KALAHARI MANGANESE FIELD
Northern South AfricaÕs Kalahari Manganese Field
is the largest terrestrial manganese deposit on Earth. Intervals of
sedimentary manganese-oxide rocks are interbedded with iron-formation and other
lithologies in the Hotazel Formation (middle Paleoproterozoic, ~2.05
b.y.). Specific minerals in the manganese ores vary, but include
Mn-oxides, MnFe-oxides, KMn-oxides, CaMn-oxides, and Mn-silico-oxides.
The geologic origin of sedimentary Mn ores in the Kalahari Manganese Field is complex,
but includes multiple diagenetic, metamorphic, and other alteration events.
Manganese ore (3.5 cm across) - brownish-black, laminated, sedimentary
manganese-oxide rock from the Hotazel Formation (uppermost Transvaal Group,
middle Paleoproterozoic, ~2.05 b.y.) at the NÕChwaning II Mine in the Kalahari
Manganese Field, Northern Cape Province, northern South Africa.