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Kgwakgwe

Past Producer in Botswana with commodity Manganese
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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. Alteration
  8. Mineral occurrence model information
  9. Host and associated rocks
  10. Nearby scientific data
  11. Geologic structures
  12. Ore body information
  13. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  14. Links to other databases
  15. Bibliographic references
  16. General comments
  17. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10003683
MRDS ID AD00003
Record type Site
Current site name Kgwakgwe

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: 25.25147, -24.96336 (WGS84)
Relative position 9 KM SW OF KANYE

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Botswana(country)

Africa(continent)

Land(continent)

Geographic areas

Country
Botswana

Comments on the location information

  • 75 KM SW OF GABORONE

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Manganese Critical Primary

Comments on the commodity information

  • ANALYSES FROM BALDCOCK (1977)

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Psilomelane Ore
Pyrolusite Ore

Alteration

  • (Local) Oxidation

Analytical data

Result LOW GRADE ORE: MNO2-67.8%
Result MNO-4.78%
Result SIO2-4.55%
Result AL2O3-3.96%
Result FE2O3-9.79%
Result FEO-N.D.
Result MGO-0.02%
Result CAO-0.4%
Result NA2O-0.24%
Result K2O-2.75%
Result TIO2-0.15
Result P2O5-0.25%
Result S-0.01%
Result H2O-3.55%
Result L.O.I.-N.D. HIGH GRADE ORE: MNO2-67.16%
Result MNO-19.91%
Result SIO2-3.92%
Result AL2O3-1.36%
Result FE2O3-2.20%
Result FEO-N.D.
Result MGO-0.26%
Result CAO-0.24%
Result NA2O-0.41%
Result K2O-1.8%
Result TIO2-N.D.
Result P2O5-0.07%
Result S-0.04%
Result H2O-2.35%

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 242
USGS model code 34b
Deposit model name Sedimentary Mn

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Shale
    Rock unit name Succession Of Transvaal Supergroup
    Rock description Succession Of Transvaal Supergroup
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Siltstone
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Sandstone
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Chemical Sediment > Chert

Nearby scientific data

(1) 25.25147, -24.96336
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Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Local
Structure description Folding But Esstentially Unmetamorphosed

Ore body information

  • General form STRATIFORM HORIZON
    Dip 10 WEST
    Plunge 30
    Plunge direction N
    Thickness 2M

Comments on the geologic information

  • THE OCCURRENCE IS CONFINED TO A SHALE HORIZON OVERLYING THE THIN BLACK REEF QUARTZITE WHICH RESTS UNCONFORMABLY ON ARCHAEN FELSITES THE CHERT IS IN TURN OVERLAIN BY CHERT BRECCIAS OF THE DOLOMITE GROUP. DEPOSIT CONTAINS MANGANIFEROUS STROMATOLITES; 3 MN OXIDE LAYERS OF MN - REPLACED SHALE ALTERNATING WITH MANGANIFEROUS SHALE. A MANGANIFEROUS LAYER OCCURS AT THE TOP OF THE SHALE HORIZON AND A HIGH-GRADE MANGANESE HORIZON LIES JUST BELOW IT. THE UPPER ORE ZONE, IMMEDIATELY BELOW THE CHERT CAPPING OF KGWAKGWE HILL AVERAGES 2 M THICKNESS AND IS OF METALURGICAL GRADE. THE LOWER LAYER COMPRISES A MASSIVE ACCUMULATION OF MANGANESE NODULES WITH A GRADE IN EXCESS OF 70% MNO2 CAPABLE OF YIELDING BATTERY GRADE MANGANESE. DRILLING HAS PROVED THE EXISTENCE OF A THIRD MANGANIFEROUS LAYER IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SHALE HORIZON.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Medium
Significant No
Discovery year 1957
Year of first production 1957
Year of last production 1971
Production years 1957-1972

Comments on the production information

  • HIGH PRODUCTION COSTS AND A FALL IN THE PRICE OF TOP-GRADE MANGANESE LED TO THE CLOSURE OF THE MINE IN 1971. HOWEVER, ACCORDING TO BALDCOCK (1977), THE OVER-ALL RESERVES HAVE NOT BEEN EXHAUSTED AND IT HAS BEEN ESTIMATED THAT SOME 200,000 TONNES OF METALLURGICAL-GRADE MANGANESE STILL REMAIN (BOTHE, 1971). ALTHOUGH MOST OF THE HIGH-GRADE, BATTERY-ACTIVE MANGANESE HAS BEEN WORKED OUT DURING PREVIOUS PRODUCTION, BALDCOCK NOTES THE POSSIBILITY OF REOPENING THE DEPOSIT TO MINE REMAINING RESERVES.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    BALDOCK, J.W. (ED), 1977, RESOURCES INVENTORY OF BOTSWANA: METALLIC MINERALS, MINERAL FUELS AND DIAMONDS, GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF BOTSWANA, MIN. RES. REPORT, 4: 40-42

  • Production

    BALDCOCK (1977), TABLE 4.2, P.41

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit THREE MANGANESE-RICH LAYERS KNOWN IN SUCCESSION

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-MAY-1990 Pracejus, Bernard.M. Adelaide University
Updater 01-MAY-1991 Bolton, Barrie R. (BHP-Utah International Inc.) BHP Utah Industries

Beyond USGS

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

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