Waterberg Coalfield
| Location | |
|---|---|
 Waterberg Coalfield
|
|
| Province | Limpopo |
| Country | South Africa |
| Coordinates | 23°40′0″S 27°31′0″E / 23.66667°S 27.51667°ECoordinates: 23°40′0″S 27°31′0″E / 23.66667°S 27.51667°E |
| Production | |
| Products | Coal |
The Waterberg Coalfield is an extensive deposit of coal in the Ellisras Basin in South Africa, lying mostly in the Waterberg District Municipality of the Limpopo province. Mining is increasing, both for export and for local power production, and industry in the region is expected to expand. This may have significant impact on the dry and fragile Limpopo basin ecosystems.
The Waterberg Coalfield is located in the Limpopo province of South Africa, west of Lephalale. Its dimensions are about 85 kilometres (53 mi) from east to west and about 40 kilometres (25 mi) from north to south. It is part of the same formation as the Mmamabula coalfields in Botswana, to the west. It contains about 40% of South Africa's coal resources. The Waterberg Coalfield has been estimated to hold about 50 billion tons, of which about a quarter could be extracted using opencast mining.
The coal-bearing rocks are in the Grootegeluk Formation within the Karoo Supergroup. They were deposited from 260 to 190 million years ago, and are bounded by the Limpopo Mobile Belt to the north and the Eenzaamheid and Ellisras Faults to the south. The more recent Daarby Fault cuts across the coalfield. The recent covering comes from weathering of Limpopo Mobile Belt gneiss and Karoo rock in the north, and from weathering of the Waterberg sandstones in the south.
Thin layers of coal alternate with layers of mudstones in the Grootegeluk Formation, which is around 70 metres (230 ft) thick. Although some of the resources are near the surface and readily accessible, it may not be economically viable to extract coals from the seams that lie at depths of up to 400 metres (1,300 ft). Due to the thickness of the deposits, providing roof support and preventing spontaneous combustion would be insurmountable problems. A large part of the resource is low grade bituminous, suitable for local power generation but not for export. Other drawbacks to the Waterberg Coalfield include its distance from industrial centers in South Africa, lack of infrastructure in the area and lack of water supplies. Large amounts of water are needed for both the mines and the power stations.
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Wikipedia