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Lohathla Mine

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

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10079126
MRDS ID W028039
Record type Site
Current site name Lohathla Mine

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: 23.03486, -28.04659 (WGS84)
Elevation 1400
Relative position 45 KILOMETERS NORTH OF THE TOWN OF POSTMASBURG

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Eastern Cape(province)

South Africa(country)

Africa(continent)

Land(continent)

Geographic areas

Country State
South Africa Eastern Cape

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Manganese Critical Primary
Iron Secondary

Comments on the commodity information

  • A FERRUGINOUS MANGANESE ORE, LOW IN SILICA, PHOSPHOROUS AND SULFUR.

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Jacobsite Ore
Manganite Ore
Todorokite Ore

Analytical data

Result SEE PRODUCTION ENTRIES

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Shale
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic

Nearby scientific data

(1) 23.03486, -28.04659
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Low Intensity Anticlines And Synclines Regionally (Principally The Maremane Anticline And Dimoten Syncline In General Vicinity Of Lohathia). Ore Horizon And Host Rocks Dip And Fold Gently Regionally, But With Dramatic Changes Locally. Occasional Dike Injections. Faulting Insignificant.
Type of structure Local
Structure description Folding And Slumping Of The Ore Horizon And Host Rocks Common. Dramatic Dip Changes Locally. Minor Faulting. Ore Horizon Thickness Highly Variable (From Less Than One Meter To Over 15 Meters) Reflecting Erratic Replacement During Manganization.

Ore body information

  • General form IRREGULAR
    Thickness 15M
    Depth to top 46M
    Depth to bottom 61M
  • General form IRREGULAR

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Gentle Uplift Of Continental Mass; Minor Folding; Erosion; Leaching Of Manganese From Dolomite; Replacement; Manganese Concentration In Shale.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Large
Significant No
Discovery year 1922
Discoverer Captain T. L. H. Shone
Year of first production 1922

Mining district

District name Postmasburg Field

Land status

Ownership category Private

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner South African Manganese Amcor Ltd.

Production statistics

  • Year 1977
    Material ORE MN
    Accuracy Estimate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^29 % Mn
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Ore Manganese Manganese 29wt-pct
  • Year 1978
    Material ORE MN
    Accuracy Estimate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^29 % Mn
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Ore Manganese Manganese 29wt-pct
  • Year 1979
    Material ORE MN
    Accuracy Estimate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^ 25 % Fe (Approx)
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Ore Iron Iron 25wt-pct
  • Year 1980
    Material ORE MN
    Accuracy Estimate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^ 25 % Fe (Approximately)
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Ore Iron Iron 25wt-pct
  • Year 1981
    Material ORE MN
    Accuracy Estimate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^29 % Mn
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Ore Manganese Manganese 29wt-pct
  • Year 1983
    Material ORE MN
    Accuracy Estimate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^ 25 % Fe (Approximately)
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Ore Iron Iron 25wt-pct
  • Year 1983
    Period 1965-1983
    Material ORE MN
    Description Cp_Grade: ^29 % Mn
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Ore Manganese Manganese 29wt-pct

Comments on the production information

  • ARE NOT AVAILABLE. GRADE ESTIMATES ARE FROM COMPANY BROCHURES.
  • THIS FIRM DOES NOT PUBLISH PRODUCTION BY MINE AND, BEGINNING IN 1978, TERMINATED PUBLICATION OF ANNUAL OUTPUT ON A COMPANY BASIS. THE TOTAL CUMULATIVE PRODUCTION FOR THIS MINE, THEREFORE, HAS BEEN ESTIMATED FROM PRESS RELEASES AND A PAST-EXPERIENCE DATA BASE. SIMILARLY, ANALYSES ARE NOT AVAILABLE. GRADE ESTIMATES ARE FROM COMPANY BROCHURES. ; ESTIMATE BASED ON COUNTRY PRODUCTION OF MANGANESE AND VERBAL INFORMATION PROVIDED BY SAMANCOR AND SOUTH AFRICAN MINERALS BUREAU OFFICIALS ; THIS FIRM DOES NOT PUBLISH PRODUCTION BY MINE, NOR OUTPUT ON A COMPANY BASIS. TOTALS USED THEREFORE, HAVE BEEN ESTIMATED FROM PRESS RELEASES. ANNUAL ANALYSES ARE ALSO NOT AVAILABLE. GRADE ESTIMATES ARE FROM COMPANY BROCHURES AND PRESS RELEASES. ; THIS FIRM DOES NOT PUBLISH PRODUCTION BY MINE AND, BEGINNING IN 1978, TERMINATED PUBLICATION OF ANNUAL OUTPUT ON A COMPANY BASIS. TOTALS USED, THEREFORE, HAVE BEEN ESTIMATED FROM PRESS RELEASES AND A PAST-EXPERIENCE DATA BASE. SIMILARLY, ANNUAL ANALYSES

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1975
    Total resources 6000000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Manganese Mn 29 wt-pct Manganese Major 1975

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • ESTIMATE OF PROVED AND BLOCKED OUT ORE ONLY. PROBABLE AND POSSIBLE RESERVES NOT INCLUDED.

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface
    Overall depth 61M

Comments on the workings information

  • OPEN PIT ONLY. MECHANIZED POWER SHOVEL, FRONT END LOADER AND TRUCK OPERATION BOTH WASTE REMOVAL AND ORE MINING. SELECTIVE MINING REQUIRED. SLURRY BLASTING EMPLOYED AND ORE SAMPLES FROM BLAST HOLES USED FOR GRADE CONTROL.

Comments on development

  • MILL.CAP: 0.7 MIL. MET. T/YR. ; ECON.YEAR: 1975 ; ECON.COM: THE MINE HAS BEEN AN OPEN PIT OPERATION SINCE IT WAS FIRST DEVELOPED IN 1922 . INDIVIDUAL MINING AREAS ARE SMALL BECAUSE OF TOPOGRAPHY AND VARYING DIPS OF THE ORE HORIZON, BUT LARGE NUMBER OF WORKABLE AREAS REMAIN TO GIVE THE MINE A LONG LIFE OUTLOOK.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    MINERAL RESOURCES OF THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA, FIFTH EDITION, HANDBOOK 7 , DEPARTMENT OF MINES, GEOLOGICAL SURVEY; 1976

  • Deposit

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

  • Deposit

    THE MANGANESE DEPOSITS OF THE UNION OF SOUTH AFRICA, HANDBOOK 2 , DEPARTMENT OF MINES, GEOLOGICAL SURVEY; 1960

  • Deposit

    SOUTH AFRICAN MANGANESE AMCOR LIMITED, 1976, BROCHURE.

  • Deposit

    SOUTH AFRICAN MANGANESE AMCOR LIMITED,1976, ANNUAL REPORTS.

  • Deposit

    SOUTH AFRICAN MANGANESE AMCOR LIMITED,1975, ANNUAL REPORTS.

  • Deposit

    SOUTH AFRICAN MANGANESE AMCOR LIMITED,1974, ANNUAL REPORTS.

  • Other Database

    ISMI

  • Production

    THROUGH 1977: SOUTH AFRICAN MANGANESE AMCOR LTD ANNUAL REPORTS. FROM 1978 ON; PRESS RELEASES, COMPANY BROCHURES. ; ESTIMATED BASED ON TOTAL COUNTRY PRODUCTION OF MANGANESE SUPPLIED BY THE MINERALS BUREAU AND INFORMATION PEOVIDED BY SAMANCOR OFFICIALS.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit THICKNESS OF MINABLE HORIZON VARYS WIDELY, FROM LESS THAN ONE METER TO 15 METERS APPROXIMATELY. DEPTH TO TOP REFERS TO MAXIMUM DEPTH OF OVERBURDEN AT CURRENT MINING COSTS. STRIKE APPROXIMATE. DIP HIGHLY VARIABLE FROM 5 - 80 DEGREES IN UNDULATIONS OVER SHORT DISTANCES. THE GENERAL TREND OF THE OREBODY IS, HOWEVER, JUDGED TO BE FLAT-LYING (IN ITS WESTERN EXTREMITIES) AND GENTLY SYNCLINAL (TO THE EAST).
Deposit OPERATIONS WERE SUSPENDED IN 1986.
Deposit INFORMATION MERGED FROM RECORD NUMBER W028846 ; W028847 ; W030795 ; W032372 ; W033593

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-APR-1978 Sweetwood, Charles W. Department of State
Updater 01-AUG-1984 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-AUG-1984 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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