1. Mineral Resources
  2. Online Spatial Data
  3. Mineral Resource Data System (MRDS)

Western Areas

Producer in South Africa with commodities Gold, Silver, Sulfur, Uranium
Map
XML
JSON
KML
B
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. Land status
  12. Ownership information
  13. Production statistics
  14. Reserves and resources
  15. Workings at the site
  16. Links to other databases
  17. Bibliographic references
  18. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10232245
MRDS ID W027868
MAS/MILS ID 7910200064
Record type Site
Current site name Western Areas
Related records 10079052

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Ore Body
Geographic coordinates: 27.70146, -26.3666 (WGS84)
Elevation 1500

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

South Africa(country)

Africa(continent)

Land(continent)

Geographic areas

Country
South Africa

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gold Primary
Silver Secondary
Sulfur Tertiary
Uranium Secondary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Gold Unknown
Pyrite Unknown
Pyrrhotite Unknown
Uraninite Unknown

Nearby scientific data

Ore Body (1) 27.70146, -26.3666
ListMap

Economic information

Ore body information

  • Strike E00W
    Dip 40S
    Thickness 2M
    Area 2328HA
    Field Value
    Type of Orebody #1 DISSEMINATED
    Shape of Orebody #1 LENTICULAR
    Type of Orebody #2 PLACER
    Type of Orebody #3 SEDIMENTARY
    Primary mode of Origin SEDIMENTATION
    Secondary mode of Origin OTHER
    Primary Ore Control LITHOLOGY
    Secondary Ore Control BEDDING
    Strike And Dip E00W:40S
    Total Surface Area (HA) 2328
    Date of Last Modification 790828

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Underground
Development status Producer
Commodity type Both
Deposit size Large
Significant Yes
Discovery year 1961
Year of first production 1961
Milling method Hydrometallurgy Unspecified

Mining district

District name Witwatersrand

Land status

Ownership category Private

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Western Areas Gold Mining Co., Ltd.
    Interest 100
    Home office South Africa
    Year 1981
  • Type Owner
    Owner Johannesburg Consolidated Investment Co.
    Interest 48
    Home office South Africa
    Year 1981

Production statistics

  • Year 1967
    Description 2440000 Mt Ore Milled/Yr
  • Year 1970
    Description 2429999 Mt Ore Milled/Yr
  • Year 1975
    Description 3449999 Mt Ore Milled/Yr
  • Year 1977
    Description 3580000 Mt Ore Milled/Yr
  • Year 1981
    Description 4289999 Mt Ore Milled/Yr
  • Year 1982
    Description 4399999 Mt Ore Milled/Yr

Comments on the production information

  • PRODUCTION IS ONGOING
  • 100% PYRITE CONCENTRATE CONTAINS 40% SULFUR. 98% AMMONIUM DIURANATE CONTAINS 73% URANIUM.
  • PYRITE CONCENTRATE WITH 40% SULFUR, WILL BE SOLD FOB MILL UNTIL 2012. U3O8, AU, AND AG FROM MIDDLE ELSBURG REEF WILL CONTINUE FROM 2013-2022 (WITH NO PYRITE CONCENTRATE).

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1993
    Demonstrated 1610000mt ore
    Total resources 1610000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Gold Au 9.5 g/mt Gold Major 1993

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • M1C1=M3C1+M4C1+M5C1. Q-MAT 1 EQUALS COMBINATION OF MIDDLE ELSBURG REEF, VCR, INDIVIDUAL ELSBURG REEF, MASSIVE ELSBURG, AND SAND DUMPS. ORE TOTALLED 166.4 MILLION MT AT 4.38 G/MT AU, 0.44 G/MT AG, 81.8 G/MT U3O8, AND 0.60% S. ORE GRADES FOR YEAR 1982 ARE SLIGHTLY HIGHER. THESE GRADES ARE FOR 1983-2012. Q-MAT 2 = MIDDLE ELSBURG REEF ONLY, FOR YEARS 2013-2022. URANITE GRADE FROM MIDDLE ELSBURG REEF IS 600 G/MT. GOLD GRADE IS 2.4 G/MT. Q-MAT 3 = MIDDLE ELSBURG REEF. Q-MAT 4 = VCR + INDIVIDUAL ELSBURG + MASSIVE ELSBURG. WEIGHTED AVERAGE OF GOLD CONTENT IN ORE FROM VCR, ELSBURG MASSIVE REEF AND ELSBURG INDIVIDUAL REEF IS 5.0 G/MT. Q-MAT 5 = SAND DUMPS MINED BY SURFACE METHOD.
  • 1989 PRODUCTION = 429,276 OZ. AU FROM TREATING 3,761,329 MT ORE. WAS UPDATED FOR THE 1992 AU AVAILABILITY STUDY. 1991 PROD.=371,437 OZ AU FROM TREATING 2,200,000 TNS ORE.

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface
    Field Value
    MAS Development Schedule # 1
    Mining Record # 1
    Status of Mining Method ESTIMATE
    Mining Method STRIP-LEVEL
    Hardness of Ore SAND, SILT
    Capacity 8600
    Capacity Units MT ORE/DAY
    Unit Production Cost 5.67
    Units of Production $/MT ORE
    Operating Days per Year 350
    Operating Shifts per Day 2
    Year of Information 1982
  • Type of workings Underground
    Overall depth 2200M
    Field Value
    MAS Development Schedule # 1
    Mining Record # 1
    Status of Mining Method ACTUAL
    Mining Method BREAST STOPING 10-30
    Hardness of Rock HARDROCK FISSURED WITH MODERATE WATER
    Rock Characteristics MULTIPLE SYSTEMS OF WEAKNESS PLANES
    Rock Support Chars. SUPPORTING
    Mine Support Chars. POST, HEADBOARD, CAPS, ROOF BOLTS
    Number of Shafts 5
    Number of Inclines 1
    1st Condition of Workings OPEN
    Capacity 12600
    Capacity Units MT ORE/DAY
    Unit Production Cost 43.64
    Units of Production $/MT ORE
    Operating Days per Year 350
    Operating Shifts per Day 3
    Year of Information 1982
  • Type of workings Underground
    Overall depth 2200M
    Field Value
    MAS Development Schedule # 1
    Mining Record # 2
    Status of Mining Method ACTUAL
    Hardness of Rock HARDROCK FISSURED WITH MODERATE WATER
    Rock Characteristics MULTIPLE SYSTEMS OF WEAKNESS PLANES
    Rock Support Chars. SUPPORTING
    Mine Support Chars. POST, HEADBOARD, CAPS, ROOF BOLTS
    Number of Shafts 2
    1st Condition of Workings OPEN
    Capacity 8600
    Capacity Units MT ORE/DAY
    Unit Production Cost 43.64
    Units of Production $/MT ORE
    Operating Days per Year 350
    Operating Shifts per Day 3
    Year of Information 1982

Comments on other economic factors

  • ETD U1 AND S1; ORE GRADES ARE WEIGHTED AVERAGE OF SURFACE AND UNDERGROUND TONNAGES, REFLECTING PERCENTAGES FOR EACH TYPE OF MINING METHOD.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Reserve-Resource

    MINING JOURNAL. NOV.3,1978.

  • Reserve-Resource

    AME MINERAL ECONOMICS QUARTERLY MINE ANALYSIS, JUN 93,P. 32.

  • Deposit

    TOOMBS,R.B., A SURVEY OF THE MINERAL INDUSTRY OF SOUTH

  • Deposit

    AFRICA, MINERAL INFORMATION BULLETIN MR 58, MINERAL

  • Deposit

    RESOURCES DIVISION, DEPARTMENT OF MINES, OTTAWA, 1962.

  • Deposit

    WORLD MINING, WITWATERSRAND GOLD, MAY 1977, P. 50-53.

  • Deposit

    WORLD MINING REGISTER 76-77, MILLER FREEMAN PUBLICATIONS,

  • Deposit

    INC., 1977.

  • Deposit

    MINTER, W.E.L., DETRITAL GOLD, URANIUM, AND PYRITE CON-

  • Deposit

    CENTRATIONS RELATED TO SEDIMENT GEOLOGY IN THE PRECAMBRI-

  • Deposit

    AN VAAL REEF PLACER, WITWATERSRAND, SOUTH AFRICA, ECONO-

  • Deposit

    MIC GEOLOGY; V. 71, NO. 1, 1977, P. 157-176.

  • Deposit

    ENGINEERING AND MINING JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL DIRECTORY OF

  • Deposit

    MINING AND MINERAL PROCESSING OPERATIONS, MCGRAW HILL,

  • Deposit

    NEW YORK, 1976.

  • Deposit

    SOUTH AFRICA, GEOLOGICAL SURVEY SPECIAL PUBLICATION NO. 18,

  • Deposit

    1972.

  • Deposit

    MINIMG ANNUAL REVIEW, MINING JOURNAL, LONDON, 1977, P. 431-

  • Deposit

    443.

  • Deposit

    COETZEE, C.B., MINERAL RESOURCES OF SOUTH AFRICA, GEOLOGICAL

  • Deposit

    SURVEY PUBLICATION, HANDBOOK 7, FIFTH EDITION, 1976,

  • Deposit

    P. 39-74, 233-240.

  • Deposit

    MINING JOURNAL, QUARTER ENDING, JUNE 1977.

  • Deposit

    THE MINERAL RESOURCES OF THE UNION OF SOUTH AFRICA, GEOLOGI-

  • Deposit

    CAL SURVEY PUBLICATION, 1959, FOURTH EDITION.

  • Deposit

    WATERMEYER, G.A. AND HOFFENBERG, S.N., WITWATERSRAND MINING

  • Deposit

    PRACTICE, THE TRANSVAAL CHAMBER OF MINES, GOLD PRODUCERS

  • Deposit

    COMMITTEE, 1932.

  • Deposit

    WESTERN AREAS GOLD MINING CO., LTD., ANNUAL REPORTS, 1974,

  • Deposit

    1975, 1976, 1980, 1981.

  • Deposit

    MINING JOURNAL, APRIL 2, 1976, P. 280-281.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-AUG-1994 Boyle, Ed U.S. Bureau of Mines

Beyond USGS

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

Maps centered on this site