Earth:Skorpion Zinc

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Skorpion Zinc
Skorpion Zink Mine.jpg
Aerial view of Skorpion Zink Mine
Location
Skorpion Zinc is located in Namibia
Skorpion Zinc
Skorpion Zinc
Location in Namibia
LocationRosh Pinah
RegionKaras
CountryNamibia
Coordinates [ ⚑ ] : 27°49′07″S 016°36′00″E / 27.81861°S 16.6°E / -27.81861; 16.6
Production
ProductsZinc
Production66,000 tonnes[1]
Financial year2018
History
Opened2003
Owner
CompanyVedanta Resources
Year of acquisition2010

Skorpion Zinc is a zinc mine in the ǁKaras Region of southern Namibia, producing Special High Grade (SHG) zinc. The mine is situated near Rosh Pinah. It was established at a cost of US$450 million by Anglo American in 2003.[2][3] It is the tenth-largest zinc mine in the world, and the largest employer in Rosh Pinah, providing 1,900 jobs.[4][5]

Skorpion is a unique mine in several ways. Firstly, it is a supergene zinc ore body composed of alluvial accumulations of zinc carbonate and silicate minerals of detrital nature deposited within a palaeochannel. There are no other currently commercially viable deposits of this type. It is also one of the few mines in the world that currently mines zinc oxides, a mixture of non-sulphidic zinc minerals such as smithsonite, hydrozincite, tarbuttite and willemite. Finally, it is the only zinc processing facility to use solvent extraction-electrowinning metallurgy to process and refine its zinc products (others using conventional smelting and roasting).[6][7]

The Skorpion SX-EW plant creates Special High Grade, ultra-pure zinc cathode as a primary product, which is so low in impurities that it commands a price premium.[8]

In November 2010 the project was acquired by Vedanta Resources at a cost of US$707 million.[9] In 2019, Vedanta announced mining would be suspended for a four months due to technical problems.[10] Then in 2020 Vedanta placed the mine on care and maintenance due to pit failures.[11]

See also

  • Rosh Pinah mine
  • 2008 Skorpion Zinc strike

References

  1. ↑ McKay, David (4 April 2019). "Vedanta Zinc suffers impact of Skorpion strike, brings annual shutdown forward". Miningmx. https://www.miningmx.com/news/base-metals/36548-vedanta-zinc-suffers-impact-of-skorpion-strike-brings-annual-shutdown-forward/. Retrieved 28 February 2020. 
  2. ↑ "Anglo American's Skorpion zinc mine and refinery in Namibia officially opened". London: Anglo American plc. 12 September 2003. https://www.angloamerican.com/media/press-releases/archive/2003/2003-09-12. Retrieved 28 February 2020. 
  3. ↑ "Glencore buys 80% of Rosh Pinah". The Namibian (Mining Weekly). 16 December 2011. https://www.namibian.com.na/index.php?id=89485&page=archive-read. 
  4. ↑ Hartman, Adam (May 2019). "Evolution of Namibia's mining towns". Mining Journal supplement to The Namibian: pp. 26–33. 
  5. ↑ "Industry Trend Analysis - Global Zinc Mining Outlook". Mining.com. 4 October 2018. https://mining.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Global-Mining-Zinc_Mining_Outlook-Fitch-Solutions-04-October-2018.pdf. Retrieved 28 February 2020. 
  6. ↑ Sole, Kathy; Fuls, Herman; Gnoinski, Jürgen. "Skorpion Zinc: Mine-to-metal zinc production via solvent extraction". Johannesburg: Skorpion Zinc, Anglo Research. http://www.mintek.co.za/Mintek75/Proceedings/B04-Sole.pdf. Retrieved 28 February 2020. 
  7. ↑ Hinder, Gisela (2 May 2015). "Skorpion Zinc mine – another new mineral discovered". http://ctminsoc.org.za/articles/skorpion-zinc-mine-–-another-new-mineral-discovered. Retrieved 28 February 2020. 
  8. ↑ Sole, Kathryn C. (2008). "The influence and benefits of an upstream solvent-extraction circuit on the electrowinning of zinc in sulfate media: The Skorpion Zinc process". https://www.researchgate.net/publication/285955011. Retrieved 28 February 2020. 
  9. ↑ "Vedanta completes acquisition of Skorpion Zinc Mine for $707 mn". The Economic Times (Gurugram, Haryana). 4 December 2010. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/indl-goods/svs/metals-mining/vedanta-completes-acquisition-of-skorpion-zinc-mine-for-707-mn/articleshow/7042433.cms?from=mdr. Retrieved 28 February 2020. 
  10. ↑ "Vedanta to shut down Skorpion zinc operations Namibia for four months". 2019-10-10. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-zinc-vedanta-idUSKBN1WP2G1. 
  11. ↑ Ganta, Himaja (2020-03-31). "Vedanta to suspend operations at Skorpion Zinc unit in Namibia". https://www.mining-technology.com/news/vedanta-suspend-operations-skorpion-zinc/. 

Sources

  • Gregor Borg, Katrin Kärner, Mike Buxton, Richard Armstrong, Schalk W. van der Merwe (2003). "Geology of the Skorpion Supergene Zinc Deposit, Southern Namibia". Economic Geology 98 (4): 749–771. doi:10.2113/98.4.749. 

See also

  • Mining in Namibia




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