1. Mineral Resources
  2. Online Spatial Data
  3. Mineral Resource Data System (MRDS)

Premier Mine

Producer in South Africa with commodity Diamond
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Sections on this page
  1. Identification information
  2. Geographic coordinates
  3. Site location context
  4. Geographic areas
  5. Commodities
  6. Materials information
  7. Alteration
  8. Mineral occurrence model information
  9. Host and associated rocks
  10. Nearby scientific data
  11. Geologic structures
  12. Ore body information
  13. Controls for ore emplacement
  14. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  15. Mining district
  16. Ownership information
  17. Production statistics
  18. Workings at the site
  19. Links to other databases
  20. Bibliographic references
  21. General comments
  22. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10071398
MRDS ID W014768
Record type Site
Current site name Premier Mine

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: 28.50144, -25.69662 (WGS84)
Elevation 1372
Relative position 39 KILOMETERS EAST OF THE CITY OF PRETORIA

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

South Africa(country)

Africa(continent)

Land(continent)

Geographic areas

Country
South Africa

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Diamond Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Garnet Gangue
Ilmenite Gangue
Phlogopite Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) "Yellow Ground" Oxidized And Tuffaceous To Depth Of 11 M

Analytical data

Result DIAMOND RECOVERIES CURRENTLY RANGE BETWEEN 0.298 - 0.346 CARATS PER TON OF BLUE GROUND ORE HOISTED. INDUSTRIAL DIAMONDS COMPRISE 80 PERCENT OF RECOVERIES, GEM DIAMONDS 20 PERCENT.

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 31
USGS model code 12
Deposit model name Diamond-bearing kimberlite pipes

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock
    Rock unit name Premier Kimberlite;Felsite Of Bushveld Igneous Complex
    Rock description Premier Kimberlite;Felsite Of Bushveld Igneous Complex
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Cretaceous
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Ultramafic Intrusive Rock > Peridotite > Kimberlite
    Rock unit name Waterberg Sandstone (Quartzite)
    Rock description Waterberg Sandstone (Quartzite)

Nearby scientific data

(1) 28.50144, -25.69662
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description An Elliptical/Vertical Pipe In Bushveld Igneous Complex (Precambrian) Felsite
Type of structure Local
Structure description Premier Kimberlite (Cretaceous); Waterberg Quartizite (Precambrian) (As Sill In Pipe); Felsite Of Bushveld Igneous Complex (Precambrian)

Ore body information

  • General form ELLIPTICAL/VERTICAL
    Strike E - W
    Dip 90 - DEG
    Length 900M
    Width 460M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Volcanic Crater Of Explosive Type Filled With Kimberlite

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Producer
Commodity type Non-metallic
Deposit size Large
Significant No
Discovery year 1902
Discoverer Sir Thomas Cullinan
Year of first production 1903

Mining district

District name Pretoria Area

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Premier (Transvaal) Diamond Mining Co. (Pty) Ltd.
  • Type Owner
    Owner Debeers Consolidated Mines Ltd.

Production statistics

  • Year 1976
    Material ORE
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^Industrial Diamonds 80 %, Gem Diamonds 20 %
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Diamond Diamond Gemstones 100wt-pct
  • Year 1979
    Material ORE DIA
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^Industrial Diamonds 87%, Gem Diamond
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Diamond Diamond Gemstones 87wt-pct
  • Year 1984
    Period 1971-1984
    Material DIA
    Description Cp_Grade: ^Industrial 81 %
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Diamond Gemstones 81wt-pct
  • Year 1984
    Period 1971-1984
    Material ORE DIA
    Description Cp_Grade: ^37.41 Carats/100 Tons
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Diamond Diamond Gemstones 0g/mt

Comments on the production information

  • UNDERGROUND PRODUCTION AMOUNTED TO 5,459,000 TONS COMPARED TO 5,484,000 IN THE PREVIOUS YEAR. DIAMONDS RECOVERED FROM DUMP MATERIAL TREATED DECREASED TO 576,799 CARATS COMPARED WITH 639,580 CARATS IN 1983, IN SPITE OF A 16% INCREASE IN TONNAGE TREATED.

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Underground
    Area 31.567HA
    Overall depth 323M

Comments on the workings information

  • CURRENT OPERATING LEVEL 323 M.

Comments on development

  • MILL.CAP: 5.6 MIL. MET T/YR. 1960 ; ECON.COM: PREMIER KIMBERLITE PIPE IS LARGEST IN SOUTH AFRICA. ORIGINALLY OPEN PIT (BEGINNING IN 1903), BUT CONVERTED TO UNDERGROUND SUB-LEVEL BENCH MINING AND BLOCK CAVING IN 1949. SITE OF CULLINAN DIAMOND DISCOVERY (1905).

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    MINERAL RESOURCES OF SOUTH-CENTRAL AFRICA; PELLETIER, R. A.; 1964

  • Deposit

    INTERNATIONAL DIAMOND ANNUAL; WILSON, A. N.; VOL. 1, 1971

  • Deposit

    PREMIER DIAMOND MINE BROCHURE; CIRCA 1960

  • Deposit

    DE BEERS CONSOLIDATED MINES LIMITED, ANNUAL REPORT, DE BEERS CONSOLIDATED MINES LIMITED.

  • Deposit

    SOUTH AFRICAN MINING AND ENGINEERING JOURNAL, 1975, SOUTH AFRICAN MINING AND ENGINEERING JOURNAL.

  • Production

    DE BEERS CONSOLIDATED MINES LTD ANNUAL REPORTS ; DEI BEERS ANNUAL REPORT - 1985 ; DE BEERS ANNUAL REPORT-1986 ; DE BEERS CONSOLIDATED MINES LIMITED - 1980 ANNUAL REPORT ; DE BEERS ANNUAL REPORT 1981 ; DE BEERS ANNUAL REPORT - 1982 ; DE BEERS ANNUAL REPORT-1983 ; DE BEERS ANNUAL REPORT - 1984 ; DE BEERS CONSOLIDATED DIAMONDS MINES LIMITED ANNUAL REPORT 1978 ; DE BEERS CONSOLIDATED DIAMOND MINES LIMITED ANNUAL REPORT 1979 ; DEBEERS CONSOLIDATED MINES LIMITED ANNUAL REPORTS: 1971 - 1977 ; DE BEERS CONSOLIDATED MINES LIMITED ANNUAL REPORTS: 1971 - 1976

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit TOTAL DEPTH OF PIPE NOT AVAILABLE. CURRENT MINING PLANS PROJECT TO A DEPTH OF 500 METERS. ORIGINAL SURFACE AREA COVERED 78 ACRES.
Deposit INFORMATION MERGED FROM RECORD NUMBER W027325 ; W028261 ; W028856 ; W028857 ; W030968 ; W032273 ; W033025 ; W033801 ; W033827 ; W044583 ; W055329

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-DEC-1976 Sweetwood, Charles W. Department of State
Updater 01-JUL-1985 Mccarter, Lorna D Department of State
Updater 01-AUG-1977 Sweetwood, Charles W. Department of State
Updater 01-OCT-1978 Sweetwood, Charles W. Department of State
Updater 01-MAY-1980 Sweetwood, Charles W. Department of State
Updater 01-JUL-1981 Mccarter, Lorna D. Department of State
Updater 01-JUL-1982 Mccarter, Lorna D. Department of State
Updater 01-JUN-1984 Mccarter, Lorna D Department of State
Updater 01-JUL-1983 Mccarter, Lorna D Department of State
Updater 01-JUL-1985 Mccarter, Lorna D Department of State
Updater 01-MAY-1986 Mccarter, Lorna D Department of State
Updater 01-JUL-1987 Mccarter, Lorna D. Department of State

Beyond USGS

Supplemental information added by qvyshift.com. Not part of the original USGS MRDS record.

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