Marico Chrome Corporation

MINING

Mining is carried out through means of open-pit mining which consists of drilling of probe holes in the ground, then plotting each hole location on a map. Due to the nature of the ore body within this Bushveld region, the chromite extraction is relatively shallow at a depth to top of 50 meters, dip of 2 - 7 degrees with a thickness of 0.9 meters. The general form is tabular/blanket. The information gained through the holes provide an idea of the vertical extent of the ore's body. This vertical information is then used to pit tentative locations of the benches that will occur in the mine. This extension of the Bushveld Igneous Complex is a shallow kidney-shaped syncline occurring in pyroxenite and harzburgite. Five chromite seams lie concentrically around the basin and dip toward the center at 2.7 degrees. Three seams are thought to be continuous, and two intermittent. Faults and folds, locally, are of minor importance only. The chromitite layers are predominantly LG1 to LG4.

%Cr2O3: 36.0 - 40.0 / 40.0 - 44.0

Cr:Fe: 1.85 - 2.06:1

Spinel: 49.0 - 53.0