As the world journeys to a carbon zero target, relatively cleaner electricity technologies include batteries, electric vehicles (EV), solar panels, windfarms, and transmission lines. According to the Peterson Institute for International Economics, these technologies will need large volumes of rare earth minerals, critical mineralscobalt, lithium, graphite, nickel, and manganese.
The Council for Geoscience in South Africa, released Regional and National geochemical stream sediment and soil sampling programmes, dating as far back as 1973.
The Council, said in a statement this week, the aim of the Programmes, is to generate a geochemical data layer of the existing erosional surface that is useful for many sectors, including geology, exploration, mining, environment, building, engineering, agriculture, health and others.
The focus in this article, is on geochemical studies conducted by the Council, over 10 years.
Feedback reports provide in-depth analysis of the soil samples collected, and geochemical characteristics of the studied environments.
The Geochemical Synthesis Report of the Ganyesa revealed the presence of the Kalahari Group sediments in the northwestern part of the area. In the southeastern corner of the mapped area, outcrops of the rocks of the Schmidtsdrif Formation, Vryburg Formation, Allanridge Formation and the Kameeldoorns Formation are present.
The Geluk mapped area, in the North West Province, has dolomitic rocks of the Transvaal Supergroup which account for more than half of the mapped area.
The Jan Kempdorp mapped area, is mostly covered by the Allanridge and Bothaville Formations which are, in turn, covered by the Kalahari Group sands. Other deposits present there, include a nickel copper belt and other deposits.
Mosita mapped area is situated in the North West Province, and has Kalahari Group sands and gravels, rocks of the Kraaipan Group and of the Allanridge Formation.
The Kgomohute mapped area is largely dominated by the sediments of the Kalahari Group with suboutcropping lithological units.
The Vryburg mapped area displays a relatively flat and undulating terrain and is predominantly characterised by the Allanridge Formation which outcrops in the centre of the area. The Dwyka Group, Schmidtsdrif Subgroup and Vryburg Formation outcrops in the southern part of the area. The Rietgat and Makwassie Formations are present in the northwestern corner of the mapped area.
The Piet Plessis mapped area, highlights the distribution of nickel – cobalt, Ni-Co (VHMS), Galena and aeolian deposits. A further study is suggested to determine copper barium in the area.
Picture: iStock, Kalahari manganese