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  3. Mineral Resource Data System (MRDS)

Balan

Plant in Harghita, Romania with commodity Copper
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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. Nearby scientific data
  8. Ore body information
  9. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  10. Mining district
  11. Mineral rights holdings
  12. Land status
  13. Ownership information
  14. Production statistics
  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 10134121
MAS/MILS ID 4850430001
Record type Site
Current site name Balan
Alternate or previous names Balan Mining Complex, Eastern Carpathian Mountains Dist.

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Ore Body
Geographic coordinates: 25.71863, 46.71524 (WGS84)
Elevation 1000
Location accuracy 10000(meters)

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Harghita(province)

Romania(country)

Geographic areas

Country State
Romania Harghita

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Copper Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Arsenopyrite Unknown
Chalcopyrite Unknown
Galena Unknown
Pyrite Unknown
Pyrrhotite Unknown
Sphalerite Unknown
Tetrahedrite Unknown

Nearby scientific data

Ore Body (1) 25.71863, 46.71524
ListMap

Economic information

Ore body information

  • Field Value
    MAS Matrix # 1
    MAS Column # 1
    Type of Orebody #1 STRATABOUND
    Shape of Orebody #1 UNKNOWN
    Primary mode of Origin UNKNOWN
    Primary Ore Control UNKNOWN
    Type of Wallrock Alter. #1 UNKNOWN
    Date of Last Modification 920618

Comments on the geologic information

  • BALAN PRODUCTIONS EMPLOY APPROXIMATELY 5,600 PEOPLE. (1990)

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Underground
Development status Plant
Commodity type Metallic
Significant Yes
Mining method Caving Methods - Sublevel Caving
Plant type Smelter
Milling method Flotation

Mining district

District name East Carpathian Mt

Mineral rights holdings

Type of mineral rights Unknown
Type of mineral rights Unknown
Type of mineral rights Unknown

Land status

Ownership category Unknown

Ownership information

  • Type Owner
    Owner Government Of Romania
    Interest 100
    Home office Romania
    Year 1990
  • Type Operator
    Owner Department Of Non-Ferrous Metals-Deva Mining Complex
    Home office Romania
    Year 1990

Comments on the ownership information

  • THE BALAN MINE IS OWNED ENTIRELY BY THE GOVERNMENT OF ROMANIA. THE DEVA MINING COMPLEX IS IN CONTROL OF MINE OPERATIONS. (1990)

Production statistics

  • Year 1984
    Description 15% Cu Concentrate 40000 Metric Tons Of Concent
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Copper Copper 40000mt 15wt-pct
  • Year 1984
    Accuracy Estimate
    Description .70% Cu Ore Throughput (Estimated) 1250000 Metric Tons Of Ore
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Copper Copper 1wt-pct
  • Year 1985
    Description 15% Cu Concentrate 40000 Metric Tons Of Concent
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Copper Copper 40000mt 15wt-pct
  • Year 1985
    Accuracy Estimate
    Description .70% Cu Ore Throughput (Estimated) 1250000 Metric Tons Of Ore
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Copper Copper 1250000mt 1wt-pct
  • Year 1986
    Description 15% Cu Concentrate 40000 Metric Tons Of Concent
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Copper Copper 40000mt 15wt-pct
  • Year 1986
    Accuracy Estimate
    Description .70% Cu Ore Throughput (Estimated) 1250000 Metric Tons Of Ore
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Copper Copper 1250000mt 1wt-pct
  • Year 1987
    Description 15% Cu Concentrate 40000 Metric Tons Of Concent
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Copper Copper 40000mt 15wt-pct
  • Year 1987
    Accuracy Estimate
    Description .70% Cu Ore Throughput (Estimated) 1250000 Metric Tons Of Ore
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Copper Copper 1250000mt 1wt-pct
  • Year 1988
    Description 15% Cu Concentrate 40000 Metric Tons Of Concent
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Copper Copper 40000mt 15wt-pct
  • Year 1988
    Accuracy Estimate
    Description .70% Cu Ore Throughput (Estimated) 1250000 Metric Tons Of Ore
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Copper Copper 1250000mt 1wt-pct
  • Year 1989
    Description 15% Cu Concentrate 40000 Metric Tons Of Concent
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Copper Copper 40000mt 15wt-pct
  • Year 1989
    Accuracy Estimate
    Description .70% Cu Ore Throughput (Estimated) 1250000 Metric Tons Of Ore
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Copper Copper 1250000mt 1wt-pct
  • Year 1990
    Accuracy Estimate
    Description .70% Cu Ore Throughput (Estimated) 1250000 Metric Tons Of Ore
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Copper Copper 1250000mt 1wt-pct
  • Year 1990
    Description 15% Cu Concentrate 40000 Metric Tons Of Concent
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Copper Copper 40000mt 15wt-pct

Comments on the production information

  • THE DEPARTMENT OF NON-FERROUS METALS WOULD WELCOME CO-OPERATION FROM FOREIGN COMPANIES IN IMPROVING THE MINING AND METALLURGICAL TECHNOLOGY IN THIS REGION. (1990)
  • ACCORDING TO 1989 REVIEWS, ALL MINING COMPLETED AT THE BALAN MINE WAS ACCOMPLISHED BY UNDERGROUND METHODS. THE PRINCIPAL MINING METHOD USED AT THE MINE IS SUB-LEVEL CAVING. FOR YEARS 1984-1990, PRODUCTION RATES WERE ESTIMATED TO BE 1,125,000 METRIC TONS OF ORE THROUGHPUT WITH AN AVERAGE HEAD GRADE OF APPROXIMATELY .70% COPPER. THE ESTIMATED CONCENTRATE RESULTING FROM PRODUCTION FOR YEARS 1984-1990 WAS 40,000 METRIC TONS WITH AN AVERAGE CONCENTRATE GRADE OF APPROXIMATELY 15% COPPER AND 3%-4% LEAD AND ZINC. THE FLOTATION RECOVERY RATE IN 1989 MEASURED 81%. ACCORDING TO COMMODITIES RESEARCH UNIT LIMITED IN 1990, THE BALAN MINE WAS CONSIDERED A NON-VIABLE MINE. THE RESEARCH UNIT SPECULATES THAT THE MINE WILL SOON BE FORCED TO CLOSE WITH THE INTRODUCTION OF A MARKET-ORIENTED SYSTEM. THEY ALSO SUGGEST THAT THE TWO COPPER SMELTERS IN ROMANIA WILL BE MEDIUM TERM CLOSURES. THIS IS DUE TO THEIR REMOTENESS FROM A SEA PORT AND THE UNLIKELY UPGRADING TO CONFORM TO ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS. AS OF 1990, COPPER CONCENTRATE WAS THE ONLY MAJOR PRODUCT OF THE BALAN MINE.

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • THE TOTAL RESERVES IN 1989 FOR THE ENTIRE EASTERN CARPATHIAN MOUNTAINS DISTRICT WAS ESTIMATED TO BE 80 MILLION TO 100 MILLION METRIC TONS WITH OVERALL HEAD GRADES OF .40% COPPER. BALAN HAS MINABLE RESERVES OF APPROXIMATELY 20 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
    Mining Method SUBLEVEL CAVING 10-75
    Hardness of Rock UNKNOWN
    Rock Characteristics UNKNOWN
    Rock Support Chars. UNKNOWN
    Mine Support Chars. UNKNOWN
    1st Condition of Workings UNKNOWN
    2nd Condition of Workings UNKNOWN
    3rd Condition of Workings UNKNOWN
    Capacity 4167
    Capacity Units MT ORE/DAY
    Units of Production $/MT ORE
    Operating Days per Year 300
    Operating Shifts per Day 3
    Year of Information 1990

Comments on other economic factors

  • THE LOCATION OF THE MINING DISTRICT IS APPROXIMATELY EQUIDISTANT FROM THE BAIA MARE COPPER SMELTER AND THE ZLATNA COPPER SMELTER. THEREFORE, CONCENTRATES COULD BE SHIPPED TO EITHER OF THE TWO PLANTS. (1990) AS OF 1989, THE EQUIPMENT USED AT THE BALAN MINE WAS PREDOMINANTLY ROMANIAN MANUFACTURED. THE CONDITION OF THE EQUIPMENT WAS REPORTED TO BE POORLY MAINTAINED AND VERY OLD.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Geology

    GEOMIN, GENERAL PRESENTATION OF THE GEOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK

  • Geology

    AND ORE PROSPECTS OF ROMANIA - SUMMARY, OCT. 29, 1991.

  • Geology

    HURLBUT, CORNELIUS S., DANA'S MANUAL OF MINERALOGY,

  • Geology

    EIGHTEENTH EDITION, 1971.

  • Deposit

    HANNOVER, BUNDESANSTALT FUR GEOWISSENSCHAFTEN UND

  • Deposit

    ROHSTOFFE, RUMANIEN, DEC. 1977.

  • Deposit

    ATLAS OF EASTERN EUROPE, CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY,

  • Deposit

    AUGUST 1990.

  • Production

    MINERAL FACTS AND PROBLEMS, UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF

  • Production

    THE INTERIOR, BUREAU OF MINES BULLETIN 675, EDITION 1985.

  • Deposit

    COMMODITIES RESEARCH UNIT LIMITED, THE BASE METAL

  • Deposit

    INDUSTRIES OF EASTERN EUROPE, NOV. 1990.

  • Deposit

    BOMSEL AND VON HIRSCHHAUSEN, THE MINING AND

  • Deposit

    METALLURGICALL INDUSTRIES OF EASTERN EUROPE, CERNA, VOL. 1,

  • Deposit

    VOL. 2, VOL. 3, JULY 1991.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit AS REPORTED IN 1990, HEAD GRADES FOR COPPER AT THE BALAN MINE YIELDS GRADES OF APPROXIMATELY .70% COPPER. THE MINE ALSO PRODUCES VERY SMALL PORTIONS OF LEAD AND ZINC. THE DEPOSITS IN THIS REGION ARE FOUND AS STRATABOUND VOLCANOGENIC SULPHIDE ORES HOSTED BY RHYOLITIC TUFFS AND VOLCANICS. PYRITE AND CHALCOPYRITE ARE IMPORTANT ORE MINERALS AND ARSENOPYRITE, GALENA, SPHALERITE, TETRAHEDRITE, AND PYRRHOTITE OCCUR AS ACCESSORY PHASES. MOST ROMANIAN COPPER ORES ARE GENERALLY LOW GRADE AND MINERALOGICALLY COMPLEX.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 21-JUL-92 Porter, Kenneth E. 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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