Kamativi mine
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CountryZimbabwe
Opened1936
| Location | |
|---|---|
| Matabeleland North Province | |
| Country | Zimbabwe |
| Coordinates | 18°19′41″S 27°4′0″E / 18.32806°S 27.06667°E |
| Production | |
| Products | tin, tantalum, lithium |
| History | |
| Opened | 1936 |
| Closed | 1994 |
The Kamativi mine was the largest tin mine in Zimbabwe.[1] The mine is located in western Zimbabwe in Matabeleland North Province.[2] The Kamativi mine has reserves amounting to 100 million tonnes of tin ore grading 0.28% tin thus resulting 0.28 million tonnes of tin.[1] The tin and tantalum mine opened in 1936 and operated until 1994, when it closed due to lower tin prices on world markets.[3] Since the mine's closure, local artisanal miners have worked the pegmatite for cassiterite and tantalite.[4]
The ore has subsequently been determined to contain lithium,[3] and a project has been launched to extract the lithium from the mine's tailings.[5]