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Phalaborwa

Producer in South Africa with commodities Phosphorus-Phosphates, Copper, Iron, Zirconium, Uranium, Thorium
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Sections on this page
  1. Identification information
  2. Geographic coordinates
  3. Site location context
  4. Geographic areas
  5. Commodities
  6. Host and associated rocks
  7. Nearby scientific data
  8. Geologic structures
  9. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  10. Mining district
  11. Ownership information
  12. Production statistics
  13. Reserves and resources
  14. Links to other databases
  15. Bibliographic references
  16. General comments
  17. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10024661
MRDS ID ISM0394
Record type Site
Current site name Phalaborwa
Related records 10182970, 10256803

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: 31.21806, -23.98001 (WGS84)
Elevation 395
Relative position PALABORA MINE

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

South Africa(country)

Africa(continent)

Land(continent)

Geographic areas

Country
South Africa

Comments on the location information

  • BOTH MINES LOCATED WITHIN THE PHALABORWA COMPLEX
  • REFERENCE POINT HALFWAY BETWEEN PALLO AND LAM-LAM. CONCESSION AREA IS 320 KM2; TOTAL MINERALIZED AREA EXTENDS OVER 490 KM2

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Phosphorus-Phosphates Primary
Copper Primary
Iron Primary
Zirconium Critical Primary
Uranium Primary
Thorium Primary

Comments on the commodity information

  • PHOSPHATE

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Ultramafic Intrusive Rock > Pyroxenite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Chemical Sediment > Phosphorite
    Rock unit name Phalaborwa Complex;Phalaborwa Complex
    Rock description Phalaborwa Complex;Phalaborwa Complex

Nearby scientific data

(1) 31.21806, -23.98001
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Archean Granite And Gneiss

Comments on the geologic information

  • ; MILLISITE, CRANDALLITE, WAVELLITE, AUGELLITE, QUARTZ, MONTMORILLONITE, ATTAPULGITE, CALCITE, APATITE, SILICA; TWO TYPES OF PHOSPHATE ORE: 1) ALUMINOUS PHOSPHATE, YOUNGER, WHICH IS MADE UP OF MILLISITE, CRANDALLITE ETC. 2) CARBONATE CONTAINING PHOSPHATE ORE, OLDER CONSISTING OF APATITE, CALCITE ETC.
  • GRADUAL CONTINENTAL SUBSIDENCE AND DEPOSITION OF KAROO SUPERGROUP (AND DOLERITE INTRUSIONS); 200-300 M.Y.; APATITE, CHALCOPYRITE, BORNITE, CHALCOCITE, VALERIITE, CUBANITE, MAGNETITE, BADDELEYITE, URANOTHORIANITE AND VERMICULITE; RING COMPLEX OF PYROXENITE, DUNITE, PEGMATOIDS, CARBONATITE (PHALABORWA COMPLEX). FOSKOR PLANS OPENING NEW OPEN PIT MINE IN PYROXENITE ZONE IN SOUTHERN SECTION OF THE COMPLEX IN LATE 1980'S. THE PALABORA OPEN PIT WILL CONTINUE TO SUPPLY FOSKOR WITH PHOSCORITE ORE AND HIGH PHOSPHATE SLURRY UNTIL COMPLETION OF OPEN PIT OPERATION SCHEDULED IN 1997. CAPACITY RATION OF FOSKOR'S PLANT TO INCREASE FROM 3.5 MILLION TPA TO 5.0 MILLION TPA BY 1987

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Producer
Commodity type Both
Significant No
Discovery year 1906
Year of first production 1953
Year of last production 1982

Mining district

District name Phalaborwa (Includes Foskor And Palabora Mines)

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Phosphate Development Corp. Ltd. (Foskor); And Palabora Mining Co. Ltd.
  • Type Owner
    Owner Phosphate Development Corp. Ltd. (Foskor); And Palabora Mining Co. Ltd., Phalaborwa
    First year 1983

Production statistics

  • Year 1962
    Period 1953-1962
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Cp_Grade: ^37 % P2o5
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major P2O5 Conc. Phosphorus-Phosphates Phosphorus 37wt-pct
  • Year 1972
    Period 1963-1972
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Cp_Grade: ^37 % P2o5
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major P2O5 Conc. Phosphorus-Phosphates Phosphorus 37wt-pct
  • Year 1980
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^37 % P2o5
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major P2O5 Conc. Phosphorus-Phosphates Phosphorus 37wt-pct
  • Year 1981
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^37 % P2o5
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major P2O5 Conc. Phosphorus-Phosphates Phosphorus 37wt-pct
  • Year 1982
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^37 % P2o5
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major P2O5 Conc. Phosphorus-Phosphates Phosphorus 37wt-pct
  • Year 1982
    Period 1973-1982
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Cp_Grade: ^37 % P2o5
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major P2O5 Conc. Phosphorus-Phosphates Phosphorus 37wt-pct

Comments on the production information

  • 3.5 MIL TPYIN 1982 ABOUT 6 % OF THE PRODUCT WAS EXPORTED
  • PA1 IS ALUMINIUMPHOSPHATE SALEABLE, PA2 IS CALCIUMPHOSPHATE CALCINED

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1983
    Total resources 221000000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Phosphorus-Phosphates P2O5 7 wt-pct Phosphorus Major 1983

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • CALCULATED TO A VERTICAL DEPTH OF 1000 METRES
  • R1E2: 6-10 % FE2O3, 27-32 % AL2O3, 8-10 % CAO

Comments on development

  • NON-GEOLOGIC CONSTRAINTS ON DEVELOPMENT OR EXPANSION IN 1-5 YRS. (). PRODUCTION OF CALCINED ALUMINIUM PHOSPHATE, NAMED PHOS-PAL OF CALCIUM PHOSPHATE, AND OF ALUMINIUM PHOSPHATE FOR EXPORT TO FRANCE. ABOUT 1.4 TONNES ROM ALUMINIUM PHOSPHATE ORE YIELD 1 TONNE OF SALEABLE ALUMINIUM PHOSPHATE. SSPT OWNERSHIP: 50 % GOVT. SENEGAL, 50 % PECHINEY ST. GOBAIN. CHEMISTRY: 1) ORE: 61.3 % BPL, 28.04 % P2O5, 7.58 % CAO, 25.86 % AL2O3, 5.51 % FE2O3, 13.84 % SIO2, 1.39 % TIO2. 2) PHOS-PAL: 74.3 % BPL, 34 % P2O5, 10.4 % CAO, 0.3 % MGO, 35.0 % AL2O3, 11.5 % FE2O3, 2.9 % SIO2, 4.2 % LOI, 1.7 % TIO2
  • NON-GEOLOGIC CONSTRAINTS ON DEVELOPMENT OR EXPANSION IN 1-5 YRS. (NO CONSTRAINTS-FOSKOR PLANNING EXPANSION-NEW OPEN PIT;). DEVELOPMENT(YES); EXPLORATION(YES); ASSESSMENT(PROSPECTS DEEMED EXCELLENT. FOSKOR SUPPLIES LOCAL MARKET FOR FERTILIZER MANUFACTURE AND ALSO EXPORTS); PRINCIPAL ROCK PHOSPHATE PRODUCER IN RSA. HIGH LEVEL OF EXPANSION FORESEEN

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    MINERAL RESOURCES OF THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA, GEOLOGICAL SURVEY, 5TH ED., 1976, P.399-406

  • Production

    MINERALS BUREAU

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit THIS RECORD WAS COMPILED FOR THE INTERNATIONAL STRATEGIC MINERALS INVENTORY. THE DATA WERE USED IN PREPARATION OF THE USGS CIRCULAR 930 SERIES OF REPORTS. MINERAL RESOURCE CATEGORIES AND CODES HEREIN ARE FROM THE INTERNATIONAL CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM RECOMMENDED BY THE UNITED NATIONS GROUP OF EXPERTS ON DEFINITIONS AND TERMINOLOGY FOR MINERAL RESOURCES. (SEE NATIONAL RESOURCES FORUM, V. 4, NO. 3, P. 307-313.). SURFACE NIL CONCENTRATE
Deposit THIS RECORD WAS COMPILED FOR THE INTERNATIONAL STRATEGIC MINERALS INVENTORY. THE DATA WERE USED IN PREPARATION OF THE USGS CIRCULAR 930 SERIES OF REPORTS. MINERAL RESOURCE CATEGORIES AND CODES HEREIN ARE FROM THE INTERNATIONAL CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM RECOMMENDED BY THE UNITED NATIONS GROUP OF EXPERTS ON DEFINITIONS AND TERMINOLOGY FOR MINERAL RESOURCES. (SEE NATIONAL RESOURCES FORUM, V. 4, NO. 3, P. 307-313.). SURFACE TOTAL RESERVES (INCLUDING R1E, R1M, R2E, R2S AND IN PART R3) SHOULD BE IN THE ORDER OF 300 MILLION TONNES. THIS FIGURE IS OBTAINED BY CALCULATION FROM EXTENSION AND THICKNESS DATA; MINIMUM FIGURE
Deposit First Production Year: 1948/1953

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-OCT-1982 Goldberg, Ian Minerals Bureau of South Africa

Beyond USGS

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

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