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Buffelsfontein

Producer in South Africa with commodities Gold, Silver, Uranium
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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. Reserves and resources
  14. Workings at the site
  15. Links to other databases
  16. Bibliographic references
  17. General comments
  18. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10256285
MAS/MILS ID 7910200072
Record type Site
Current site name Buffelsfontein

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Ore Body
Geographic coordinates: 26.87147, -26.79659 (WGS84)
Elevation 1350
Location accuracy 1000(meters)

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

South Africa(country)

Africa(continent)

Land(continent)

Geographic areas

Country
South Africa

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gold Primary
Silver Secondary
Uranium Secondary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Gold Unknown
Pyrite Unknown
Quartz Unknown
Silver Unknown
Uraninite Unknown

Nearby scientific data

Ore Body (1) 26.87147, -26.79659
ListMap

Economic information

Ore body information

  • Strike N25W
    Dip 15E
    Thickness 1.5M
    Depth to top 2200M
    Field Value
    MAS Matrix # 1
    MAS Column # 1
    Type of Orebody #1 SEDIMENTARY
    Shape of Orebody #1 TABULAR
    Primary mode of Origin SEDIMENTATION
    Primary Ore Control FAULTING
    Secondary Ore Control FOLDING
    Degree of Wallrock Alter. NONE
    Strike And Dip N25W:15E
    Minimum Depth to Top 1000
    Date of Last Modification 851227
  • Area 6800HA
    Field Value
    Total Surface Area (HA) 6800
    Date of Last Modification 910418

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Underground
Development status Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Significant Yes
Year of first production 1957
Milling method Hydrometallurgy Unspecified

Mining district

District name Klerksdorp Area Of Witwatersrand

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Buffelsfontein Gold Mining Co. Ltd.
    Interest 100
    Home office South Africa
    Year 1982

Comments on the ownership information

  • BUFFELSFONTEIN GOLD MINING CO. LTD. IS A SUBSIDIARY OF GENERAL MINING UNION CORPORATION LTD.

Production statistics

  • Year 1970
    Description 2660999 Mt Of Ore Milled/Yr
  • Year 1974
    Description 3070000 Mt Of Ore Milled/Yr
  • Year 1976
    Description 3172000 Mt Of Ore Milled/Yr
  • Year 1978
    Description 3145000 Mt Of Ore Milled/Yr
  • Year 1980
    Description 3203999 Mt Of Ore Milled/Yr
  • Year 1981
    Description 3372000 Mt Of Ore Milled/Yr

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1993
    Demonstrated 4210000mt ore
    Total resources 4210000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Gold Au 10.4 g/mt Gold Major 1993

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • WAS UPDATED FOR 1992 AU AVAILABILITY STUDY. 1989 PROD.= 467,343 OZ FROM MILLING OF 2,328,000 MT ORE. 1991 PROD. = 393,398 OZ FROM TREATING 2,101,000 TNS ORE.

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Underground
    Overall depth 2000M
    Field Value
    MAS Development Schedule # 1
    Mining Record # 1
    Status of Mining Method ESTIMATE
    Mining Method BREAST STOPING 10-30
    Hardness of Rock HARDROCK FISSURED WITH MODERATE WATER
    Rock Characteristics MULTIPLE SYSTEMS OF WEAKNESS PLANES
    Rock Support Chars. SUPPORTING
    Mine Support Chars. POST, HEADBOARD, CAPS, ROOF BOLTS
    Number of Shafts 7
    Capacity 9429
    Capacity Units MT ORE/DAY
    Unit Production Cost 46.93
    Units of Production $/MT ORE
    Operating Days per Year 350
    Operating Shifts per Day 3
    Year of Information 1982

Comments on other economic factors

  • THE MINE PROPERTY CONSISTS OF 5 SURFACE VERTICAL SHAFTS AND THE SUBVERTICAL SHAFTS. ONE OF THE TWO IS PRESENTLY BEING COMPLETED AT THE STRATHMORE SHAFT, TO EXPLOIT THE LUCAS BLOCK AREA. BUFFELSFONTEIN IS ENGAGED IN A JOINT EFFORT WITH VAAL REEFS IN THE RIVER BULGE AREA, IN THE SOUTHERN PART OF THE PROPERTY.
  • BUFFELSFONTEIN IS CURRENTLY INVOLVED IN A JOINT OPERATION WITH STILFONTEIN, IN A URANIUM SLIMES DAM RECLAMATION PLANT, CHEMWES LTD.. 15% OF THE FEED COMES FROM BUFFELSFONTEIN, WHILE 85% COMES FROM STILFONTEIN.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Geology

    ANHAEUSSER, C.R. 1976, THE NATURE AND DISTRIBUTION OF

  • Geology

    ARCHAEN GOLD MINERALIZATION IN SOUTHERN AFRICA. MINERALS

  • Geology

    SCI. ENGNG., V. 8, NO. 1, PP. 46-84.

  • Geology

    BOYLE, R.W. 1979, THE GEOCHEMISTRY OF GOLD AND IT'S

  • Geology

    DEPOSITS. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA, BULL. 280, 584 PP.

  • Geology

    HAUGHTON, S.H., ED. 1964A, THE GEOLOGY OF SOME ORE

  • Geology

    DEPOSITS IN SOUTHERN AFRICA. V. 1, GOLD DEPOSITS OF THE

  • Geology

    WITWATERSRAND BASIN. GEOL. SOC. S. AFRICA, JOHANNESBURG,

  • Geology

    625 PP.

  • Geology

    LIEBENBERG, W.R. 1972, MINERALOGICAL FEATURES OF GOLD

  • Geology

    ORES IN SOUTH AFRICA. PUBLISHED IN GOLD METALLURGY IN SOUTH

  • Geology

    AFRICA, EDITED BY R.J. ADAMSON. CHAMBER OF MINES OF S. AFR.

  • Geology

    MINTER, U.E.L. 1976, DETRITAL GOLD, URANIUM, AND PYRITE

  • Geology

    CONCENTRATIONS PILATED TO SEDIMENTOLOGY IN THE PRECAMBRIAN

  • Geology

    VAAL REEF PLACER, WITWATERSRAND, SOUTH AFRICA. ECONOMIC

  • Geology

    GEOLOGY, V. 71, PP. 157-176.

  • Geology

    PRETORIUS, D.A. 1981, GOLD AND URANIUM IN QUARTZ-PEBBLE

  • Geology

    CONGLOMERATES. ECONOMIC GEOLOGY 75TH ANNIVERSARY VOLUME,

  • Geology

    PP. 117-138.

  • Geology

    PRETORIUS, D.A. 1975, THE DEPOSITIONAL ENVIRONMENT OF

  • Geology

    THE WITWATERSRAND GOLDFIELDS. A CHRONOLOGICAL REVIEW OF

  • Geology

    SPECULATIONS AND OBSERVATIONS. MIN. SCI. ENGNG., V. 7,

  • Geology

    NO. 1, PP. 18-47.

  • Geology

    SMITH, N.D., AND W.E.L. MINTER. 1980, SEDIMENTOLOGICAL

  • Geology

    CONTROLS OF GOLD AND URANIUM IN TWO WITWATERSRAND PALEO-

  • Geology

    PLACERS. ECONOMIC GEOLOGY, V. 75, PP. 1-14.

  • Production

    ADAMSON, R.J. (ED.). 1972, GOLD METALLURGY IN SOUTH

  • Production

    AFRICA, CHAMBER OF MINES OF SOUTH AFRICA, 452 PP.

  • Production

    FINANCIAL TIMES. 1981, MINING INTERNATIONAL YEARBOOK

  • Production

    (SELECTED EXCERPTS).

  • Production

    KING, A.. 1949, GOLD METALLURGY ON THE WITWATERSRAND.

  • Production

    TRANSVAAL CHAMBER OF MINES, 458 PP.

  • Production

    MCQUISTON, F.W. AND R.S. SHOEMAKER. 1975, GOLD AND

  • Production

    SILVER CYANIDATION PLANT PRACTICE. SOCIETY OF MINING ENG.

  • Reserve-Resource

    1976.

  • Reserve-Resource

    AME MINERAL ECONOMICS QUARTERLY MINE ANALYSIS, JUN 93,P. 32.

  • Deposit

    ANNUAL REPORT- BUFFELSFONTEIN GOLD MINING COMPANY LTD.,

  • Deposit

    1975.

  • Deposit

    COAL GOLD AND BASE MINERALS OF SOUTHERN AFRICA, MARCH

  • Deposit

    1978, JANUARY 1978.

  • Deposit

    MINING MAGAZINE. RADIOMETRIC SORTING AT BUFFELSFONTEIN

  • Deposit

    GOLD/URANIUM MINE, SOUTH AFRICA. MAY 1982, PP. 393-397.

  • Deposit

    WORLD MINING.PHOTOMETRIC ORE SORTING. APRIL 1981,PP.42-47

  • Deposit

    SOUTH AFRICA MINING & ENGINEERING JOURNAL. BUFFELS MAKES

  • Deposit

    STRIDES IN MANY DIFFERENT SPHERES. NOVEMBER 1979, P. 15.

  • Deposit

    MINING JOURNAL. QUARTERLY REVIEW OF SOUTH AFRICAN GOLD

  • Deposit

    SHARES, EXCERPTS 1/80-2/82 BUFFELSFONTEIN.

  • Deposit

    CHAMBER OF MINES OF SOUTH AFRICA, 1981, RAND REFINERY,

  • Deposit

    P.R.D. SERIES NO. 255, 20PP.

  • Deposit

    CHAMBER OF MINES OF SOUTH AFRICA, 1980, GOLD IN SOUTH

  • Deposit

    AFRICA, P.R.D. SERIES NO. 241, 28PP.

  • Deposit

    CHAMBER OF MINES, 1980, OVERVIEW OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN

  • Deposit

    MINING INDUSTRY.

  • Deposit

    ELEVATORSKI, E.A. 1981, GOLD MINES OF THE WORLD.

  • Deposit

    PUBLISHED BY MINOBRAS, PP. 78-86.

  • Deposit

    POTTS, D. 1981, THE SOUTH AFRICAN GOLD MINING INDUSTRY,

  • Deposit

    1981. PUBLISHED BY CONSOLIDATED GOLD FIELDS, LTD., PP.17-85.

  • Deposit

    GOLD INSTITUTE. 1981, GOLD REGULATIONS AND TAXES FOR

  • Deposit

    MINING, REFINING, MANUFACTURING AND TRADE IN THIRTEEN

  • Deposit

    COUNTRIES. PP. 74-79.

  • Deposit

    CHAMBER OF MINES OF SOUTH AFRICA. 1982, ANALYSIS OF

  • Deposit

    WORKING RESULTS, OCTOBER-DECEMBER, 1981, 8 PP.

  • Deposit

    CHAMBER OF MINES OF SOUTH AFRICA. 1981, 91ST ANNUAL

  • Deposit

    REPORT AND STATISTICAL TABLES. 116 PP.

  • Deposit

    MINING JOURNAL RESEARCH SERVICES. 1982, PRODUCTION AND

  • Deposit

    CAPITAL EXPENDITURES FOR THE SOUTH AFRICAN GOLD MINES, 1966-

  • Deposit

    1981.

  • Deposit

    MINING JOURNAL RESEARCH SERVICES. 1982, SUMMARY REPORT

  • Deposit

    1966-1981.

  • Deposit

    MOHIDE, T.F. 1981, GOLD MINERAL POLICY BACKGROUND PAPER

  • Deposit

    NO. 12. ONTARIO MINISTRY OF NATURAL RESOURCES, PP. 84-112.

  • Deposit

    STORRAR, C.D. 1981, SOUTH AFRICAN MINE VALUATION.

  • Deposit

    CHAMBER OF MINES OF SOUTH AFRICA, 470 PP.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit BUFFELSFONTEIN MINE IS ONE OF THE MOST HEAVILY FAULTED MINES IN THE INDUSTRY. A SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF THE MAIN LEASE AREA IS WORKED OUT, AS OF 1980. MOST OF THE FUTURE PRODUCTION WILL COME FROM THE LUCAS BLOCK AND RIVER BULGE AREAS, WHERE MINING IS CONDUCTED ON A TRIBUTE BASIS. THERE ARE 17,681 PEOPLE EMPLOYED AT THE MINE AND MILL OPERATIONS. IT WAS ASSUMED THAT APPROXIMATELY 80% OF THE TOTAL WHITE AND BLACK EMPLOYEES WORK UNDERGROUND (1,510 AND 12,634, RESPECTIVELY), AND THE REMAINDER WORK ON THE SURFACE (378 WHITES AND 3,159 BLACKS). SEVEN MINERS KILLED IN FIRE IN 1991. EIGHT MINERS KILLED IN FIRE IN 1994.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-AUG-94 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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