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Alpha-Gravelotte Mine, Consolidated Murchison Mines, Gravelotte, Murchison Range, Ba-Phalaborwa Local Municipality, Mopani District Municipality, Limpopo, South Africai
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Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
23° 56' 22'' South , 30° 36' 29'' East
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
Type:
Köppen climate type:
Nearest Settlements:
| Place | Population | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Nkowakowa | 30,138 (2014) | 33.1km |
| Tzaneen | 16,954 (2013) | 46.7km |
| Ga-Kgapane | 13,000 (2013) | 51.1km |
| Duiwelskloof | 24,572 (2012) | 54.9km |
Other/historical names associated with this locality:
Stibium Mopani mine
The Alpha-Gravelotte Mine is situated 1.5 kilometres north of Gravelotte and is the largest of the antimony deposits of the Murchison greenstone belt. The Alpha-Gravelotte mineralization takes the form of stibnite-rich reefs within a carbonate-rich host rock. The ore bodies dip steeply, largely parallel to the axial planes of isoclinally folded country rocks. The most important Gravelotte (near surface) and Alpha (at depth) ore bodies are associated with the tight to isoclinal, steeply plunging Alpha-Gravelotte fold, with the better mineralisation concentrated in what are thought to be cymoidal structures related to a major shear zone along the Antimony Line. A number of mineralized veins and fractures branch from the main bodies.
The main ore mineral of the Alpha-Gravelotte Mine is stibnite. Lesser amounts of berthierite occur together with varying, but smaller, amounts of gersdorffite, ullmanite, gudmundite, pyrite, arsenopyrite and scheelite. Native gold and aurostibite are important constituents. Native antimony is developed within the Flat Reef where mineralised chloritic talc-carbonate schists have been altered to a dark serpentinitic assemblage by the intrusion of a dolerite dyke. The antimony occurs as grey crystalline stibnite and its oxidation products stibiconite and senarmontite, associated with light-coloured quartz, in lenticular interbedded veins varying from several centimetres to six metres in width. (Cairncross and Dixon, 1995)
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Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical ElementsCommodity List
This is a list of exploitable or exploited mineral commodities recorded from this region.Mineral List
Mineral list contains entries from the region specified including sub-localities18 valid minerals.
Rock Types Recorded
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Rock list contains entries from the region specified including sub-localities
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Alphabetical List Tree DiagramDetailed Mineral List:
| ⓘ Antimony Formula: Sb Description: Found within the flat reef where mineralized chloritic talc-carbonate schists have altered to dark serpentinitic assemblage by intrusion of a dolerite dyke, stibnite has been reduced to antimony. References: |
| ⓘ Arsenopyrite Formula: FeAsS References: |
| ⓘ Aurostibite Formula: AuSb2 References: |
| ⓘ Berthierite Formula: FeSb2S4 References: |
| ⓘ Calcite Formula: CaCO3 |
| ⓘ 'Chlorite Group' References: |
| ⓘ Dolomite Formula: CaMg(CO3)2 |
| ⓘ Gersdorffite Formula: NiAsS References: |
| ⓘ Gold Formula: Au References: |
| ⓘ Gudmundite Formula: FeSbS References: |
| ⓘ Magnesite Formula: MgCO3 |
| ⓘ Pyrite Formula: FeS2 References: |
| ⓘ Quartz Formula: SiO2 Localities: Alpha-Gravelotte Mine, Consolidated Murchison Mines, Gravelotte, Murchison Range, Ba-Phalaborwa Local Municipality, Mopani District Municipality, Limpopo, South Africa Beta shaft, Alpha-Gravelotte Mine, Consolidated Murchison Mines, Gravelotte, Murchison Range, Ba-Phalaborwa Local Municipality, Mopani District Municipality, Limpopo, South Africa |
| ⓘ Scheelite Formula: Ca(WO4) References: |
| ⓘ Senarmontite Formula: Sb2O3 References: |
| ⓘ Stibiconite Formula: Sb3+Sb5+2O6(OH) References: |
| ⓘ Stibnite Formula: Sb2S3 Description: Found within the flat reef where mineralized chloritic talc-carbonate schists have altered to dark serpentinitic assemblage by intrusion of a dolerite dyke, stibnite has been reduced to antimony. References: |
| ⓘ Talc Formula: Mg3Si4O10(OH)2 Localities: Alpha-Gravelotte Mine, Consolidated Murchison Mines, Gravelotte, Murchison Range, Ba-Phalaborwa Local Municipality, Mopani District Municipality, Limpopo, South Africa Beta shaft, Alpha-Gravelotte Mine, Consolidated Murchison Mines, Gravelotte, Murchison Range, Ba-Phalaborwa Local Municipality, Mopani District Municipality, Limpopo, South Africa |
| ⓘ Ullmannite Formula: NiSbS |
Gallery:
List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification
| Group 1 - Elements | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ⓘ | Gold | 1.AA.05 | Au |
| ⓘ | Antimony | 1.CA.05 | Sb |
| Group 2 - Sulphides and Sulfosalts | |||
| ⓘ | Stibnite | 2.DB.05 | Sb2S3 |
| ⓘ | Aurostibite | 2.EB.05a | AuSb2 |
| ⓘ | Pyrite | 2.EB.05a | FeS2 |
| ⓘ | Arsenopyrite | 2.EB.20 | FeAsS |
| ⓘ | Gudmundite | 2.EB.20 | FeSbS |
| ⓘ | Gersdorffite | 2.EB.25 | NiAsS |
| ⓘ | Ullmannite | 2.EB.25 | NiSbS |
| ⓘ | Berthierite | 2.HA.20 | FeSb2S4 |
| Group 4 - Oxides and Hydroxides | |||
| ⓘ | Senarmontite | 4.CB.50 | Sb2O3 |
| ⓘ | Quartz | 4.DA.05 | SiO2 |
| ⓘ | Stibiconite | 4.DH.20 | Sb3+Sb5+2O6(OH) |
| Group 5 - Nitrates and Carbonates | |||
| ⓘ | Calcite | 5.AB.05 | CaCO3 |
| ⓘ | Magnesite | 5.AB.05 | MgCO3 |
| ⓘ | Dolomite | 5.AB.10 | CaMg(CO3)2 |
| Group 7 - Sulphates, Chromates, Molybdates and Tungstates | |||
| ⓘ | Scheelite | 7.GA.05 | Ca(WO4) |
| Group 9 - Silicates | |||
| ⓘ | Talc | 9.EC.05 | Mg3Si4O10(OH)2 |
| Unclassified | |||
| ⓘ | 'Chlorite Group' | - | |
List of minerals for each chemical element
Localities in this Region
- Limpopo
- Mopani District Municipality
- Ba-Phalaborwa Local Municipality
- Murchison Range
- Gravelotte
- Consolidated Murchison Mines
- Alpha-Gravelotte Mine
- Consolidated Murchison Mines
- Gravelotte
- Murchison Range
- Ba-Phalaborwa Local Municipality
- Mopani District Municipality
Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality
AfricaContinent
Somali PlateTectonic Plate
South Africa
- Limpopo
- Mopani District Municipality
- Ba-Phalaborwa Local Municipality
- Murchison Greenstone BeltGreenstone Belt
- Ba-Phalaborwa Local Municipality
- Mopani District Municipality
- ⭔TransvaalProvince
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References
Alpha-Gravelotte Mine, Consolidated Murchison Mines, Gravelotte, Murchison Range, Ba-Phalaborwa Local Municipality, Mopani District Municipality, Limpopo, South Africa