Abstract
M.Sc. (Geology)
The Sishen Iron Ore Mine is situated in the Northern Cape Province
at the northern extremity of the Maremane dome.
The stratigraphy of the Sishen Iron Ore Mine consist of carbonate
rocks of the Campbellrand Subgroup which are unconformably overlain
by the Wolhaarkop Breccia. The Wolhaarkop Breccia grades
upwards through a shaly unit into an succession of iron formation
known as the Manganore Iron Formation. The positive correlation
of the Manganore Iron Formation with the Asbesheuwels Subgroup,
of which it represents the oxidized equivalent, assigns a collapse
origin to the Wolhaarkop Breccia.
The siliciclastic Gamagara Formation overlies the Manganore
Iron Formation unconformably. The unconformity cuts through
the Manganore stratigraphy into the carbonate rocks of the Campbellrand
Subgroup. The Gamagara Formation consist of a basal unit
of conglomerates and argillite of varying thickness in the form
of stacked upward fining alluvial cycles. These are overlain
by two well 'developed upward coarsening progradational shale
to quartzite deltaic cycles.
A massive argillite unit marks the upper contact of the Gamagara
Formation with the overlying Makganyene and Ongeluk Formations.
This unit represents a milonite along a thrust plane and the
Ongeluk lava and parts of the Makganyene diamictite were thrusted
over the Gamagara Formation which is a correlative of the Mapedi
Formation of the 01ifantshoek Group...