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Kroondal

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

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10232002
MRDS ID M046256
MAS/MILS ID 7910200037
Record type Site
Current site name Kroondal
Alternate or previous names No Alternate Names.
Related records 10134615, 10038809

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Ore Body
Geographic coordinates: 27.33475, -25.72163 (WGS84)
Elevation 900
Location accuracy 10000(meters)

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

South Africa(country)

Africa(continent)

Land(continent)

Geographic areas

Country
South Africa

Comments on the location information

  • KROONDAL IS ABOUT 140 KM FROM JOHANNESBERG AND 16 KM FROM RUSTENBURG,ON KROONDAL FARM 304 J.O. ENVIRONMENT- TEMPERATURE FROM -8DEG.C IN JULY TO 41DEG.C IN JANUARY, WATER SUPPLY THROUGH 7 BOREHOLES AND THE RAND WATER BOARD,POWER FROM ESCOM AT 88 KV.

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Chromium Critical Primary
Iron Tertiary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Anorthoclase Unknown
Bronzite Unknown
Chromite Unknown
Diopside Unknown
Plagioclase Unknown
Pyroxene Unknown

Nearby scientific data

Ore Body (1) 27.33475, -25.72163
ListMap

Economic information

Ore body information

  • Strike N50W
    Dip 15N
    Thickness 1M
    Length 4500M
    Width 1570M
    Depth to top 150M
    Field Value
    MAS Matrix # 1
    MAS Column # 2
    Type of Orebody #1 OTHER
    Shape of Orebody #1 TABULAR
    Primary mode of Origin MAGMATIC DIFFER
    Primary Ore Control IGNEOUS
    Secondary Ore Control LITHOLOGY
    Degree of Wallrock Alter. SLIGHT
    Type of Wallrock Alter. #1 UNKNOWN
    Strike And Dip N50W:15N
    Minimum Depth to Top 0
    Avg. Thick. Unconsol. Mat. 5
    Min. Thick. Unconsol. Mat. 0
    Date of Last Modification 830712
  • Strike N50W
    Dip 15N
    Thickness 0.4M
    Length 4500M
    Width 1570M
    Depth to top 150M
    Field Value
    MAS Matrix # 1
    MAS Column # 3
    Type of Orebody #1 OTHER
    Shape of Orebody #1 TABULAR
    Primary mode of Origin MAGMATIC DIFFER
    Primary Ore Control IGNEOUS
    Secondary Ore Control LITHOLOGY
    Degree of Wallrock Alter. SLIGHT
    Type of Wallrock Alter. #1 UNKNOWN
    Strike And Dip N50W:15N
    Minimum Depth to Top 0
    Avg. Thick. Unconsol. Mat. 5
    Min. Thick. Unconsol. Mat. 0
    Date of Last Modification 830712
  • Strike N30W
    Dip 11E
    Thickness 1.35M
    Length 3200M
    Width 1572M
    Depth to top 150M
    Field Value
    MAS Matrix # 2
    MAS Column # 3
    Type of Orebody #1 STRATIFORM
    Shape of Orebody #1 TABULAR
    Primary mode of Origin MAGMATIC DIFFER
    Primary Ore Control IGNEOUS
    Secondary Ore Control LITHOLOGY
    Type of Wallrock Alter. #1 SILICIFICATION
    Strike And Dip N30W:11E
    Minimum Depth to Top 0
    Date of Last Modification 930518

Comments on the geologic information

  • ORE BODY OCCURS AS LAYERED INTRUSION. ORE BODY IS SEAM TYPE. MAIN LG 6 SEAM AND LEADKR SEAM ARE SEPARATED BY A PYROXENITE LAYER; ALL 3 LAYERS ARE MINED AT ONCE.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Underground
Development status Plant
Commodity type Metallic
Significant Yes
Discovery year 1932
Mining method Open Stope - Breast Stoping
Year of first production 1947
Plant type Beneficiation (Mill)
Plant subcategory Gravity
Milling method Gravity

Comments on exploration

  • OTHER DRILLING IS A SMALL AMOUNT OF DIAMOND DRILLING DONE.

Mining district

District name West Bushveld Complex

Mineral rights holdings

Type of mineral rights Federal Lease
Type of mineral rights State Lease

Ownership information

  • Type Owner
    Owner Samancor / Gencor
    Interest 100
    Home office South Africa
    Year 1989
  • Type Operator
    Owner Marble Lime And Associated Industries Ltd.
    Home office South Africa
    Year 1989

Comments on the ownership information

  • THE GENRAL MINING AND FINANCE CORP. OWNS 61.3% EQUITY IN THE KROONDAL MINE THROUGH ITS SUBSIDIARY, MARBLE LIME AND ASSOCIATED INDUSTRIES, WITH THE REMAINDER BEING HELD BY NUMEROUS INTERESTS.

Production statistics

  • Year 1974
    Description Total Products 245378 Mt Prod. / Year
  • Year 1975
    Description Total Products 204518 Mt Prod. / Year
  • Year 1976
    Description Total Products 290955 Mt Prod. / Year
  • Year 1977
    Description Total Products 353123 Mt Prod. / Year
  • Year 1978
    Description Total Products 377270 Mt Prod. / Year
  • Year 1979
    Description Total Products 357000 Mt Prod. / Year
  • Year 1980
    Description Total Products 342000 Mt Prod. / Year
  • Year 1981
    Description Total Products 53000 Mt Prod. / Year

Comments on the production information

  • ABOUT 40% OF PROD. IS LUMP ORE (40%CR2O3) - 70,000 MT IN 1975. ABOUT 60% OF PROD. IS FINES (44%CR2O3) - 130,000 MT IN 1975.
  • IN 1974, SAMANCOR (GENCOR) TOOK OVER KROONDAL. 1981 ANNUAL PRODUCT TONNAGE IS LOW FROM SHUTTING DOWN OPER.

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • 75% PROB. LEVEL RESOURCE IS TONNAGE ESTIMATED TO BE CONTAINED IN LG 6 SEAM (1 M THICK) AND LEADER SEAM (.3 M THICK) TO VERT. DEPTH OF 300 M OR 1,570 M DOWN DIP. Q-MATRIX 1 REPRESENTS IN-SITU TONNAGE WITH COL 1 BEING AN ORE TONNAGE, COL 2 BEING WASTE (AT 0% CR2O3), AND COL 3 BEING THE COMBINBED ORE - WASTE TONNAGE. Q-MATRIX 2 REPRESENTS THE RECOVERABLE RESOURCE TONNAGE WITH COL 1 BEING AN ORE TONNAGE, COL 2 IS WASTE (AT 0% CR2O3), AND COL 3 BEING THE COMBINED ORE - WASTE TONNAGE.
  • 1/89 INSITU DEMO. RESOURCE = 1.04 M OF LG6 SEAM +.4 M OF WASTE .31 M OF LG6A SEAM TO 300 M VERT.DEPTH; 90 % REC., DIP = 11 DEG.
  • SHUTDOWN IN MARCH,1981 AFTER BEING IN CONTINUOUS PRODUCTION SINCE 1947. AS OF 1984 PROPERTY HAD BEEN STRIPPED OF ALL EQUIPMENT. FOR ANALYSIS: 480,000 MTPY ROM FOR: 175,000 MTPY LUMP AT 39.5 % CR2O3 AND 180,000 MTPY CONCS. AT 42.0 PCT CR2O3.

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Underground
    Field Value
    MAS Development Schedule # 1
    Mining Record # 1
    Status of Mining Method ESTIMATE
    Mining Method BREAST STOPING 10-30
    Percent Recovery 70
    Hardness of Rock HARDROCK WITH LITTLE WATER
    Rock Characteristics MULTIPLE SYSTEMS OF WEAKNESS PLANES
    Rock Support Chars. SUPPORTING
    Mine Support Chars. POST, HEADBOARD, CAPS, ROOF BOLTS
    Slope of Inclines 12
    Number of Inclines 10
    1st Condition of Workings OPEN
    Capacity Units MT ORE/DAY
    Units of Production $/MT ORE
    Operating Days per Year 250
    Operating Shifts per Day 3
    Year of Information 1989

Comments on other economic factors

  • MINING BEGAN IN 1947. TOTAL OF 4 SEAMS WORKABLE, ONLY 2 MINED AT PRESENT (1976). 10 SHAFTS ALONG A 2,800 M STRIKE,1973:INCLINE SHAFT DRIVEN & EQUIPPED WITH BELT CONVEYOR-TOTAL LENGTH OF 1,297 M(AT THIS POINT IT WILL BE 152 M BELOW SURFACE.ONLY 4 SHAFTS BEING WORKED IN 1976. USING HERRINGBONE SYSTEM OF STOPING-STOPING WIDTH OF 1.75 M TO MINE 2 SEAMS.ORE TRAMMED TO CENTRAL GULLY AND SCRAPED DOWN TO A FOOTWALL DRIVE VIA A BOXHOLE,CHANNELED TO A MAIN STATION TIP AND BROUGHT TO SURFACE ON CONVEYOR. WASTE ROCK IS SORTED UNDERGROUND AND PACKED IN WORKED OUT AREAS.
  • ORE FROM SHAFTS RAILED TO MILL(CRUSHING AND SCREENING). PRODUCTS TRUCKED TO RUSTENBURG AND BLESKOP RAIL STATIONS AND RAILED IN BULK TO LAURENCO MARQUES (MAPUTO) MOZAMBIQUE-1974 (TRUCKING BY CONTRACTORS). ABOUT 90%OF PRODUCTION IS EXPORTED.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    JOURNAL OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN INSTITUTE OF MINING AND METAL-

  • Deposit

    LURGY. 1968. CHROMIUM IN SOUTH AFRICA. V. 68.

  • Deposit

    MINERAL RESOURCES OF THE UNION OF SOUTH AFRICA. 1959.

  • Deposit

    CHROMIUM. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF SOUTH AFRICA. 4TH. ED.,

  • Deposit

    P. 187-200.

  • Deposit

    RANKIN, G., 1975, CHROMIUM AND FERROCHROMIUM IN SOUTH

  • Deposit

    AFRICA. SAUNDERS AND TAYLOR INC., INVESTMENT INDUSTRY REPORT

  • Deposit

    JOHANNESBERG, SOUTH AFRICA, P. 1-117.

  • Deposit

    SOUTH AFRICAN MINING &ENGINEERING JOURNAL.1974.KROONDAL

  • Deposit

    MECHANISES AND INCREASED OUTPUT.V.86.NO.4088.JAN.1974.

  • Deposit

    PP.13-21.

  • Deposit

    SIEMS,P.1976.CHROMITE MINES AND RESOURCES IN THE REPUBLIC

  • Deposit

    OF SOUTH AFRICA.MINERALS AVAIL.SYSTEM.DEC.1976.PP.21-23.

  • Deposit

    BUCHANAN. "CHROMITE PRODUCTION FROM THE BUSHVELD COMPLEX AND

  • Deposit

    RELATIONSHIP TO THE FERROCHROMIUM INDUSTRY. "UNIVERSITY

  • Deposit

    OF THE WITWATERSTAND. 1978

  • Deposit

    SA MINING AND ENGINEERING JOURNAL. "KROUNDAL MECHANIZES AND

  • Deposit

    INCREASES OUTPUT. "V.80. NO.488. JANUARY 1974. PP.13-22

  • Deposit

    THE TEX REPORT. SOUTH AFRICAN CHROMITE, TOKOYO. 1977-78.

  • Deposit

    SOUTH AFRICAN MINING AND ENGINEERING JOURNAL, JANUARY 1974,

  • Deposit

    KROONDAL MECHANIZES AND INCREASES OUTPUT, V. 80,

  • Deposit

    NO. 488, P. 13-22.

  • Deposit

    WORST B G, CIRCA 1982, "THE CHROMITE DEPOSITS AT KROONDAL

  • Deposit

    CHROME MINE, WESTERN BUSHVELD COMPLEX", MINERAL DEPOSITS

  • Deposit

    OF SOUTH AFRICA, GEOL. SOC. OF S.A..

  • Deposit

    GOLDER AND ASSOC., MAY 1981, "DEPOSIT PROFILE - KROONDAL,

  • Deposit

    TRANSVAAL, SOUTH AFRICA".

  • Deposit

    SILK M H, 1988, "WORLD CHROMITE RESOURCES AND FERROCHROME

  • Deposit

    PRODUCTION", MINTEK SPECIAL PUBL. NO 11.

  • Deposit

    DAVIDOFF R L, BOYLE E H JR., 1988, "NOTES FROM VISIT TO

  • Deposit

    THE REPUBLIS OF SOUTH AFRICA", USBM PUBL. .

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 18-MAY-93 Boyle, Ed 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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