Tantalum in Ethiopia

INFORMATION ON THE MINING POTENTIAL OF ETHIOPIA
MINERAL RESOURCES OF
TANTALUM
KEY MINERAL FOR GADGETS
AND ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT
MINERAL RESOURCES OF

MINERAL RESOURCES OF
Tantalum in Ethiopia
Tantalum is a strategic metal due
to its use in one of the most widespread
gadgets in modern society,
the mobile phone. Tantalum is
also used in other types of electronic
equipment and is thus in
high demand. At present Ethiopia
supplies close to ten percent of
the world consumption of tantalum
and has a good potential for a
considerable expansion of the
production.
The trade name for the most common
tantalum-bearing mineral
is ‘coltan’ whereas the mineralogical
name is colum -
botantalite or columbite.
The Kenticha tantalum de -
posit in Southern Ethiopia
has Ta/Nb ratios up to 3:1,
which makes the deposit
economically very important.
The Kenticha tantalum-be aring
pegmatites were first discovered during
a geological, 1:250 000 scale, mapping
programme carried out by Ethiopian
geologists in close co-operation with
Soviet geologists in 1980. A major mapping
and evaluation programme financed
by the Soviet Union was carried out from
1981 to 1985. The purpose of the project
was to determine the extent of the tantalum-bearing
rocks and to evaluate their
commercial potential.
The Kenticha pegmatites are situated
in the Adola area within the Pre cam -
brian basement of southern Ethiopia,
which is the southern part of the
Arabian–Nubian Shield formed by accretion
of ocean arc terranes. The Neo -
proterozoic rocks can be divided into
two distinct lithologic units:
2
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Shendi
Omdurmân
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Keren
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Dhamar
Yarim
Lawdar
Irqah
Ash Shihr
Al Mukalla
Wad Medánî
Om Hajer
Gedaref
Adwa
Melau
Adigrat
Mek’ele
Shaqra
Ahwar
Caluula
Socotra Socot S t r ra
Abd-Al-Kuri
Abd-Al- A Ku K ri r
The Brothers
Gallabat
ETHIOPIAN
HIOP N
Caseyr e
Kosti Singa
Dabat
Sek’ot’a
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PL P A TE T A U
Gonder Lalibela
DJIBOUTI DJIB DJIBOUTI
Bender Qaasim
Qandala
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Dunkur Alefa Debre Tabor
Dangila Mot’a
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Debre Birhan
Biye K’obe
Dire Dawa
Gulf of
Saylac
Tadjou TTadjoura adjou adjo ra r
Karin
Berbera
Bullaxaar
Shiikh
Hargeysa Burao
Ceerigaabo
Qardho
Ras Xaafuun
Xaafuun
Bender Beyla
Nek’emte
Ankober
Addis Abeba
Mi’eso
Harer
Laascaanood
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Dembi Dolo
Koma
A Nazret
Degeh Bur
Gore
Hosa’ina
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O g a d e n
Abera
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Goba
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Maji
Kara
Gidole
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SOMALIAA
Hobyo
Hamer Koke
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Beled Weyne
Xuddur
Buulobarde
Luuq
Nimule
Moyale
Baydhabo
Jawhar
Lodwar
Gulu
U G A N D A
Chalbi C h a lbi
Desert Dese r t
Marsabit
Wajir
Balcad
Afgooye
Uarsciek UUarsciek
Baardheere
Qoryooley
Muqdisho
(Mogadishu)
Marka
I N D I A N O C E A N
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K E N Y A
Baraawe
Afmadow
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Giamame GGiamame
Ba B
Shendi
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Khartoum K
Kassala s
Abu Gamel Ga
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Sebderat
Adi Ugri
San‘a
Dhamar
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im
Lawdar
Irqah
Ash Shihr
Al Mukalla
Wad Medánî ed
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Mek’ele
Shaqra
Ahwar
Caluula
Gallabat ab
Kosti Singa
Dabat
Sek’ot’a
PL P A TE T
Gonder G e Lalibela
Bender Qaasim
Qandala
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Er Roseiress
Dunkur Alefa A
Debre Tabor T
Dangila gi Mot’a ot’a
Girshit’
Debre ebre b Mark’os Mark ark’o a
Debre Birhan Bi Bir Biirh
Biye K’obe
Dire Dawa
Saylac S
Karin
Berbera
Bullaxaar
Shiikh
Hargeysa Burao
Ceerigaabo
Qardho
Xaafuun
Bender Beyla
Nek’emte k’
Ankober
Addis Abeba
Mi’eso
Harer H
Laascaanood
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Dembi Dolo
Koma K
A Nazre Nazret
Degeh Bur
Gore
Hosa’ina os
Asela
Abera Aber
Ginir nir
Goba
Megalo
Maji
Kara
Burji
Hamer Koke
Beled Weyne
Nimule
Gulu
Gilo Gilo
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• Granite-gneiss complex
• Ophiolitic fold and thrust belts
The ophiolitic fold and thrust belts are
composed of mafic and ultramafic volcanic
rocks and metasediments. After
several phases of deformation and
metamorphism the units were intruded
by a number of pegmatites among
which the Kenticha pegmatite field
stands out.
The Kenticha pegmatite field
Pegmatites are abundant throughout
the southern part of Neoproterozoic
rocks in the Adola area in southernmost
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Shabeelle
Ethiopia is located on the Horn of Africa bordering
Sudan, Eritrea, Djibouti, Somalia and Kenya.
Ethiopia, but are especially abundant in
the Kenticha pegmatite field where they
occur in an area of about 2,500 km2 . The
pegmatites are emplaced at or near a
major NNE-SSW-trending shear zone.
They range from barren feldspar-muscovite
pegmatites to different types of
rare-element pegmatites.
The Ta bearing pegmatite deposit in
Kenticha Field is exposed over a 2.5 km
long and 40-70 m wide area. It occurs in
a package of steeply dipping serpentinites
and talc-tremolite schists. The
thickness of the pegmatite varies. In
locations where both hanging and footwall
contacts are exposed, thickness
ranges from 40 m to 70 m.
The upper part of the ore body is
strongly weathered to a variety of clay
minerals. The tantalite occurs in grain size
from a few millimetres up to about 5 cm.
Weathering has affected the feldspars

and most of the lithium-bearing mine -
rals, whereas the tantalite is unaffected
by the weathering. Mining is so far confined
to the weathered part of the ore.
The ore is simply dug out by a bulldozer,
scooped up onto trucks and driven to a
plant where the ore is mixed with water.
Then the columbite concentrate is produced
through a series of steps of
screening, jigging and final treatment
on shaking tables. The recovery is ap -
proximately 70 percent. The remaining
30 percent is stored in a vast tailings
pond for later use.
The deeper part of the ore body is
hard-rock, non-weathered pegmatite.
This ore body has about the same tonnage
as the weathered ore body, but has
not yet been exploited.
The Kenticha pegmatites display
complex zoning. Apart from columbite, a
number of lithium minerals such as lepidolite
and spodumene are found. Fur -
thermore small amounts of beryl and
sulphides occur.
Tantalum resource
The Kenticha tantalum deposit is mined
by the Ethiopian Mineral Development
Share Company (EMDSC).
• The production is around 100 tonnes
of Ta 2 O 5 per year
• The primary un-weathered ore re -
source is measured to ca. 17,000
tonnes with a grade of 0.017% Ta O 2 5
• The proved ore reserve of the weathered
zone plus a minor part of unweathered
ore is ca. 4,700 tonnes with
an average grade of 0.015% Ta O 2 5
The Ta/Nb ratio varies considerably from
1:1 and up to 3:1.
Uranium contents
Uranium is an abundant trace element in
part of the ore deposit. The final tantalite
concentrates typically contains just above
Lake
Tana
Addis Ababa
0.5% uranium, well above the content
which is acceptable to the European and
North American markets.
Additional commodities
Main Ethipoian Rift
High-grade Precambrian
Undifferentiated gneisses
and schists
Low-grade Precambrian
Metavolcano-sediments
Metaultramafic-mafics
Precambrian
Phanerozoic Intrusives
Gabbro
Diorite
Granite-tonalite
Palaeozoic Rocks
Mesozoic Rocks
Undifferentiated sediments
Cenozoic Rocks
Early-Mid Tertiary basalt
Upper Tertiary-Quaternary - basalt
Mid Tertiary-Quaternary - felsic rocks
Early Tertiary sediment
Tillites
Upper Tertiary-Quaternary sediment
Simplified geological map of Ethiopia with mine symbol at Kenticha mine.
The pegmatites in the Adola area display
a variety of minerals of which the lithiumbearing
phases such as spodumene and
Li-micas over time may be valuable byproducts.
In the Kenticha pegmatites, certain
parts of the coltan mineralisation carry
low levels of uranium. Uranium in coltan
can be a problem or an asset depending
on the level of uranium. In most parts of
the Kenticha coltan, the uranium is
above the critical level of 0.5%, as is the
case of coltan mentioned above. This
means that Europe will not allow import
of this quality of coltan.
Serpentinite
Quartz core
Weathered
ore body
Weathered tantalum ore body (white) underlying talc-tremolite schists and serpentinites. The quartz
core is standing out. Plant is seen on the left side of photo.
Geology: Modified from Mengesha et al.(1996)
Geological map of Ethiopia, second edition, 1:2,000,000
3
MINERAL RESOURCES OF

MINERAL RESOURCES OF
The Ethiopian Mineral Development Share
Company now seeks partners to develop a
plant to produce value added commodities
(K Ta F ,K NbF ,Ta 0 ,Nb 0 ,etc.).
2 7 2 7 2 5 2 5
Potential for further tantalum
deposits
The Kenticha mine is situated in the southern
part of the Adola belt. Surrounding the mine
are numerous showings of coltan many of
which are exploited by small-scale miners.
Pegmatites with columbo tantalite showings
have been traced along the regional shearzone
system for more than 100 km towards
north indicating where more economic tantalite
deposits may be found.
Reports of coltan minerals in placer deposits
farther north towards the border to Somali -
land, and the presence of several coltan mine -
ralisations across the border near Hergeisa,
sub stantiate the assumption that there is a
vast potential for finding further commercial
tantalum deposits in Ethiopia. The small-scale
miners around the Kenticha mine do not sell
their columbite concentrate to the local
EMDSC mine, but it is not known who buys the
ore from those miners. It would clearly be an
advantage for the small-scale miners and for
Kenticha mine if the miners sold their concentrate
to the mine.
Shaking tables producing tantalite concentrate.
4
Up-scaling the Kenticha plant has advantages
and it is likely to take place when the lack
of tantalum ore starts to show after the closure
of the Australian mines. The present production
can, without major difficulties, be
increased and the large tailings dam hosting
the remaining 30 percent of the columbite
from the ore is a major asset.
Seeking partners for local
processing and trade
Today the Ethiopian Mineral Development
Share Company (EMDSC) produces tantalite
concentrate and sells the product on the international
market. The rather high uranium contents
of some of the Kenticha ore pose a problem
since not all countries allow import of ore
with so much uranium. This is of course not a
favourable situation for neither the company
nor Ethiopia.
The Ethiopian Mineral Development Share
Company thus urgently seeks partners in metallurgy
and mineral processing in order to
upgrade their final product. The first step is to
produce a uranium-free product which can be
sold to the European and North American markets.
The next step is to produce tantalum and
niobium compounds such as K TaF and
2 7
K NbF , and the final step will be to produce
2 7
Ta O and Nb O powder. This will significantly
2 5 2 5
increase the earnings.
Ministry of Mines of Ethiopia
Dear Investors,
We take this opportunity to welcome you
to Ethiopia.
We promise to make every possible effort
to provide you with all required information
on the mineral sector in Ethiopia.
If you require information on the mining
law, licensing conditions and the investment
climate in Ethiopia, please contact
the Mineral Licensing and Administration
Department:
Ministry of Mines
Mineral Licensing and Administration
Department
P.O. Box 486
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Tel. +251 11 6461214
Fax +251 11 6463454
Email: information@mome.gov.et
www.mome.gov.et
If you require information on the geology
and mineral opportunities in Ethiopia,
please contact the Geological Survey of
Ethiopia (GSE):
Geological Survey of Ethiopia
P.O. Box 2303
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Tel. +251 6 463325
Fax +251 6 463326
Email: Survey@ethionet.et
www.geology.gov.et
We are looking forward to your mining
investment in Ethiopia.
Prepared with assistance from GEUS.
December 2010