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Witkop

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. Nearby scientific data
  8. Ore body information
  9. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  10. Mineral rights holdings
  11. Ownership information
  12. Production statistics
  13. Reserves and resources
  14. Workings at the site
  15. Links to other databases
  16. Bibliographic references
  17. General comments
  18. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10231499
MRDS ID W028418
MAS/MILS ID 7910200155
Record type Site
Current site name Witkop
Related records 60001749

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Ore Body
Geographic coordinates: 26.08477, -25.71335 (WGS84)
Location accuracy 1000(meters)

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

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Fluorite Unknown

Nearby scientific data

Ore Body (1) 26.08477, -25.71335
ListMap

Economic information

Ore body information

  • Thickness 6M
    Length 3000M
    Width 450M
    Field Value
    MAS Matrix # 1
    MAS Column # 1
    Type of Orebody #1 REPLACEMENT
    Shape of Orebody #1 TABULAR
    Primary mode of Origin HYDROTHERMAL
    Primary Ore Control LITHOLOGY
    Degree of Wallrock Alter. UNKNOWN
    Type of Wallrock Alter. #1 UNKNOWN
    Minimum Depth to Top 0
    Date of Last Modification 850823
  • Area 3693HA
    Field Value
    Total Surface Area (HA) 3693
    Date of Last Modification 910418

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Surface
Development status Producer
Commodity type Non-metallic
Significant Yes
Mining method Open Pit
Milling method Flotation

Mineral rights holdings

Type of mineral rights Unknown
Type of mineral rights Federal Lease

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Phelps Dodge Mining Ltd.
    Home office New York
    Year 1983
  • Type Owner
    Owner Phelps Dodge Corp.
    Interest 100
    Home office New York
    Year 1983

Comments on the ownership information

  • PHELPS DODGE OWNS 100%OF CHEMSPAR LTD.THROUGH PHELPS DODGE OF AFRICA LTD.

Production statistics

  • Year 1974
    Description Witkop Fluospar 55380 Metric Tons Ore/Year
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Ore Fluorine-Fluorite Fluorine 55380mt
  • Year 1975
    Description Witkop Fluospar 100759 Metric Tons Ore/Year
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Ore Fluorine-Fluorite Fluorine 100759mt
  • Year 1976
    Description Witkop Fluospar 204429 Metric Tons Ore/Year
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Ore Fluorine-Fluorite Fluorine 204429mt
  • Year 1977
    Description Witkop Fluospar 334650 Metric Tons Ore/Year
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Ore Fluorine-Fluorite Fluorine 334650mt
  • Year 1978
    Description Witkop Fluospar 317549 Metric Tons Ore/Year
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Ore Fluorine-Fluorite Fluorine 317549mt
  • Year 1979
    Description Witkop Fluospar 399969 Metric Tons Ore/Year
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Ore Fluorine-Fluorite Fluorine 399969mt
  • Year 1980
    Description Witkop Fluopsar 410469 Metric Tons Ore/Year
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Ore Fluorine-Fluorite Fluorine 410469mt
  • Year 1981
    Description Witkop Fluospar 447919 Metric Tons Ore/Year
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Ore Fluorine-Fluorite Fluorine 447919mt
  • Year 1982
    Description Witkop Fluospar 450000 Metric Tons Ore/Year
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Ore Fluorine-Fluorite Fluorine 450000mt
  • Year 1983
    Description Witkop Fluospar 450000 Metric Tons Ore/Year
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Ore Fluorine-Fluorite Fluorine 450000mt

Comments on the production information

  • DAMES AND MOORE REPORT A STEP-UP IN PRODUCTION OF WITKOP FLUOSPAR FOR 1985.

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1972
    Measured 20000000mt ore
    Demonstrated 20000000mt ore
    Total resources 20000000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Fluorine-Fluorite CaF2 16 wt-pct Fluorine Major 1972

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • ACID-GRADE FLUORPSAR ALSO KNOWN AS CHEMSPAR (WINTERHOEK) PM FAR, WOTJERJPEL 303. VISITED JAN 1987.
  • GRADE RANGES FROM 8-40%CAF2.

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface
    Area 3693HA
    Field Value
    MAS Development Schedule # 1
    Mining Record # 1
    Status of Mining Method ACTUAL
    Mining Method OPEN PIT
    Percent Waste Rock 1
    Avg. Bench Height (meters) 2.4
    Capacity 1466
    Capacity Units MT ORE/DAY
    Unit Production Cost 3.92
    Units of Production $/MT ORE
    Operating Days per Year 307
    Operating Shifts per Day 2
    Year of Information 1983

Comments on other economic factors

  • RECOVERY IN THE 110,000 TPA PROCESSING PLANT IS TYPICALLY OF THE ORDER OF 85%, GENERATING APPROX. 7,000 TPM OF 97.5% FLUORSPAR CONCENTRATE FOR USE IN HF PRODUCTION.
  • FINISHED CONCENTRATE IS RAILED TO DURBAN AND EXPORTED TO NORTH AMERICA, EUROPE, AND THE FAR EAST.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    DMA SERIES 1501.SHEET SG35-6.SCALE 1:250,000.

  • Deposit

    KENT,L.E.ET AL.FLUORSPAR IN THE UNION OF SOUTH AFRICA AND

  • Deposit

    SOUTH WEST AFRICA.GEOL.SERIES.BULL.NO.14.DEPT.OF MINES.

  • Deposit

    S.A.PRETORIA.1943.PLATE I.

  • Deposit

    BATTELLE INSTITUTE.WORLD MARKET FOR FLUORINE MINERALS AND

  • Deposit

    CHEMICALS. JUNE,1973.GENEVA,SWITZ.P.A93.

  • Deposit

    SOUTH AFRICAN FLUOSPAR - PENETRATING THE EXPORT MARKET, IN

  • Deposit

    IND. MINERALS, CLARKE, G., SEPT. 1981, PP.69-79.

  • Deposit

    A REVIEW OF THE FLUOSPAR MINING INDUSTRY IN SOUTH AFRICA, IN

  • Deposit

    PROC., 12TH CMMI CONGRESS, H.W. GLEN, ED., RYAN, P.J.,

  • Deposit

    1982 AFR. INST. MIN. METALL.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit MINE & CONCENTRATOR LOCATED ON FARM WINTERHOEK 303JP. PRODUCTS ARE:ACID-GRADE FILTERCAKE (MINIMUM 95%CAF2, AVG.97%). COORDINATES ARE OF A POINT 7 KM W OF RHENOSTERFONTEIN FARM AND 2 KM N OF WITKOP HILL.19 KM S OF ZEERUST. DATA CONTAINED IN THIS FILE WAS COLLECTED BY DAMES & MOORE UNDER U.S. BUREAU OF MINES CONTRACT NO. J0225010 IN 1983

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 03-MAY-1994 Kilgore, Catherine C. U.S. Bureau of Mines

Beyond USGS

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

Operator history (post-MRDS)

MRDS records operators as of each record's last update (≤ 2019). Some of the operators listed here have since changed hands or dissolved:

  • Phelps Dodge Corp. — acquired by Subsidiary of Freeport-McMoRan (2007)
    Acquired by Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold in 2007 in what was then the largest mining-industry deal ever (~US$26 B).

Curated by qvyshift.com from publicly-reported M&A activity (SEC filings, press releases, USGS Mineral Yearbooks). Not authoritative — verify against primary sources before relying on it. The MSHA panel above is the current authoritative source for actively-permitted mines.

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