ABOUT MINERALSANDS

AIM:SAV

What are Heavy Minerals? 2

Most sand on the beach consists of grains of the mineral quartz (SiO2)

Mineral sands are old beach sands that contain concentrations of the

important minerals, rutile, ilmenite, zircon and monazite. These minerals

are heavy and are also called 'heavy minerals'

Heavy minerals are those with an specific gravity (SG) > 2.9 t/m3

VHM : Valuable heavy mineralsthose that are worth something!

Titanium is the 9th most abundant element

Forms of titanium are the minerals

Rutile ~ 94-96% TiO2

Leucoxene ~ 65->90% TiO2

Pseudorutile ~ 60-65% TiO2

Altered Ilmenite ~ Tween ilmenite and pseudo-ilmenite

Ilmenite ~ 35-65% TiO2

Anatase ~ >90% TiO2

Zircon ~ ZrSiO4

Why are Heavy Minerals Important? 3

Zircon

Over 50% of the zircon supplied to industry is consumed

in the production of ceramics, including tiles, sanitary

ware and tableware where it is used in the glazes. Zircon

is also used in a range of other applications including

zirconium chemicals, refractories, fused zirconia, catalytic

fuel converters, foundry applications as well as water

and air purification applications.

Titanium Minerals

The Titanium material is used in pigment production to

make a pure white additive, which is light refractive,

and used to produce materials such as plastics, paints

and paper. Other applications for titanium products

include TiO2 sponge for the production of Titanium

metal, and welding rod applications.

How are Heavy Mineral Deposits Formed 4

Rutile, ilmenite and zircon originally grew as crystals in igneous rocks such as granite,

pegmatite and basalt and some metamorphic rocks.

How are Heavy Mineral Deposits Formed 5

Over millions of years, these igneous and metamorphic rocks were weathered and eroded, and

the grains of quarts and other minerals in the rock, including rutile, ilmenite, zircon and

monazite, were washed down to the sea by heavy rainfall and fast flowing streams.

How are Heavy Mineral Deposits Formed 6

The heavy minerals are then carried back up onto the beach by waves. As the waves washed up

and down on the beach, they carried the lighter quartz grains with them back into the sea,

leaving the grains of the heavy minerals rutile, ilmenite, zircon and monazite behind on the

beach. Wind also helped to concentrate the heavy minerals by blowing away the lighter quartz

sand.

How are Heavy Mineral Deposits Formed 7

These processes were repeated many times over millions of years, eventually

creating a large deposit of mineral sands on the beach.

8

As the sea level rose and fell over geological time, the shoreline moved further

inland and then back again. As this happened, the deposits of mineral sand were

covered by more sand and built up or eroded and redeposited elsewhere.

How are Heavy Mineral Deposits Formed

Exploration Techniques: Target Generation

9

The start of the process comes

from the generation of ideas,

which are based on the geology

of a region, company exploration

models, geophysics and the

broad scoping of potential

resources that might suit a

current commodity market

Exploration Techniques: Reconnaissance Exploration

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Low impact exploration, or early exploration as it is often referred to, generally

results in minimal ground disturbance with limited rehabilitation requirements

Exploration Techniques: Drilling 11

The location of the targets identified will depend mostly on the results of the low

impact exploration conducted and any land access requirements

Advanced exploration, especially drilling, is concentrated within small areas of

Resource Definition 12 All the information gained through the drilling program is then used to calculate

the volume, quality and shape of the mineral resource

Three dimensional computer-generated models are produced to better define the

shape and volume of the resource, along with information on chemical assays and

mineral concentrations

This information will be used to determine the type of mine required in the studies

below

Mineral Sands Processing 13

1. Mining

2. Ore transported to processing plant

Mining

Processing Plant

Heavy Mineral Concentrate

4. Tails taken back to pit and rehabilitated

3. Processing plant

5. Heavy mineral concentrate split into products

6. Products transported to market for sale

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Rehabilitation 14

Rehabilitation during mining is progressive with the tailings material returned to

the pit from where it was mined and the area is rehabilitated as the mining

continues.

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For further information on Savannahs corporate social responsibility

programme, please email: community@savannahresources.com

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