Latitude: 27°12'S
Longitude: 22°58'E
A manganese mine located near Hotazel in North Cape province. Owned by BHP Billiton. Started in May 1973.
Hydrothermal alteration of the primary Mn ore produced a wealth of well-crystallised minerals.
Wessels mine is an underground operation situated 300 metres below the surface. Access to the workings is achieved by means of a vertical shaft and two incline shafts. The nature of the ore body lends itself to a mechanised room and pillar mining method.
Operated as a unit with the nearby Mamatwan open-pit mine.
Mineral List
111 entries listed. 106 valid minerals. 9 type localities (valid minerals).
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References
Mining Annual Review (1985): 90
Rocks & Minerals (1986): 61: 10
Mineralogical Record (1989): 20(5): 389.
Von Bezing, K. L. et al. (1991): The Kalahari manganese field : an update, Mineralogical Record, 22 (3), 279-302.
American Mineralogist (1992): 77: 1292-1300
Gutzmer, J. & Cairncross, B. (1993): Recent discoveries from the Wessels mine South Africa. Mineralogocal Record 24 (5): 365-368
American Mineralogist (1993): 78: 1082-1087
Von Bezing, L. & Gutzmer, J. (1994): Das Kalahari Manganerzfeld und seine Mineralien (II). Mineralien-Welt, 5(5), 41-59.
Cairncross, B. and R. Dixon (1995) Minerals of South Africa.
Cairncross, B., Beukes, N. and Gutzmer, J. (1997): The Manganese Adventure – The South African Manganese Fields. Associated Ore & Metal Corporation Limited, Johannesburg, Republic of South Africa.
Gutzmer, J. & Cairncross, B. (2001): Seltene Mineralien aus dem Kalahari-Manganerzfeld, Südafrika. Lapis, 26(10), 32-42.
Gutzmer, J. & Cairncross, B. (2002): Spectacular Minerals from the Kalahari Manganese Field, South Africa. Rocks & Minerals, 77(2), 94-107.
Gnos E., Armbruster T., Villa I. M. (2003): Norrishite, K(Mn3+2Li)Si4O10(O)2, an oxymica associated with sugilite from the Wessels Mine, South Africa: Crystal chemistry and 39Ar-40Ar dating. American Mineralogist: 88: 189-194.
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