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Location: 94 km N from Cape Town, South Africa
R45 Road, Western CapeHopefieldSouth Africa7355
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The Elandsfontein phosphate deposit is situated in the south western coastal region of South Africa. This area is underlain by the Miocene and Paleocene Sandveld Group comprising of the Elandsfontyn, Varswater, Velddrif, Langebaan, Springfontein Hill and Witzand Formations. This Group is dated between the Miocene (23 Ma to 5.3 Ma) and the Pliocene (5.3 Ma to 2.6 Ma). The Varswater Formation hosts the Elandsfontein phosphate deposit. The Sandveld Group unconformably overlies the Neoproterozoic Malmesbury Group and plutons of the Cape Granite Suite.The Varswater Formation is formed by estuary and marine sediments, which locally overlie the Elandsfontyn Formation and consists of poorly sorted angular sands and gravels grading upwards into carbonaceous clays and peaty material, known as the Langeenheid Clay Member. Deposit TypeThe Elandsfontein phosphate deposit belongs to the sedimentary phosphate deposit type known as phosphorites. These deposits have been found on most continents and it is estimated that the world inventory of this style of deposit exceeds 200 000 Mt. They range in age from the Precambrian to recent, but the commercially exploited deposits are mainly of Phanerozoic age. In South Africa, and specifically in the Western Cape Province both authogenic and diagenetically modified phosphorite deposits have been identified by Birch (1990) in the Langebaan area. In the Saldanha embayment deposits of calcium phosphate formed during the Miocene and Pliocene periods. The Elandsfontein deposit is a diagenetically modified phosphorite deposit. MineralisationThe phosphate mineralization at Elandsfontein is in the form of the calcium phosphate mineral apatite, that presents itself as one of three types that may be described from top to bottom of the mineralised ore horizon as:- Rounded reworked orange coloured phosphate grains in the terrace ores;- A mixture of the orange grains in addition to the crystalline dark green apatite in the unconsolidated F and G Units; and- As a phosphate matrix between mainly quartz grains in cemented phosphorite lenses in the F Unit, but mainly in the G Unit.The host of the apatite mineralization consists mainly of poorly sorted, angular quartz sands and gravels, alternating with fine sands and silts.DimensionsShallow orebody with the Langebaan Formation comprises calcarenites or limestones, composed largely of quartz grains with minor calcium carbonate cementing (approximately 30%). Essentially this formation can be broken down into two sequences, namely the upper sequence comprising calcretised quartz grains at approximately 0.5 – 3.0 m depth, which is underlain by the lower unconsolidated sequence. The Langebaan and Witsand Formations, overlying the deposit, will form the highwalls of the open pit.The Varswater formation is host to the main phosphate deposit which is underlain by the Langeenheid Clay Member which is approximately 30 m thick. This is then underlain by the Elandsfontein Formation, which is approximately 40 m thick and comprises upward fining quartzose sediments.Locally the Formation is represented by white sands and some clay.Total mineralised horizon is approximately 25m - 40m thick, depending in locality (Basin vs Terrace).The orebody extends across the lease boundary in excess of 4km, with approximately 2.5km well defined.Strike direction is northeast to southwest.
