Okiep Copper District, Namaqualand: Europeans earliest

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Okiep Copper District, NamaqualandEuropeans
earliest mining effortsinSouth Africa

• Professor Bruce Cairncross
• Department of Geology

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At least 26 mines
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GEOLOGY
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Spektakel
COPPER MINES .....
Narrap mine steam engine
Concordia mine dump
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The Okiep Copper district Firsts

• First economic deposit discovered by Europeans
  in South Africa in1685 (First European
  settlement in 1652 hence copper discovered
  only 33 years later)
• First mine opened by Europeans in South Africa
• First South African mining company formed in1852
• First South African geological report written on
  the copper deposits
• First South African geological map in South
  Africa the Namaqualand copper fields.

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Copper from Spektakel mine
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Discovery site Sketch from van der Stels
expedition notes
Discovery site Aug 2011 Concordia National
Monument
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The Okiep Copper district Firsts
Springbok August 2011
Blue Mine
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Blue Mine Plaque
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One of the first South African share certificates
(1854)
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Andrew Geddes Bain Geologist and Road Maker
First Geological Report Written in South
Africa
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(1859)
(1856)
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Charles Bell Surveyor General Cape Colony 1848
to 1872
Surveyor, artist, designer, businessman
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Okiep August 2011
Okiep 1899 - 1902
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Nababeep mine, August 2011
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Nababeep mine chalcanthite
Jubilee mine, collected 1993
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Tweefontein (left 2011 below 1993)
Jan Coetzee mine (2011)
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The Jan Coetzee mine

• Located 11 km north of Nababeep
• First worked in 1888 (Cape Copper Company),
  abandoned 1907
• (several prospecting pits an 80-m deep shaft)
• Reopened in 1964 by the OKiep Copper Company and
  finally closed in 1971
• 1966 spectacular quartz crystal cave opened -
  12 X 12 metres across and 6 metres high
• Floor, walls and roof covered by thousands of
  crystals and thousands lying loose on the floor
• Estimated at several tons of quartz, 50,000
  specimens!!
• Largest almost 2m long (185 cm) and weighed
  250kg.

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Some Okiep minerals ( a rich mineralogical
heritage)
Ferroaxinite
Chalcocite
Gypsum
Calcite
Calcite
Chalcopyrite
Quartz
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Jan Coetzee Mine 1968
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Jan Coetzee mine 1994
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Jan Coetzee mine 2011
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Nababeep mine smelter chimney, August 2011
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Nababeep ...
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Nababeep Mining Museum
Karin Janecke - Curator
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Thank you!