Thursday 2 June 2022

The 1900 Welvergenoegt Tin Mine Durbanville Hills

 

The 1900 Welvergenoegt Tin Mine Durbanville Hills

The cassiterite occurs in nearly horizontal quartz veinlets, in a zone about 8 metres wide with a north-south orientation, in Malmesbury Group shales. The veins consist of coarsely crystallised quartz with dark reddish-brown, cassiterite crystals, mostly near the margins of the veins. Accessory minerals are tourmaline, pyrite, arsenopyrite and rutile. No more than about 4 tonnes of tin concentrate were produced between 1911 and 1912.

An old photograph of the mine in its heyday shows a large and sturdy three-legged hoist towering above a group of miners at the shaft. Nearby stood a tall steam boiler, and rail tracks had been laid out for cocopans.  Unfortunately, the ore was erratically scattered in solid rock, and it was cheaper to mine alluvial tin in the Durbanville area.  The mine ceased operations during the 1st World War after producing some four tons of ore concentrates.

Comment: Very nice Mineshafts. Horizontal and vertical shafts. Suitable only for the real Caving Guys. Maximum 4 persons. Keep an eye out for the resident Badger.







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