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  3. Mineral Resource Data System (MRDS)

Rosia Montana

Plant in Hunedoara, Romania with commodities Copper, Gold, Molybdenum
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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. Ownership information
  12. Workings at the site
  13. Links to other databases
  14. Bibliographic references
  15. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10207263
MAS/MILS ID 4850450010
Record type Site
Current site name Rosia Montana
Alternate or previous names Rosia Montana Mining Complex, Western Carpathian Mountains Dist.

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Ore Body
Geographic coordinates: 23.13525, 46.1653 (WGS84)
Elevation 2000
Location accuracy 10000(meters)

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Hunedoara(province)

Romania(country)

Geographic areas

Country State
Romania Hunedoara

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Copper Primary
Gold Secondary
Molybdenum Secondary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Copper Unknown
Molybdenite Unknown
Pyrite Unknown

Nearby scientific data

Ore Body (1) 23.13525, 46.1653
ListMap

Economic information

Ore body information

  • Thickness 50M
    Field Value
    MAS Matrix # 1
    MAS Column # 1
    Type of Orebody #1 DISSEMINATED
    Shape of Orebody #1 UNKNOWN
    Primary mode of Origin MAGMATIC DIFFER
    Primary Ore Control UNKNOWN
    Type of Wallrock Alter. #1 UNKNOWN
    Date of Last Modification 920611

Comments on the geologic information

  • MINERAL DEPOSITS IN THE ROSIA AREA ARE COMMONLY FOUND AS EMPLACEMENT OF NEOGENE ANDESITIC INTRUSIVES ALONG OLDER TECTONIC LINEAMENT. SULFIDE ASSEMBLAGES ARE GENERALLY POLYMETALLIC AND ACCOMPANIED BY GOLD AND SILVER. (1989) AS OF 1989, HEAD GRADES FOR COPPER AT THE ROSIA MONTANA MINE AVERAGE ABOUT .35%. THE MINE ALSO PRODUCES GOLD AS A BYPRODUCT WITH HEAD GRADES OF LESS THAN 2 GRAMS PER METRIC TON. THE MAIN MINERALIZATIONS ARE KNOWN AS ROSIA NOUA-LUPOAIA BROOK WHICH CONSISTS OF VOLCANIC-SEDIMENTARY PYRITES. THE HEIGHT OF THE MINERALIZATION IS NOT WELL DETERMINED BUT BELIEVED TO VARY FROM TEN METERS TO HUNDREDS OF METERS. (1989) MOST RUMANIAN COPPER DEPOSITS ARE GENERALLY LOW GRADE AND MINERALOGICALLY COMPLEX. (1989)

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Underground
Development status Plant
Commodity type Metallic
Significant No
Mining method Combined Methods
Plant type Smelter
Plant subcategory Smelter-Pyrometallurgy
Milling method Flotation

Mining district

District name West Carpathian Mt

Ownership information

  • Type Owner
    Owner Government Of Romania
    Interest 100
    Home office Romania
    Year 1990
  • Type Operator
    Owner Department Of Non-Ferrous Metals - Deva Mining Complex
    Home office Romania
    Year 1990

Comments on the ownership information

  • THE ROSIA MONTANA MINE IS OWNED ENTIRELY BY THE GOVERNMENT OF ROMANIA WHILE THE DEVA MINING COMPLEX IS IN CHARGE OF OPERATIONS.

Comments on the production information

  • IN 1989, THE STATE METALLURGICAL RESEARCH ORGANIZATION REPORTED COPPER CONCENTRATE RECOVERY AT 40%. HOWEVER, THE MINISTRY OF MINING OFFICIALS STATE A RECOVERY RATE OF 65%. THE LOSSES ARE ATTRIBUTED TO OXIDATION OF THE ORE IN THE UPPER PARTS OF THE DEPOSIT WHICH ARE BEING EXPLOITED.
  • AS OF 1989, THE AVERAGE GRADE FOR COPPER CONCENTRATE AVERAGED BETWEEN 15% AND 20%. NO DATA WAS AVAILABLE INDICATING THE FLOTATION RECOVERY RATE FOR THE CONCENTRATE. ACCORDING TO 1989 REPORTS, ALL MINING COMPLETED IN THE ROSIA AREA WAS ACCOMPLISHED BY COMBINED UNDERGROUND METHODS. NO ACTUAL PRODUCTION RATES WERE SUPPLIED SPECIFICALLY FOR THE ROSIA MONTANA MINE. HOWEVER, ALL EXTRACTED COPPER ORE IS TRANSPORTED TO THE ZLATNA COPPER SMELTER TO BE REFINED AND READIED FOR PRODUCT USE. ACCORDING TO COMMODITIES RESEARCH UNIT LIMITED IN 1990, THE ROSIA MONTANA MINE IS CONSIDERED TO BE A NON-VIABLE MINE. THE RESEARCH UNIT SPECULATES THAT THE MINE WILL BE FORCED TO CLOSE SOON DUE TO THE INABILITY TO COMPETE ON AN INTERNATIONAL BASIS. THEY ALSO SUGGEST THAT THE TWO COPPER SMELTERS IN ROMANIA TO BE MEDIUM TERM CLOSURES. THIS IS DUE TO REMOTENESS FROM A SEA PORT AND THE UNLIKELY UPGRADING TO CONFORM TO ENVIRONMENTAL NEEDS. AS OF 1989, COPPER CONCENTRATE AND PYRITE CONCENTRATE WERE THE TWO MAJOR PRODUCTS FOR THE ROSIA MONTANA MINING PRODUCTIONS.

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • THE TOTAL SURFACE AREA REPORTED IN 1989 OF 39 SQUARE MILES INCLUDES ALL PROSPECTS LOCATED IN THE ROSIA MINING AREA. THE TOTAL RESERVES FOR THE ROSIA MONTANA MINE WAS NOT AVAILABLE DURING THE TIME OF THE REVIEW.

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Underground
    Field Value
    MAS Development Schedule # 1
    Mining Record # 1
    Status of Mining Method ESTIMATE
    Mining Method COMBINED METHODS
    1st Condition of Workings UNKNOWN
    2nd Condition of Workings UNKNOWN
    3rd Condition of Workings UNKNOWN
    Capacity Units MT ORE/DAY
    Units of Production $/MT ORE
    Operating Days per Year 300
    Operating Shifts per Day 3
    Year of Information 1990

Comments on other economic factors

  • THE MINING EQUIPMENT USED AT THE MINE IN 1989 WAS MOSTLY ROMANIAN MANUFACTURED. THE CONDITION OF THE EQUIPMENT IS BELIEVED TO BE OUTDATED AND POORLY MAINTAINED. AS OF 1989, ALL EXTRACTED ORE, EXCLUDING PYRITE CONCENTRATES, ARE TRANSPORTED TO THE ZLATNA COPPER REFINERY.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Geology

    GEOMIN, GENERAL PRESENTATION OF THE GEOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK

  • Geology

    AND ORE PROSPECTS OF ROMANIA - SUMMARY, OCT.29, 1991.

  • Geology

    HURLBUT, CORNELIUS S., DANA'S MANUAL OF MINERALOGY,

  • Geology

    EIGHTEENTH EDITION, 1971.

  • Deposit

    HANNOVER, BUNDESANSTALT FUR GEOWISSENSCHAFTEN UND

  • Deposit

    ROHSTOFFE, RUMANIEN, DEC. 1977.

  • Deposit

    ATLAS OF EASTERN EUROPE, CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY,

  • Deposit

    AUGUST 1990.

  • Production

    MINERAL FACTS AND PROBLEMS, UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF

  • Production

    THE INTERIOR, BUREAU OF MINES BULLETIN 675, EDITION 1985.

  • Deposit

    COMMODITIES RESEARCH UNIT LIMITED, THE BASE METAL

  • Deposit

    INDUSTRIES OF EASTERN EUROPE, NOV. 1990.

  • Deposit

    BOMSEL AND VON HIRSCHHAUSEN, THE MINING AND

  • Deposit

    METALLURGICAL INDUSTRIES OF EASTERN EUROPE, CERNA, VOL. 1,

  • Deposit

    VOL. 2, VOL. 3, JULY 1991.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 14-DEC-1994 Porter, Kenneth E. U.S. Bureau of Mines

Beyond USGS

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

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