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Impala Mines

Producer in South Africa with commodities Cobalt, Copper, Gold, Nickel, Iridium, Osmium, Palladium, Platinum, Rhodium, Ruthenium
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Sections on this page
  1. Identification information
  2. Geographic coordinates
  3. Site location context
  4. Geographic areas
  5. Commodities
  6. Nearby scientific data
  7. Ore body information
  8. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  9. Mining district
  10. Ownership information
  11. Reserves and resources
  12. Workings at the site
  13. Links to other databases
  14. Bibliographic references
  15. General comments
  16. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10256366
MRDS ID ISM0211
MAS/MILS ID 7910200003
Record type Site
Current site name Impala Mines
Alternate or previous names Impala Platinum, Impala, Bafokeng, Bafokeng South, Wildebeestfontein
Related records 60000591

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Claim
Geographic coordinates: 27.16815, -25.57994 (WGS84)
Elevation 1200
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
Cobalt Critical Secondary
Copper Secondary
Gold Secondary
Nickel Critical Secondary
Iridium Critical Tertiary
Osmium Tertiary
Palladium Critical Tertiary
Platinum Critical Primary
Rhodium Critical Tertiary
Ruthenium Critical Tertiary

Nearby scientific data

Claim (1) 27.16815, -25.57994
ListMap

Economic information

Ore body information

  • Strike N45W
    Dip 09E
    Thickness 0.9M
    Length 12800M
    Width 7800M
    Depth to top 610M
    Field Value
    Type of Orebody #1 STOCKWORK
    Shape of Orebody #1 TABULAR
    Primary mode of Origin MAGMATIC DIFFER
    Primary Ore Control IGNEOUS
    Degree of Wallrock Alter. NONE
    Strike And Dip N45W:09E
    Minimum Depth to Top 0
    Date of Last Modification 830718

Comments on the geologic information

  • MAFIC IGNEOUS ROCK TYPE IS NORITE, UNSPECIFIED ROCK TYPES IMMEDIATELY ABOVE AND BELOW PLATINOID ZONE ARE CHROMITE SEAMS. ORE ROCK TYPE IS A PEGMATITIC PYROXENITE.
  • PLATINUM GROUP MINERALS ARE: FERRO PLATINUM, NICKELIFEROUS BRAGGITE-(NI,PT,PO) S2; COOPERITE-PT, ASS, PLUS LESSER AMOUNTS OF LAURITE-(RU,OS)S2, STIBIOPALLADINITE (PD3SB) AND SPERRYLITE-PTAS2.GOLD IS PRESENT ALLOYED WITH AG & ZN.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Underground
Development status Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Significant Yes
Discovery year 1925
Mining method Open Stope
Year of first production 1969
Milling method Flotation

Mining district

District name Rustenburg District

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Impala Platinum Holdings
    Interest 100
    Home office South Africa
    Year 1991

Comments on the ownership information

  • SHAREHOLDERS OF IMPALA PLATINUM LTD. IN 1975 WERE: UNION CORP. LTD. (46.75%), U.C.INVESTMENTS LTD. (11.9%), BISHOPSGATE PLATINUM LTD. AND SUBSID. (21.56%), INDUSTRIAL SELECTIONS LTD. (5%), NATIONAL SELECTIONS LTD. (5%) AND INTL. NICKEL CO. OF CANADA LTD. (10%).

Comments on the production information

  • WORK ON THE NO. 16 SHAFT IS EXPECTED TO COMMENCE IN 1998. SHAFT NO. 16 WILL REACH FULL PRODUCTION IN 2006 WHEN IT WILL HOIST 3.6 MILLION METRIC TONS PER YEAR OF ORE CONTAINING SOME 273,000 OUNCES OF PLATINUM.

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1990
    Measured 366000000mt ore
    Demonstrated 366000000mt ore
    Total resources 366000000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Platinum Pt 3.49 g/mt PGE Major 1990
    Palladium Pd 1.45 g/mt PGE Trace 1990
    Ruthenium Ru 0.46 g/mt PGE Trace 1990
    Rhodium Rh 0.25 g/mt PGE Trace 1990
    Iridium Ir 0.1 g/mt PGE Trace 1990
    Osmium Os 0.09 g/mt PGE Trace 1990
    Gold Au 0.23 g/mt Gold Minor 1990
    Nickel Ni 0.04 wt-pct Nickel Minor 1990
    Copper Cu 0.02 wt-pct Copper Minor 1990
    Cobalt Co 0.004 wt-pct Cobalt Minor 1990

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • RESERVE TONNAGE AND GRADE IS FROM COMMODITY SPECIALIST IN WASHINGTON (COAKLEY,1977). SOURCE UNKNOWN,BUT IF IT IS ASSUMED THAT STRIKE LENGTH IS 12800 M, THICKNESS IS .9 M AND LENGTH DOWN DIP TO ECONOMIC LIMIT OF 4,000 FEET (1,220 M) IS 7,000 M AND LOOSE WT. IS 1,020.4 KG/CU M THEN ROUGH ESTIMATE OF RESERVES ON LEASE IS 91,860,000 MT ORE. AS OF 1991 IT IS BELIEVED THAT UG2 ORE IS BEING BLENDED WITH MERENSKY ORE IN THE RATIO OF 20:80
  • IMPALA PLATINUM HOLDINGS LTD. OPERATES FOUR MINES: BAFOKENG NORTH, BAFOKENG SOUTH, WILDEBEESTFONTEIN NORTH AND WILDEBEESTFONTEIN SOUTH ON THE MERENSKY REEF . KAREE, A NEW MINE IS SCHEDULED TO START IN 1990 AND IT HAS 130 MILLION MT OF MERENSKY ORE AT 5.5 G/T PGM AND 180 MILLION MT OF UG2 ORE AT 5.3 G/T OF PGM.-(PLATINUM 1988)

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Underground
    Overall depth 280M
    Field Value
    MAS Development Schedule # 1
    Mining Record # 1
    Status of Mining Method ACTUAL
    Mining Method ROOM AND PILLAR 10-34
    Percent Waste Rock 0
    Percent Recovery 95
    Hardness of Rock HARDROCK WITH LITTLE WATER
    Rock Characteristics NO PLANES OF WEAKNESS
    Rock Support Chars. SUPPORTING MAY BACK SLAB
    Mine Support Chars. POST, HEADBOARD, CAPS, ROOF BOLTS
    Number of Shafts 21
    1st Condition of Workings OPEN
    Capacity 41633
    Capacity Units MT ORE/DAY
    Unit Production Cost 16.21
    Units of Production $/MT ORE
    Operating Days per Year 300
    Operating Shifts per Day 2
    Year of Information 1989
  • Type of workings Underground
    Overall depth 280M
    Field Value
    MAS Development Schedule # 1
    Mining Record # 2
    Status of Mining Method ACTUAL
    Mining Method ROOM AND PILLAR 10-34
    Percent Recovery 95
    Hardness of Rock HARDROCK WITH LITTLE WATER
    Rock Characteristics NO PLANES OF WEAKNESS
    Rock Support Chars. SUPPORTING MAY BACK SLAB
    Mine Support Chars. POST, HEADBOARD, CAPS, ROOF BOLTS
    Number of Shafts 21
    Capacity 44011
    Capacity Units MT ORE/DAY
    Unit Production Cost 11.81
    Units of Production $/MT ORE
    Operating Days per Year 300
    Operating Shifts per Day 2
    Year of Information 1981

Comments on other economic factors

  • EXACT SITE OF MILL/SMELTER IS NOT KNOWN. REFINERIES AT SPRINGS (CU/NI COMPLETE OCT.1969, PT COMPLETE APRIL 1969) PRODUCE NI AS BRIQUETTES, CU AS CATHODES,AU AS BULLION AND PT GROUP METALS AS SPONGE INGOT AND PLATE. SMALL AMOUNTS OF HIGH PURITY RHODIUM, RUTHENIUM AND IRIDIUM ARE PRODUCED.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Production

    MINING JOURNAL, P. 346 (NOV. 19, 1993).

  • Deposit

    DMA SERIES 1501 MAP. SHEET SG 35-7, SCALE 1:250,000

  • Deposit

    BOVELL,R.C. BAFOKENG MINE: A GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE

  • Deposit

    FIRST THREE YEARS OF OPERATION, ASSOCIATION OF MINE

  • Deposit

    MANAGERS OF SOUTH AFRICA, PAPERS AND DISCUSSIONS, 1970-

  • Deposit

    1971, PP.213-226.

  • Deposit

    SKINNER'S MINING INTERNATIONAL YEARBOOK,1976. THE FINANCIAL

  • Deposit

    TIMES, LONDON, 1976, PP.296-297.

  • Deposit

    RAND DAILY MAIL, JULY 7,1976,

  • Deposit

    E/MJ, JULY 1977, P.155.

  • Deposit

    NEWMAN,S.C.,PLATINUM, THE INSTITUTION OF MINING AND METAL-

  • Deposit

    LURGY, SECTION A, V.82,NO. 797, APRIL 1973, PP.A52-A68.

  • Deposit

    SOUTH AFRICAN MINING AND ENGINEERING JOURNAL, NOV. 21,

  • Deposit

    1969, P.1167.

  • Deposit

    COAL GOLD AND BASE MINERALS OF SOUTHERN AFRICA, IMPALA

  • Deposit

    PLATINUM SINKS 21ST SHAFT, SEPT.1977, PP.79-83.

  • Deposit

    SOUTH AFRICAN MINING AND ENGINEERING JOURNAL, V.81, JULY 3,

  • Deposit

    1970, PP.233-235.

  • Deposit

    MINING MAGAZINE,NOV.1972, P.437.

  • Deposit

    MINING JOURNAL, V.279, NO.7157, OCT.20,1972, PP.309-310.

  • Deposit

    MINING JOURNAL, V.279, JAN.14,1972, P.31.

  • Deposit

    MINING MAGAZINE, ANNUAL REVIEW, JUNE 1974, P.347.

  • Deposit

    MINING JOURNAL, V.279, SEPT.29,1972, P.247.

  • Deposit

    COAL GOLD AND BASE MINERALS OF SOUTHERN AFRICA, THE LEAPING

  • Deposit

    IMPALA, JAN.1973, PP.21-25.

  • Deposit

    METALS SOURCEBOOK, B4820, NOV.28,1974.

  • Deposit

    COETZEE,C.B.,ED.,THE MINERAL RESOURCES OF THE REPUBLIC OF

  • Deposit

    SOUTH AFRICA, HANDBOOK NO.7, GEOL.SURVEY OF S.A., GOVT.

  • Deposit

    PRINTER, PRETORIA, 5TH ED., 1976, PP.93-98.

  • Deposit

    MINING JOURNAL, SEPT.30,1977, PP.274-275.

  • Deposit

    CHECKS RISING COSTS, SEPT.,1975,PP.7-13.

  • Deposit

    COUSINS,C.A. THE PLATINUM DEPOSITS OF THE MERENSKY REEF,

  • Deposit

    CH.7 IN:THE GEOLOGY OF SOME ORE DEPOSITS IN SOUTHERN

  • Deposit

    AFRICA, V.II, GEOL. SOC. OF S. AFRICA, 1964, PP.225-237.

  • Deposit

    COERTZE,F.J., INTRUSIVE RELATIONSHIPS AND ORE-DEPOSITS IN

  • Deposit

    THE WESTERN PART OF THE BUSHVELD IGNEOUS COMPLEX, TRANS.

  • Deposit

    OF GEOL.SOC.OF S.AFRICA, V.61, 1958, PP. 387-400.

  • Deposit

    SCHMIDT,E.R.,THE STRUCTURE AND COMPOSITION OF THE MERENSKY

  • Deposit

    REEF AND ASSOCIATED ROCKS ON THE RUSTENBURG PLATINUM

  • Deposit

    MINE, TRANS.OF GEOL.SOC. OF S.AFRICA, V. 55,1952, PP.

  • Deposit

    233-280.

  • Deposit

    COUSINS,C.A. THE STRUCTURE OF THE MAFIC PORTION OF THE

  • Deposit

    BUSHVELD IGNEOUS COMPLEX, TRANS. GEOL.SOC.OF S.AFRICA,

  • Deposit

    V.62, 1959, PP.179-201.

  • Deposit

    MINING MAGAZINE, OCT.1969, P.285.

  • Deposit

    U.S. STATE DEPT. JOHANNESBURG DESPATCH 187, JUNE 2,1955.

  • Deposit

    'KEELEY MOVES IN' FINANCIAL MAIL, APRIL 1, 1988

  • Deposit

    'IMPALA EXPANSION PLANNED' MINING JOURNAL, AUGUST 1990.

  • Deposit

    1990 PLATINUM REPORT, JOHNSON MATTHEY-PUBLISHER

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit ALMOST ENTIRE LEASE AREA UNDERLAIN BY MERENSKY REEF(12.8 KM) AND DIPS TO A DEPTH OF 1000 M BELOW SURFACE AT NE BOUNDARY - IMPALA PLATINUM ALSO HOLDS A LEASE AREA 32 KM TO THE EAST(EXACT LOCATION UNKNOWN) WHICH HAS BEEN DRILLED. IT IS LOWER GRADE BUT COULD SUPPORT PRODUCTION OF 300,000 TO 500,000 OZ.PT/YR.FOR 30 YRS.(NO Q-MATRIX CODED YET FOR THIS LEASE).

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 11-MAY-1994 Minerals Availability Field Office (Mafo) 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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