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West Rand Consolidated Mine

Plant in South Africa with commodities Gold, Osmium, Silver, Uranium
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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. Reserves and resources
  15. Workings at the site
  16. Links to other databases
  17. Bibliographic references
  18. General comments
  19. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10256350
MRDS ID W026843
MAS/MILS ID 7910200063
Record type Site
Current site name West Rand Consolidated Mine
Alternate or previous names West Rand Consolidated
Related records 10078495

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Claim
Geographic coordinates: 27.75145, -26.11331 (WGS84)
Elevation 1300
Location accuracy 1000(meters)

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

South Africa(country)

Africa(continent)

Land(continent)

Geographic areas

Country
South Africa

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gold Primary
Osmium Tertiary
Silver Secondary
Uranium Tertiary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Uraninite Unknown

Nearby scientific data

Claim (1) 27.75145, -26.11331
ListMap

Economic information

Ore body information

  • Strike N40W
    Dip 10E
    Thickness 1M
    Depth to top 1300M
    Field Value
    MAS Matrix # 2
    MAS Column # 1
    Type of Orebody #1 SEDIMENTARY
    Shape of Orebody #1 OTHER
    Type of Orebody #2 STRATIFORM
    Shape of Orebody #2 LENTICULAR
    Primary mode of Origin SEDIMENTATION
    Primary Ore Control FOLDING
    Degree of Wallrock Alter. NONE
    Strike And Dip N40W:10E
    Minimum Depth to Top 600
    Date of Last Modification 861124
  • Area 1700HA
    Field Value
    Total Surface Area (HA) 1700
    Date of Last Modification 910418

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Underground
Development status Plant
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Large
Significant Yes
Discovery year 1887
Mining method Filled Stopes
Year of first production 1908
Plant type Leach
Plant subcategory Hydromet
Milling method Hydrometallurgy Unspecified

Mining district

District name West Rand (West Wits Line) Of Witwatersrand Goldfields

Mineral rights holdings

Type of mineral rights Federal Lease

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner West Rand Consolidated Mine Ltd.
    Interest 100
    Home office South Africa
    Year 1982
  • Type Owner
    Owner Gencor Group
    Interest 100
    Home office South Africa
    Year 1982

Production statistics

  • Year 1967
    Description 2190000 Mt Ore Milled/Yr
  • Year 1970
    Description 1770000 Mt Ore Milled/Yr
  • Year 1972
    Description 1679999 Mt Ore Milled/Yr
  • Year 1975
    Description 1850000 Mt Ore Milled/Yr
  • Year 1979
    Description 1759999 Mt Ore Milled/Yr
  • Year 1981
    Description 2160000 Mt Ore Milled/Yr

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1993
    Demonstrated 2080000mt ore
    Total resources 2080000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Gold Au 9.3 g/mt Gold Major 1993

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • 1989 PROD. = 71,220 OZ AU FROM TREATING 997,000 MT ORE. WAS UPDATED FOR THE 1992 AU AVAILABILITY STUDY. 1991 PROD. = 66,422 OZ AU FROM TREATING 849,000 TNS ORE.
  • M3C1=M1C1+M2C1. M1=SAND DUMPS M2=MAIN REEF+KIMBERLY REEF+VCR Q-MAT 1=SAND DUMP: 10 MILLION MT WITH 0.9G AU/MT,0.09G AG/MT Q-MAT 2=COMBINATION OF THREE REEFS AT 20 MILLION MT WITH WEIGHTED AVERAGE GRADE OF 3.5 G AU/MT; 0.35 G AG/MT Q-MAT 3=COMBINE MAT 1 AND MAT 2; TOTAL 30 MILLION MT OF ORE AT 2.63 G/MT OF GOLD AND 0.26 G/MT OF SILVER. Q-MAT 2=5 MILLION MT OF MAIN REEF AND SOUTH REEF W/ FLAT DIP 9 MILLION MT OF KIMBERLY REEF WITH 15 DEGREE DIP 6 MILLION MT OF VCR WITH 10 DEGREE DIP REEFS NOT INCLUDED FOR GOLD PRODUCTION=WHITE REEF, BOULDER REEF, NORTH REEF. REEFS NOT INCLUDED FOR URANIUM PRODUCTION ARE: WHITE REEF, MONARCH REEF, UPPER MONARCH REEF - ZONE 2 AND ZONE 4.

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Underground
    Overall depth 1300M
    Field Value
    MAS Development Schedule # 1
    Mining Record # 1
    Status of Mining Method ACTUAL
    Mining Method FILLED STOPES
    Percent Recovery 100
    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 4
    Capacity 6000
    Capacity Units MT ORE/DAY
    Unit Production Cost 31.12
    Units of Production $/MT ORE
    Operating Days per Year 350
    Operating Shifts per Day 2
    Year of Information 1982

Comments on other economic factors

  • 2,100,000 MTPY MINED BY COMBINATION OF UNDERGROUND AND SURFACE METHODS. MINE OP. COST IS A COMBINATION OF UNDERGROUND AND SURFACE OP. COSTS.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Geology

    ANHAEUSSER, C.R. 1976, THE NATURE AND DISTRIBUTION OF

  • Geology

    ARCHAEN GOLD MINERALIZATION IN SOUTHERN AFRICA. MINERALS

  • Geology

    SCI. ENGNG., V. 8, NO. 1, PP. 46-84.

  • Geology

    BOYLE, R.W. 1979, THE GEOCHEMISTRY OF GOLD AND IT'S

  • Geology

    DEPOSITS. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA, BULL. 280, 584 PP.

  • Geology

    HAUGHTON, S.H., ED. 1964A, THE GEOLOGY OF SOME ORE

  • Geology

    DEPOSITS IN SOUTHERN AFRICA. V. 1, GOLD DEPOSITS OF THE

  • Geology

    WITWATERSRAND BASIN. GEOL. SOC. S. AFRICA, JOHANNESBURG,

  • Geology

    625 PP.

  • Geology

    LIEBENBERG, W.R. 1972, MINERALOGICAL FEATURES OF GOLD

  • Geology

    ORES IN SOUTH AFRICA. PUBLISHED IN GOLD METALLURGY IN SOUTH

  • Geology

    AFRICA, EDITED BY R.J. ADAMSON. CHAMBER OF MINES OF S. AFR.

  • Geology

    PRETORIUS, D.A. 1981, GOLD AND URANIUM IN QUARTZ-PEBBLE

  • Geology

    CONGLOMERATES. ECONOMIC GEOLOGY 75TH ANNIVERSARY VOLUME,

  • Geology

    PP. 117-138.

  • Geology

    PRETORIUS, D.A. 1975, THE DEPOSITIONAL ENVIRONMENT OF

  • Geology

    THE WITWATERSRAND GOLDFIELDS. A CHRONOLOGICAL REVIEW OF

  • Geology

    SPECULATIONS AND OBSERVATIONS. MIN. SCI. ENGNG., V. 7,

  • Geology

    NO. 1, PP. 18-47.

  • Geology

    SMITH, N.D., AND W.E.L. MINTER. 1980, SEDIMENTOLOGICAL

  • Geology

    CONTROLS OF GOLD AND URANIUM IN TWO WITWATERSRAND PALEO-

  • Geology

    PLACERS. ECONOMIC GEOLOGY, V. 75, PP. 1-14.

  • Production

    KING, A.. 1949, GOLD METALLURGY ON THE WITWATERSRAND.

  • Production

    TRANSVAAL CHAMBER OF MINES, 458 PP.

  • Reserve-Resource

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

  • Deposit

    GOLD. IN SOUTH AFRICA'S MINERAL INDUSTRY 1984.

  • Deposit

    THE MINERAL BUREAU OF SOUTH AFRICA, JUNE 1985.

  • Deposit

    ANNUAL REPORT, WEST RAND CONSILIDATED LTD., 1981.

  • Deposit

    CHAMBER OF MINES OF SOUTH AFRICA, 1981, RAND REFINERY,

  • Deposit

    P.R.D. SERIES NO. 255, 20PP.

  • Deposit

    MINING JOURNAL RESEARCH SERVICES. 1982, SUMMARY REPORT

  • Deposit

    OF PRODUCTION AND RECOVERY FOR THE SOUTH AFRICAN GOLD MINES,

  • Deposit

    1966-1981.

  • Deposit

    STORRAR, C.D. 1981, SOUTH AFRICAN MINE VALUATION.

  • Deposit

    CHAMBER OF MINES OF SOUTH AFRICA, 470 PP.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit WEST RAND RECOVERED URANIUM UNTIL AUGUST 1981. OSMIRIDIUM AS BYPRODUCT REVENUE WAS MENTIONED, IN 1981. OTHERWISE, VERY LITTLE INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE. FOR ETD ANALYSIS AND THIS CODING, URANIUM AND OSMIRIDIUM ARE NOT RECOVERED BECAUSE THEIR PRODUCTION STOPPED IN 1981.

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.

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