Mopani Copper Mines mineralisation occur within the ore shale. Copper mineralisation in the deposits changes from mostly chalcopyrite in the South Orebody, to chalcopyrite-bornite in the Central area and to bornite-chalcopyrite at Mindola. Cobalt occurs as carrollite and cobaltiferous pyrite in approximately equal proportions. The mine produces copper and cobalt from three sources: Mindola Shaft, Central Shaft and South Orebody Shaft. Vertical crater retreat is the predominant mining method while sublevel open-stopping and sublevel caving methods are also used. In April 2011 Mopani announced its intentions to sink a new $295 million shaft at Mufulira, this should extend the life of the mine
Pentlandite Thompson Belt, Canada, and a few examples from Brazil. Pentlandite, but primarily chalcopyrite and PGEs, are also obtained from the supergiant Norilsk nickel deposit, in trans-Siberian Russia. The Sudbury Basin in Ontario, Canada, is associated with a large meteorite impact crater. The pentlandite-chalcopyrite-pyrrhotite ore around the Sudbury Structure formed from sulfide melts that segregated from the melt sheet produced by the impact. Pentlandite is a catalyst for production of hydrogen and oxygen from water using electricity. It is said to be as effective at this as platinum, which is significantly rarer and more expensive. Pentlandite Pentlandite is an iron-nickel sulfide,