MINE
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KEY MINERAL FOR GADGETS AND ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT
TANTALUMIN
FORM
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Tantalum is a strategic metal being
a key metal in one of the most used
gadgets in modern society, the
mobile phone. Tantalum is also
used in other types of electronic
equipments and is thus high in
demand. The trade name for the
most common tantalum-bearing
mineral is coltan whereas the min-
eralogical name is columbite.
Ethiopia presently supplies close to
ten percent of the World produc-
tion of tantalum and has a good
potential for a considerable
expansion of the percentage.
Introduction
The Kenticha tantalum-
bearing pegma tites were
first discovered during a
1:250.000 scale geological
mapping programme carried
out by Ethiopian geologists in
close cooperation with Soviet
geologists in 1980. A major mapping
and evaluation programme financed by
the Soviet Union was carried out in 1981
to 1985. The project aimed at determin-
ing the extent of the tantalum-bearing
rocks and to establish whether they
were of commercial interest.
The Kenticha pegmatite is situated in
the Adole area within the Precambrian
basement of southern Ethiopia, which is
the southern part of the Arabian-Nubian
Shield formed by accretion of ocean arc
terranes. The Neoproterozoic rocks can
be divided into two distinct lithologic
units:
1. Granite-gneiss complex and
2. Ophiolitic fold and thrust belts.
The latter are composed of mafic and
ultra mafic volcanic rocks and metasedi-
ments. After several phases of deforma-
tion and metamorphism the units were
intruded by a number of pegmatites
among which the Kenticha pegmatite
field stand out.
The Kenticha pegmatite field
Pegmatites are abundant throughout
the southern part of neoproterozoic
rocks, but are especially abundant in the
Kenticha pegmatite field area where
Tantalum in Ethiopia
S e t i t
Ab
ay
Awa s h
G i l o
Ga n a l e
T a n a
D a w a
Wa b i S h e b e l eO
mo
t b ar a
A
b a y
A wa s
J u b b a
Webi Shabeelle
Abd-Al-KuriThe Brothers
Socotra
I N D I A N O C E A N
Gulf ofTadjoura
R
G U L F O F A D E N
E T H I O P I A N
P L A T E A U
N U B I A ND E S E R T
C h a l b iD e s e r t
Talo
Batu
Elgon
Mt. Kenya
Abuye Meda
Caseyr
Ras Xaafuun
O g a d e n
C H O K E MENDEBO MT NS
Lak
A U D O R A NGE
A H M A R M T N S
Hobyo
Kismaayo
Baraawe
Muqdisho(Mogadishu)
Buur Gaabo
Giamame
Jawhar
Buulobarde
El K’oran
Kitale
Kisumu
Nairobi
Marsabit
BaydhaboMoyale
Negele
Eldoret Nanyuki
Nyeri Embu
KituiKajiado
Lodwar
Wajir
JilibAfmadow
Baardheere
Xuddur
Luuq
Garissa
MarkaQoryooley
UarsciekAfgooyeBalcad
K’elafo
Waka
Yabelo
Gidole
irga Alem
KaraMaji
Abera
Hosa’inaGinir
Megalo
EylLaascaanood
Burji
Goba
Asela
Burao
Degeh Bur
Harer
Dembi Dolo Koma
Mi’eso
A Nazret
HargeysaDebre Mark’os
Nek’emte
Gore
Dese
Debre Birhan
Ankober
QardhoShiikh
Addis Abeba
Dire Dawa
Bullaxaar Bender BeylaBerbera
Caluula
QandalaBender Qaasim
CeerigaaboKarin
Hurdiyo
Kassala
Gedaref
Gallabat
DunkurEr Roseires Alefa
Girshit’Dangila
Asmera
Debre Tabor
SebderatAbu Gamel
DabatGonder
Melau
Lalibela
Mits’iwa
Adwa
Aseb
Adi Ugri Adi K’eyah
Adigrat
Mek’ele
Sek’ot’a
Saylac
Ed
KerenAl Mukalla
Shaqra
Lawdar
AhwarIrqah
Ash Shihr
Al Hudaydah
San‘a
YarimZabid
DhamarKhartoum
Shendi
Kosti
Gulu
Xaafuun
Biye K’obe
Om Hajer
Omdurmân
Wad Medánî
Renk
Singa
Mot’a
Hamer Koke
Nimule
Beled Weyne
S e t i t
Ab
ay
Awa s h
G i l o
Ga n a l e
T a n aa
D a w a
Wa b i S h e b e l eO
mo
t b ar a
Ab a y
A wa s
J u b b a
Webi Shabeelle
Abd-Al-Al KuKuririThe Brothers
SocotS ttSS rrrrtrttttt aaaaa
I N D I A N O C E A N
Gulf ofTTTTadjoudjdjdjTadjouTTadjouT rrraaaaaaa
G U L FO F
A D E N
E T H I O P I A NNH P NN
P LP A T ET A UU
N U B I A NND E S EE R T
C h a l b iD e s e r t
TTaloTaloT
BatuB
Elgon
n
n
MtM .t.t KeKeK nnyyayay
AAAAbbuye Medaye Meday
Caseyre
Ras Xaafuun
O g a d e n
TaTaloTaTT
C H OO KK EEMENDEBO MT NS
Lak
o
o
A U D OR A NGE
A H M A RM TT N S
Hobyo
Kismaayo
Baraawe
Muqdisho(Mogadishu)
Buur Gaabo
GGiamameGG
Jawhar
Buulobarde
El K’oran
ra
Kitale
Kisumu
Nairobi
Marsabit
BaydhaboMoyale
Negeleegel
Eldoret Nanyuki
Nyeri Embumy
KituiKajiado
Lodwar
Wajir
JiliblibliblibAfmadow
Baardheere
Xuddur
Luuq
Garissa
MarkaQoryooleyy
UUarsciekUUAfgooyeBalcad
K’elafo
Waka
YabelooY
Gidole
irga AlemeBaB
KaraaMaji
Aberabe
Hosa’inasGinirir
Megalo
EylLaascaanood
Burji
Goba
Asela
Burao
Degeh Bur
HarerH
Dembi Dolo KomaaKKK
Mi’eso
AA Nazret NazAA
HargeysaDebre Mark’os
ar
k’o
e re Mark
a
Nek’emte’
Gore
Desee
Debre Birhan rh Bi Bi Bi
Ankober
QardhoShiikh
Addisi Abeba
Dire Dawa
Bullaxaar Bender BeylaBerbera
Caluula
QandalaBender Qaasim
CeerigaaboKarin
Hurdiyo
Kassalas
Gedaref
Gallabbatba
Dunkur
s
Er Roseires
s
s
s
AlefaA
Girshit’Dangilai
Asmerara
Debre TaborTaborT
SebderatAbu Gamel
Ga
DabatGonderG eP LGonderLGonderA T EGonderTT
MelauM
Lalibela
Mits’iwas
Adwa
AsAsebAseAse
Adi Ugri Adi K’eyah
Adigrat
Mek’ele
Sek’ot’a
SaylacSSS
Ed
KerenAl Mukalla
Shaqra
Lawdar
AhwarIrqah
Ash Shihr
Al Hudaydah
h
h
h
h
San‘a
YYarimimZabid
DhamarKhartoumK
Shendi
Kosti
Gulu
Xaafuun
Biye K’obe
Om Hajerm je
Omdurmân
Wad Medánî
ed
Renkk
Singa
Mot’aot a
Hamer Koke
Nimule
Beled Weyne
Ethiopia is located on the horn of africa bordering
Sudan, Somalia, Kenya and Eritrea..
Table
they occur in an area of about 2,500 km2.
The pegmatites are emplaced at or near
a major NNE-SSW trending shear zone.
The pegmatites range from barren
feldspar-muscovite pegmatites to differ-
ent types of rare-element pegmatites.
The Kenticha pegmatite is a large
pegmatite exposed for 2 km in length
and 400 to 700m in width. It was
emplaced in package of steeply dipping
serpentinites and talc-tremolite schists.
The thickness of the pegmatite varies. In
locations where both hanging and foot
wall contacts are exposed, thickness
ranges between 40 and 100m.
The Kenticha pegmatites display
complex zoning with up to nine mineral
paragenetic assemblages. Apart from
columbite a number of lithium minerals,
beryls and sulphides are found.
Tantalum deposit
The Kenticha tantalum deposit is mined
by Ethiopian Mineral Development
Share Company (EMDSC). The produc-
tion is around 70 tonnes of Ta metal per
year (120 tonnes of concentrate at 60
percent Ta2O5. The probable reserve of
primary ore is 17,000 tonnes at Ta2O5 at
a grade of 0.017 percent Ta2O5, whereas
the reserve of Ta2O5 in the weathered
zone was calculated to 2400 tonnes at
0.015 percent Ta2O5.
Additional commodities
The pegmatites in the Adola area display
a variety of minerals of which the lithi-
um bearing phases such as spodumene
and Li-micas over time may be a valuable
additional by-product.
Coltan is known to host a number of
element such as rare earth elements
(REE) of which neodymium (used for
powerful magnets) europium used in TV
screens are the best known. Uranium is
also a frequent element hosted in
coltan.
In the Kenticha pegmatite certain
parts of the coltan mineralization does
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 below the critical level of
0.5%. Certain markets e.g. Europe does
3
MINE
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Kenticha mine
LakeTana
PrecambrianPhanerozoic Intrusives
High-grade PrecambrianUndifferentiated gneisses and schists
Low-grade Precambrian
Metaultramafic-mafics
Metavolcano-sediments Undifferentiated sediments
Paleozoic Rocks
Gabbro
Diorite
Granite-tonalite
Sandstone and tillites
Mesozoic Rocks
Addis Ababa
Geo
logy
: Mod
ifie
d fr
om M
enge
sha
et a
l.(19
96)
Geo
logi
cal m
ap o
f Eth
iopi
a, s
econ
d ed
itio
n, 1
:2,0
00,0
00
Cenozoic RocksEarly-Mid Tertiary basalt
Upper Tertiary-Quaternary - basaltMid Tertiary-Quaternary - felsic rocks
Early Tertiary sediment
Upper Tertiary-Quaternarysediment
Fig. 1. Simplified geological map of Ethiopia
with localities of building stone in the central
and southern parts of the country.
not allow import of coltan with uranium con-
tents above 0.5% whereas other markets e.g.
China allows higher uranium contents.
Presently the Ethiopian Mineral Develop -
ment Share Company seeks partners to devel-
op a plant to separate uranium from the tanta-
lum.
Further potential
No systematic exploration has been carried
out for further rare metal pegmatites.
However, in the surrounding a large number of
small showings of coltan have been found,
many of which are mined by small-scale min-
ers. These are only surface deposits.
However, information from the company
mining the pegmatite indicate that the shear
zone hosting the Kenticha rare metal peg-
matite can be followed for more that a hun-
dred kilometres towards North containing a
number of columbite showings.
Reports of columbite minerals in placer
deposits further north towards the border to
Somaliland, and the presence of several coltan
mineralizations across the border near
Hergiesa substantiate the assumption that
there is a vast potential for finding further
commercial tantalum deposits in Ethiopia.
4
MINE
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Outcrop of tantalum pegmatite
Columbite crystals in pegmatite
Weathered out columbite crystals
Ministry of Mines and Energy of Ethiopia
Dear Investor
We take this opportunity to welcome you
to Ethiopia
We promise to make every possible
effort to provide you all required informa-
tion on the mineral sector in Ethiopia
If you require information on the min-
ing law, licensing conditions and the
investment climate in Ethiopia
Please contact the Mineral Licensing and
Administration Core Processes:
Ministry of Mines and Energy
Mineral Licensing and Administration
Core Processes
P.O.Box 486
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Tel. +251 11 6461214
Fax +251 11 6463454
Email:
www.
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 464482
Fax +251 6 463326
Email: [email protected]
www.geology.gov.et
We are looking forward to your mining
investment in Ethiopia