Panda Hill Carbonatite

The Panda Hill Carbonatite is an apatite and pyrochlore bearing sovite carbonatite located in the Mbeya District of Tanzania. The deposit was found in the mid-1950s by the then Geological Survey of Tanganyika (now Tanzania). Niobium ore occurs largely in pyrochlore bearing sovite (carbonatite composed largely of calcite) and dolmite-rich carbonatite.[1]

The deposit also contains lesser phosphate mineralisation associated with apatite.[2]

History

Panda Hill was first developed for niobium in the late 1950s and early 1960s by the then N. V. Billiton.[3] A pilot mill and small open pit mine operated from 1957 to 1960 that produced concentrate that was then shipped to the Netherlands for further processing.[4]

The deposit is currently under development by Cradle Resources[5] to mine niobium by open pit mining methods. The project has reported resources of 96 million tonnes of mineralisation at an average grade of 0.52% Nb2O5.[6] If successful the Panda Hill niobium deposit will be the first niobium mine in Africa.[7][8]

Pandaite

The Panda Hill carbonatite is also notable as being the source location of the mineral pandaite - a hydrated barium-strontium pyrochlore associated with biotite-rich contact metamorphic rocks.[9] Jager et al. recommended the name pandaite after analysing rock samples from Panda Hill in 1958 with the following formula described: (Ba0.30Sr0.22Ca0.05Ce0.04Na0.03Fe0.02K0.01Th0.01)(Nb1.83Ta0.004Ti0.17)O5.61(H2O)0.80

Other later recorded occurrences include at Mt Kukisvumchorr in the Khibiny Massif (Kola Peninsula) in Northern Region, Russia;[10] and at the Mrima Hill niobium deposit in Kenya within a residuum consisting mainly of goethite/limonite and gorceixite.[11]

References
  1. Misra, Kula (2000). Understanding Mineral Deposits. Kluwer Academic Publishers. p. 23. ISBN 978-0-045530090.
  2. Zablon, Andrew (10 December 2013). "Tanzania to map its phosphate deposits". East African Business Week. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  3. Kamp, Adolph. De standvastige tinnen soldaat (The Steadfast Tin Soldier): (History of) N.V. Billiton Maatschappij 1860-1960. p. 111.
  4. Misra, Kula (2000). Understanding Mineral Deposits. Kluwer Academic Publishers. p. 23. ISBN 978-0-045530090.
  5. "Panda Hill Niobium". cradleresources.com.au. Archived from the original on 2015-02-26. Retrieved 2015-01-29.
  6. "Significant Resource Upgrade for Panda HIll Niobium Project" (PDF). cradleresources.com.au. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-02-28. Retrieved 2015-01-29.
  7. Montiea, Bruce (7 November 2014). "Development of Africa's first niobium project under way". Mining Weekly. Creamer Media. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  8. KIISHWEKO, ORTON (21 July 2014). "Dar to benefit from various minerals". Daily News. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  9. Jager, E; et al. "A hydrated barium-strontium pyrochlore in a biotite rock from Panda HIll, Tanganyika" (PDF). minersoc.org. Retrieved 2015-01-29.
  10. "Bariopyrochlore (of Hogarth 1977)".
  11. Harris, P (June 1965). "Pandaite from the Mrima Hill Niobium Deposit (Kenya)" (PDF). Mineralogical Magazine. 270 (35): 277–290. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.618.7860. doi:10.1180/minmag.1965.035.270.03. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
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