Zeerust Chrome Mine

Producer in South Africa with commodities Chromium, Iron
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. Mineral rights holdings
  12. Ownership information
  13. Workings at the site
  14. Links to other databases
  15. Bibliographic references
  16. General comments
  17. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10231970
MRDS ID W028401
MAS/MILS ID 7910200045
Record type Site
Current site name Zeerust Chrome Mine
Related records 10135464, 10079231

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Ore Body
Geographic coordinates: 26.25146, -25.04667 (WGS84)
Elevation 1000
Location accuracy 10000(meters)

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

South Africa(country)

Africa(continent)

Land(continent)

Geographic areas

Country
South Africa

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Chromium Critical Primary
Iron Tertiary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chromite Unknown
Ilmenite Unknown
Rutile Unknown

Nearby scientific data

Ore Body (1) 26.25146, -25.04667

Economic information

Ore body information

  • Thickness 0.4M
    Length 3750M
    Width 670M
    Depth to top 126M
    Field Value
    MAS Matrix # 1
    MAS Column # 1
    Type of Orebody #1 OTHER
    Shape of Orebody #1 TABULAR
    Primary mode of Origin MAGMATIC DIFFER
    Primary Ore Control FOLDING
    Secondary Ore Control LITHOLOGY
    Degree of Wallrock Alter. SLIGHT
    Type of Wallrock Alter. #1 UNKNOWN
    Minimum Depth to Top 0
    Avg. Thick. Unconsol. Mat. 3
    Min. Thick. Unconsol. Mat. 3
    Date of Last Modification 830712
  • Area 750HA
    Field Value
    Total Surface Area (HA) 750
    Date of Last Modification 910418

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Surface-Underground
Development status Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Medium
Significant No
Discovery year 1942
Year of first production 1950

Mining district

District name Marico District

Mineral rights holdings

Type of mineral rights Unknown

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Zeerust Chrome Mines
    Interest 100
    Year 1981

Comments on the ownership information

  • ZEERUST IS OWNED BY VARIOUS COMPANIES.THESE ARE: AFRICAN MINING AND TRUST-47% ;U.S.STEEL-28% ;ANGLO TRANSVAAL CONS.- 13% ;FERALLOYS-8% ;CHROME MINES OF SOUTH AFRICA-4%.

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • Q1 REPRESENTS RESERVES IN TWO SEAMS-THE MIDDLE AND LOWER SEAMS

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface
    Area 750HA
    Field Value
    MAS Development Schedule # 1
    Mining Record # 1
    Status of Mining Method ACTUAL
    Mining Method OPEN PIT
    Percent Waste Rock 89
    Avg. Overburden Thickness 3
    Primary Material Cover M-HARD ROCKS
    Secondary Material Cover SAND, GRAVEL
    Hardness of Ore M-HARD ROCKS
    Avg. Bench Height (meters) 5
    Max. Pit Slope (degrees) 45
    Capacity 283
    Capacity Units MT ORE/DAY
    Preprod. Stripping Vol. 0
    Unit Production Cost 21.71
    Units of Production $/MT ORE
    Operating Days per Year 300
    Operating Shifts per Day 2
    Year of Information 1981
  • Type of workings Underground
    Field Value
    MAS Development Schedule # 1
    Mining Record # 2
    Status of Mining Method ESTIMATE
    Mining Method BREAST STOPING 10-30
    Percent Waste Rock 0
    Percent Recovery 77
    Hardness of Rock HARDROCK WITH LITTLE WATER
    Rock Characteristics ONE SYSTEM OF WEAKNESS PLANES
    Rock Support Chars. SUPPORTING MAY BACK SLAB
    Mine Support Chars. POST, HEADBOARD, CAPS, ROOF BOLTS
    Capacity 283
    Capacity Units MT ORE/DAY
    Unit Production Cost 26.92
    Units of Production $/MT ORE
    Operating Days per Year 300
    Operating Shifts per Day 2
    Year of Information 1981

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    COERTZE,F.J.AND C.B. COERTZE. CHROMIUM. PP117-122

  • Deposit

    CORIN ,E.R."FERROUS AND NONFERROUS MINES AND WORKS IN SOUTH

  • Deposit

    AFRICA,"DIRECTORY NO.3179. MINERALS BUREAU,

  • Deposit

    MACGREGOR,B.I. "A REFRACTORY CHROME ORE DEPOSIT IN THE GROOT

  • Deposit

    MARICO DISTRICT,TRANSVAAL." THE GEOLOGY OF SOME ORE

  • Deposit

    DEPOSITS IN SOUTHERN AFRICA. GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF

  • Deposit

    SOUTH AFRICA,VOL.II. 1964. PP203-207.

  • Deposit

    RANKIN ,G."CHROMIUM AND FERROCHROMIUM IN SOUTH AFRICA."

  • Deposit

    SAUNDERS AND TAYLOR. NOVEMBER 1975. PP.1-124.

  • Deposit

    ROSKILL INFORMATION SERVICE LTD. THE ECONOMICS OF CHROMIUM.

  • Deposit

    THIRD EDITION,1978. P.138

  • Deposit

    SIEMS,P.L.,E.M.CRIST,L.E. SHEEHAN,AND B. BHATT."CHROMITE

  • Deposit

    MINES AND RESOURCES IN THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA"

  • Deposit

    UNIVERSITY OF IDAHO.DECEMBER 1976. PP.1-34

  • Deposit

    THE TEX REPORT CO. LTD. PP106-112,128.

  • Deposit

    WILLEMSE,J."THE GEOLOGY OF THE BUSHVELD IGNEOUS COMPLEX: THE

  • Deposit

    LARGEST REPOSITORY OF MAGMATIC ORE DEPOSITS IN THE

  • Deposit

    WORLD." MAGMATIC ORE DEPOSITS SYMPOSIUM.PP 1-22.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit THE ZEERUST ORE HAS A SLIGHTLY HIGHER CR/FE RATIO (1.8 - 1.9 TO 1.0 ) THAN OTHER SOUTH AFRICAN ORES ,BECAUSE OF HIGHER AL2O3 CONCENTRATION (NEARLY 20%). PRODUCTS FROM THE ZEERUST OPERATIONS ARE ESSENTIALLY SPLIT 50/50 ; 50% IS LUMP PRODUCTS AND 50% IS CR2O3 CON- CENTRATES. THE LEASE AREA FOR THE ZEERUST OPERATION CONSISTS OF ONE "FARM"- TURFBULT 10 JP. THE ORE IS USED IN THE PRODUCTION OF FERROCHROME AND FERROSILICHROME.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 27-FEB-84 Gazdik U.S. Bureau of Mines

Beyond USGS

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