CASE STUDY
Lime in Limpopo Province: mineral resource modelling project case study
Minrom supported a lime mining operation in Limpopo Province by reviewing historical drilling and sampling data, building a preliminary 3D geological model, and completing a follow-up pitting program. The work helped refine calcium carbonate mineralization, grade distribution, mineable zones, and Life of Mine estimates for industrial and agricultural lime production.
Scope of Work
Overview
- Minrom supported a Limpopo lime mine with exploration planning and mineral resource modelling.
- Historical drilling and sampling data were used to build a preliminary 3D geological model.
- Follow-up pitting helped refine calcium carbonate grade, mineable zones, and Life of Mine estimates.
- The work reduced the risk of mining without enough geological and grade control.
Commodity
Industrial (lime)
Country
South Africa
Project Type
Mining & Exploration
Project Overview
Minrom has been actively involved in developing and executing an exploration strategy at a prominent animal feed lime mine in the Limpopo Province of South Africa. The project produces both industrial and agricultural grade lime products Lime is one of the most important industrial commodities and is used in several different industries.
The geology associated with the project area consists of the rocks of the Pretoria Group (Transvaal Supergroup) unconformably overlain by tertiary to quaternary age sediments. These sediments contain the CaCO3 mineralisation which is hosted in thick (3-12 m) calcrete beds . These beds contain calcium carbonate grades of 60 – 90% CaCO3. The higher the grade, the greater the purity of the lime aggregate produced.
For this project, Minrom’s role was to help the client better understand the resource base, refine mineralization estimates, and support Life of Mine planning.
Minrom performed a mineralisation quantification based on previous historical diamond and Reverse circulation drilling and sampling data for the Mining Rights area. This included the development of a preliminary 3D geological model for the deposit.
Figure 1
Simplified geological map of the Transvaal Basin (modified from Eriksson et al., 1995).
Minrom performed a follow-up pitting programme within the mine area to investigate the profiles of the subsurface geology and update the previous mineralisation estimates. .
Figure 2
Logging excavated pits
The aim was to refine the mineralisation, grade and Life of Mine (LOM). Th pitting allowed Minrom to develop of various models considering different mineable zones, varying depths, and with several ranges of cut-off grades. This helped minimise the risk of mining blindly and optimised the mining process for our client!
Minrom performed a follow-up pitting programme within the mine area to investigate the profiles of the subsurface geology and update the previous mineralisation estimates.
Figure 1
Simplified geological map of the Transvaal Basin (modified from Eriksson et al., 1995)
The aim was to refine the mineralisation, grade and Life of Mine (LOM). Th pitting allowed Minrom to develop of various models considering different mineable zones, varying depths, and with several ranges of cut-off grades. This helped minimise the risk of mining blindly and optimised the mining process for our client!