South Africa's Department of Minerals and Energy has announced the launch of its latest platinum group metals (pgms) directory.

The seventh edition of the directory will provide an overview of the pgm outlook in South Africa, including a locality map and current and historical production and sales figures.

According to the handbook, South Africa had 18 producing platinum mines and two recovery plants operating on the Bushveld complex during 2006, 17 of which are exploiting the Merensky Reef and the UG2 Chromitite layer, while the Potgietersrus Platinums Mine is an opencast operation on the northern limb of the Bushveld complex.

The handbook also places South Africa's pgm production in terms of the rest of the world, detailing the fact that the country's known reserve base of pgms accounted for 87.7 per cent of the world total.

Of the overall output of pgms from South Africa, almost all of this is delivered from the Bushveld Complex, with just 0.4 per cent produced from the Evander goldfield, the Uitkomst Complex and the Phalaborwa Igneous Complex.

Sources:

PLATINUM-GROUP METAL MINES IN SOUTH AFRICA 2007
http://www.dme.gov.za/pdfs/minerals/D6_2007.pdf

Department releases platinum-group metals handbook, 11/05/07
http://www.miningweekly.co.za/article.php?a_id=108357

Ÿ Adfero Ltd