Carajás mine
Iron ore mine in Pará, Brazil
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Carajás Mine is the largest iron ore mine in the world.[2] It is located in the municipality of Parauapebas, state of Pará in the Carajás Mountains of northern Brazil. The mine is operated as an open-pit mine, and is estimated to contain roughly 7.2 billion metric tonnes of iron ore, plus gold, manganese, bauxite, copper, and nickel. [3] The mine is run by the Brazilian mining corporation Vale (formerly the Companhia Vale do Rio Doce), and was initially part-owned with US Steel from 1970 to 1977.[3]
- Carajás mineral province, Parauapebas[1], Pará, Brazil
- 06°03′31″S 50°10′37″W
The mine is located in the mining concession area of the Carajás National Forest, which "contains known reserves of 18 billion tons with an average grade of 65.4% Fe."[3]
The mine is largely powered by hydroelectric power from the Tucuruí Dam.[4] In 2025 Vale was using artificial intelligence in managing operations at the mine, including the use of driverless trucks.[2] The Carajás Railway carries the ore to the ports of São Marcos Bay in Maranhão for export.[5][6]
Geology
The mine lies in the banded iron formations in the southeastern portion of the Amazon Craton. The rocks range from the Archean to Paleoproterozoic in age.[1][7] In addition to iron the deposits include manganese, bauxite, nickel, and other potential ores.[8]
