Locations
The Konkola Copper Mines plc Head Office is located in Chingola in the Copperbelt Province of Zambia. The copper mining operations of KCM are located in the Zambian Copperbelt.
The Zambian Copperbelt ore deposits lie along a 50 kilometre wide strip that extends for 150 kilometres from Chililabombwe in the northwest to Luanshya in the southeast of Zambia.
KCM’s mines are located approximately 1,300 metres above sea level in a savannah-type climate and a rainy season between November and March. The mining operations are accessed by the principal road serving the Zambian Copperbelt. The Nampundwe pyrite mine and concentrator are located in the Central Province approximately 50 kilometres from Lusaka.
The geological setting of the Zambian Copperbelt is unusual compared to other worldwide copper deposits in that it occurs in sedimentary host rocks that have high carbonate content. The presence of dolomite in the geological sequence effectively eliminates any risk of acid mine drainage. The dominant structural feature of the Zambian Copperbelt is the Kafue Anticline, a northwest-southeast striking structure, the core of which is comprised of granite, schist and gneiss of the basement below the sedimentary rock formations.