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R E P U B L I C OF ZAMBIA

MINISTRY OF MINES AND INDUSTRY

NNU L

OF THE

GEOLOGICAL SURVEYDEP RTMENT

FOR THE YEAR

974

Price Kl OO

976 PRINTED BY THE GOVERNMENT P R I N T E R LUSAKA

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approximately 120000 km 2 was covered. Difficulties in obtaining spares for analytical equipmenthas delayed the processing of these samples, and adversely affected the work of the laboratoriesgenerally.

8. As forecast in last year's Annual Report. the lack of storage space for rock. core and geochemical samples has become a major problem. which will not be relieved until the new laboratory

sample storage block has been completed. The delays are due primarily to. staff shortages in theBuildings Branch and the consequent failure to complete the design work.

9. The fiI al report on the joint prospecting project with the United Nations DevelopmentProgramme team was released in 1974. The report recommends further work on a number of prospects,mainly related to comparatively small-scale copper mineralisation. No major mineralisation ofimmediate economic potential was located.

10. The investigation of the clay reSOurces at e ~ aNega was completed. The new brickworksand that at Kitwe, which is also based on reserves proved by the Survey, came into production in 1974and 1975 respectively. Some preliminary work on the Mkushi River clays, which are being exploitedby Chalata Minerals Ltd, was completed. Further work on the Solwezi, Mkushi River and Masuku(Southern Province) clays in conjunction with Mindeco, Indeco, the National Council for ScientificResearch.and the University relating to a proposal to establish a ceramic industry producing tiles,white ware, etc., will be undertaken in 1975.

I I. At the request of Sweco, the consulting engineers, the cores of the boreholes sited to investigate the ground conditions in the vicinity of the dam and headrace tunnel of Stage of the KafueHydro-electric Project were logged.

12. The country-wide survey of hot springs was completed and a report compiled. The potentialfor geothermal power is considered to be low.

13. The rate of publication was again disappointingly low. The staffing situation in the DrawingOffice improved during the year, but there is a very substantial backlog of work to be cleared. Theimmediate bottle-neck is. however, at the Government Printer.

14. The Director was appointed a member of a group of consultants by the Minister to advisehim in his capacity as Chairman of the parastatal mining companies-this group was disbanded inJanuary. 1975-and an Alternate Director of Mindeco Small Mines and the Copperbelt Power Corporation. He was 'loaned' to the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development to act as aconsultant with a mining and i n d l ~ l r i a lsc< :lor mission to Tanzania from mid August t mid Septem-ber, and subsequently spent two weeks in Washington compiling his section of he report.

15. The Director continued to serve as an eX officio member of the Mining and IndustrialCommittee 0: the National Council I()[' SC'ientific Research. and as a member of the Advisory Committee and Geology ClI1'riculum Sub-Committee 01 the School of Mines (University of Zamhia I

It STAFF

16. Although the number of resignations by expatriate staff on completion of their contractsdeclined by comparison with the very high rate experienced in 1973, the situation remained a matterof concern. The departure of the Assistant Director and the Department's most experienced geologistin the industrial minerals field. Mr J Wrohlieki resulted ill further depletion of the small remainingpaoloI locally experienced. senior stalT. Other departures included the following Geologists: MrD. A. Clarke, Mr N. J Giglloux and Mr M. Milisavljevic. and also Mr W. Dawes (LaboratoryTechnician), Mrs S. Sinadambwe (Stenographer) and Mr W. Sinkala (Learner Cartographer).Mr S. Mulenga (Principal) left on tr;lI1sfer and promotion. By the end of the year Mr C. A. Legg(Senior Geologist), Mr P. Reichwalder. Mr H. R. Ayres. D,' J. Ridgway and Mr O. Younge (allGeologists) had indicated their intention to leave in 1975.

17. Appointments during 1974 included Mr T. R. Marshall. Dr E. A. O Connor, Mr C. A.Nguluwe, Dr A. Brandon and Mr J. G. G. Tether as Geologists, and Messrs N. S. Hunjan, W. Overtonand N. R. J. Gohil as Cartographers. Miss J. Bwalya, Mr S. Kaehasa and Mr F. M. Mwalla wereappointed Assistant Cartographers. and Miss E. Hamalila was transferred to the Department asStenographer. Mr M. S. Zeko was transferred to the Department to act as Principal.

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a few centimetres across in porous, friable arkose which is evidently weathered. A sample of thismaterial assayed more than 4 U,O but this must be regarded as a freak value representative ofonly a small enriched pocket.

130. Preliminary results from the Chizwabowa Ridge to the west indicate that much of theuranium present occurs in another, apparently secondary form. The highest spectrometer responseshave been recorded from thin, dark ferruginous zones along joint and bedding planes.

131. The results of the ground follow-up work done to date have been somewhat disappOintingin view of the intensity of the anomaly as originally determined by the airborne survey. However. theviability of this occurrence will depend on whether the uranium mineralisation seen at the surface isof secondary origin, i.e. the result of oxidation and redistribution, or whether it is primary. In theformer case it is possible that the primary mineralisation will prove to be more amenable to exploitationin terms of both the distribution and nature of the minerals present. This question can only be resolvedby drilling to intersect the mineralised horizon (bed S4) below any zone of oxidation which may bepresent.

132. e) Hot and Mil1eral Springs e. A. Legg, Senior Geologist). Thc preliminary examinationof the hot springs of Zambia was completed early in the year, with visits to the Choma and Kalomoareas of the Southcrn Province. and the Luana Valley. The Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and

National Parks provided a helicopter forthe visits to the Luano Valley.

133. As the observed water temperatures can be accounted for simply by circulation of groundwaters in deep, but laterally restricted, fracture systems, none of the groups of springs can be regardedas indicating the presence of significant resources for geothermal power generation.

134. None of the spring waters contains salts in commercially extractable concentrations,although it is possible that drilling based on detailed geological and geophysical investigations mightdiscover more concentrated brines. Village-scale exploitation of some springs is a very old tradition.

135. Economic Report No. 50 (in press) makes recommendations for detailed studies of themore interesting springs

136. d) Nanga phyllite deposit (R. S. Prasad, Geologist). The assessment of the Nanga phyllitedeposit see Annual Report for 1973, p. 27) as suitable additive material for the Nega Nega clay wasconcluded. Thirty diamond drill holes with an aggregate depth of 572 m outlined a block ol'weatheredpsammitic phyllite and schist 650 m by 150 m at depths of up to 20 m from the surface. The drillingwas financed by Zambia Clay Industries Ltd.

137. Laboratory tests show that the material is of medium plasticity, low to medium linearshrinkage. and relatively uniform bulk density. porosity and compressive strength; some samplesshow high vitrification. All the test samples gave a uniform red colour on firing. Size analyses show thatthe percentage of clay decreases gradually with depth.

138. Reserves of 2.3 million cubic metres have been proved-sufficient for 15-20 years if20-25 per cent additive material is included in the mixture.

139. Intercalations of garnetiferous schist and calcareous matter result in the material fromoutside the reserve block being unsuitable for use as an additive.

140. e) kushi River Clay Deposit 0. Younge, Geologist). A reconnaissance investigationwas made of the area around the clay pit near Mkushi worked by Chalata Industrial Minerals Limitedin an attempt to locate further reserves. Five pits with an average depth of 1.5 mwere sunk at distancesof 160 to 510 m to the north-west of the pit. In three of them, where remnants of pegmatite dykes oflow dip intersect quartz-mica schists of the Kalonga Formation. white clay mixed with weatheredschist was located. Such localities are ollen marked by an abrupt change of surface slope. Theinvestigation will be continued in 1975.

MISCELLANEOUS INVE$TlGA n O N S

141. Geological 5;ufI>eyIOx.f(JI d Ul1il ersity A1useul11 Joint Palaeontological f:.:xpedifiol1 1 ,tic

Luangwa Valley e. D. Kerr, Senior Geologist).n

expedition to the Luangwa Valley tocollect palaeontological specimens and data was undertaken by Dr T S. Kemp (Curator of theZoological Collection, Oxford University Museum), Mr H. P. Powell (Assistant Curator of the

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