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  3. Mineral Resource Data System (MRDS)

Groothoek

Plant in South Africa with commodity Chromium
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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. 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 10159171
MRDS ID ISM0001
MAS/MILS ID 7910200011
Record type Site
Current site name Groothoek
Alternate or previous names Groothoek Mine
Related records 10159024, 10231823, 60000503

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Ore Body
Geographic coordinates: 30.1347, -24.10918 (WGS84)
Elevation 1067
Location accuracy 100(meters)

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

South Africa(country)

Africa(continent)

Land(continent)

Geographic areas

Country
South Africa

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Chromium Critical Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chromite Unknown

Nearby scientific data

Ore Body (1) 30.1347, -24.10918
ListMap

Economic information

Ore body information

  • Strike N25W
    Dip 17W
    Thickness 1.1M
    Length 650M
    Width 4000M
    Depth to top 150M
    Field Value
    MAS Matrix # 1
    MAS Column # 1
    Type of Orebody #1 STRATIFORM
    Shape of Orebody #1 TABULAR
    Primary mode of Origin MAGMATIC DIFFER
    Primary Ore Control IGNEOUS
    Secondary Ore Control LITHOLOGY
    Strike And Dip N25W:17W
    Minimum Depth to Top 0
    Date of Last Modification 930309

Comments on the geologic information

  • THE ORE AT THE SOUTHERN END OF THE TWYFELAAR FARM IS HARD AND FLINTY. THIS IS DUE TO TECTONIC MOVEMENT DURING MAGMA COOLING

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Underground
Development status Plant
Commodity type Metallic
Significant Yes
Mining method Open Stope - Breast Stoping
Year of first production 1937
Plant type Beneficiation (Mill)
Plant subcategory Gravity
Milling method Gravity

Mining district

District name East Bushveld Complex

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Transvaal Mining And Finance Co. Ltd.
    Home office South Africa
    Year 1992
  • Type Owner
    Owner Samancor / Gencor Finance Corp.
    Interest 100
    Home office South Africa
    Year 1992

Comments on the ownership information

  • CHROME MINES OF SOUTH AFRICA LIMITED IS A WHOLLY-OWNED SUBSIDIARY OF GENERAL MINING AND FINANCE CORPORATION LIMITED, SOUTH AFRICA.

Production statistics

  • Year 1974
    Description Chromite Production 91544 Tonnes / Year
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Chromium Chromium 91544mt
  • Year 1975
    Description Chromite Production 125921 Tonnes / Year
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Chromium Chromium 125921mt
  • Year 1976
    Description Chromite Production 99592 Tonnes / Year
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Chromium Chromium 99592mt
  • Year 1977
    Description Chromite Production 151840 Tonnes / Year
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Chromium Chromium 151840mt
  • Year 1978
    Description Chromite Production 187088 Tonnes / Year
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Chromium Chromium 187088mt
  • Year 1979
    Description Chromite Production 216000 Tonnes / Year
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Chromium Chromium 216000mt
  • Year 1980
    Description Chromite Production 223000 Tonnes / Year
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Chromium Chromium 223000mt
  • Year 1981
    Description Chromite Production 207000 Tonnes / Year
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Chromium Chromium 207000mt
  • Year 1982
    Description Chromite Production 151000 Tonnes / Year
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Chromium Chromium 151000mt
  • Year 1983
    Description Chromite Production 130000 Tonnes / Year
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Chromium Chromium 130000mt
  • Year 1984
    Description Chromite Production 133000 Tonnes / Year
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Chromium Chromium 133000mt

Comments on the production information

  • THE TOTAL ETD MILL RECOVERY IS THE SUM OF THE PARTIAL PRODUCT RECOVERIES. THE TOTAL RECOVERY IS 91.3 %.
  • LINES 012 AND 013 ARE RATE OF MINE PROJECTIONS FROM AVAILIBILITY STUDY 08/87. LIMIT IS 300 M VERTICAL DEPTH.

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • RESERVES ARE BASED ON DIMENSIONAL DATA. RESOURCE IS FOR MAIN STEELPOORT SEAM (LG 6) ONLY. BASED ON STRIKE LENGTH OF 4000 METERS OVER 3 FARMS (LEASES) - GROOTHOSK, TWYFELAAR, AND DREIKOP. 75 % PROB. LEVEL TONNAGE CALCULATED TO VERTICAL DEPTH OF 300 METERS (1025 METERS ON DIP). Q-MATRIX ONE IS THE IN-SITU RESOURCE AT 75 % AS OF 1/89. Q-MATRIX TWO IS THE RECOVERABLE RESOURCE AT 75 % AS OF 1/89. BOTH ASSUME A RECOVERY OF 90% WITH 0% DILUTION.
  • 1/89 INSITU TONNAGE= STEELPOORT SEAM TO 300 M VERT. ON ALL 3 FARMS. RECOVERY = 90 %.
  • ASSIGNED LAND POSITION = GROOTHOEK 256 KT, DRIEKOP 253 KT AND TWYFELAAR 119 KT FARMS. 200,000 MTPY ROM FOR: 32,000 MTPY LUMP, 64,000 MTPY FINES, AND 67,000 MTPY CONCS. NOTE: CAPACITY FOR NO. 5 SHAFT ONLY. NO.4 SHAFT HAD IDENTICAL ROM CAPACITY BUT NOT IN PRODUCTION IN 1985 STEELPOORT SEAM = 1.1 M THICK, DIP = 17 DEGS.

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Underground
    Length 122000M
    Field Value
    MAS Development Schedule # 1
    Mining Record # 1
    Status of Mining Method ESTIMATE
    Mining Method BREAST STOPING 10-30
    Percent Recovery 90
    Hardness of Rock HARDROCK WITH LITTLE WATER
    Rock Characteristics ONE SYSTEM OF WEAKNESS PLANES
    Rock Support Chars. SUPPORTING
    Mine Support Chars. TIMBER
    Length of Inclines (m) 800
    Slope of Inclines 22
    Number of Inclines 5
    1st Condition of Workings OPEN
    Capacity 800
    Capacity Units MT ORE/DAY
    Unit Production Cost 19.32
    Units of Production $/MT ORE
    Operating Days per Year 250
    Operating Shifts per Day 2
    Year of Information 1989

Comments on other economic factors

  • THE PROPERTY HAS FIVE INCLINES BUT ONLY #5 IS BEING USED FOR PRODUCTION. THE #4 INCLINE HAS THE SAME CAPACITY AS THE #5 INCLINE BUT WAS MOTHBALLED IN 1984 WHEN DEMAND DROPPED. THE #5 INCLINE IS COMPOUND. IT HAS A 22 DEGREE INCLINE FROM THE SURFACE, THEN CHANGES TO 16 DEGREES. INCLINES 1-3 WERE CLOSED IN 1975.
  • THE MILL PRODUCED 25% LUMP ORE AND 75% CR2O3 CONC IN 1975/75 ALL PRODUCT GO THROUGH THE TRIPLE DECK SCREEN PROCESS. ONLY PRODUCTS D AND E GO TROUGH THE SECOND SET OF WASHERS AND SPIRALS. THEN, PRODUCT E GOES TROUGH ONE MORE CONCENTRATOR TO YEILD THE FINAL CHROMITE REF. PRODUCT. MILLING SCHEDULE IS AS FOLLOWS: SCREENING = 2160 MT PER DAY ROD MILLING = 360 MT PER DAY CLASSIFICATION = 404 MT PER DAY DEWATERING = 262 MT PER DAY

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    ANONYMOUS. EXPANSION OF GOOTHOEK, COAL, GOKD AND BASE MIN-

  • Deposit

    ERALS OF SOUTH AFRICA. OCT. 1976, P. 23-25.

  • Deposit

    BALLEN, R.F."THE IMPLICATIONS OF SOUTH AFRICA AND ZIMBABWE

  • Deposit

    ON THE AMERICAN FERROCHROME INDUSTRY." PHD THESIS. COLO-

  • Deposit

    RADO SCHOOL OF MINES. 1981.

  • Deposit

    CAMERON N. EUGENE."CHROMITE DEPOSITS OF THE EASTERN PART OF

  • Deposit

    THE BUSHVELD COMPLEX." PP. 131-168.

  • Deposit

    DEPARTMENT OF MINES, REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA.

  • Deposit

    PERSONAL COMMUNICATIONS. 1981.

  • Deposit

    ROSKILL INFORMATION SERVICE LIMITED. "THE ECONOMICS OF

  • Deposit

    CHROMIUM." THIRD EDITION. 1978. P.13.

  • Deposit

    SIEMS, P.L., E.M. CRIST, L.E. SHECHAN, AND B. BHATT.

  • Deposit

    "CHROMITE MINES AND RESOURCES IN THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH

  • Deposit

    AFRICA." UNIVERSITY OF IDAHO. DECEMBER 1976. PP. 1-34.

  • Deposit

    "THE CHROME INDUSTRY IN SOUTH AFRICA." P.17.

  • Deposit

    THE TEX REPORT COMPANY LIMITED. PP. 106-112, AND 128.

  • Deposit

    WILLEMSE, J. "THE GEOLOGY OF THE BUSHVELD IGNEOUS COMPLEX,

  • Deposit

    THE LARGEST REPOSITORY OF MAGMATIC ORE DEPOSITS IN THE

  • Deposit

    WORLD." MAGMATIC ORE DEPOSITS, A SYMPOSIUM. PP. 1-22.

  • Deposit

    S.A. MINING & ENGINEERING JOURNAL. SEPTEMBER 1976. PP.12-15.

  • Deposit

    "FERRO-CHROME-A DANGER OF OVER PRODUCTION." S.A. MINING AND

  • Deposit

    ENGINEERING JOURNAL. PP. 15-21.

  • Deposit

    "NEW CHROMITE MINE EXPANSIONS IN SOUTH AFRICA," WORLD MINING

  • Deposit

    SEPTEMBER 1977. PP. 114-115.

  • Deposit

    COERTE, F. J. AND C. B. COETZEE, CHROMIUM, P. 117-122.

  • Deposit

    CORIN, E. R. FERROUS AND NON-FERROUS MINES AND WORKS IN

  • Deposit

    SOUTH AFRICA, DIRECTORY NO. 3/79, MINERALS BUREAU,

  • Deposit

    DEPT. OF MINES, REP. OF SOUTH AFRICA.

  • Deposit

    RANKIN, G., "CHROMIUM AND FERRO-CHROMIUN IN SOUTH AFRICA",

  • Deposit

    SANDERS AND TAYLOR, NOV. 1975, P. 29-38.

  • Deposit

    SILK M H, 1988,"WORLD CHROMITE RESOURCESAND FERROCHROME PRO-

  • Deposit

    DUCTION", MINTEK SPECIAL PUBL. NO. 11

  • Deposit

    DAVIDOFF R L, BOYLE E H JR., 1988,"NOTES FROM VISIT TO THE

  • Deposit

    REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA", USBM.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 10-MAR-1993 Boyle, Ed 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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