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Empress

Past Producer in Zimbabwe with commodities Nickel, Copper, Cobalt, Iron
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Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10079578
MRDS ID W029610
Record type Site
Current site name Empress

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: 29.41803, -18.46367 (WGS84)
Relative position SOUTH WEST OF SALISBURY, ABOUT 35 MILES WEST OF GATOOMA
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Geographic areas

Country
Zimbabwe

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Nickel Primary
Copper Primary
Cobalt Secondary
Iron Tertiary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chalcopyrite Ore
Ilmenite Ore
Magnetite Ore
Pentlandite Ore
Pyrite Ore
Pyrrhotite Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Biotite Gangue
Calcite Gangue
Prehnite Gangue
Quartz Gangue
Talc Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) All Rocks Are Much Altered By Deuteric And Perhaps Regional Metamorphism.

Analytical data

Result 0.64 % CU, 0.84 % NI, 0.029 % CO, 5.22 % S, 13.34 % FE, 36.54 % SIO2

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 13
USGS model code 7a
Deposit model name Synorogenic-synvolcanic Ni-Cu
Mark3 model number 19

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Ultramafic Intrusive Rock
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Neoproterozoic
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Tonalite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Diorite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Gabbro
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Amphibolite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Granitoid > Granite

Nearby scientific data

(1) 29.41803, -18.46367
ListMap

Geologic structures

Type Description Terms
Regional Archaean Greenstone Belt, Mafic And Ultramafic Cratonic Environment
Local A Quartz Diorite Stock Intrusiv Into Precambrian Bulawayan Greenstone And Gives Way To Altered Plutonic Rocks Of Mafic And Ultramatic Character Which Lie Against The Greenstone Margins.

Ore body information

  • Thickness 27M
    Depth to bottom 660M
    Width 30M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Precambrian Bulawayan Greenstones. A Granodiorite Stock Intrude The Greenstones And A Zone Of Amphibolite And Hybrid Rock Occurs At The Greenstone-Granodiorite Contact In Which The Nickel Deposit Occurs.

Comments on the geologic information

  • THE EMPRESS COMPLEX IS A STOCK OF TONALITE RIMMED BY MAFIC ROCKS ON THE WESTERN SIDE. THERE IS A RUDE BANDING OF FELSIC AND MAFIC TYPES PARALLEL TO THE MARGIN OF THE STOCK. DETERMINATIONS OF MODE AND SPECIFIC GRAVITIES SHOW THAT ALL GRADIATIONS BETWEEN MAFIC AND FELSIC TYPES EXIST. SULFIDE MINERALIZATION IS RELATED TO DENTERIC ACTIVITY.

Economic information

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Significant No
Discovery year 1955

Mining district

District name Gweru (Gwelo) District

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Empress Nickel Mining Co. Ltd.
  • Type Owner
    Owner Rio Tinto Ltd. (Rhodesia)

Production statistics

  • Year 1971
    Material ORE
    Accuracy Estimate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^1.3 % Ni + Cu
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Ore Copper Copper 1wt-pct
    Ore Nickel Nickel 1wt-pct

Comments on the production information

  • CAPACITY OF ORE ABOUT 700,000 T PER ANNUM; MILLING RATE ABOUT 60,000 T PER MONTH.

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1972
    Total resources 22,000,000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Nickel Ni 1.35 wt-pct Nickel Major 1972
    Copper Cu 0.8 wt-pct Copper Major 1972

Reference information

Links to other databases

Agency Database name Acronym Record ID Notes
USGS Mineral Resources Data System MRDS W029610

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    PETERS H.D.,NICKEL, 1975

  • Deposit

    SHARPE J.W.N, THE EMPRESS NICKEL-COPPER DEPOSIT, SOUTHERN RHODESIA

  • Deposit

    EALES V.H., MINERALOGY AND PETROLOGY OF THE EMPRESS NI-CU DEPOSIT, SOUTHERN RHODESIA

  • Deposit

    E/M.J. (1975) P. 263

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit MINE, CONCENTRATOR, SMELTER. OPERATIONS WERE SUSPENDED IN 1986.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-JAN-1977 Saam, Henning G. U.S. Geological Survey