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

Lesu Ursului

Plant in Mures, 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 10231053
MAS/MILS ID 4850650001
Record type Site
Current site name Lesu Ursului
Alternate or previous names Lesu Ursului Mining Complex, Eastern Carpathian Mountains Dist.

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Ore Body
Geographic coordinates: 24.75197, 47.31524 (WGS84)
Elevation 1500
Location accuracy 10000(meters)

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Mures(province)

Romania(country)

Geographic areas

Country State
Romania Mures

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) 24.75197, 47.31524
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

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Underground
Development status Plant
Commodity type Metallic
Significant Yes
Mining method Combined Methods
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-Gura Humorului Mining Complx
    Home office Romania
    Year 1990

Comments on the ownership information

  • LESU URSULUI MINE IS OWNED ENTIRELY BY THE GOVERNMENT OF ROMANIA. THE GURA HUMORULUI MINING COMPLEX IS IN CONTROL OF MINE OPERATIONS. (1990)

Production statistics

  • Year 1984
    Accuracy Estimate
    Description 13% Cu Concentrate (Estimated) 24000 Metric Tons Of Concent
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Conc. Copper Copper 24000mt 13wt-pct
  • Year 1984
    Accuracy Estimate
    Description .40% Cu Ore Throughput (Estimated) 1000000 Metric Tons Of Ore
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Ore Copper Copper 1000000mt 0wt-pct
  • Year 1985
    Accuracy Estimate
    Description 13% Cu Concentrate (Estimated) 24000 Metric Tons Of Concent
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Conc. Copper Copper 24000mt 13wt-pct
  • Year 1985
    Accuracy Estimate
    Description .40% Cu Ore Throughput (Estimated) 1000000 Metric Tons Of Ore
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Ore Copper Copper 1000000mt 0wt-pct
  • Year 1986
    Accuracy Estimate
    Description 13% Cu Concentrate (Estimated) 24000 Metric Tons Of Concent
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Conc. Copper Copper 24000mt 13wt-pct
  • Year 1986
    Accuracy Estimate
    Description .40% Cu Ore Throughput (Estimated) 1000000 Metric Tons Of Ore
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Ore Copper Copper 1000000mt 0wt-pct
  • Year 1987
    Accuracy Estimate
    Description 13% Cu Concentrate (Estimated) 24000 Metric Tons Of Concent
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Conc. Copper Copper 24000mt 13wt-pct
  • Year 1987
    Accuracy Estimate
    Description .40% Cu Ore Throughput (Estimated) 1000000 Metric Tons Of Ore
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Ore Copper Copper 1000000mt 0wt-pct
  • Year 1988
    Accuracy Estimate
    Description 13% Cu Concentrate (Estimated) 24000 Metric Tons Of Concent
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Conc. Copper Copper 24000mt 13wt-pct
  • Year 1988
    Accuracy Estimate
    Description .40% Cu Ore Throughput (Estimated) 1000000 Metric Tons Of Ore
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Ore Copper Copper 1000000mt 0wt-pct
  • Year 1989
    Accuracy Estimate
    Description 13% Cu Concentrate (Estimated) 24000 Metric Tons Of Concent
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Conc. Copper Copper 24000mt 13wt-pct
  • Year 1989
    Accuracy Estimate
    Description .40% Cu Ore Throughput (Estimated) 1000000 Metric Tons Of Ore
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Ore Copper Copper 1000000mt 0wt-pct
  • Year 1990
    Description 13% Cu Concentrate (Projected) 14000 Metric Tons Of Concent
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Conc. Copper Copper 14000mt 13wt-pct
  • Year 1990
    Accuracy Estimate
    Description .40% Cu Ore Throughput (Projected) 500000 Metric Tons Of Ore
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Ore Copper Copper 500000mt 0wt-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 AT THE LESU URSULUI MINE WAS ACCOMPLISHED BY UNDERGROUND METHODS. FOR YEARS 1984-1989, PRODUCTION RATES WERE ESTIMATED TO BE 1,000,000 METRIC TONS OF ORE THROUGHPUT WITH A HEAD GRADE OF APPROXIMATELY .40% COPPER. THE PROJECTED RATE FOR 1990 WAS 500,000 METRIC TONS. THE REDUCTION WAS BECAUSE EXPLOITABLE RESERVES ARE VERY LIMITED AND RESERVE DEPLETION IS QUITE EVIDENT. CONCENTRATION PRODUCTION WAS 24,000 METRIC TONS FOR 1984-1989 AND 14,000 METRIC TONS IN 1990 WITH GRADES OF 13% CU. THE FLOTATION RECOVERY RATE IN 1989 MEASURED 74%. ACCORDING TO COMMODITIES RESEARCH UNIT LIMITED IN 1990, LESU URSULUI 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 LESU URSULUI 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. LESU URSULUI HAS MINABLE RESERVES OF 2.7 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 COMBINED METHODS
    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 3333
    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 LESU URSULUI 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 LESU URSULUI MINE YIELDS GRADES OF APPROXIMATELY .40% 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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