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| TABLE 9 | |||||||||||
| COBALT: WORLD MINE PRODUCTION, BY COUNTRY 1, 2 | |||||||||||
| (Metric tons, cobalt content) | |||||||||||
| Country3 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010e | ||||||
| Australiae, 4 | 5,130 | 4,730 | 4,780 | 4,340 | r | 3,850 | 5 | ||||
| Botswana6 | 303 | 242 | 337 | 270 | r | 325 | |||||
| Brazile | 1,100 | 1,311 | 5 | 1,215 | 5 | 1,200 | 1,600 | ||||
| Canada7 | 7,115 | 8,692 | 8,953 | 3,919 | r | 4,568 | p, 5 | ||||
| Chinae | 1,840 | 6,100 | 6,630 | 6,000 | 6,500 | ||||||
| Congo (Kinshasa)e, 8 | 27,100 | 25,400 | 32,300 | 35,500 | 47,400 | ||||||
| Cuba9 | 5,602 | 4,540 | 3,175 | 3,500 | e | 3,600 | |||||
| Finlande | 100 | 115 | 105 | 5 | 27 | 140 | |||||
| Indonesia10 | 1,600 | 1,600 | 1,300 | 1,200 | 1,600 | ||||||
| Madagascare | -- | -- | -- | -- | 700 | ||||||
| Moroccoe, 11 | 2,600 | r | 1,800 | r | 1,700 | 2,200 | r | 2,200 | |||
| New Caledonia12 | 1,629 | 1,620 | 869 | 719 | r | 1,000 | |||||
| Philippinese | 900 | 1,000 | 1,200 | 1,500 | 2,200 | ||||||
| Russiae, 11 | 6,300 | 6,300 | 6,200 | 6,100 | 6,200 | ||||||
| South Africae | 600 | 600 | 590 | 610 | 1,800 | ||||||
| Zambiae, 13 | 8,000 | 7,500 | 7,000 | r | 4,900 | r | 5,700 | ||||
| Zimbabwee, 14 | 110 | 100 | 85 | 74 | 5 | 79 | 5 | ||||
| Total | 70,000 | r | 71,700 | r | 76,400 | r | 72,100 | r | 89,500 | ||
| -eEstimated. pPreliminary. rRevised. -- Zero. | |||||||||||
| 1World totals and estimated data are rounded to no more than three significant digits; may not add to totals shown. | |||||||||||
| 2Table includes data available through June 9, 2011. Figures represent recoverable cobalt content of ores, concentrates, or intermediate products from | |||||||||||
| cobalt, copper, nickel, platinum, or zinc operations.- | |||||||||||
| 3In addition to the countries listed, Spain and Turkey are known to produce ores that contain cobalt, but information is inadequate to make reliable estimates | |||||||||||
| of production. Poland produces copper ore containing 1,500 to 5,000 metric tons per year of cobalt, which is not currently recovered. Other copper-, nickel-, | |||||||||||
| -platinum-, or zinc-producing nations may also produce ores containing cobalt as a byproduct component, but recovery is small or nil. | |||||||||||
| 4Cobalt content of lateritic nickel ore, nickel concentrate, and zinc concentrate originating from Australia. Quantities of cobalt contained in intermediate or | |||||||||||
| refined metallurgical products produced from Australian and imported ores, in metric tons, were estimated to be as follows: 2006-07-5,500; 2008-5,100; | |||||||||||
| 2009-5,500; and 2010-5,700. | |||||||||||
| 5Reported figure. | |||||||||||
| 6Reported cobalt content of pelletized nickel-copper matte. | |||||||||||
| 7Assay content of cobalt in concentrates produced.- | |||||||||||
| 8Cobalt content of concentrates, tailings, and slags.- | |||||||||||
| 9Determined from reported nickel-cobalt content of sulfide and ammoniacal liquor production. | |||||||||||
| 10Cobalt content of nickel matte plus estimated cobalt in lateritic ore processed in Australia. | |||||||||||
| 11Cobalt content of concentrates. | |||||||||||
| 12Cobalt content of limonitic nickel laterite ores mined. Quantities of cobalt contained in intermediate or refined metallurgical products (cobalt chloride | |||||||||||
| and cobalt oxide hydroxide) produced from New Caledonian ores exported to Australia and France, in metric tons, were estimated to be as follows: 2006-1,200; | |||||||||||
| 2007-1,400; 2008-1,200; 2009-1,500; and 2010-1,700. | |||||||||||
| 13Cobalt content of concentrates and slags. | |||||||||||
| 14Estimated cobalt content of intermediate products produced in Zimbabwe from nickel and platinum ores mined in Zimbabwe. | |||||||||||
Source: United States Geological Survey Mineral Resources Program
See also: Mineral commodity prices
