The Mineral Industry of South Africa in 2010
2010 Minerals Yearbook SOUTH AFRICA U.S. Department of the Interior August 2012 U.S. Geological Survey THE MINERAL INDUSTRY OF SOUTH AFRICA By Thomas R. Yager The Republic of South Africa remained one of the world’s Environment leading mining and mineral-processing countries. In 2010, South Africa’s estimated share of world platinum production Acid mine drainage from gold mines in the Witswatersrand amounted to 75%; kyanite and other materials, 61%; Mining Basin reportedly contaminated the Crocodile and the vermiculite, 40%; chromium, 39%; ferrochromium, 38%; Vaal River systems with increased levels of heavy metals and palladium, 37%; zirconium, 33%; vanadium, 32%; rutile, radioactive particles. The Government planned to spend about 22%; ilmenite, 19%; manganese, 17%; gold, 8%; nickel, 3%; $190 million over 10 years on alleviating acid mine drainage aluminum, antimony, fluorspar, and iron ore, 2% each; and and the other problems that resulted from the 6,000 abandoned phosphate rock, 1%. The country’s estimated share of world mines in South Africa (Prinsloo, 2010a; Zeelie, 2010). reserves of platinum-group metals (PGM) amounted to 95%; chromite, 37%; vanadium, 26%; zirconium, 25%; manganese, Production 22%; rutile, 20%; fluorspar, 18%; iron ore, 14%; gold, 12%; and ilmenite, 10% (Bray, 2011; Carlin, 2011; Corathers, 2011; In 2010, fire clay production increased by 359%; cobalt metal, Gambogi, 2011a, b; George, 2011; Jasinski, 2011; Jorgenson, 253%; ferromanganese and silicomanganese, an estimated 96% 2011; Kuck, 2011; Loferski, 2011; Miller,
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