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Beisa Mines Limited

Past Producer in Free State, South Africa with commodities Uranium, Gold, Silver
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Sections on this page
  1. Identification information
  2. Geographic coordinates
  3. Site location context
  4. Geographic areas
  5. Commodities
  6. Nearby scientific data
  7. Ore body information
  8. Controls for ore emplacement
  9. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  10. Mining district
  11. Land status
  12. Ownership information
  13. Production statistics
  14. Reserves and resources
  15. Workings at the site
  16. Links to other databases
  17. Bibliographic references
  18. General comments
  19. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10081195
MRDS ID W033081
Record type Site
Current site name Beisa Mines Limited
Alternate or previous names St. Helena Gold Mines Limited-Beisa Division

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: 26.2515, -28.19654 (WGS84)
Relative position 20 KILOMETERS SOUTH OF THE CITY OF WELKOM IN THE ORANGE FREE STATE, AND SOUTH OF THE SAND RIVER.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Free State(province)

South Africa(country)

Africa(continent)

Land(continent)

Geographic areas

Country State
South Africa Free State

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Uranium Primary
Gold Secondary
Silver Secondary

Nearby scientific data

(1) 26.2515, -28.19654
ListMap

Economic information

Ore body information

  • General form TUBULAR BLANKET
    Strike NORTH-SOUTH
    Dip VALIES FROM 20 DEGREES TO 60 DEGREES EAST TO WEST.
    Depth to bottom 1069.85M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Estensive Folding And Faulting

Comments on the geologic information

  • THE BEISA MINE IS SITUATED ON THE SOUTH-WESTERN EDGE OF THE WITWATERSRAND BASIN.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Significant No
Discovery year 1934
Year of first production 1981

Mining district

District name Orange Free State Area Of The Witwatersrand Goldfields

Land status

Ownership category Private

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner St. Helena Gold Mines Ltd.
  • Type Owner
    Owner General Mining Union Corp. (Gencor)-80% Equity.

Production statistics

  • Year 1982
    Material ORE U
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Cp_Grade: ^0.800 Kg U3o8/Met Ton Ore: 0.080 Toz Au/Met Ton Ore
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Trace Ore Gold Gold 0g/mt
    U3O8 Ore Uranium Uranium 800g/mt
  • Year 1982
    Material U
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^0.429 Kg U308/Metton Ore Treated
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Uranium Uranium 429g/mt
  • Year 1982
    Material ORE U
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^0.503 Kg U308/Met Ton Ore Trested, 0.304 Toz Au/Met Ton Ore Milled.
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Trace Ore Gold Gold 0g/mt
    Ore Uranium Uranium 503g/mt
  • Year 1983
    Material ORE U
    Description Cp_Grade: ^0.80 Kg U308/Met Ton Ore
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    U3O8 Ore Uranium Uranium 800g/mt
  • Year 1983
    Material AU
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^0.068 Toz Au/Met Ton Ore Milled
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Trace Gold Gold 0g/mt

Comments on the production information

  • MINE CLOSED DOWN AT END OF 1984 ; RATE OF DEVELOPMENT INCREASED TO INCREASE PRODUCTION TO PLANNED RATE OF 100,000 TONS/MONTH

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1982
    Total resources 6000000000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Uranium U3O8 0.0008 wt-pct Uranium Major 1982
    Gold Au 2.488 g/mt Gold Minor 1982

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Underground
    Area 3167.992HA

Comments on the workings information

  • THE MINE IS SERVED BY A 7 METER DIA. 1,071.5 METER DEEP SHAFT WITH A HOISTING CAPACITY OF 120,000 TONS/MONTH. THE SHAFT HAS FIVE OPERATING LEVELS AT 100 M VERTICAL INTERVALS. A 4 M. DIA, 670 M DEEP UPCAST VENTILATION SHAFT WITH 3 OPERATION LEVELS AT 100 M INTERVALS IS LOCATED 412 M FROM THE MAIN SHAFT. DRIVES ARE ABOUT 30 M BELOW THE REEF, AND STOPE BACKS ARE 120-150 M LONG. THE MINE HAS A RAISE INTERVAL OF 120 M. THE STOPING METHOD USES 30 M PANEL LENGTHS. BROKEN ROCK IS GRAVITY FED TO A STRIKE SCRAPER SYSTEM THAT DELIVERS ORE TO A CENTRAL GULLY, AFTER WHICH THE ORE GRAVITATES FROM THE GULLY TO THE STOPE OREPASS. THE ECONOMIC CHANNEL IN THE REEF IS LESS THAN 10 CM WIDE AND THE STOPING WIDTH, NORMAL TO THE DIP, GEOLOGY IS NO MORE THAN 80-90 CM. ORE IS NOT CRUSHED PRIOR TO MILLING. TWO TUBE MILLS HANDLE ABOUT 3.300 MT/DAY BETWEEN THEM. PULP FROM THE TUBE MILLS IS THICKENED AND PUMPED TO URANIUM LEACHING TANKS, WHERE URANIUM IS LEACHED FROM THE ORE USING SULPHURIC ACID, FINELY GROUND
  • PYROLUSITE, AND STEAM. HORIZONTAL BELT FILTERS SEPARATE THE GOLD AND SILVER RICH SLIMES FROM THE URANIUM SOLUTION. THE URANIUM IS REMOVED FROM THE SOLUTION BY SOLVENT EXTRACTION AND PRECIPITATED WITH

Comments on development

  • DEV$: 220 ; ECON.COM: THE BULK OF THE URANIUM TO BE MINED AT BEISA HAS BEEN SOLD TO JAPAN ON A LONG TERM CONTRACT WHICH BEGAN IN 1982. THE LIFE OF THE MINE IS ESTIMATED AT 26 YEARS AT FULL PRODUCTION OF 100,000 TONS PER MONTH.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Production

    ST. HELENA ANNUAL REPORT AND CHAMBER OF MINES ANALYSIS OF WORKING RESULTS-1982 ; CHAMBER OF MINES ANALYSIS OF WORKING RESULTS - 1984 ; CHAMBER OF MINES ANALYSIS OF WORKING RESULTS-1983 AND BELSA ANNUAL REPORT-1983

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit INFORMATION MERGED FROM RECORD NUMBER W032933 ; W033757 ; W055340

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-JUL-1983 Mccarter, Lorna D. Department of State
Updater 01-JUN-1985 Mccarter, Lorna D Department of State
Updater 01-JUN-1984 Mccarter, Lorna D Department of State
Updater 01-JUN-1984 Mccarter Lorna D. Department of State
Updater 01-JUN-1985 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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