Location | |
---|---|
Province | Midlands |
Country | Zimbabwe |
Coordinates | 20°55′0″S 29°55′59″E / 20.91667°S 29.93306°E |
Production | |
Products | emeralds, lithium |
History | |
Opened | 1958 |
Owner | |
Company | Rio Tinto Zinc 1958–1993 Sandawana Mines Ltd. 1993–2019 Kuvimba Mining House 2019– |
The Sandawana Mines are a mining complex in Mberengwa District, Midlands Province of Zimbabwe, primarily known for its emeralds. The mines are sixty-five kilometers south of the town of Mberengwa. [1]
With the growth in the use of lithium batteries, lithium became a major product from the Sandawana mines. [2]
Emeralds were first discovered there in 1956, at what is now the Vulcan mine site, and the following year at the Zeus mine site. Production began in 1958, [3] and in 1959 the properties were sold to a Rio Tinto subsidiary Rio Tinto Zinc (RTZ). [1] The mines were first worked by filling a wheelbarrow with the gem containing soil and then washing away the earth, [4] but were replaced by modern placer techniques.
In 1993 Rio Tinto sold the mines to a newly formed company, Sandawana Mines (Pvt.) Ltd., where the Zimbabwean government held a significant share. [1] The mines were closed seven years later due to the drop in demand for emeralds. [5] But interest in the properties resumed as the price of lithium soared. In 2019, Kuvimba Mining House (KMH), which is 65% owned by the Zimbabwe government, took over the asset. [2]
Illegal mining takes place at the Sandawana mines due to lax or bribed security. [2]
The Mweza greenstone belt consists of a series of intensely deformed and moderately metamorphosed ultramafic-to- mafic volcanic rocks and metamorphosed sedimentary rocks. [6] Intruded into the greenstone are granitic pegmatites containing rare earth minerals such as spodumene. These pegmatite were intruded just prior to and/or during a main deformation event at 2.6 Ga.(2.6 billion years ago). [7] Subsequently, along the cracks between the pegmatites and the greenstone, a hydrothermal solution complex was injected containing large amounts of sodium, as well as lithium, fluorine, beryllium, phosphorus and chromium. [8] This solution reacted with the minerals of both the granite pegmatite and the greenstone to produce a variety of uncommon minerals, including emeralds (beryl). [8]
Location | |
---|---|
Province | Midlands |
Country | Zimbabwe |
Coordinates | 20°55′0″S 29°55′59″E / 20.91667°S 29.93306°E |
Production | |
Products | emeralds, lithium |
History | |
Opened | 1958 |
Owner | |
Company | Rio Tinto Zinc 1958–1993 Sandawana Mines Ltd. 1993–2019 Kuvimba Mining House 2019– |
The Sandawana Mines are a mining complex in Mberengwa District, Midlands Province of Zimbabwe, primarily known for its emeralds. The mines are sixty-five kilometers south of the town of Mberengwa. [1]
With the growth in the use of lithium batteries, lithium became a major product from the Sandawana mines. [2]
Emeralds were first discovered there in 1956, at what is now the Vulcan mine site, and the following year at the Zeus mine site. Production began in 1958, [3] and in 1959 the properties were sold to a Rio Tinto subsidiary Rio Tinto Zinc (RTZ). [1] The mines were first worked by filling a wheelbarrow with the gem containing soil and then washing away the earth, [4] but were replaced by modern placer techniques.
In 1993 Rio Tinto sold the mines to a newly formed company, Sandawana Mines (Pvt.) Ltd., where the Zimbabwean government held a significant share. [1] The mines were closed seven years later due to the drop in demand for emeralds. [5] But interest in the properties resumed as the price of lithium soared. In 2019, Kuvimba Mining House (KMH), which is 65% owned by the Zimbabwe government, took over the asset. [2]
Illegal mining takes place at the Sandawana mines due to lax or bribed security. [2]
The Mweza greenstone belt consists of a series of intensely deformed and moderately metamorphosed ultramafic-to- mafic volcanic rocks and metamorphosed sedimentary rocks. [6] Intruded into the greenstone are granitic pegmatites containing rare earth minerals such as spodumene. These pegmatite were intruded just prior to and/or during a main deformation event at 2.6 Ga.(2.6 billion years ago). [7] Subsequently, along the cracks between the pegmatites and the greenstone, a hydrothermal solution complex was injected containing large amounts of sodium, as well as lithium, fluorine, beryllium, phosphorus and chromium. [8] This solution reacted with the minerals of both the granite pegmatite and the greenstone to produce a variety of uncommon minerals, including emeralds (beryl). [8]