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Suria Malableh

Prospect in Somalia with commodities Gypsum-Anhydrite, Strontium
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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. Ore body information
  10. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  11. Links to other databases
  12. Bibliographic references
  13. General comments
  14. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10096851
MRDS ID D006923
Record type Site
Current site name Suria Malableh
Related records 10297237

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: 45.11775, 10.35063 (WGS84)
Location accuracy 1000(meters)

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Somalia(country)

Geographic areas

Country
Somalia

Comments on the location information

  • DISTRICT LIES ALONG CEBOLLA CREEK IN VICINITY OF POWDERHORN, IRON HILL, AND RUDOLPH HILL, FROM CONFLUENCE OF POWDERHORN CREEK UPSTREAM (SOUTH) TO ABOUT THE COMFLUENCE OF RUDOLPH AND MUD GULCHES, SOUTHWESTERN GUNNISON CO. INCLUDES ALL OR LOWER PARTS OF SAMMONS GULCH, STONE GULCH, SMITH GULCH, HUNTSMAN GULCH, DELDORADO CREEK, ROAD BEAVER CREEK, NORTH BEAVER CREEK, KELSO GULCH, EAST DEMPSEY GULCH, WEST DEMPSEY GULCH, AND JOHNSON GULCH. PROMINENT LANDMARKS INCLUDE HUNTSMAN MESA, IRON HILL, RUDOLPH HILL, MILLER HILL, FISH CANYON RIDGE, AND CEBOLLA HOT SPRINGS. DISTRICT ACCESSIBLE VIA COLORADO RTE 149 FROM US RTE 50 AND BLUE MESA RESERVOIR SW TO CEBOLLA CREEK (NEAR POWDERHORN); VIA ROAD SOUTH FROM COLORADO 149, THROUGH POWDERHORN AND UP CEBOLLA CREEK; VIA ROAD NE FROM LAKE CITY AND LAKE SAN CRISTOBAL, OVER SLUMGULLION PASS, AND DOWN CEBOLLA CREEK THROUGH CATHEDRAL; VIA ROAD FROM COLORADO RTE 114 AND COCHETOPA CREEK SW UP LOS PINOS CREEK, OVER LOS PINOS PASS TO CEBOLLA CREEK AND CATHEDRAL.
  • DISTRICT EXTENDS SOUTH ONTO RUDOLPH HILL (1962) QUAD. SECTIONS LISTED INCLUDE THOSE CONTAINING PROSPECTS AND ROCK TYPES RELATED TO IRON HILL AND POWDERHORN STOCKS. ELEV AND LAT-LONG GIVEN ARE FOR SUMMIT OF IRON HILL, 2.8 MILES SE OF POWDERHORN, IN C NW SW SEC. 12, T46N, R2W. ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :1976

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gypsum-Anhydrite Primary
Strontium Secondary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Celestite Ore
Gypsum Ore

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Carbonate > Limestone
    Rock unit name Anhydrite
    Rock description Anhydrite
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Eocene

Nearby scientific data

(1) 45.11775, 10.35063
ListMap

Economic information

Ore body information

  • General form BLANKET

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Prospect
Commodity type Non-metallic
Deposit size Large
Significant No

Comments on the workings information

  • DISTRICT HAS BEEN EXTENSIVELY EXPLORED BY OPEN CUTS AND TRENCHES. VERMICULITE PRODUCED FROM OPEN CUTS AND SHALLOW SHAFTS. SEVERAL OLDER TUNNEL PROSPECTS. CARBONATITE EXPLORED BY DU PONT'S 365-FT TUNNEL. PEROVSKITE AREA EXPLORED BY NUMEROUS SURFACE CUTS AND BY NUMEROUS CORE HOLES.

Comments on development

  • BY J.W. DALE AND H.A. FREEMAN. NO DETAILED STUDIES WERE DONE UNTIL THE EARLY 1910S WHEN SINGEWALD (1912, 1913) AND USBM EVALUATED DEPOSITS FOR POTENTIAL IN IRON/STEEL MANUFACTURE. TITANIFEROUS FE ORES WERE NOT WORKABLE, BUT USBM'S METALLOGRAPHIC EXAMINATIONS WERE TO DETERMINE CHARACTER AND OCCURENCE OF TI IN FE ORE AND WHETHER OR NOT THEY COULD BE SEPARATED ECONOMICALLY EITHER BY SMELTING OR BY CRUSHING AND MAGNETIC SEPARATED ECONOMICALLY EITHER BY SMELTING OR BY CRUSHING AND MAGNETIC SEPARATION. SINGEWALD CONCLUDED LOW POTENTIAL FOR ORE DUE TO (1) INACCESSIBLE LOCATION, (2) LARGE TONNAGE OF ORE OCCURRED AS SMALL SEGREGATIONS, (3) MAGNETIC CONCENTRATION NOT FEASIBLE DUE TO HIGH PERCENTAGE OF TI IN ORE. LARSEN (1942) BEGAN FIRST DETAILED MAPPING AND ROCK/MINERAL ANALYSES IN 1912-1913 AND INTERMITTENTLY THROUGH 1930. MUILENBURG (1919) DESCRIBE MN OCCURRENCES IN CEBOLLA CREEK VALLEY IN 1917 AS PART OF STATEWIDE SURVEY TO STIMULATE MN MINING FOR STEEL INDUSTRY AT START OF WW I. APPARENTLY
  • NO FURTHER MAJOR ACTIVITY UNTIL 1935 WHEN BLACK MICA MINING COMPANY BEGAN MINING AND PROCESSING VERMICULITE; VENTURE APPARENTLY FAILED TO POOR EXPANSIVE PROPERTIES OF VERMICULITE. HOWEVER, BLACK MICA REPORTEDLY PRODUCED VERMICULITE AGAIN IN 1943. OTHER SMALL AMOUNTS OF VERMICULITE WERE MINED IN 1841-1944 AS PART OF WAR EFFORT. VERMICULITE MINING COMPANY RAN MILL AT POWDERHORN UNDER GOVT. CONTRACT TO SUPPLY EXPANDED VERMICULITE FOR INSULATION, PLASTER, TILE, AND FIRPROOFING. ALEXITE ENGINEERING OF COLORADO SPRINGS PRODUCED VERMICULITE IN 1943-1944 AND ALSO MINOR AMOUNT OF MN ORE IN 1943. SMALLER AMOUNTS OF VERMICULITE LATER PRODUCED INTERMITTENTLY FROM 1958 TO 1961 BY TITAN PINNACLE. INC. THORIUM WAS DISCOVERED IN VEINS IN DISTRICT IN 1949, AND ABOUT 250 VEINS WERE PROSPECTED FOR TH FROM 1949 TO 1956, BUT NO ORE WAS PRODUCED. ON BEHALF OF AEC, TH INVESTIGATIONS CONDUCTED BY USGS IN 1950 - 1953, FOLLOWED BY QUAD MAPPING IN 1956 - 1963. USGS CONDUCTED ADDITIONAL GEOCHEMICAL ANALYSES IN
  • LATE 1970S AND ESTIMATED RESERVES/RESOURCES POTENTIAL OF TH VEINS AND CARBONATITES, WITH BY-PRODUCT U, RARE EARTHS, AND NB. POSSIBLY IN 1940S OR EARLY 1950S, NEW JERSEY ZINC CONDUCTED FE/TI EXPLORATION IN DISTRICT. IN 1951, GROUP OF MINNESOTA INVESTORS (POSSIBLY THE GUNNISON SYNDICATE, SUCCESSOR TO BLACK MICA MINING CO., AS DESCRIBED BY ROSE AND SHANNON, 1960, P. 7), WHO HAD ACQUIRED SUBSTANTIAL PROPERTY FOR VERMICULATE POTENTIAL, APPROACHED HUMPHREYS ENGINEERING COMPANY OF DENVER OFFERING PROPERTY AS SOURCE OF TI. AT THE TOME, HUMPHREYS OPERATED HEAVY - METAL BEACH PLACERS FOR DU PONT AND NATIONAL LEAD COMPANY (NL INDUSTRIES). HUMPHREYS TOOK 20-YEAR LEASE ON PROPERTY IN 1955 WITH OPTIONS FOR 80 ADDITIONAL YEARS. HUMPHREYS DRILLED SHALLOW PERCUSSION HOLES AND PERFECTED BASIC TECHNIQUE FOR PRODUCTION OF PEROVSKITE CONCENTRATES, IN FALL OF 1956, HUMPHREYS ATTEMPTED TO INTEREST DU PONT NEMOURS IN PROPERTY. DU PONT'S CHIEF GEOLOGIST ROBERT GROGAN, BASED ON HIS EXAMINATION OF AFRICAN
  • CARBONATITIES, RECOGNIZED IRON HILL AS CARBONATITE, POSSIBLY NB-BEARING. FOLLOWING ITS LEASE-OPTION ACQUISITION IN 1956, DU PONT DIRECTED EFFORTS AT CARBONATITE EXPLORATION, CULMINATING IN DRILLING LONG PROSPECT TUNNEL IN 1957-1958. ENGINEERING STUDY ON MINING AND CONCENTRATION METHODS AND COST DONE BY STEARNS-ROGER, AND ORE-DRESSING STUDY DONE BY COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES RESEARCH INSTITUTE. ALSO IN 1956-1957, USBM DRILLED 3 CORE HOLES (TOTALLING 1869 FT) AND ANALYZED NUMEROUS SURFACE AND CORE SAMPLES AS PART OF INVESTIGATION OF U.S. FE TI RESOURCES. BUTTES OIL AND GAS ACQUIRED PROPERTY IN 1968 AND BEGAN INTENSIVE STUDIES, INCLUDING GEOPHYSICAL SURVEYING, DRILLING, MARKET STUDIES, COMPUTER ORE-RESERVE ANALYSES, AND ECONOMIC MODELING. ASSISTING BUTTES IN VARIOUS CAPACITIES WERE KAISER ENGINEERS (OAKLAND, CA), HAZEN RESEARCH (GOLDEN, CO), WESTERN STATE COLLEDGE (GUNNISON, CO), AND HUMPHREYS MINERAL INDUSTRIES (DENVER). BUTTES' BASE-CASE ECONOMIC MODEL BASED ON 4,380,000-ST/YR OPEN PIT
  • MINE, ON-SITE CRUSHING AND CONCENTRATING TO PRODUCE DRY TIO2 CONCENTRATES, OFF-SITE CHEMICAL PROCESSING TO PRODUCE PIGMENT-GRADE TIO2. MODEL INCLUDES BY-PRODUCT RECOVERY OF RARE EARTHS. AS OF 1983, STUDY UNDERWAY FOR SMALLER OPERATION (60,000 ST/YR) FOR PRODUCTION OF TIO2 PIGMENT AND ASSOCIATED RARE EARTHS AND NB (SEE MINERAL ECONOMICS SECTION FOR DETAILS OF PROCESSES).
  • POWDERHIRN VALLEY SETTLED BY RANCHERS IN EARLY 1870S. DISCOVERIES AND EARLY MINING IN GUNNISON GOLD BELT DISTRICTS TO NORTH LED TO ESTABLISHMENT OF SMALL MINING TOWNS OF DUBOIS, SPENCER, VULCAN, AND MODWAY ON LATE 1880S. PROSPECTING IN POWDERHORN-IRON HILL AREA PROBABLY BEGAN ALSO IN 1880S, LEADING TO LODE CLAIMS ON IRON HILL. TITANIFEROUS CHARACTER OF MAGNETITE WAS KNOWN TO GEOLOGISTS AT LEAST AS EARLY AS 1883. PROSPECTORS EITHER MISTOOK MAGNETITE-PEROVSKITE FOR BASE-METAL SULFIDES OR BELIEVED THAT IT INDICATED SULFIDE PRESENCE AT DEPTH. CLAIMS NORTH OF DELDORADO CREEK (MS 2503-2506) WERE SURVEYED IN 1886 & PATENTED BY CYRUS W. SHORES IN 1889. CLAIMS IN STONE GULCH (ACTUALLY ASSIGNED TO MCDONOUGH DISTRICT) WERE SURVEYED IN 1886 AND PATENTED 1890 BY JOHN J. CROOKE, WHO APPARENTLY SHIPPED SOME OF THE MAGNETITE ORE TO LAKE CITY SMELTER. DISCOVERY OF TITANIFEROUS CHARACTER OF ORE PREVENTED ANY FURTHER SHIPMENTS. REMAINING LARGE CLAIM BLOCK (MS 5898) SURVEYED IN 1889 AND PATENTED IN 1892
  • REPORTED AS TO GO INTO PRODUCTION IN MIDDLE OF 1977 (KAPLAN AND OTHERS, 1977)

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME, 1970, MINERAL AND GROUNDWATER SURVEY-SOMALIA: UNITED NATIONS REPORT, 133P

  • Deposit

    HUNT, J. A., 1960, GEOLOGY OF THE BERBERA-SHEIKH AREA, BERBERA AND BURAO DISTRICTS: SOMALILAND BRITISH PROTECTORATE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY REPORT NO. 4, 27 P.

  • Deposit

    KAPLAN, I., DOBERT, M. K., MCLAUGHLIN, J. L., MARVIN, B., ROTH, H. M., AND WHITAKER, D. P., 1977. AREA HANDBOOK FOR SOMALIA: AMERICAN UNIV., WASHINGTON D. C., 392 P.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit CONTAINS 7 MILLION TONS GYPSUM (KAPLAN AND OTHERS, 1977). 30 MILLION TONS OR LARGER SUPPLIES OF GYPSUM OCCUR IN REGION (HUNT, 1960).
Deposit THIS RECORD IS CONTINUED ON RECORD D011764 ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT; 2 UNPUB REPT; 3 FIELD OBSERV

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-JUN-1981 Greenwood, William R. U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

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

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