1. Mineral Resources
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  3. Mineral Resource Data System (MRDS)

Somirwa

Plant in Rwanda with commodities Niobium (Columbium), Tin
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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. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  9. Mineral rights holdings
  10. Land status
  11. Ownership information
  12. Workings at the site
  13. Links to other databases
  14. Bibliographic references
  15. General comments
  16. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10118161
MAS/MILS ID 7690000001
Record type Site
Current site name Somirwa

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Ore Body
Geographic coordinates: 30.06798, -1.89825 (WGS84)
Location accuracy 5000(meters)

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Rwanda(country)

Geographic areas

Country
Rwanda

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Niobium (Columbium) Critical Primary
Tin Critical Primary

Nearby scientific data

Ore Body (1) 30.06798, -1.89825
ListMap

Economic information

Ore body information

  • Field Value
    Date of Last Modification 910903

Comments on the geologic information

  • 50% OF RWANDA IS COVERED BY GRANITES. THE EIGHT MAIN BATHOLITHS ARE; KITABI, MAYAGA, KABAYA, BUGESEIRA, MUHAZI, ZAZA, KIGALI, AND RESUMO.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Surface-Underground
Development status Plant
Commodity type Metallic
Significant Yes
Discovery year 1920
Mining method Combined Methods
Year of first production 1930
Plant type Beneficiation (Mill)
Plant subcategory Gravity
Milling method Gravity

Mineral rights holdings

Type of mineral rights State Lease
Type of mineral rights Minerals Only

Land status

Ownership category Mixed

Ownership information

  • Type Owner
    Owner Rwanda Government
    Interest 51
    Home office Rwanda
    Year 1983
  • Type Owner
    Owner Geomines
    Interest 49
    Home office Rwanda
    Year 1983

Comments on the ownership information

  • SOMIRWA IS OWNED 51% BY GEOMINESX.
  • SOMIRWA (SOCIETE DES MINES DU RWANDA), INC. 1973, HAS SHARES IN THE RWANDA GOVERNMENT & GEOMINES.

Comments on the production information

  • PRODUCTION OF COLUMBITE-TANTALITE CONCENTRATES DURING THE PAST 16 YEARS HAS AVERAGED 2.3% OF THE CASSITERITE PRODUCT.
  • PRODUCT B (COLUMBITE-TANTALITE CONCENTRATE) YIELD IS SPLIT BY THE GRADE OF EACH MINERAL; COLUMBITE AT 45% AND TANTALITE AT 25% IN THE COLUMBITE-TANTALITE CONCENTRATE.

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • THE ESTIMATED INSITU RESOURCES BASED ON THE CONTRACTORS DATA AS DETAILED IN THE DEPOSIT REPORT AND ETD.

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface
    Field Value
    MAS Development Schedule # 1
    Mining Record # 1
    Status of Mining Method ESTIMATE
    Mining Method OPEN PIT
    Capacity 2727
    Capacity Units MT ORE/DAY
    Operating Days per Year 365
    Operating Shifts per Day 2
    Year of Information 1983
  • Type of workings Underground
    Field Value
    MAS Development Schedule # 1
    Mining Record # 1
    Status of Mining Method ESTIMATE
    Mining Method CONVENTIONAL ROOM & PILLAR
    Percent Recovery 100
    Hardness of Rock UNKNOWN
    Rock Characteristics UNKNOWN
    Rock Support Chars. UNKNOWN
    1st Condition of Workings OPEN
    Capacity 2727
    Capacity Units MT ORE/DAY
    Operating Days per Year 365
    Operating Shifts per Day 2
    Year of Information 1983

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    BERTOSSA, A., "INVENTAIRE DES MINERAUX DU RWANDA," BULLETIN

  • Deposit

    DU SERVICE GEOLOGIQUE NO. 4, REPUBLIQUE RWANDAISE, 1967-

  • Deposit

    1968.

  • Deposit

    BLEYENHEUFT, L., "EPURATION DES MINERAIS DU RWANDA,"

  • Deposit

    BULLETIN DU SERVICE GEOLOGIQUE NO. 2, REPUBLIQUE

  • Deposit

    RWANDAISE, 1965.

  • Deposit

    CIDA, LA SOMIRWA, CANADIAN INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT AGENCY.

  • Deposit

    (BACKGROUND NOTE).

  • Deposit

    CORMINBOEUF, P., "LA MINE DE BUSORO," BULLETIN DU SERVICE

  • Deposit

    GEOLOGIQUE NO. 4, REPUBLIQUE RWANDAISE, 1967-68.

  • Deposit

    CORMINBOEUF, P., "LE GISEMENT DE COLUMBO-TANTALITE DE

  • Deposit

    CASSITERITE ET DE BERYL DE BURUSHA," BULLETIN DU SERVICE

  • Deposit

    GEOLOGIQUE NO. 5, REPUBLIQUE RWANDAISE, 1968.

  • Deposit

    MONTELL, C.L., TIN MINING & ORE DRESSING, HAFNER PUBLISHING,

  • Deposit

    1970.

  • Deposit

    MINERAL YEAR BOOK, RWANDA, 1980.

  • Deposit

    MINING ANNUAL REVIEW, RWANDA, 1979, 1980, 1982.

  • Deposit

    MINING JOURNAL, RWANDA, JUNE 1979, 1980, 1982.

  • Deposit

    PETRICEC, V., MUFORMO, A., "NOTES SUR LA MINE DE BISERORO,"

  • Deposit

    REPUBLIQUE RWANDAISE, LEGISLATION MINIERE 1971, ARRETE

  • Deposit

    PRESIDENTEL 186116 PERMIS DE RECHERCHES MINIERES, DECRET

  • Deposit

    LOI 13/81, IMPOTS SUR LE REVENU, INCORPORATION DE LA

  • Deposit

    SOMIRWA.

  • Deposit

    ROSKILL, "THE ECONOMICS OF NIOBIUM, THIRD EDITION," 1974,

  • Deposit

    "THE ECONOMICS OF NIOBIUM, FOURTH EDITION," 1983,

  • Deposit

    ROSKILL INFORMATION SERVICES: LONDON.

  • Deposit

    "TINY RWANDA MUST TACKLE GIANT PROBLEMS," NEW YORK TIMES,

  • Deposit

    APRIL 13, 1983.

  • Deposit

    UNIVERSITE NATIONALE DU RWANDA, ETUDES RWANDAISE

  • Deposit

    ET INVENTAIRE DES MINERAUX DU RWANDA, DECEMBRE 1979.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit CAPACITY OF THE MINES ARE ASSUMED TO BE THE SAME AS THE MILLS.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 24-SEP-96 Buckingham, David A. U.S. Bureau of Mines

Beyond USGS

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

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