Before 1924, British-controlled mining companies managed the area where Zambia's copper mines are now located. 1906, a shallow and rich cylindrical chalcocite ore body was first mined in Kansanshi, the northwestern province of Zambia, and then mined in dolomite about 350 kilometers west of the capital Lusaka. The Boisne Mukubwa mine near Ndola, the capital of Copper Belt Province, has also been put into production. For a long time before the introduction of modern mining and mineral processing technology, Kansangxi and Boisne Mkubwa mines were mined by local primitive and simple mining methods. During this period, some signs of copper deposits that were not noticed at that time were discovered one after another, such as 1899 discovering copper mineralization in Chambishi, 1902 discovering copper mineralization in Luan Xia, and 19 10 discovering copper deposits in Nkana brought by local residents. 1923, River Lode mine was discovered in Chingola area of copper belt province, which eventually expanded the scale of Enchanga deposit. These continuous new discoveries greatly encouraged geologists and mining investors at that time. 1902, Pb-Zn outcrop was discovered in kabwe, the central copper belt province. The average content of metal sulfide reaches 50% ~ 60%, which makes the newly-built railway continue to extend northward. Subsequently, the railway from 65438 to 0906 through to the copper mine in Katanga province in the Democratic Republic of Congo was completed.
However, as far as the copper-cobalt ore belt in Central Africa is concerned, before 1924, the development of copper deposits in Zambia and Congo (Gold) was completely different because of the different exposure conditions of the deposits. On the Congo (gold) side, some famous deposits are exposed along the ridge with a relative elevation of 50 ~ 100 m due to large topographic cutting. It is particularly obvious that lush trees, called "copper trees", grow in the soil with high copper content on the surface of copper deposits. In addition, the green rust spot of copper oxide on the outcrop is an obvious sign of copper mineralization.
Relatively speaking, Zambia has gentle terrain, little topographic fluctuation, generally developed thick soil layers and few mineralized outcrops. In places where river erosion and cutting are strong, occasionally weak mineralization can be seen. In the physical and chemical process of forming a thick upper soil layer, copper minerals may leach from the ore layer near the surface. This phenomenon can be used as an important clue to find hidden ore-bearing beds, which was recognized by British South African companies as early as the early 1920s. At that time, if the mining plan was to be effectively implemented, huge investment was needed. The British South Africa Company subsequently received a lot of financial support from investors in the United States, Britain, South Africa and other places. The biggest hope of investors is to discover huge underground sulfide deposits by drilling and other means.
The application of new mineral processing technology to extract copper from sulfide ore is a revolution in the development of copper mine industry. At that time, this technology was in the hands of two companies: Rhodesian Select Trust; , mining Luanxia copper mine and Mufulila mine; The Anglo-American Mining Company of Rhodesia mines Nkana, Nchanga and Bubanem Kubwa mines. However, during the period of 193 1- 1934, the emerging copper industry in Central Africa was hit by the Great Depression of the world economy, and many mines closed down. In the late 1940s, Zambia's mining industry rose again. However, because a large amount of wealth fell into the pockets of shareholders, it also caused disputes. Considering this situation, the colonists at that time began to help develop the local economy and infrastructure.
During the period of 10 (1953- 1963), the price of copper kept rising. The construction of Kariba hydropower station on the southern border of Zambia provided Zambia with sufficient and cheap power supply, reduced the dependence of copper industry on coal, opened up a new road for the development of copper industry, and then the copper output increased substantially.
Zambia gained independence from 65438 to 0964, which provided a reliable political and economic guarantee for the development of its mining industry. Zambia produced 72× 104t copper in 1969. From then on until the mid-1970s, Zambia's copper output remained at about 70× 104t/a, making it the fourth largest copper producer in the world at that time. The mining industry made Zambia's economy extremely prosperous in Central Africa in the 1970s. Zambia implemented a major industrial nationalization in 1970: Enchanga Mining Co., Ltd. and Rhodesia Selection Trust Co., Ltd. (RST) were established.
1982 Zambia merged Roan United Mining Company and Nchanga United Mining Company to form Zambia United Copper Co., Ltd. (ZCM), which manages and operates almost all large copper mines in Zambia. But then, due to the low global copper price, increasing mining depth, rising mining cost, poor management and other reasons, Zambia's copper production dropped sharply, only about 40×104 t/a. By the 1990s, Zambia's annual copper output has dropped to only 20×104 ~ 30×104t/a ..1991year, and Zambia began to privatize its mineral books, so Anglo American Resources Group (AAC), First Quantum Minerals Co., Ltd. (FQM) and Zambia began to privatize its mineral books. As part of the privatization process of copper mines, in order to promote the diversification of ownership and reduce political and economic risks, the assets of Zambia National Copper Mine Union Company are divided into various entities or commercial supporting services and sold to enterprises and private individuals. Zambia National Copper Joint Investment Company (ZCCM-IH) is the predecessor of Zambia National Copper Joint Investment Company, which is an investment holding company, and its main investment field is copper mining in Zambia. As of March 3, 2000, Zambia National Copper Joint Investment Company was 60.3% owned by the Zambian government, 27.3% by Zambia Copper Investment Company (ZCI) and the remaining 12.4% by private investors.
2 1 century, due to the recovery of copper prices, mining investors turned their attention to Zambia, which is rich in resources and has a long history of mining development, and many internationally renowned mining companies re-entered Zambia; With the commissioning of new projects and the expansion of old mines, Zambia's copper and cobalt output has increased steadily again (table 1-2). With the commissioning of new projects and the expansion of old mines, it is estimated that Zambia's copper output will reach 150× 104t/a by 20 15 years.
Table1-2 Statistics of Zambia's main metal output from 2000 to 20 12
According to incomplete statistics, by the end of 20 12, Zambia had mined about 15× 108t copper mine with an output of about 40×106t. Copper metal. It is estimated that there is still 16× 108t copper mine, and the copper output is about 40× 106t.