Iron Sides

Past Producer in Midlands, Zimbabwe with commodity Chromium
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. Land status
  13. Ownership information
  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 10255696
MAS/MILS ID 7960250031
Record type Site
Current site name Iron Sides
Alternate or previous names Iron Sides Mine

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Claim
Geographic coordinates: 30.00886, -19.67002 (WGS84)
Elevation 1400
Location accuracy 500(meters)

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Midlands(province)

Zimbabwe(country)

Africa(continent)

Land(continent)

Geographic areas

Country State
Zimbabwe Midlands

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Chromium Critical Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chromite Unknown

Nearby scientific data

Claim (1) 30.00886, -19.67002

Economic information

Ore body information

  • Thickness 7M
    Length 300M
    Width 80M
    Depth to top 60M
    Field Value
    MAS Matrix # 1
    MAS Column # 1
    Type of Orebody #1 OTHER
    Shape of Orebody #1 LENTICULAR
    Shape of Orebody #2 TABULAR
    Primary mode of Origin MAGMATIC DIFFER
    Primary Ore Control FAULTING
    Secondary Ore Control LITHOLOGY
    Degree of Wallrock Alter. INTENSE
    Type of Wallrock Alter. #1 OTHER
    Type of Wallrock Alter. #2 SILICIFICATION
    Type of Wallrock Alter. #3 CARBONITIZATION
    Minimum Depth to Top 0
    Avg. Thick. Unconsol. Mat. .5
    Min. Thick. Unconsol. Mat. 0
    Date of Last Modification 830623

Comments on the geologic information

  • UNSPEC. METAMORPHIC ROCK IS TALC-CARBONATE. OTHER TYPE OF ALTERATION IS SERPENTINIZATION.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Underground
Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Significant Yes
Discovery year 1904
Mining method Open Stope - Sublevel
Year of first production 1916
Milling method Sizing

Mining district

District name Selukwe District

Mineral rights holdings

Type of mineral rights Unknown

Land status

Ownership category Unknown

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Zimbawe Mining And Smelting Co.
    Interest 100
    Home office Zimbabwe
    Year 1981

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • TWO ADJACENT 15.2 M WIDE ZONES. ZONES TRACED FOR 610 M LENGTH ORE BODIES AS MUCH AS 9 M THICK. FOR ANALYSIS: 37,000 MTPY ROM FOR: 16,700 MTPY LUMP AND 16,700 MTPY FINES; ALL PRODUCTS AT 46.0 % CR2O3. PRODUCTS ANALYZED AS CHROMITE MET FOR EXPORT IN STUDY (NON-PRODUCING, NO ROOM AT KWE KWE SMELTER). PODIFORM RESOURCE.
  • 1/89 INSITU DEMO.TONNAGE = EST. FOR 4 OREBODIES(2 EACH IN 2 ORE ZONES), EACH DEPOSIT 7M THICK,75 M STRIKE,45 M ON-DIP.100%REC

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Underground
    Field Value
    MAS Development Schedule # 1
    Mining Record # 1
    Status of Mining Method ESTIMATE
    Mining Method SUBLEVEL 10-43
    Percent Recovery 90
    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
    1st Condition of Workings OPEN
    Capacity 100
    Capacity Units MT ORE/DAY
    Unit Production Cost 25.88
    Units of Production $/MT ORE
    Operating Days per Year 300
    Operating Shifts per Day 2
    Year of Information 1981

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    ALREY, N.M. "A REVIEW OF CHROMITE MINING IN THE GREAT DYKE."

  • Deposit

    CHAMBER OF MINES JOURNAL. JUNE 1975. PP. 35-43.

  • Deposit

    COTTERILL, P. "THE CHROMITE DEPOSITS OF SELUKWE, RHODESIA."

  • Deposit

    ECONOMIC GEOLOGY MONOGRAPH VOL. 4. PP. 154-186.

  • Deposit

    COTTERILL, P. "THE SELUKWE SCHIST BELT AND ITS CHROMITITE

  • Deposit

    DEPOSITS." GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF SOUTH AFRICA. VOL. 5.

  • Deposit

    1979. PP. 229-245.

  • Deposit

    STOWE, CLIVE W. "ALPINE-TYPE STRUCTURES IN THE RHODESIAN

  • Deposit

    BASEMENT COMPLEX AT SELUKWE." JOURNAL OF THE GEOLOGICAL

  • Deposit

    SOCIETY. LONDON. VOL. 130. 1974. PP. 411-425.

  • Deposit

    STOWE, C.W. "THE GEOLOGY OF THE COUNTRY SOUTH AND WEST OF

  • Deposit

    SELUKWE." RHODESIA, GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN NO. 59.

  • Deposit

    SALISBURY. 1968. PP. 178-180.

  • Deposit

    TINDALE, R. AND M.A. BISCOE. "THE GEOLOGY OF THE COUNTY

  • Deposit

    AROUND GWELO." SOUTHERN RHODESIA, GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

  • Deposit

    BULLETIN NO. 39. 1949. PP. 120-137.

  • Deposit

    WILSON, N.H. "NOTES ON THE MINING INDUSTRY OF SOUTHERN

  • Deposit

    RHODESIA." GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF SOUTHERN RHODESIA.

  • Deposit

    PP. 55-59.

  • Deposit

    WORST, B.G. "THE GREAT DYKE OF SOUTHERN RHODESIA." SOUTHERN

  • Deposit

    RHODESIA, GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN NO. 47. 1960.

  • Deposit

    PP. 82-106, 186-231.

  • Deposit

    WORLD MINING, MARCH 1981, P.46

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit LOCATED 1.2 KM SOUTHOF SELUKWE, THE IRONSIDES EXTENSION PRODUCED 3650 MT. OF ORE IN 1953-1954 AND 1645 MT. OF ORE IN 1957 RESPECTIVELY.-PROBABLY FROM OUTCROPS. IN 1976 SAMPLES OF ORE WERE BEING TAKEN FROM DEPTHS OF 84.2 TO 85.7 METERS AND 90.3 TO 91.5 METERS IN A BOREHOLE PUT DOWN ON THE PROPERTY. DESCRIPTION OF PROPERTY FROM 1969 STATES THAT THERE WERE TWO ADJACENT 15 METER WIDE BANDS COV- ERING A 600 METER LENGTH THAT CONTAINED ORE BODIES UP TO 9 M THICK.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 19-AUG-92 Eastern Field Operations Center (EFOC) U.S. Bureau of Mines

Beyond USGS

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