Fluorspar, identified as a strategic and critical mineral by the European Union, USA and China has recently gained international attention due to its increasing importance and uses across all industries.
Our Zeerust fluorspar project, being the single largest deposit in the world with ancient stromatolitic dolomites, has grabbed the attention of professors and students from both the University of Oxford in England and Wits University in South Africa. The field trip involved discussions on theoretical orebody and fluorite fluid formation, as well as a detailed study of core samples from the core shed and a trip to the old mine workings on site.
The universities are looking to enrol Honours, Masters and PHD students to study the site’s fluorspar characteristics including its orebody formation, source, unique purity, fluid inclusion and age dating. This will not only provide our own technical teams with a greater understanding of the project, but will also offer students access to a unique resource.
Oxford professor Laurence Robb and Wits professor Judith Kinnaird with an international geology PhD student discussing fluorite rich core samples
Fluorspar in an old mining pit