1. Mineral Resources
  2. Online Spatial Data
  3. Mineral Resource Data System (MRDS)

Bitincke

Producer in Korce, Albania with commodity Nickel
Map
XML
JSON
KML
B
Sections on this page
  1. Identification information
  2. Geographic coordinates
  3. Site location context
  4. Geographic areas
  5. Commodities
  6. Materials information
  7. Nearby scientific data
  8. Ore body information
  9. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  10. Mineral rights holdings
  11. Ownership information
  12. Production statistics
  13. Workings at the site
  14. Links to other databases
  15. Bibliographic references
  16. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10134021
MAS/MILS ID 4810190002
Record type Site
Current site name Bitincke
Alternate or previous names Bitinska, An Alternate Spelling For, Bitincke Is Bitincka.

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Ore Body
Geographic coordinates: 21.0351, 40.64879 (WGS84)
Location accuracy 10000(meters)

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Korce(province)

Albania(country)

Geographic areas

Country State
Albania Korce

Comments on the location information

  • THE LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE ARE APPROXIMATED.

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Nickel Critical Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Goethite Unknown
Hematite Unknown

Nearby scientific data

Ore Body (1) 21.0351, 40.64879
ListMap

Economic information

Ore body information

  • Field Value
    MAS Matrix # 1
    MAS Column # 1
    Type of Orebody #1 LATERITE
    Shape of Orebody #1 TABULAR
    Primary mode of Origin METAMORPHISM
    Primary Ore Control OTHER
    Degree of Wallrock Alter. MODERATE
    Date of Last Modification 920731

Comments on the geologic information

  • THE DEPOSIT CONSISTS OF A LAYER OF NICKEL SILICATE, OVERLAIN BY HEMATITE AND GOETHITE. THE NICKEL SILICATE WAS FORMED BY THE IN-SITU WEATHERING OF PERIDOTITE. THE HANGINGWALL CONSISTS OF LIMESTONE AND THE FOOTWALL CONTAINS PERIDOTITE. BGR REPORTS THAT THE IRON-NICKEL HORIZION IS UNDERLAIN BY A NICKEL SILICATE DEPOSIT, 1.5 TO 8 METERS THICK. THE NICKEL-SILICATE CONTAINS 14 TO 18 PERCENT IRON, 1.29 NICKEL, .07 PERCENT COBALT, 36 PERCENT SIO2, 17 PERCENT MGO, AND 2 TO 3 PERCENT CACO. THE IRON-NICKEL DEPOSIT CONTAINS 40 PERCENT IRON, 1.32 PERCENT NICKEL, .06 PERCENT CO, AND 11 TO 12 PERCENT SIO2. THE OREBODY DIPS 10 TO 20 DEGREES TO THE WEST AND STRIKES NORTHSOUTH.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Underground
Development status Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Significant Yes
Year of first production 1983

Mineral rights holdings

Type of mineral rights Unknown

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Minera Bitincke
    Interest 100
    Home office Albania
    Year 1991

Production statistics

  • Year 1989
    Accuracy Estimate
    Description Ore Throughput (Estimated) 1000000 Metric Tons Of Ore

Comments on the production information

  • MINING JOURNAL RESEARCH SERVICES REPORT THAT THE BITINCKE IRON-NICKEL RESOURCE, LOCATED 40 KILOMETERS FROM KORCE, IS CURRENTLY MANAGED BY THE KORCE STATE COPPER MINING ENTERPRISE, WITH ITS HEAD OFFICE IN KORCE. THE DEPOSIT HAS RECOVERABLE RESERVES OF SOME 10 MILLION TONS GRADING 1.63 PERCENT NICKEL. THE DEPOSIT LIES IN MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN, SUBCROPPING OVER AN AREA OF 50 SQUARE KILOMETERS. THE OREBODY STRIKES TO THE NORTH AND DIPS STEEPLY, FROM 20 TO 70 DEGREES, TO THE EAST. THE THICKNESS OF THE OREBODY VARIES FROM 3 METERS UP TO 30 METERS, AND CONSISTS OF TWO MAIN ORE-TYPES. AT THE BASE OF THE ORE HORIZON, CLOSEST TO THE UNALTERED ULTRABASICS, LIES A NICKEL-SILICATE LAYER. OVERLYING THIS LAYER IS A BLANKET OF IRON-NICKEL LATERITE. THE CONTACT BETWEEN THESE TWO ORE TYPES IS HIGHLY GRADATIONAL AND HENCE NO ATTEMPT IS MADE TO SELECTIVELY MINE THE INDIVIDUAL LAYERS. THE LOWERMOST NICKEL-SILICATE LAYER TENDS TO HAVE THE HIGHER GRADES OF NICKEL, HOWEVER, THE COMPLEX MINERALOGY OF THE NICKEL-SILICATES IS NOT ADEQUATELY HANDLED IN THE SMELTERS AT ELBASAN. GIVEN AN UPGRADE IN THE PYROMETALLURGICAL TECHNIQUES AT ELBASAN, IT IS ESTIMATED THAT MORE THAN 1 MILLION TONS PER YEAR OF IRON-NICKEL AND NICKEL-SILICATE ORE COULD BE PROCESSED. INDICATED RESERVES OF LATERITE ORE CONTAIN MORE THAN 1.2 MILLION TONS OF METALLIC NICKEL. THERE IS GREAT POTENTIAL TO DOUBLE PRODUCTION AT THE MINE ITSELF, AND FOR THE FURTHER DISCOVERY OF HIGHER GRADE NICKEL DEPOSITS IN THE VICINITY OF BITINCKE.
  • BGR REPORTED IN 1988 THAT THE 100,000 METRIC TONS PER YEAR OF NICKEL ORE WAS EXPORTED TO CZECHOSLOVAKIA. BGR RECOMMENDED THAT THE ORE FROM THE MINE BE SENT TO A SMELTER IN ELBASAN.

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • HEAD GRADES OF NICKEL SILICATE ORE RANGE AS FOLLOWS: 1.12 TO 1.72 PERCENT NICKEL, 11.7 TO 24 PERCENT IRON, AND 13 TO 28 PERCENT SIO2. HEAD GRADES OF FE-NI ORE RANGE AS FOLLOWS: 30 TO 44 PERCENT IRON AND 1 PERCENT NICKEL. RESERVES ARE ESTIMATED TO BE 50 TO 70 MILLION METRIC TONS BY C.R.U.. THE BITINCKE MINE IS LOCATED ON THE GREEK - ALBANIAN BOARDER, 40 KILOMETERS SOUTHEAST OF POGRADEC. BGR REPORTS NICKEL SILICATE RESERVES TOTAL 50 MILLION METRIC TONS, AND FERRO-NICKEL RESERVES TOTAL 40 TO 45 MILLION METRIC TONS.

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Underground
    Field Value
    MAS Development Schedule # 1
    Mining Record # 1
    Status of Mining Method ESTIMATE
    Hardness of Rock UNKNOWN
    Rock Characteristics UNKNOWN
    Rock Support Chars. UNKNOWN
    1st Condition of Workings UNKNOWN
    Capacity 4000
    Capacity Units MT ORE/DAY
    Operating Days per Year 250
    Operating Shifts per Day 2
    Year of Information 1991

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Commodity

    COMMODITIES RESEARCH UNIT, LTD., THE BASE METAL INDUSTRY

  • Commodity

    OF ALBANIA, LONDON, 55 PP. (1991).

  • Commodity

    C. KIPPENBERGER, REPORT OF AN OFFICIAL VISIT TO ALBANIA

  • Commodity

    TO GATHER INFORMATION ON THE SITUATION IN THE MINERAL

  • Commodity

    RESOURCES SECTOR, JULY 28, 1988 TO AUGUST 11, 1988, FEDERAL

  • Commodity

    INSTITUTE FOR GEOSCIENCES AND NATURAL RESOURCES (BGR)

  • Commodity

    HANNOVER 53 PP.

  • Commodity

    MINING JOURNAL RESEARCH SERVICES IN CO-OPERATION WITH

  • Commodity

    THE ALBANIAN MINISTRY OF INDUSTRY, MINES, AND ENERGY, MINING

  • Commodity

    IN ALBANIA: AN EMERGING OPPORTUNITY, P. 70 (MAY 1992).

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 10-MAR-97 Bleiwas, Donald U.S. Bureau of Mines

Beyond USGS

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

Maps centered on this site