Kamativi mine

Kamativi mine
Kamativi mine is located in Zimbabwe
Kamativi mine
Location within Zimbabwe
Location
Productstin, tantalum, lithium
Opened1936
Closed1994

The Kamativi mine was the largest tin mine in Zimbabwe.[1] The mine is located in western Zimbabwe in Matabeleland North Province.[2] The Kamativi mine has reserves amounting to 100 million tonnes of tin ore grading 0.28% tin thus resulting 0.28 million tonnes of tin.[1] The tin and tantalum mine opened in 1936 and operated until 1994, when it closed due to lower tin prices on world markets.[3] Since the mine's closure, local artisanal miners have worked the pegmatite for cassiterite and tantalite.[4]

The ore has subsequently been determined to contain lithium,[3] and a project has been launched to extract the lithium from the mine's tailings.[5]

References

  1. 1 2 "Global lithium resources" (PDF). uchile.cl. 2012. Retrieved 2 July 2013.
  2. ↑ "Kamativi Mine, Matabeleland North Province, Zimbabwe". MinDat. Archived from the original on 8 November 2023.
  3. 1 2 Szlugaj, Jarosław (2022). "Lithium sources and their current use". Gospodarka Surowcami Mineralnymi (Mineral Resources Management). 38 (1): 61–88. doi:10.24425/gsm.2022.140613. citing Goodenough, Kathryn; Deady, Eimear; Shaw, Richard (2021). "Lithium resources and their potential to support battery chains in Africa". British Geological Survey. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  4. ↑ "Scenic view of Kamativi tin mine". MinDat. Archived from the original on 8 November 2023.
  5. ↑ "Kamativi Lithium Project". Kamativi Lithium and Bulawayo Gold Projects, Zimbabwe. Galileo Resources Plc.