Zn 5.8% Oxide Skorpion NA

Description

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AMIS0152 Zinc oxide, 5.88% Zn, Skorpion, Namibia

Origin of Material: AMIS0152 was supplied by Anglo American Plc from their Skorpion mine situated 800km south of Windhoek in Namibia.  The Skorpion Zinc deposit occurs associated with the Rosh Pinah Formation of the Late Proterozoic Gariep Belt, which is an arcuate north trending tectonic unit some 400km long by 80km wide. This belt consists of sediments deposited in association with late pre-Cambrian continental rifting, which resulted in the formation of sedimentary basins. These basins are commonly sites for sedimentary exhalative (“SEDEX”) base metal mineralisation, which involves hot, metal-rich brines from depth rising along the extensional faults before emerging from the sea floor and interacting with the cold seawater. This results in the deposition of metal sulphides into topographic lows along with other sediments. Compressive tectonic processes resulted in the obliteration of the extensional features, folding of the strata and the development of thrust faulting.

The Skorpion ore body is unique in that it comprises an oxide deposit created during intense weathering of previous zinc sulphide ore minerals. The ore accumulated as alluvial accumulations of supergene zinc oxide minerals, of detrital nature, deposited within a palaeochannel and interfingered with limestone, forming a very complex orebody, up to 180m thick and containing 21.6Mt ore grading 10.6% zinc.

Mineral and Chemical Composition: The unusual mineralisation comprises the clays sauconite, smithsonite, hemimorphite and hydrozincite. There is no evidence of sulphide mineralization below the orebody, but there is a thin polymetallic sulphide occurrence 400km to the west that might be the source of the zinc in the silicate-carbonate ore.

Recommended Concentrations and Limits

(at two Standard Deviations)

Certified Concentrations

Informational means

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