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Bathlako Chrome Mine

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. Ownership information
  12. Workings at the site
  13. Links to other databases
  14. Bibliographic references
  15. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10305631
MRDS ID W028403
MAS/MILS ID 7910200042
Record type Site
Current site name Bathlako Chrome Mine
Alternate or previous names Ruighoek
Related records 10079232

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Ore Body
Geographic coordinates: 26.90975, -25.17996 (WGS84)
Elevation 1220
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
Iron Unknown
Pyroxene Unknown

Nearby scientific data

Ore Body (1) 26.90975, -25.17996
ListMap

Economic information

Ore body information

  • Strike N10E
    Dip 12E
    Thickness 0.8M
    Length 3900M
    Width 1572M
    Depth to top 150M
    Field Value
    MAS Matrix # 1
    MAS Column # 2
    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 N10E:12E
    Minimum Depth to Top 0
    Date of Last Modification 930519

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Underground
Development status Plant
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Large
Significant Yes
Discovery year 1946
Mining method Open Stope - Breast Stoping
Year of first production 1946
Plant type Beneficiation (Mill)
Plant subcategory Gravity
Milling method Gravity

Mining district

District name West Bushveld Complex

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Bathlaco Mining Ltd
    Home office South Africa
    Year 1989
  • Type Owner
    Owner Samancor Ltd. / Gencor
    Interest 100
    Home office South Africa
    Year 1989

Comments on the ownership information

  • ACQUIRED BY AMCOR IN 1975. LOCATED ON FARM RUIGHOEK 169 JP, MANKWE DIST.NW OF RUSTENBURG. PROD. BEGAN AFTER WORLD WAR II. ACQUIRED BY ANGLO RAND MINING IN 1952, AND BY UNION CARBIDE WHO SOLD TO AMCOR.

Comments on the production information

  • IF CONTRACTS DEMAND ROM FINES, NO GRAV. CONC. IS REQUIRED IF CHEMICAL OR REFRACTORY GRADE CONCS. ARE REQUIRED BY CONTRACTS THEN ROM FINES ARE TREATED BY GRAVITY BENEFITATION METHODS.
  • Y-RECORD RECOVERIES ARE FOR INDIVIDUAL PRODUCTS. THE TOTAL RECOVERY IS 91.51 %.
  • PROD. RATE INCREASED FROM 7,500 TO 12,000 MTPM BY END 1976.

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • 1/89 INSITU DEMO.TONNAGE = MAIN SEAM TO 300 M VERTICAL DEPTH ON N. TWO-THIRDS OF RUIGHOEK 169 JP FARM. 90 % RECOV.
  • WAS IN CONTINUOUS PROD. FROM 1950 TO 1982. SHUT DOWN IN 1982 BUT REDEVELOPED IN 1985 AS ORE FEED FOR SMALL BATHLAKO CHROME CORP. SMELTER EXPECTED ONSTREAM IN LATE 1986. BATHLAKO MINING LTD. IS A SUBSID. OF SAMANCOR/GENCOR. SITE VISIT WAS BY JOHN PAPP. FOR ANALYSIS: 120,000 MTPY ROM FOR: 50,000 MTPY LUMP&CHIPS AT 38-44 % CR2O3 AND 50,000 MTPY CONCS. AT 46.0 %CR2O3. MAIN SEAM = .8 M THICK, DIP OF 11 DEGS.
  • SIGNIFICANT SEAMS %CR2O3 CR:FE LG1 47.7 1:1.8 LG2 48.2 1:1.88 LG5 44.3 1:1.57 LG6 44.5 1:1.5
  • COL 1 AND COL 2 IN Q-MATRIX 1 REPRESENT THE IN-SITU AND RECOVERABLE RESOURCE TONNAGES RESPECTIVELY. RESOURCE TONNAGE ESTIMATE IN Q-MAT, REPRESENTS TONNAGE CONTAINED IN ONLY ONE SEAM (LG6)

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 Waste Rock 0
    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
    Length of Inclines (m) 1572
    Slope of Inclines 12
    Number of Inclines 3
    1st Condition of Workings OPEN
    Capacity 480
    Capacity Units MT ORE/DAY
    Unit Production Cost 24.25
    Units of Production $/MT ORE
    Operating Days per Year 250
    Operating Shifts per Day 2
    Year of Information 1989

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    COAL GOLD&BASE MINERALS OF SOUTH AFRICA.PRODUCTION BOOST AT

  • Deposit

    RUIGHOEK CHROME.MARCH,1976.PP.37-39.

  • Deposit

    MCDONALD,J.A.1967.EVOLUTION OF PART OF THE LOWER CRITICAL

  • Deposit

    ZONE,FARM RUIGHOEK,WESTERN BUSHVELD.JOURNAL OF PETROLOGY.

  • Deposit

    VOL.8,PART 2.,1967.PP.165-209.

  • Deposit

    GEOL.SURV.OF S.AFRICA.1959.THE MINERAL RESOURCES OF THE

  • Deposit

    UNION OF SOUTH AFRICA.4TH EDITION.1959.PP.187-200.

  • Deposit

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

  • Deposit

    SAUNDERS AND TAYLOR,INC.INVESTMENT INDUSTRY REPORT.

  • Deposit

    JOHANNESBURG,S.A.PP.1-117.

  • Deposit

    DE WET,J.F.1952.CHROMITE INVESTIGATIONS-PART IV.JOURNAL OF

  • Deposit

    THE CHEMICAL METALLURGICAL AND MINING SOCIETY OF SOUTH

  • Deposit

    AFRICA.VOL.53.NO.1.1952.PP.1-10.

  • Deposit

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

  • Deposit

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

  • Deposit

    BUREAU DE RESEARCHES GEOLDGIQUE ET MINIERES. DELEGATION GEN-

  • Deposit

    ERALE A LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE ET TECHNIQUE. COLLOQUE

  • Deposit

    CI:RESSOURCES MINERALES. PARIS, FRANCE 1980

  • Deposit

    GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF SOUTH AFRICA. THE MINERAL RESOURCES OF

  • Deposit

    THE UNION OF SOUTH AFRICA.4TH ED.

  • Deposit

    MINING MAGAZINE, CHROMITE MINING AND FERROCHROMIUM

  • Deposit

    PRODUCTION BY SAMANCOR, SOUTH AFRICA. AUGUST 1981

  • Deposit

    MINING MAGAZINE, AUGUST 1981 PP. 84-93.

  • Deposit

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

  • Deposit

    PRODUCTION", MINTEK SPECIAL PUBL. NO. 11.

  • Deposit

    GOLER AND ASSOC., 1981, "DEPOSIT PROFILE-RUIGHOEK, TRANSVAAL

  • Deposit

    SOUTH AFRICA".

  • Deposit

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

  • Deposit

    REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA", USBM.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 19-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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