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Valley Chrome

Producer in Midlands, Zimbabwe with commodity Chromium
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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. General comments
  18. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10158590
MAS/MILS ID 7960250030
Record type Site
Current site name Valley Chrome

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Ore Body
Geographic coordinates: 30.07496, -19.52193 (WGS84)
Elevation 1350
Location accuracy 100(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
Dolomite Unknown
Talc Unknown

Nearby scientific data

Ore Body (1) 30.07496, -19.52193
ListMap

Economic information

Ore body information

  • Thickness 10M
    Length 167M
    Width 200M
    Depth to top 50M
    Field Value
    MAS Matrix # 1
    MAS Column # 1
    Type of Orebody #1 OTHER
    Shape of Orebody #1 LENTICULAR
    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
    Date of Last Modification 830617

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 Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Significant Yes
Mining method Open Stope - Sublevel
Year of first production 1970
Milling method Heavy Media

Mining district

District name Seluwke District

Mineral rights holdings

Type of mineral rights Unknown

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Zimbabawe Mining And Smelting Co.
    Interest 100
    Home office Zimbabwe
    Year 1982

Production statistics

  • Year 1975
    Description 52199 Mt
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Chromium Chromium 52199mt
  • Year 1976
    Description 58728 Mt
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Chromium Chromium 58728mt
  • Year 1977
    Description 75108 Mt
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Chromium Chromium 75108mt
  • Year 1978
    Description 59095 Mt
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Chromium Chromium 59095mt
  • Year 1979
    Description 58031 Mt
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Chromium Chromium 58031mt

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • 75% PROB. LEVEL ESTIMATE IS BASED ON 1969 STATEMENT THAT "THERE ARE SEVERAL MILLION TONS OF DISSEMINATED, HIGH- MAGNESIA CHROMITE PRESENT." ASSUMING THAT "SEVERAL" REFERS TO 2,000,000 AND SUBTRACTING ESTIMATED PRODUCTION FOR 1970 THROUGH 1979 OF 600,000 MT LEAVES ESTIMATED IN-SITU TONNAGE AVAILABLE AS OF 1980 AT 1,400,000 MT, NO DETAILS ARE AVAILABLE, WERE USED IN THE ECONOMIC BODIES AT VALLEY CHROME, FOR ANALYSIS OF COSTS A MODEL ORE ZONE OF 166 M LENGTH (ALONG STRIKE), 10 METERS THICK EXTENDING DOWN DIP 200 METERS WAS USED THAT WAS ASSUMED TO BE ENTIRELY ACCESSIBLE BY ADITS BECAUSE OF TOPOGRAPHIC CONDITIONS.
  • 1/89 INSITU DEMO.TONNAGE = ORIGINAL 1968 DESCRIPTION OF "SEVERAL MILLION TONS (2,000,000) MINUS 1969 THRU 1988 PROD. 100 % REC
  • LARGE (SEVERAL MILLION TONS), LOW-GRADE ORE BODIES. HIGH MG. TWO ORES: BLACK(39.7% CR2O3) & BLUE-BLACK(42.2% CR2O3). FOR ANALYSIS: 63,000 MTPY ROM FOR: 60,000 MTPY LUMP PRODUCTS AT 36.0 PCT CR2O3. LUMP PRODUCTS SENT TO KWE KWE SMELTER. PODIFORM RESOURCE.

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 200
    Capacity Units MT ORE/DAY
    Unit Production Cost 18.71
    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 STRUCTURE 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 COUNTRY

  • 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 SOUTHERN RHODESIA". SOUTHERN

  • Deposit

    RHODESIA, GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN NO. 47. 1960.

  • Deposit

    PP.82-106, 186-231.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit VALLEY CHROME OPERATION HAS HISTORICALLY BEEN THE THIRD LARGEST PRODUCER IN THE SELUKWE DISTRICT BEHIND SELUKWE PEAK AND RAILWAY BLOCK. THE PROPERTY IS LOCATED 17 KM N OF THE TOWN OF SELUKWE AND BEGAN PRODUCTION IN 1969. OREBODIES ARE ESSENTIALLY FLAT-LYING WITH SOME EROSIONAL REMNANTS OCCURING ON HILL RIDERS. THE ORE IS A HARD, DISSEMINATED, LOW-GRADE (36-42% CR2O3), HIGH MAGNESIA TYPE WITH LOW CR/FE RATIOS (2.3-2.7/1.0) COMPARED TO OTHER ZIMBABWE ORE. THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF ORE CLASSIFICATION BASED ON COLOR-BLUE ORE (42% CR2O3) AND BLACK ORE (39-40% CR2O3).

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.

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