Auger drilling as an aid to the study of tin mineralization of Vlaklaagte 221 JR, Moloto area, Transvaal

An auger drilling program was carried out on the farm Vlaklaagte 221 JR in the Moloto area, Transvaal, in order to obtain additional information on the distribution of tin in the in situ weathered granite, in the residual eluvial and in the transported alluvial sand. The geology consists of the Makhutso Granite which is poorly exposed and is deeply weathered so that an auger drilling program is very much suited to the study of the Vlaklaagte tin deposit. Samples from 35 auger boreholes were taken and analysed for multi-trace element content. The mineralization consists of tin and sulphide bearing quartz-mica greisen veins set vertically in situ in the deeply weathered granite. The geochemical data defines the zone of mineralization clearly, both the surface and the subsurface samples outline the anomalous area and an area which is totally devoid of any sign of mineralization. This clearly relates to the poorly exposed bedrock. The tin content and the potential for a mineable area is evaluated but the deposit is found to be uneconomical