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  3. Mineral Resource Data System (MRDS)

Panda Hill

Plant in Mbeya, Tanzania with commodity Niobium (Columbium)
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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. Mineral rights holdings
  11. Land status
  12. Ownership information
  13. Production statistics
  14. Reserves and resources
  15. Workings at the site
  16. Links to other databases
  17. Bibliographic references
  18. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10280464
MAS/MILS ID 7830400003
Record type Site
Current site name Panda Hill

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Ore Body
Geographic coordinates: 33.23876, -8.98515 (WGS84)
Elevation 1630
Location accuracy 5000(meters)

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Mbeya(province)

Tanzania(country)

Africa(continent)

Land(continent)

Geographic areas

Country State
Tanzania Mbeya

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Niobium (Columbium) Critical Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Apatite Unknown
Calcite Unknown
Columbite Unknown
Dolomite Unknown
Limonite Unknown
Pyrochlore Unknown
Quartz Unknown

Nearby scientific data

Ore Body (1) 33.23876, -8.98515
ListMap

Economic information

Ore body information

  • Field Value
    MAS Matrix # 1
    MAS Column # 1
    Type of Orebody #1 DISSEMINATED
    Shape of Orebody #1 PIPELIKE
    Primary mode of Origin METAMORPHISM
    Primary Ore Control CONTACT ZONE
    Type of Wallrock Alter. #1 UNKNOWN
    Date of Last Modification 910719

Comments on the geologic information

  • THE PYROCHLORE MINERALIZATION IS COARSER AND MORE CONSISTENT IN THE CARBONATITE THAN IN THE FENITES.
  • THE DEPOSIT IS A CARBONATITE PLUG. THE GNEISES HAVE BEEN HIGHLY FENITIZED SURROUNDING THE CARBONATITE. NINE ZONES DIVIDE THE DEPOSIT. THEY ARE: BARBARA, MUSEUM, CHINI, KATI, CHUMA, BAKERA, MSTARI, MTONI, AND KUNJA

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Surface
Development status Plant
Commodity type Metallic
Significant Yes
Discovery year 1950
Mining method Open Pit
Plant type Beneficiation (Mill)
Plant subcategory Flotation
Milling method Flotation

Mineral rights holdings

Type of mineral rights Minerals Only

Land status

Ownership category State

Ownership information

  • Type Owner
    Owner Tanzania State Mining Corp.
    Interest 100
    Home office Tanzania
    Year 1991

Production statistics

  • Year 1986
    Description Pyrochlore Concentrate 260000 Mt Ore/Yr
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Conc. Niobium (Columbium) Niobium (Columbium) 260000mt

Comments on the production information

  • THE YIELDS GRADE IS IN TERMS OF % ELEMENTAL NIOBIUM IN THE PYROCHLORE CONCENTRATE.

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1973
    Indicated 6762479mt ore
    Demonstrated 6762479mt ore
    Total resources 6762479mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Niobium (Columbium) Cb2O5 0.6 wt-pct Niobium (Columbium) Major 1973
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1973
    Indicated 3489995mt ore
    Demonstrated 3489995mt ore
    Total resources 3489995mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Niobium (Columbium) Cb2O5 0.72 wt-pct Niobium (Columbium) Major 1973
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1973
    Indicated 2888645mt ore
    Demonstrated 2888645mt ore
    Total resources 2888645mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Niobium (Columbium) Cb2O5 0.71 wt-pct Niobium (Columbium) Major 1973
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1973
    Indicated 6636501mt ore
    Demonstrated 6636501mt ore
    Total resources 6636501mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Niobium (Columbium) Cb2O5 0.57 wt-pct Niobium (Columbium) Major 1973
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1973
    Indicated 2855182mt ore
    Demonstrated 2855182mt ore
    Total resources 2855182mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Niobium (Columbium) Cb2O5 0.61 wt-pct Niobium (Columbium) Major 1973
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1973
    Indicated 49210300mt ore
    Demonstrated 49210300mt ore
    Total resources 49210300mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Niobium (Columbium) Cb2O5 0.3 wt-pct Niobium (Columbium) Major 1973
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1987
    Indicated 128800000mt ore
    Demonstrated 128800000mt ore
    Total resources 128800000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Niobium (Columbium) Cb2O5 0.3 wt-pct Niobium (Columbium) Major 1987

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • THE GRADE OF THE ORE IS UNKNOWN. SEVEN SAMPLES WERE TAKEN, THE GRADE RANGED FROM 3.15% TO 10.57% P2O5.
  • IT WAS NOT CLEAR FROM THE RESOURCES REFERENCE HOW THE RESERVE ESTIMATES OF THE 5 ORE ZONES (RECORDS 1-5) RELATE TO THE TOTAL 49.2 M MT OF "DRILL-INDICATED" ORE RESERVES ESTIMATE, OF RECORD 6. SAME REFERENCE AS ABOVE.
  • 1.2 KM SOVITE-RAUHAUGITE CORE, PYROCHLORE DEPOSIT ALSO 3,450,000 MT OF FENITE AT 0.79% NB2O5-1957 RESOURCE IN RECOVERABLE METRIC TONNES REO (RARE EARTH ELEMENTS). SPECIALIST SAYS RARE EARTHS ARE ALSO POTENTIALLY RECOVERABLE
  • Q-MATRIX RECORDS 1 AND 2 ARE THE ESTIMATED IN-SITU ORE RESOURCES USED IN THE 1982 PROPERTY EVALUATION AND EDT. THE GRADE IS IN TERMS OF % ELEMENTAL NIOBIUM (NB/CB), NOT NB2O5/CB2O5.

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface
    Field Value
    MAS Development Schedule # 1
    Mining Record # 1
    Status of Mining Method ESTIMATE
    Mining Method OPEN PIT
    Percent Waste Rock 66.7
    Hardness of Ore HARD ROCKS
    Avg. Bench Height (meters) 10
    Capacity 2000
    Capacity Units MT ORE/DAY
    Operating Days per Year 260
    Operating Shifts per Day 3
    Year of Information 1983

Comments on the workings information

  • 1950: DISCOVERED BY RECONNAISSANCE MAPPING. 1954: DIAMOND DRILLING & GEOLOGICAL MAPPING COMPLETED.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Reserve-Resource

    CARON, J.C., "PREFEASIBILITY STUDY OF A MINING AND MILLING

  • Reserve-Resource

    OPERATION ON THE PANDA HILL NIOBIUM DEPOSIT", CANADIAN

  • Reserve-Resource

    INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT AGENCY, CANADIAN INTERNATIONAL

  • Reserve-Resource

    GEO-EXP, LTEE, LDT., MONTREAL, CANADA, AUGUST, 1973. P34.

  • Reserve-Resource

    BRITISH SULPHUR, "WORLD SURVEY OF PHOSPHATE DEPOSITS", 5TH

  • Reserve-Resource

    EDITION, 1987, THE BRITISH SULPHUR CORP. LTD, PP. 131, 132.

  • Deposit

    AMBROSIO, S.C., "THE MINERAL INDUSTRY OF TANZANIA," U.S.

  • Deposit

    GOVERNMENT MINERAL YEAR BOOK, 1980.

  • Deposit

    FAWLEY, A.P., JAMES, T.C., "A PYROCHLORE (COLUMBIUM)

  • Deposit

    CARBONATITE, SOUTHERN TANGANYIKA," ECONOMIC GEOLOGY,

  • Deposit

    1955.

  • Deposit

    HEINRICH, E. WILLIAM, "THE GEOLOGY OF CARBONATITES," RAND

  • Deposit

    MCNALLY & COMPANY, 1966.

  • Deposit

    PERREAULT, G., MANKER, E.A., "GEOLOGY AND MINERALOGY OF

  • Deposit

    NIOBIUM DEPOSITS, NIOBEC, 1981.

  • Deposit

    ROSKILL INFORMATION SERVICES, THE ECONOMICS OF NIOBIUM,

  • Deposit

    ROSKILL, 1979, 1983.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 14-JUN-96 Buckingham, David A. 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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