Method  
Conventional openpit mining methods. Ore is hauled by off-road trucks to primary crushing facilities, and waste is hauled to waste dumps. A dredging operation at the Gelado tailings dam recovers iron units from legacy tailings.

Major Infrastructure/Equipment  
Site infrastructure includes a tailings storage facility, three processing plants, ore stockpiles, waste-rock dumps, maintenance workshops, an assay laboratory, administration offices and a clinic. Personnel reside mainly in the urban centre of Carajás and the City of Parauapebas.

Prospects  
The current life-of-mine plan runs from 2025 until 2045 and includes opening new mining areas for extraction at the N1, N2, and N3 orebodies. 

Contact Details 
Vale
Tel +55 21 3485 5000
Email vale.ri@vale.com
Website https://vale.com/