Overview

Mine Type	Open Pit
Status	Active
Commodities	Phosphate rock Phosphate
Mining Method	Strip mining (roll-over)
Production Start	...
Mine Life	...
Snapshot	Elandsfontein hosts the second largest phosphate deposit in South Africa. The 2021 construction activities at Elandsfontein had largely been completed and mining activities which recommenced in October 2021 resulted in first ore being introduced into the plant in December 2021 with first production of phosphate rock concentrate being achieved in March 2022. The focus for the 2022 financial year, which continued into 2023, was to fully commission the plant, remove bottlenecks and establish specific operating parameters for the production ramp up phases towards steady state capacity. 23 January 2023 - First bulk shipment and sale of 33,000 tonnes of phosphate concentrate. As the Kropz entered the new 2023 financial period it started with the first sales being recorded from the trial production phase. The group recorded revenue of US$ 14.1 million for the six months ended 30 June 2023. Elandsfontein aims to increase its production throughput by more than 40%.

Deposit type

• Sedimentary

Summary:

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 Type
The 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.

Mineralisation
The 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.

The Elandsfontein Mineral Resource extends over 3.6 km in NE-SW direction and 1.8 km in a NWSE direction. The combined FG package varies in thickness from 3 m to 30 m, having an average thickness of 17 m.

Mining Methods

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Comminution

Crushers and Mills

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Processing

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Production

Personnel

Job Title	Name	Profile	Ref. Date
.......................	.......................		Dec 14, 2023
.......................	.......................		Dec 14, 2023
.......................	.......................		Dec 14, 2023