Sources of Cobalt

Cobalt is not a particularly rare metal and it ranks 33 in abundance. It is however widely scattered in the Earth's crust but is found in potentially exploitable quantities in several countries, 17 of which currently produce.

Cobalt is only extracted alone from the Moroccan and Canadian Arsenide ores. It is normally associated with copper or nickel. 39% of World production is from Africa - D.R.C. (21%) and Zambia (15%) - where cobalt is a copper by-product.

Table 1 - Where Cobalt is Mined - shows the current situation. Significant resources of cobalt are also present in the deep sea nodules and crusts which occur in the Mid-Pacific and are estimated to contain anywhere from 2.5-10 million tonnes of cobalt. At a world production level of 27,000 tonnes, this is 90 to 400 years of usage. Current land sources are estimated at over 100 years, so no long term shortage is in sight.

Table -1 Where Cobalt is Currently Mined and/or Refined