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Slipfontein Fluorspar Mine

Producer in South Africa with commodity Fluorine-Fluorite
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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. 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. Mining district
  15. Land status
  16. Ownership information
  17. Production statistics
  18. Links to other databases
  19. Bibliographic references
  20. General comments
  21. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10079552
MRDS ID W029512
Record type Site
Current site name Slipfontein Fluorspar Mine
Related records 10134711

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: 27.66811, -24.99665 (WGS84)
Elevation 1067
Relative position 53 KILOMETERS SOUTHEAST OF THE TOWN OF THABAZIMBI

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

South Africa(country)

Africa(continent)

Land(continent)

Geographic areas

Country
South Africa

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Fluorine-Fluorite Critical Primary

Comments on the commodity information

  • FLUORITE IS THE ONLY COMMODITY RECOVERED BY THIS COMPANY AT THIS LOCATION.

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Fluorite Ore
Actinolite Gangue
Chlorite Gangue
Hematite Gangue
Magnetite Gangue
Quartz Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Surface And Near-Surface Alteration Of Feldspathic Materials Only.

Analytical data

Result METALLURGICAL GRADE FLUORSPAR - 80% CAF2 (APPROXIMATELY)

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock
    Rock unit name Bushveld Igneous Complex--In This Area Largely Granites Of The Eastern Flank Of The Rooiberg Fragment
    Rock description Bushveld Igneous Complex--In This Area Largely Granites Of The Eastern Flank Of The Rooiberg Fragment
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Pliocene
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Granite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Granite

Nearby scientific data

(1) 27.66811, -24.99665
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Inward-Dipping Cone-Like Structure; Folding And Faulting (Including Low-Angle Thrusting) Exists, But Of Minor Importance. Erosion, Peneplanation And Build-Up Of Younger Sediments Are Basic Criteria Regionally.
Type of structure Local
Structure description Locally, Faults And Folds Are Of Minor Importance Only. White Massive Fluorite Occurs In A Horizontal Contact Zone Between An Early Peripheral Granite And A Later Core Granite.

Ore body information

  • General form TABULAR/BLANKET
    Thickness 1M
    Depth to top 30M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • The Various Components Of The Bushveld Igneous Complex Have Been Emplaced In Successive Eruptions As Sheet-Like Masses Into The Pretoria Series Volcanics (Transvaal System), And In Some Cases Into One Another, Dipping Inward Toward The Center Giving A Cone-Like Structure To The Complex As A Whole.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Producer
Commodity type Non-metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No

Mining district

District name Bushveld Igneous Complex

Land status

Ownership category Private

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Ferreira, A. D.

Production statistics

  • Year 1979
    Material CON F
    Accuracy Estimate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^97% Caf2 (Approximately)
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    CaF2 Conc. Fluorine-Fluorite Fluorine 97wt-pct
  • Year 1979
    Material ORE F
    Accuracy Estimate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^80% Caf2 (Approx.)(As A Hand-Cobbed Shipping Grade Metspar)
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    CaF2 Ore Fluorine-Fluorite Fluorine 80wt-pct
  • Year 1980
    Material CON F
    Accuracy Estimate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^97% Caf2
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    CaF2 Conc. Fluorine-Fluorite Fluorine 97wt-pct
  • Year 1980
    Material ORE F
    Accuracy Estimate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^80% Caf2 Approximately
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    CaF2 Ore Fluorine-Fluorite Fluorine 80wt-pct
  • Year 1981
    Period 1970-1981
    Material CON F
    Accuracy Estimate
    Description Cp_Grade: ^97% Caf2 (Approximately)
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    CaF2 Conc. Fluorine-Fluorite Fluorine 97wt-pct
  • Year 1981
    Period 1970-1981
    Material ORE F
    Accuracy Estimate
    Description Cp_Grade: ^80% Caf2. (Approx)(As A Hand-Cobbed Shipping Grade Metspar)
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    CaF2 Ore Fluorine-Fluorite Fluorine 80wt-pct

Comments on the production information

  • FIRST YEAR OF PRODUCTION NOT KNOWN. ACCURATE PRODUCTION DATA NOT AVAILABLE. ESTIMATES BASED ON INDUSTRY INDICATORS AND MINERALS BUREAU COUNTRY TOTALS. ; NO PRODUCTION DATA AVAILABLE FOR 1982 ; NO FLUORSPAR PRODUCTION IN 1983

Comments on the workings information

  • MINING IS LARGELY LABOR INTENSIVE. BLASTING AND HAND COBBING METHODS GOOD METALLURIGICAL GRADE ORE, BUT RESTRICT OUTPUT. CURRENTLY, DUMP RECLAMATION AND FLOTATION YIELDS CHEMICAL GRADE CONCENTRATE FROM WASTE GENERATED IN THE 1940'S. THE NATURE OF THE DEPOSIT AND MINING METHOD PLACE THIS OPERATION IN SMALL MINE CATEGORY. THERE ARE NO KNOWN PLANS FOR MECHANIZATION OR EXPANSION.

Comments on development

  • MILL.CAP: 0.10 MIL. MET. T/YR. ; ECON.COM: THIS OPERATION HAS BEEN WORKED FOR MANY YEARS AS AN OPEN PIT MINE. BLASTING AND HAND COBBING METHODS PREDOMINATE. A LUMP METALLURGICAL GRADE FLUORSPAR IS SOLD LOCALLY. CHEMICAL GRADE IS PRODUCED, VIA FLOTATION, FROM RE-WORKED DUMPS.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    "FLUORSPAR"; VOL. V; NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR METALLURGY, NATURAL RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL, DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING; OERTEL, M.K.; 1966.

  • Deposit

    OPERATING MINES IN THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA, DIRECTORY NO. 1/79; MINERALS BUREAU, DEPARTMENT OF MINES; 1979.

  • Deposit

    GEOLOGICAL SURVEY, DEPARTMENT OF MINES, 1976, MINERAL RESOURCES OF THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA: GEOLOGICAL SURVEY, DEPARTMENT OF MINES HANDBOOK 7, FIFTH EDITION.

  • Deposit

    GOSSLING, H.H., 1978, FLUORSPAR: 1973-1980, A COMMODITY PROFILE: MINERALS BUREAU,DEPARTMENT OF MINES.

  • Production

    NONMETALLIC MINES IN SOUTH AFRICA, PRELIMINARY REPORT NO. 10; MINERALS BUREAU, DEPARTMENT OF MINES; CORIN, E.R.; 1977 ; ESTIMATES BASED ON OFFICIAL (MINERALS BUREAU) COUNTRY TOTALS. ; ACCURATE PRODUCTION NOT AVAILABLE. ESTIMATES BASED ON INDUSTRY INDICATORS AND MINERALS BUREAU 1980 COUNTRY TOTALS.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit MAX. THICKNESS REFERS TO AGGREGATE THICKNESS OF SEVERAL VEINS CURRENTLY BEING WORKED. DEPTH TO TOP IS FROM OUTCROP TO CURRENT MAXIMUM MINING DEPTH. ULTIMATE PLANNED MINING DEPTH NOT KNOWN.
Deposit INFORMATION MERGED FROM RECORD NUMBER W030978 ; W032312 ; W032966 ; W033051

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-JUL-1980 Sweetwood, Charles W. Department of State
Updater 01-JUL-1981 Mccarter, Lorna D. 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-JUL-1983 Mccarter, Lorna D Department of State
Updater 01-JUN-1983 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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