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Moulares

Prospect in Qafsah, Tunisia with commodities Phosphorus-Phosphates, Fluorine-Fluorite
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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. Links to other databases
  13. Bibliographic references
  14. General comments
  15. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10024683
MRDS ID ISM0417
Record type Site
Current site name Moulares

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: 8.28507, 34.49923 (WGS84)
Elevation 300
Relative position CENTROID ABOUT 2 KM

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Qafsah(province)

Tunisia(country)

Geographic areas

Country State
Tunisia Qafsah

Comments on the location information

  • AREA, EXTENDING OVER 80 KM IN NS DIRECTION. 14 DEPOSITS HAVE BEEN RECOGNIZED: 1. DUWI 26 DEG. 16'N, 34 DEG. 00'E; 2. NASSER 26 DEG. 04'N, 34 DEG. 09'E; 3. HAMADAT 25 DEG. 59'N, 34 DEG. 10'E; 4. ABU TUNDUB 25 DEG. 56'N, 34 DEG. 13'E; 5. ZUG EL BAHAR 25 DEG. 58'N, 34 DEG. 19'E; 6. ATSHAN 26 DEG. 06'N, 34 DEG. 11'E; 7. GIHEINIA 26 DEG. 07'N, 34 DEG. 13'E; 8. ANZ 26 DEG. 10'N, 34 DEG. 10'E; 9. ABU SHIGELLA 26 DEG. 16'N, 34 DEG. 08'E; 10.HAMRAWEIN 26 DEG. 19'N, 34 DEG. 05'E; 11.MOHAMMED RABAH 26 DEG. 35'N, 33 DEG. 49'E; 12.WASSIF 26 DEG. 30'N, 33 DEG. 50'E; 13.UMM HUWEITAT 26 DEG. 30'N, 33 DEG. 58'E; 14.GASUS 26 DEG. 32'N, 33 DEG. 59'E. DEPOSITS 11,12,13 KNOWN AS SAFAGA DEPOSITS; DEPOSITS 2,1,3,6,9, 5,7 KNOWN AS QUSSEIR DEPOSIT (SEE SEPERATE FORMS)

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Phosphorus-Phosphates Primary
Fluorine-Fluorite Critical Primary

Comments on the commodity information

  • PHOSPHATE

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Carbonate > Limestone
    Rock unit name Metlaoui Formation;Metlaoui Formation;Metlaoui Formation
    Rock description Metlaoui Formation;Metlaoui Formation;Metlaoui Formation
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Chemical Sediment > Chert

Nearby scientific data

(1) 8.28507, 34.49923
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Gafsa Basin, Moulares Anticline

Comments on the geologic information

  • ; APATITE (COLLOPHANE), CALCITE, DOLOMITE, QUARTZ, OPALE, ILLITE, SMECTITE, GYPSUM; MINOR PHOSPHATE SEAMS ARE FOUND IN LCRET, MAESTRICHTIAN EL-HARIA FORMATION. MINEABLE BEDS ARE DEVELOPED WITHIN THANETIAN-YPRESIAN METLAOUI FORMATION. METLAOUI FORMATION IS DIVIDED IN 3 SERIES: LOWER SEQUENCE (EVAPORITIC), MAIN PHOSPHATE SERIES AND UPPER SERIES (CARBONATIC). MAIN PHOSPHATE SERIES (TOTAL THICKNESS MAY REACH 45 M) CONTAINS AT LEAST 8 PHOSPHATE BEDS. PHOSPHATE BED NO.8 (PART OF FAISCEAU B) IS MINED SINCE 1977 THROUGH SURFACE OPERATION AFTER EXPLOITATION OF SEAMS 1 AND 2. THICKNESS OF SEAM 8 AVERAGES 2.5-3 M. UNDERGROUND MINING WILL START WHEN OUTCROPPING PORTIONS ARE MINED OUT
  • ; APATITE (COLLOPHANE), SILICA, CALCITE, LIMONITE, KAOLINITE, MINOR: GYPSUM, HALITE; GENERAL STRATIGRAPHIC SEQUENCE (FROM TOP TO BOTTOM): - THEBES FORMATION LIMESTONE, YPRESIAN, EEO; - ESHNA SHALES AND MARLS, PALEO; - DAKHLA SHALES AND LIMESTONES, DANIAN, PALEO; - DUWI PHOSPHATE FORMATION, MAESTRICHTIAN, LCRET; - VARIEGATED SHALES, CAMPANIAN, LCRET; - NUBIAN SANDSTONE, CRET; - BASEMENT, LCRET-PAL

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Prospect
Commodity type Non-metallic
Significant No
Discovery year 1895
Year of first production 1905
Year of last production 1982

Mining district

District name Gafsa Phosphate District

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Compagnie Des Phosphates De Gafsa (Cpg) (State Controlled)

Comments on the production information

  • MINE CAPACITY 2000 TPDCAPACITY OF MINE 2000 TPD ROM-ORE. ORES AND CONCENTRATES ARE BLENDED WITH ORES FROM MRATA MINE. NO SEPARATE DATA AVAILABLE. BENEFICIATION CAPACITY (COMBINED MRATA-MOULARES) 1.3 MILLION TPY
  • DELIVERIES OF SALEABLE CONCENTRATE FOR EXPORT OF RED SEA DISTRICT. CONCENTRATE MAY CONTAIN 68 BPL, SEE DESCRIPTION FOR QUSSEIR

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • DENOTED AS "ESTIMATED RESERVES". EMJ-DATA: MEASURED 15.3 MILLION; INDICATED 4.2 MILLION TONNES
  • GEOLOGIC RESERVES, BESIDES 70 MILLION WORKABLE (R1E1) ORES
  • WORKABLE RESERVES ARE >70 MILLION TONNES (71.4 MILLION)

Comments on development

  • NON-GEOLOGIC CONSTRAINTS ON DEVELOPMENT OR EXPANSION IN 1-5 YRS. (). DEVELOPMENT(UNKNOWN); EXPLORATION(UNKNOWN); ROM-ORE SINCE 1977 FROM PHOSPHATE BED 8 CONCENTRATES CONTAIN 67-69 % BPL, ROM-ORE GRADES AT 57 % BPL. ORES FROM MOULARES AND MRATA BLENDED, TREATED BY DRY- AND WET SEPARATION GIVE CONC. GRADING 58-60 % BPL
  • NON-GEOLOGIC CONSTRAINTS ON DEVELOPMENT OR EXPANSION IN 1-5 YRS. (). SEE SEPARATE FORMULARS

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    BRITISH SULPHUR CORP. LTD., 1980: WORLD SURVEY OF PHOSPHATE DEPOSITS, 4TH ED., LONDON

  • Deposit

    FOURNIE, D. 1979: PHOSPHATES ET PETROLE EN TUNISIE. DOCUMENTS DU BRGM, NO.24, 1980

  • Deposit

    SASSI, S. 1979: CONTEXTE PALEOGEOGRAPHIQUE DES DEPOTS PHOSPHATES DE L' EOCENE EN TUNISIE. DOCUMENTS DU BRGM, NO.24, 1980

  • Deposit

    CHAABANI, F. 1978: LES PHOSPHORITES DE LA COUPE-TYPE DE FOUM-SELJA

  • Deposit

    E&MJ, 1981: INTERNATIONAL DIRECTORY OF MINING, NEW YORK

  • Production

    E&MJ, 1981: INTERNATIONAL DIRECTORY OF MINING, P.370, NEW YORK

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, UNDERGROUND WASHING, AIR SEPARATION RESERVES MENTIONED HERE UNDER DIFFERENT LABELS ARE CLASSIFIED AS PROVEN, PROBABLE AND POSSIBLE RESERVES IN THE SOURCE OF INFORMATION
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.). UNDERGROUND ABOUT 20 KM WEST OF STRA OUERTANE AN OTHER OUTCROP OF PHOSPHATES AT KEF ES SLOUGUI WITHIN A NE DIPPING ANTICLINAL STRUCTURE IS MENTIONED. AREA ABOUT 20 KM2. CPG IS CONFIDENT THAT THE LOW GRADE PHOSPHATES OF STRA OUERTANE EASILY CAN BE BENEFICIATED. AFTER FRENCH SOURCES (IND. TRAVAUX D'OUTRE MER 3/1981 P.56) RESERVES ARE EVALUATED AT 3 BILLION TONNES. ADDITIONAL RESOURCES IN EASTERN PART OF DEPOSIT ARE ESTIMATED AT 2 BILLION TONNES OF 28 % BPL ORE (E&MJ, JULY 1981, P.140)

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-NOV-1982 Krauss, Ulrich H. Bundesanstalt Fuer Geowissenschaften und Rohstoffee (Germany)

Beyond USGS

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

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