slightly to 64–65% over approximately 1,500 m. From the discharge points of Arms 2 and 3, Fe occurs at 63–64%, progressing in the direction N70°E for approximately 6,000 m. Toward the end of this trend, Fe grade drops to 62–63%, and locally—at the dam’s northeastern extremes—falls below 62%. SiO₂ occurs at an average grade of 1.97%, inversely to Fe. Using the SiO₂/Fe ratio, it can be seen that in the high-Fe areas it ranges from 1/64 to 1/66, decreasing to 1/22 and finally 1/15. This behavior is related to the density and particle size of Fe, with average values of 2.6 g/cm³ and 0.075 mm, respectively, and of SiO₂, with 2.0 g/cm³ and 10 to 100 nm, respectively. In the research study carried out for the Gelado tailings dam, the measured resources amounted to 227.04 Mt, the indicated resources to 12.46 Mt, and the inferred resources to 26.66 Mt, totaling 266.17 Mt. The potential resource totals 21.25 Mt. This research study constitutes an innovative contribution to the reuse of iron tailings deposited in a dam and, consequently, to important circular economy initiatives and the sustainability of iron mining.
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