THE CAROL LAKE MINE OF THE IRON-ORE-COMPANY-OF-CANADA

The Carol Lake mine of the Iron Ore Company of Canada (IOC) is located in Arctic Labrador, a vast, rugged, largely unspoilt area. The ore de posits are located in hills rising 150-305 m above the adjacent lakes. The ore occurs as magnetite and specular hematite, with an average gr ade of 38.4% Fe. Carol Lake is one of the world's largest mines, using very large equipment and blasts of up to 4 000 000 t. The opening up of the mine involved the construction of 576 km of mainline rail track , the construction of a new town and the largest airlift in the histor y of civil aviation. The company has led the way in the environmental management of remote, unspoilt locations to ensure the perpetuation of the area's unique characteristics. Badly hit by the greatly reduced w orld demand for iron ore, it embarked on a programme to ensure its eme rgence from the recession as a competitive, low-cost producer by inves tment in high technology, well-qualified staff and total quality manag ement. Despite the continuing reduced demand for iron ore, compounded by the remoteness of the mine and the hostile climate, the IOC continu es to hold its position in the market. In 1962 it operated the first f ully automatic, manless rail system, hauling ore some 14 km from the m ine to the primary crushers at the concentrator plant, and it continue s today its policy of investing in high-technology methods to improve its productivity and to contain costs.