Bawdwin Mine

Producer in Burma with commodities Lead, Zinc, Silver, Antimony, Copper, Bismuth, Cobalt, Nickel
Sections on this page
  1. Identification information
  2. Geographic coordinates
  3. Site location context
  4. Geographic areas
  5. Commodities
  6. Materials information
  7. Mineral occurrence model information
  8. Host and associated rocks
  9. Nearby scientific data
  10. Geologic structures
  11. Ore body information
  12. Controls for ore emplacement
  13. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  14. Ownership information
  15. Reserves and resources
  16. Workings at the site
  17. Links to other databases
  18. Bibliographic references
  19. General comments
  20. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10073057
MRDS ID W018865
Record type Site
Current site name Bawdwin Mine

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: 97.29988, 23.11602 (WGS84)
Relative position ABOUT 15 KM WEST OF NAMTU, THE SITE OF THE SMELTER.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Burma(country)

Geographic areas

Country
Burma

Comments on the location information

  • LAT. AND LONGITUDE ARE APPROXIMATE (FROM MANIFILE #3790)

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Lead Primary
Zinc Critical Primary
Silver Secondary
Antimony Critical Secondary
Copper Secondary
Bismuth Critical Tertiary
Cobalt Critical Tertiary
Nickel Critical Secondary

Comments on the commodity information

  • NICKEL SPEISS IS ALSO A BYPRODUCT. BISMUTH AND COBALT PRODUCTION WOULD REQUIRE PLANT MODIFICATIONS

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Bismutite Ore
Chalcopyrite Ore
Cobaltite Ore
Galena Ore
Pyrite Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Tetrahedrite Ore

Analytical data

Result 1968 RESERVE FIGURE - 5,508,876 MT ORE. 11.2% PB, 5.6% ZN, 0.3% CU, 267 G/MT AG.

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 184
USGS model code 28a
Deposit model name Massive sulfide, kuroko
Mark3 model number 93

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Granite
    Rock unit name L01-M1 Quartz Porphyry;Twangpeng Granite
    Rock description L01-M1 Quartz Porphyry;Twangpeng Granite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Cambrian
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Ordovician
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Cambrian
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic)
    Rock unit name Bawdwin Arkosic Wacke Of Pang Yun Series
    Rock description Bawdwin Arkosic Wacke Of Pang Yun Series

Nearby scientific data

(1) 97.29988, 23.11602

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Local
Structure description Yunnan Fault And A North - South Ridge

Ore body information

  • General form PIPES AND VEINS
    Length 900M
    Width 90M
    Depth to top 0M
    Depth to bottom 300M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Intense Brecciation Associated With Twangpeng Granite Intrusion

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Large
Significant No
Discovery year 1100
Discoverer Chinese
Year of first production 1500

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Myanma Bawdin Corp.
  • Type Owner
    Owner Burmese Government

Comments on the production information

  • ITEM 1 - SMELTER AT NAMTU ALSO TREATS A SMALL AMOUNT OF CONCS. FROM OTHER AREAS. CAPACITY IS 67,000 MTPY REFINED PB (AM. BU. MET. STATS. 1973. 1974 P 57). BAWDWIN CAPACITY - 13,600 MTPY REF. PB, 9,070 MTPY ZN CONC., 31,103 KGPY AG, 272 MTPY ANTIMONIAL LEAD, 181 MTPY CU MATTE, 118 MTPY NI SPEISS.

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1968
    Total resources 5500000000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Lead Pb 11.2 wt-pct Lead Major 1968
    Zinc Zn 5.6 wt-pct Zinc Major 1968
    Silver Ag 267 g/mt Silver Minor 1968
    Copper Cu 0.3 wt-pct Copper Minor 1968
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1973
    Total resources 3200000000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Lead Pb 25 wt-pct Lead Major 1973
    Zinc Zn 15 wt-pct Zinc Major 1973
    Silver Ag 622.068 g/mt Silver Minor 1973
    Copper Cu 1 wt-pct Copper Minor 1973
    Cobalt Co 0.5 wt-pct Cobalt Trace 1973
    Nickel Ni 1 wt-pct Nickel Minor 1973
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1968
    Total resources 55000000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Lead Pb 11.2 wt-pct Lead Major 1968
    Zinc Zn 5.6 wt-pct Zinc Major 1968
    Silver Ag 267 g/mt Silver Minor 1968
    Copper Cu 0.3 wt-pct Copper Minor 1968

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • ITEM 1 - CUTOFF GRADE IS 9% PB - ZN COMBINED.
  • ITEM ONE - OTHER LODES ALSO CONTAIN ORE BUT WERE NOT INVESTIGATED. THE SHAN LODE, INACCESSIBLE SINCE WW2, CONTAINS COPPER RICH PB - ZN ORE USED AS STOPE FILL BECAUSE THE SMELTER WAS NOT GEARED TO HANDLE IT.

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface/Underground
    Length 900M
    Overall depth 180M

Comments on the workings information

  • TRADITIONAL MINING METHOD HAS BEEN SQUARE-SET STOPING WHICH HAS CAUSED SUBSIDENCE PROBLEMS DUE TO COMPACTION OF THE WASTE-FILL. AS A RESULT, MUCH OF THE LOWER GRADE ORE WHICH MUST NOW BE MINED IS DIFFICULT TO EXTRACT.

Comments on development

  • ECON.COM: POLITICAL INSURGENT ACTIVITY, POOR MINING TECHNIQUE AND DECREASING ORE TENOR HAVE KEPT PRODUCTION BELOW CAPACITY

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    1966, SURVEY OF LEAD AND ZINC MINING AND SMELTING IN BURMA, UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM. 66 P.

  • Deposit

    BRINCKMANN AND HINZE, 1981, ON THE GEOLOGY OF THE BAWDWIN LEAD-ZINC MINE, NORTHERN SHAN STATE, BURMA: GEOLOGISCHES JAHRBUCH D-43, P. 7-45.

  • Deposit

    CROCKETT AND OTHERS, 1987: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY CIRCULAR 930-F.

  • Deposit

    1963 DIREXPL U.N. - NEW ORE FOUN

  • Other Database

    ISMI

  • Production

    U.S. BU MINES MIN. YBKS. 1972 V. 3 P. 184, 1970 V. 3 P. 173. U.N. SURVEY OF PB - ZN IN BURMA, P. 3

  • Reserve-Resource

    1966, U.N. SURVEY PB - ZN IN BURMA, P. 3, 6, 7

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit First Production Year: 1908 FOR LEAD (PRE - 16TH CENTURY FOR SILVER)
Deposit AS OF 11-87, THIS RECORD INCLUDES DATA FROM W006948 WHICH AS BEEN DELETED FROM THE DATA BASE.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-JAN-1976 Schruben, Paul G. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-NOV-1987 Orris, Greta J. U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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