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Union Tin

Producer in South Africa with commodities Tin, Iron, Copper, Arsenic, Lead
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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. Workings at the site
  19. Links to other databases
  20. Bibliographic references
  21. General comments
  22. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10107357
MRDS ID W028275
Record type Site
Current site name Union Tin
Related records 10159140

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: 28.51809, -24.48001 (WGS84)
Elevation 1524
Relative position 27 KILOMETERS NORTHEAST OF THE TOWN OF NYLSTROOM; 21 KILOMETERS NORTHWEST OF THE TOWN OF NABOOMSPRUIT

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

South Africa(country)

Africa(continent)

Land(continent)

Geographic areas

Country
South Africa

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Tin Critical Primary
Iron Secondary
Copper Secondary
Arsenic Critical Secondary
Lead Secondary

Comments on the commodity information

  • TIN HAS BEEN THE ONLY METAL RECOVERED BY THIS COMPANY AT THIS PROPERTY. THERE ARE NO KNOWN PLANS TO EXPLOIT MINOR COMMODITIES PRESENT.

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Cassiterite Ore
Chalcopyrite Ore
Galena Ore
Hematite Unknown
Magnetite Unknown

Alteration

  • (Local) None

Analytical data

Result SEE PRODUCTION ENTRIES

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Granite
    Rock unit name Rooiberg Felsite, Pretoria Series, Transvaal System
    Rock description Rooiberg Felsite, Pretoria Series, Transvaal System
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Shale
    Rock unit name The Union (Argillaceous) Shale, Interbedded In The Rooiberg Felsite, Pretoria Series, Transvaal System
    Rock description The Union (Argillaceous) Shale, Interbedded In The Rooiberg Felsite, Pretoria Series, Transvaal System

Nearby scientific data

(1) 28.51809, -24.48001
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Gently Dipping Regionally, With No Major Structural Disturbances.
Type of structure Local
Structure description Steeply Dipping Locally, Flattening At Depth. Faulting And Folding Occurs, But Not Considered To Be Of Major Importance.

Ore body information

  • General form IRREGULAR
    Strike NW-SE
    Dip 45 DEG. NE
    Length 1200M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Ore Is Contained In Fissures In Felsite And The Intercalated Sedimentary Bed ("Union Shale") Only. Cassiterite Is Extremely Fine-Grained And In All Instances Replacement Lodes.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1909
Year of first production 1953

Mining district

District name Nystroom Tin Field

Land status

Ownership category Private

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Union Tin Mines Ltd.
  • Type Owner
    Owner Gold Fields Of South Africa Ltd.

Production statistics

  • Year 1978
    Material ORE SN
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^1.2 % Sn
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Ore Tin Tin 1wt-pct
  • Year 1979
    Material CON SN
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^1.3% Sn
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Conc. Tin Tin 1wt-pct
  • Year 1980
    Material ORE SN
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^1.1% Sn
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Ore Tin Tin 1wt-pct
  • Year 1981
    Material CON SN
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^38.0% Sn
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Conc. Tin Tin 38wt-pct
  • Year 1982
    Material CON SN
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^1.06% Sn
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Conc. Tin Tin 1wt-pct
  • Year 1982
    Material SN
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^37.7% Sn
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Tin Tin 38wt-pct
  • Year 1983
    Period 1953-1983
    Material ORE SN
    Description Cp_Grade: ^.008 % Sn
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Ore Tin Tin 0wt-pct
  • Year 1983
    Material ORE SN
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^1.0% Sn
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Ore Tin Tin 1wt-pct

Comments on the production information

  • ORE DATA ARE TONS OF ORE MILLED. TIN ENTRIES ARE TONS OF TIN METAL CONTAINED IN CONCENTRATES. CONCENTRATE PRODUCTION FIGURES NOT AVAILABLE SINCE 1978. ; MINE CLOSED ON MARCH 31, 1986, BUT DUMP RETREATMENT CONTINUED UNTIL MAY 22, 1986. PLANT IS ON CARE AND MAINTENANCE. ; NO CONCENTRATE PRODUCTION FIGURE AVAILABLE FOR 1980

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Underground
    Length 1200M

Comments on the workings information

  • LENGTH OF WORKINGS CORRESPOND TO FULL STRIKE LENGTH OF OCCURRENCE. EARLY ATTEMPTS TO WORK THIS DEPOSIT ( 1909 - 1951 ) WERE UNSUCCESSFUL BECAUSE OF THE FINENESS OF THE CASSITERITE AND ITS ASSOCIATION WITH HEMATITE AND MAGNETITE. MINING METHODS EMPLOY DEVELOPMENT DRIFTING IN ORE AND STOPING WHERE POSSIBLE. THE MILL AND CONCENTRATOR USE HEAVY MEDIA SEPARATION AND FLOTATION.

Comments on development

  • MILL.CAP: 0.1 MIL. MET. T/YR. ; ECON.COM: WHILE THIS OPERATION IS NEARING THE END OF ITS PRODUCTIVE LIFE, THE DISCOVERY OF ADDITIONAL ORE IN 1978 AND CONTINUING HIGH PRICES OF TIN SUGGEST THAT UNDERGROUND MINING OPERATIONS WILL BE EXTENDED AT LEAST THROUGH 1982 .

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

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

  • Deposit

    "SOME ENIGMA'S OF THE BUSHVELD IGNEOUS COMPLEX"; UNIVERSITY OF THE WITWATERSRAND, ECONOMIC GEOLOGY RESEARCH UNIT; INFORMATION CIRCULAR NO. 92 ; HUNTER, D. R.; CIRCA 1975

  • Deposit

    UNION TIN MINES LIMITED, 1978, ANNUAL REPORTS.

  • Deposit

    UNION TIN MINES LIMITED, 1977, ANNUAL REPORTS.

  • Deposit

    UNION TIN MINES, 1976, ANNUAL REPORTS.

  • Deposit

    UNION TIN MINES, 1975, ANNUAL REPORTS.

  • Deposit

    UNIVERSITY OF WITWATERSRAND, (N.D.), TIN PRODUCTION FROM THE BUSHVELD COMPLEX: UNIVERSITY OF THE WITWATERSRAND, ECONOMIC GEOLOGY RESEARCH UNIT.

  • Deposit

    LENTHALL, D.H., 1972, INFORMATION CIRCULAR NO. 43.

  • Production

    UNION TIN MINES LTD ANNUAL REPORTS ; UNION TIN ANNUAL REPORT - 1983 ; UNION TIN ANNUAL REPORT - 1984 ; UNION TIN ANNUAL REPORT - 1985 ; UNION STEEL ANNUAL REPORT-1986 ; UNION TIN ANNUAL REPORT - 1981 ; UNION TIN ANNUAL REPORT - 1982 ; UNION TIN ANNUAL REPORT 1980 ; UNION TIN MINES LIMITED ANNUAL REPORT 1979

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit DATA ON THICKNESS AND DEPTH ARE NOT AVAILABLE. TIN OCCURS IN OR ADJACENT TO FISSURES IN FELSITE AND AN INTERLAYERED ARGILLACEOUS BED (THE SO-CALLED UNION SHALE) AS STOCKWORKS OF FINE-GRAINED CASSITERITE. THE DEPOSITS ARE REPLACEMENT BODIES CLOSE TO FRACTURES BUT NOT ACTUALLY FILLING THEM. CHLORITIZATION IN HOST ROCKS IS PROMINENT, BUT NOT INDICATIVE OF THE GRADE OF CASSITERITE MINERALIZATION.
Deposit INFORMATION MERGED FROM RECORD NUMBER W028908 ; W030964 ; W032364 ; W033029 ; W033086 ; W033755 ; W044590 ; W055342

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-JUL-1983 Sweetwood, Charles W. Department of State
Updater 01-AUG-1982 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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