From the initial discoveries in 1921, Gaspé Copper (formerly a subsidiary of Noranda Inc.) mined the porphyry copper/skarn complex and produced copper concentrate continuously from 1955 until the closure of the mine in 1999.
Figure 1: Exploration at Needle Mountain, Gaspé Copper, 1955. Source: Musée de la Gaspésie
Production started with the Needle Mountain open pit, and expanded to operating the Mount Copper open pit supplemented with feed from the extensive high-grade underground skarn mineralization and the massive sulfide skarn and manto underground deposits.
During its 45-year mining life, a total of 150 million tonnes grading an average of 0.87% Cu with minor, molybdenum, gold and silver credits were extracted, making it one of the most significant copper operations in Eastern Canada.