PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Zimbabwe German Graphite Mines (Pvt) Ltd (ZGGM) has been mining graphite at Lynx Mine since 1965. Until recently it was the only graphite mine in the country and mainland Africa. The only other graphite mine was in Madagascar. Two other mines one, operated by Syrah Resources at Balama and the other operated by Graphit Kromphmuel at Anuabe, have since been opened in Mozambique. Lynx mine produces natural crystalline graphite of high quality. Currently the mine is selling its graphite to Germany, India, South Africa and the United States.
Project Operational Status
Lynx mine is currently not operating and ZMDC is currently going through the process of securing a partner for Contract operations.
Location
The mine is accessible by tarred road from Harare up to the 240kilometre peg. At the 240 kilometre peg there is a 15 km dirty road to the left when facing Chirundu, this leads to the mine site. Other open pit production sites namely King, Chidziro and Blackstone are accessible by road. The Blackstone pit is only 1 km away from the mine, while Chidziro is 10 km, Graphite King 16 km and Trokiadza is 30 km away.
Physiography
Generally lying in the Magondi belt (Lomagundi Group) whose lithology is basically conglomerates, arkosic arenites and quartz arenites. The depositional environment is marginal marine (peritidal) and shallow storm-dominated shelf. The geology has given rise on the east of the mine, to a range of low hills with the highest being Chirombozi (1164 metres).
To the west the country falls away gently with occasional kopjes or ridge standing, best be described as undulating relief, drained by many small rivers draining towards the Zambezi escapement. The general altitude is 1140 metres above sea-level, while The Zambezi River is 487 metres above sea level. There are no major rivers drain in the area around the mine. Small seasonal rivers streams form part of the catchment area for the Madadza and Kachiro rivers which flow into Nyaodza River almost 8 km to the south. The main regional rivers are Angwa, Nyaodza and Rukomechi. Due to the geology the soil type is sodic and relatively unfertile supporting typical savanna type vegetation.
Common trees are Julbernardia globiflora, Brachystegia speciformis (musasa), Erythrophleum africanum (wild syringe), Kirkia acuminata (mahobobo), occasional Adansonia digitata (baobab), Screrocarya birrea, massaiensis, and Brachystegia allenii. Many of these tree species are under heavy threat as they are the preferred fire-wood for tobacco curing in the area. Mainly located in region 3, the main crops are tobacco and maize and a variety of seasonal food crops. Within these forests are part of the 700 bird species Zimbabwe hosts.
Regional Geology
The geology of the area is composed of basement gneisses and Pirirwiri rocks that border the late Precambrian Makuti-Rushinga metasediments and the mesozonic group in the Zambezi Graben. Lynx Mine is situated in a NE & SW striking Piriwiri metasediments surrounded by crystalline base rocks. Metamorphism of the Piriwiri rocks is of high grade type (Upper Amphibolite Faces).
The politic, pardly sapropletic sedimentary precursors of Piriwiri rocks were deposited on the already crystalline basement now represented by gneisses and gneisses granite. Several successive metamorphic and intensely deformed rock units, in later stages intermediate to basic igneous rocks intruded. This was followed by pegmatite hydrothermal quartz. Shearing and fracturing divided the area into a puzzle of sections with different tectonic styles.