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Sishen Iscor Mine

Producer in Eastern Cape, South Africa with commodity Iron
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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. Host and associated rocks
  9. Nearby scientific data
  10. Geologic structures
  11. Ore body information
  12. Controls for ore emplacement
  13. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  14. Mining district
  15. Land status
  16. Ownership information
  17. Production statistics
  18. Reserves and resources
  19. Workings at the site
  20. Links to other databases
  21. Bibliographic references
  22. General comments
  23. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10079056
MRDS ID W027877
Record type Site
Current site name Sishen Iscor Mine
Related records 10280368

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: 23.00154, -27.79659 (WGS84)
Elevation 1200
Relative position 64 KILOMETERS NORTH OF THE CITY OF POSTMASBURG

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Eastern Cape(province)

South Africa(country)

Africa(continent)

Land(continent)

Federal lands

Federal(land status)

Geographic areas

Country State
South Africa Eastern Cape

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Iron Primary

Comments on the commodity information

  • THE THABAZIMBI TYPE HEMATITE IS HARD, COMPACT AND MASSIVE. THE FERRUGINIZED SHALES ARE CLEARLY LAMINATED, BUT GRADE TO MASSIVE OCCURRENCES LOCALLY. THE FERRUGINIZED CONGLOMERATES ARE GRITTY WITH ANGULAR-TO-ROUNDED INCLUSIONS OF HEMATITE SET IN A MATRIX OF THE SAME MINERAL.

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Shale Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) (See Process Of Concentration Or Enrichment.

Analytical data

Result SEE PRODUCTION ENTRIES

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Intermediate Volcanic Rock > Andesite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Carbonate > Dolomite
    Rock unit name Sand And Detrital Material;Kalahari Beds; Limestone, Calcrete, Clay & Boulders.;Transvaal System, Pretoria Series (Daspoort & Timeball Hill Stages): Quartzite, Shale, Conglomerates & Hematite Ores.;Transvaal System, Dolomite Series: Jaspilite, Shale, Breccia, Dolomite, Manganese And Hematite Ores
    Rock description Sand And Detrital Material;Kalahari Beds; Limestone, Calcrete, Clay & Boulders.;Transvaal System, Pretoria Series (Daspoort & Timeball Hill Stages): Quartzite, Shale, Conglomerates & Hematite Ores.;Transvaal System, Dolomite Series: Jaspilite, Shale, Bre

Nearby scientific data

(1) 23.00154, -27.79659
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Timeball Hill And Daspoort Stages Of Pretoria Series (Shales, Conglomerates, Quartzites, Hematite Ores And Andesitic Lava) Unconformably Overlie Dolomite Series (Banded Hematite, Jaspilite, Shale, Breccia, Manganese And Dolomite). Quaternary To Tertiary Kalahari Beds And Superficial Deposits Unconformably Overlie Pretoria Series.
Type of structure Local
Structure description Folding And Refolding Have Resulted In Local Anticlines, Synclines, Domes And Depressions. Although No Major Faulting On A Regional Scale Is Known, Local Normal And Trough Faults Occur. Surface Terrain Flat Except For Low - Lying Gamagara Hills.

Ore body information

  • General form IRREGULAR, TABULAR/BLANKET
    Strike N - S
    Dip 10 DEG. W
    Depth to top 0.3M
    Depth to bottom 120M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Gentle Uplift Of Continental Mass; Folding; Faulting; Alteration; Replacement; Iron Concentration And Secondary Enrichment.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Large
Significant No
Year of first production 1955

Mining district

District name Gamagara Hills, Northern Cape Basin

Land status

Ownership category Federal

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner South African Iron And Steel Industrial Corp. Ltd.

Production statistics

  • Year 1977
    Material ORE FE
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^66.0 - 68.0 % Fe
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Ore Iron Iron 67wt-pct
  • Year 1984
    Period 1967-1984
    Material ORE FE
    Description Cp_Grade: ^66.0 - 68.0 % Fe
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Ore Iron Iron 67wt-pct

Comments on the production information

  • ACCURATE ANNUAL CHEMICAL ANALYSES NOT AVAILABLE. TYPICAL AVERAGE ANALYSIS: 66 - 68 PERCENT FE, 1.5 - 4.0 PERCENT SIO2, 1.3 PERCENT A1203, TRACE P205 AND S, TRACE TO 1.5 PERCENT MNO2 AND ZERO TIO2. ACCURATE OVERBURDEN DATA NOT AVAILABLE.

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1973
    Total resources 4000000000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Iron Fe 60 wt-pct Iron Major 1973

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • PROVED AND BLOCKED OUT ORE RESERVES ONLY. PROBABLE AND POSSIBLE RESERVES NOT INCLUDED. ORE GRADES LESS THAN 60 PERCENT FE NOT INCLUDED. OF THE TOTAL GIVEN, 1.34 BILLION TONS ARE RECOVERABLE BY OPEN PIT MINING METHODS (MAXIMUM WASTE-TO ORE RATIO, 4.0:1.0). THE REMAINDER, 2.66 BILLION TONS, RECOVERABLE ONLY BY UNDERGROUND MINING METHODS.

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface
    Overall depth 30M

Comments on the workings information

  • OPEN PIT ONLY. HIGHLY MECHANIZED POWER SHOVEL AND TRUCK OPERATION FOR BOTH WASTE REMOVAL AND ORE MINING. SLURRY BLASTING EMPLOYED AND ORE SAMPLES FROM BLAST HOLES USED FOR GRADE CONTROL. TWO ORE SEPARATION PROCESSES USED FOLLOWING PRIMARY AND SECONDARY CRUSHING AND SCREENING: HEAVY MEDIA SEPARATION FOR COARSE ORE AND HEAVY MEDIA CYCLONE SEPARATION FOR FINES.

Comments on development

  • YEAR OF FIRST PRODUCTION: APPROXIMATE ; EXPAN$: 120.0 ; MILL.CAP: 15.0 MIL. MET. T/YR. ; ECON.YEAR: 1977 ; ECON.COM: ONE OF THE WORLD'S IMPORTANT IRON ORE MINES. ORE RESERVES ARE VAST, GRADE IS EXCELLENT, ORE IS HARD AND MASSIVE, AND RECOVERABLE BY OPEN PIT MINING METHODS. A LONG LIFE OUTLOOK AT LOW OPERATING COSTS. EXPORTS EXPECTED TO DOMINATE OVER LONG TERM, BUT SHIPMENTS TO ISCOR'S VANDERBIJLPARK STEEL MILL WILL CONTINUE.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    MINERAL RESOURCES OF SOUTH-CENTRAL AFRICA; PELLETIER, R.A. 1964

  • Deposit

    MINERAL RESOURCES OF THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA, FIFTH EDITION, HANDBOOK 7 ; 1976

  • Deposit

    ISCOR ANNUAL REPORTS; 1973 - 1977 ISCOR BROCHURE (PUBLISHED BY THOMSON PUBLICATIONS SOUTH AFRICA (PTY) LIMITED; CIRCA 1975) SOUTH AFRICAN MINING & ENGINEERING JOURNAL; MAY 197

  • Production

    ISCOR ANNUAL REPORTS ; ISCOR ANNUAL REPORT-1986 ; ISCOR ANNUAL REPORT-1982 ; ISCOR ANNUAL REPORT-1983 ; ISCOR ANNUAL REPORT - 1984 ; ISCOR ANNUAL REPORT - 1985 ; ISCOR ANNUAL REPORT 1980 ; ISCOR ANNUAL REPORT - 1981 ; ISCOR ANNUAL REPORT, 1979 ; ISCOR ANNUAL REPORT, 1978

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit THREE MINABLE HORIZONS: THABAZIMBI TYPE ORE (MAX. THICKNESS: 25 METERS; AVE. THICKNESS: 15 - 20 METERS). LAMINATED GAMAGARA TYPE ORE (MAX. THICKNESS: 60 METERS; AVE. THICKNESS: 15 - 30 METERS) AND CONGLOMERATIC GAMAGARA TYPE ORE (MAX. THICKNESS: 40 METERS; AVE. THICKNESS: 5 - 15 METERS). DEPTH TO TOP REFERS TO CURRENT OPEN PIT OPERATIONS, FROM OUTCROP TO MAXIMUM DEPTH DOWN-DIP. DEPTH TO BOTTOM REFERS TO PLANNED MAXIMUM OPEN PIT MINING DEPTH. UNDERGROUND MINING POSSIBLE BUT NOT PART OF CURRENT PLANS. HORIZONS MINED VARY ACCORDING TO PIT DEPTH AND ECONOMICS.
Deposit INFORMATION MERGED FROM RECORD NUMBER W028887 ; W028888 ; W030962 ; W032362 ; W033035 ; W033177 ; W033752 ; W044593 ; W055338

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-MAR-1978 Sweetwood, Charles W. Department of State
Updater 01-JUN-1985 Mccarter, Lorna D. Department of State
Updater 01-MAY-1980 Sweetwood, Charles W. Department of State
Updater 01-JUL-1981 Mccarter, Lorna D. Department of State
Updater 01-AUG-1982 Mccarter, Lorna D. Department of State
Updater 01-JUN-1984 Mccarter, Lorna D. Department of State
Updater 01-JUL-1983 Mccarter, Lorna D. Department of State
Updater 01-JUN-1985 Mccarter, Lorna D Department of State
Updater 01-APR-1986 Mccarter, Lorna D Department of State
Updater 01-JUL-1987 Mccarter, Lorna D. Department of State

Beyond USGS

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

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