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Witwatersrand

Producer in South Africa with commodities Gold, Osmium, Iridium, Platinum, Silver, Ruthenium, Rhodium
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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. Nearby scientific data
  8. Ore body information
  9. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  10. Mining district
  11. Links to other databases
  12. Bibliographic references
  13. General comments
  14. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10106890
MRDS ID M046296
Record type Site
Current site name Witwatersrand
Related records 10231942

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: 28.00146, -26.49659 (WGS84)
Relative position S. PART OF TRANSVAAL, N. PART OF ORANGE FREE STATE

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

South Africa(country)

Africa(continent)

Land(continent)

Geographic areas

Country
South Africa

Comments on the location information

  • WITWATERSRAND GOLD FIELD DIVIDED INTO VARIOUS UNITS: 1. EVANDER AREA 2. EAST RAND BASIN 3. CENTRAL RAND 4. WEST RAND 5. WEST WITS LINE 6. KLERKSDORP 7. O. F. S. GOLDFIELD

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gold Primary
Osmium Primary
Iridium Critical Primary
Platinum Critical Secondary
Silver Secondary
Ruthenium Critical Tertiary
Rhodium Critical Tertiary

Comments on the commodity information

  • SMALL QUANTITIES PT AND AG RECOVERED BUT UNIMPORTANT IN SOUTH AFRICA TERMS. PT IS AN IMPURITY IN GOLD AND IS RECOVERED AT THE RAND REFINERY AS A CONSEQUENCE OF THE PURIFICATION PROCESS.

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chalcopyrite Ore
Galena Ore
Pyrite Ore
Pyrrhotite Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Uraninite Ore
Chlorite Gangue
Rutile Gangue
Sericite Gangue
Tourmaline Gangue
Zircon Gangue

Analytical data

Result COMPOSITION OF OSMIRIDIUM FROM THE WITWATERSRAND = PT 12.8%, IR 33.5%, OS 37.8%, RU 15.0%, RH .7%

Nearby scientific data

(1) 28.00146, -26.49659
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Economic information

Ore body information

  • General form LITHIFIED PLACER
    Thickness 609.6M
    Length 177023M
    Width 72418.5M

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Significant No
Production years 1892

Mining district

District name Witwatersrand Basin

Comments on the production information

  • TOTAL OUTPUT FOR PT METALS FOR 1928 WAS 5913.45 OZS. OSMIRIDIUM TOTAL OUTPUT 1920 - 1965 WAS 248,625 OZ (QUIRING 1962, P. 101)

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    WAGNER, 1929, PLATINUM DEPOSITS AND MINES OF SOUTH AFRICA: STRUIK (PTY) LTD, CAPETOWN 1973, P. 33

  • Deposit

    MERTIE, 1969, ECON. GEOL. OF PT METALS: USGS PROF. PAPER 630, P. 45 - 48

  • Deposit

    QUIRING, 1962, PLATINMETALLE: STUTTGART, ENKE, P. 101

  • Production

    WAGNER 1929, P. 34

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit CONGLOMERATES
Deposit MAXIMUM PRODUCTION OF OSMIRIDIUM FROM WITWATERSRAND WAS IN 1942 AT 7,780 OZ., PT GRAIN SIZES = .04 TO .12 MM DIA. WILLIAM BETTEL FIRST EXTRACTED "IRIDOSMINE" AND PLATINUM FROM CONCENTRATES OF THE BANKET OF THE MAIN REEF SERIES IN THE YEAR 1892

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-OCT-1975 Blair, Will N. U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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

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