GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION AND COMMERCIAL CONTROL

The world’s chromite supply has been obtained mainly from the following sources, named roughly in order of their importance:

New Caledonia; southern Rhodesia; western and southern Asia Minor; Ural Mountains, Russia; eastern Greece, adjacent islands, Macedonia, and Serbia; Baluchistan and Mysore, India; Quebec, Canada; Atlantic and Pacific coast states, United States; State of Bahia, Brazil; Oriente, Cuba; Japan; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Austria-Hungary; and Guatemala.

The geographic distribution of the more important deposits of chromite is shown in [Plate IV].

Other countries in which deposits of chromite are known but in which little or no ore has been produced are: Shetland Islands, Scotland; Norway; Sweden; Silesia; Portugal; New South Wales, Australia; New Zealand; Transvaal; Togoland; and Newfoundland.

[Table 25] shows the output of chromite in the chief producing countries from 1905 to 1917.

Australasia.

—Important quantities of chromite occur on the island of New Caledonia, in the South Pacific, and in smaller amounts in Australia, New Zealand, and Tasmania.

Plate IV.—Geographical distribution of the chromite deposits of the world. By E. C. Harder.

Table 25.—World’s Chromite Production 1905-1917 in Long Tons[53]

1905[54]190619071908190919101911191219131914191519161917
United States22 107 290 359 598 205 120 201 255 591 3,281 47,035 43,725
Canada[55]7,657 8,068 6,425 6,451 2,205 267 140 ... ... 121 11,008 24,545 32,457[56]
Cuba[57]... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 34 17[58]
Guatemala[57]... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 179[58]
Brazil[57]
Great Britain (Shetland Islands)... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 100
Norway... ... 105[56]... ... ... ... 113[56]... 80[56]344[56]
Sweden... ... ... ... ... 31
Austria-Hungary (Bosnia and Herzegovina)183 315 305 492 327 315 246 197 300[56]474[56] [59] [59]
Greece[60]8,759 11,348 11,545 4,281 9,448 9,311 4,542 6,209 6,242[56]6,947[56]10,255[56]9,724[56] [59]
Serbia[61]... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... [59] [59] [59]
Russia26,620 16,708 25,940 10,777 21,857 14,157 1,218[56]20,934 21,401 [59] [59] [59] [59]
Turkey[62] (mainly Asia Minor)... 23,404 21,111 28,394 11,364 [59]11,993 16,823[63] [59] [59] [59] [59] [59]
Rhodesia... 3,256 8,017 11,927 22,875 39,287 46,753 61,840 62,365 48,235 60,617[56]79,350[56] [59]
India2,708 4,375 7,274 4,745 9,250 1,737 3,804 2,890 5,580[56]5,887[56]3,768[56]20,160[56] [59]
Japan... ... ... ... ... 2,091 1,500 1,591 [59]2,075[56]2,932[56]8,149[56] [59]
New South Wales52 15 30 ... ... ... 148 23
New Caledonia75,717 82,910 56,461[56]24,970[56]39,368 39,368 34,447 41,325 62,352 41,336[56]65,941[56]74,115[64]41,230[56]

[53] Figures not otherwise credited were obtained from “Mineral Resources of United States, 1914” and subsequent years, U. S. Geological Survey (figures originally obtained mainly from the British statistical publication, Mines and Quarries: General report with statistics, pt. 4, London).

[54] Figures for 1905 taken direct from Mines and Quarries, 1905 and 1906.

[55] Mineral production of Canada, 1916, Canada Department of Mines, Mines Branch.

[56] Mineral Industry, 1917.

[57] Exports from Cuba, Guatemala, and Brazil in 1918 were respectively 8,820 tons, 1,193 tons, and 17,854 tons.

[58] Exports.

[59] Not available.

[60] Production from the Saloniki district included under Turkey previous to 1914.

[61] Present Serbian deposits in Turkish domain before the war.

[62] Exports from Turkey for fiscal years beginning with March.

[63] Mines and Quarries reports production of Turkey in 1912 as 145 tons.

[64] Stateman’s Year Book, 1918, London.

Serpentine, in masses intruding metamorphic rocks and sediments ranging in age from Archean to Mesozoic, is abundant throughout the island of New Caledonia, and chromite invariably is associated with it as a minor constituent. Locally, large masses of fairly pure chromite are found, generally as lenticular bodies in the serpentine, but locally as irregular masses in residual clay derived from the decomposition of the serpentine.

Chromite deposits of three types are known in New Caledonia, as follows: Rock chrome, consisting of solid ore bodies in serpentine; residual chromite, as irregular bodies or scattered masses, frequently disintegrated, in red residual clay derived from the weathering of the serpentine; and chrome sand and gravel in surface wash and stream deposits. Ores of the first two classes are both important commercially in New Caledonia and are both present in most mines. Ores of the last named class are not worked.

Of these New Caledonian deposits, that of Mt. d’Or, in the southern part of the island, was the first to be discovered and worked, being found by Garnier in 1866. Later the deposits of Ngo Bay and others further south were exploited. Production and exportation of New Caledonian chromite began in the early 80’s and continued in a minor way until 1902, the production coming mainly from Mt. d’Or and the Ngo Bay deposits.

In 1902, L. Bernheim formed the Société le Chrome, in which French capital was largely interested. This company operated mines in the northern and southern parts of the island. It developed the Tiebaghi deposits near the port of Pagoumene, now among the most important in New Caledonia. The exportation of chromite soon increased, and gradually New Caledonian ore replaced Turkish ore in the market. In 1911 the Chrome Co., Ltd., of London, was formed and acquired from the Société le Chrome the Tiebaghi and other mines. At the same time it acquired the right from the Rhodesia Chrome Mines Co., Limited, to market the Rhodesian ore, thus securing practically a monopoly of the world’s chromite trade. The Chrome Co., Ltd., is controlled by French and English interests. Chalas & Sons, Finsbury Pavement House, London, E. C, are the largest stockholders. There were formerly German stockholders. L. Bernheim does not seem to be associated with the Chrome Co., Ltd., but it is said that he still owns chromite deposits in New Caledonia. Besides the operations of the Chrome Co., Ltd., there are a number of independent operations in different parts of the island. These are mainly under the control of inhabitants of the island.

Africa.

—The important chromite deposits of southern Rhodesia are near the town of Selukwe, which is connected by railroad with the shipping port of Beira. They occur scattered through an area of schist and serpentine. One hundred and twenty chromite bodies have been mapped out, but the only ones that have been developed are ten closely grouped large bodies at Chrome Mine northwest of Selukwe. One of the largest bodies is 180 feet wide and 240 feet long. The ores are high grade, averaging between 48 and 51 per cent. chromic oxide.

Recently considerable publicity has been given to the discovery of what are reported to be among the largest deposits of high-grade chromite in the world in the Umvukwe Hills in the Lomagundi district 30 miles from Banket Junction, southern Rhodesia. The ore is said to occur over a large area in bodies in serpentine. More than two million tons is reported to have been uncovered. The deposits were discovered by Albert Peake, of Umvukwe Ranch, and are owned by Peake Brothers, who are said to have offered them to the Imperial government on special terms.

Chromite was mined in Rhodesia for the first time in 1905, the ore coming from claims near Selukwe held by the Bechuanaland Exploration Company, Ltd. Production steadily increased, slowly at first but more rapidly after 1910, when the Selukwe mines were taken over by the Rhodesia Chrome Mines, Ltd. In 1910 the staking of chromite claims in the Hartley district was reported and in 1911 chromite was discovered at Victoria. Shipments from Selukwe stopped in August, 1914, after the declaration of war, but began in December and increased during 1915 and 1916. In 1917 the discovery of the large and valuable deposits of chromite in the Lomagundi district (already mentioned) was reported. Previous to 1916 the entire production of Rhodesian chromite came from the Selukwe mines of the Rhodesia Chrome Mines, Ltd. In 1917, however, another company, the Rhodesia Metals Syndicate, Ltd., entered the field and is producing important amounts of ore.

Asia.

—Before Turkey lost most of her European possessions after the Balkan wars, the chromite deposits of the Kossowo, Uskub, and Monastir district of Serbia and the Saloniki district of Greece were within her borders. Now, however, only the deposits of Asia Minor remain to her.

Chromite deposits are widely scattered through many parts of Asia Minor and are said to be numbered by the hundreds. The most important deposits are grouped into three districts: In the regions of Brussa and Kutahia south of the Sea of Marmora, where the important Daghardi deposits are found; near Macri, Denislu and around the Gulf of Adalia in the southwestern part of the peninsula, as well as on the neighboring Island of Rhodes; and near Mersina, Adana, Aleppo, and elsewhere in the region around the Gulf of Alexandretta northeast of the Island of Cyprus. Smaller deposits are reported in the vilayets of Angora and Kastamuni in the north central part of Asia Minor and near Beirut and Damascus in Syria. All the ore bodies are found in more or less schistose and decomposed serpentine in groups of lenslike or irregular bodies.

The chromite mines of Asia Minor have produced important quantities of ore. From about 1870, when Turkey began to supplant the United States as the world’s principal producer of chromite, to near 1900, Asia Minor furnished the bulk of the chromite for the world’s consumption. Most of the ore mined has come from the mines in the Brussa region on the south and southwest slopes of the Mysian Olympus and from the mines of the Macri region. The Brussa and Kutahia deposits are said to have produced an average of about 20,000 tons annually for many years, of which the Daghardi mine is said to have furnished nearly three-fourths. This deposit consists of high-grade ore averaging 51 to 55 per cent. chromic oxide and has been estimated to contain about 10,000,000 tons of ore. Probably this is somewhat an exaggeration, although doubtless the deposit is large and important.

The chromite mines in the Macri region have furnished a considerable part of the output of Asia Minor, but much of the ore mined in recent years has been of low grade, running as low as 40 per cent. chromic oxide. The chromite near Denislu and that near the Gulf of Adalia, on the other hand, is said to be very rich, some deposits containing ore averaging as high as 56 per cent. chromic oxide.

Most of the chromite mines of Asia Minor are probably now under the control of the Turkish government, having reverted back ten or fifteen years ago when increasing competition of New Caledonia chromite in foreign markets resulted in the shutting down of many of the mines. The taxes on both worked and undeveloped mineral properties are so heavy in Turkey that unless mines are bringing in continuous and substantial revenues, they cannot be held by private individuals.

It has been the policy of Turkey not to allow her mineral properties to fall into the hands of foreigners. Even while the exploitation of the chromite deposits was most vigorous, therefore, the mines, although in many places worked by foreign firms, were largely owned by the Turkish government or by Turkish subjects who leased them. Thus in 1904 the principal deposits near Brussa were owned by an officer of the Porte and were operated by J. W. Whittal & Co., an English firm in Constantinople, while other deposits in the same district were worked by Patterson & Canghellari, an English company located in Smyrna. The famous Daghardi deposit, in the Kutahia region, at that time was owned by the Turkish minister of marine and was operated by a Turk named Raghit Bey.

In the Macri district, a number of low-grade deposits were in 1904 under the control of Patterson & Co., of Smyrna, and the mines near the Gulf of Adalia were controlled by a French syndicate. Some large deposits near Denislu, in the interior, north of Macri, are said to be lying undeveloped owing to the refusal of the Turkish government to permit mining.

The chromite deposits in the region surrounding the Gulf of Alexandretta have been worked in a small way both by Turks and foreigners. Among operators in the region are mentioned Durian Effendi, a Turk, representing the Ottoman Bank; Husni Herikizadeh Effendi, a Turk of Adana; Nader Brothers, of Mersina; Alfred Keun & Co. of Smyrna; Protopazzi Brothers, of Smyrna, and Mavrommati & Sons, of Mersina, both probably Greek firms; Loizides, of Mersina; and Hadji Kemal Bey, of Constantinople. Durian Effendi is mentioned also as having operated chromite mines near Beirut.

The most important chromite deposits of India are in the northern part of Baluchistan, but the mines of the Madras and Mysore districts in southern India have also furnished important amounts of ore. A small production has come from Bengal. The deposits of Baluchistan are large and the ore is rich, much of it averaging nearly 55 per cent. chromic oxide. One deposit is reported to be 440 feet long by 5 feet wide. The ore bodies are segregations in serpentine. The problem of transportation is difficult, as the ores are far from the coast and land transportation facilities are poor. Nevertheless, those mines have made a steady output since they were opened in 1903. The largest production was in 1907, when the yield exceeded 7,000 tons. Since then there has been a decrease owing to competition from New Caledonia and Rhodesia.

Chromite ore bodies were exploited in Madras as early as 1861 and small amounts of ore were mined intermittently. The ores are associated with magnesite veins in serpentine. Since 1907 a steady production is recorded from Madras, which has increased recently. Important deposits of chromite are found in Mysore. These deposits have produced more than 2,000 tons of ore annually in recent years, which is reported to have been sent to the United States. The chromite deposits of Bengal are said to be small and unimportant. In Bombay a large body of low-grade chromite is said to measure 1,000 by 300 feet and to average 34 per cent. chromic oxide.

Before 1910 chromite mining in Japan was sporadic and unimportant, but since 1910 the output has been steady and increasing. The principal occurrences of chrome ore are in the southwestern part, the mines of Wakamatsu, in Hoki, being the most important. The ore is said to average about 40 per cent. chromic oxide. Chromite is also reported to occur in the northern part of Japan. The Japanese chromite deposits are small and soon exhausted.

The principal chromite deposits of Russia are in the southern part of the Ural Mountains and are associated with serpentine and soapstone. The deposits are classed under three heads: Large granular masses in serpentine, finely disseminated chromite in serpentine, and chromite sand in platinum- and gold-bearing placers. The characteristic occurrence of chromite bodies in the Urals is as segregations within areas of dunite largely altered to serpentine. Platinum in scattered grains is associated with chromite in the dunite in several places. Recently chromite deposits have been reported in the northern part of the Caucasus Mountains.

Europe.

—The chromite deposits of the Balkan Peninsula may be grouped into four main districts: central Serbia; southern Serbia; Saloniki, in eastern Macedonia; and Magnesia, southern Thessaly, and the neighboring islands. The chromite deposits are found in serpentine derived from the alteration of peridotite.

The chromite mines of Serbia and Macedonia for many years furnished a small production, credited to European Turkey, which before the last Balkan War embraced all the chromite-bearing areas. Many of the deposits of central Serbia are poorly situated with reference to transportation, the ore being hauled on carts to the railroad stations and thence by rail to the coast. In eastern Macedonia some of the mines are relatively near the coast and the ore is carried on carts to Saloniki. The mines of Serbia and Macedonia were worked in part by individuals and in part by the same firms which mined the chrome ores of Asia Minor, such as Patterson & Co., Whittal & Co., and others.

The chromite mines of Magnesia, Thessaly, and adjacent islands in eastern Greece have furnished a more or less continuous output for the last 30 or 40 years. The ore mined, however, has been mainly of low grade, most of it averaging between 30 and 40 per cent. chromic oxide. It is said to be used largely for refractory purposes. Before 1908 most of the Grecian production of chromite came from the mines of Magnesia, but more recently the mines of southern Thessaly have furnished most of the ore. Mines in the Grecian Archipelago have also furnished some ore. The annual output of Greece has varied from a few hundred tons to more than 15,000 tons. During the past 20 years it has rarely fallen below 5,000 tons.

Chromiferous iron ore in considerable quantity is mined in Greece, most of it being exported. In 1913 ten or more mines were worked. The production has averaged more than 100,000 tons annually. The mines are operated in part by Greek and in part by French and British firms.

The chromic iron ores produced in the former Austrian Empire have come mainly from the central part of Bosnia, but the chromite mines in Upper Styria and those on the Roumanian border have also furnished an appreciable output, the ore being low-grade. The deposits of Bosnia are in serpentine. The ore is of good quality and has been mined for use as a furnace lining. On and near the left bank of the Danube River in the Banat, Hungary, there is an extensive area of serpentine containing chromite in bunches. The deposits have been worked to a slight extent.

North America.

—In Canada chromite-bearing areas of considerable extent are found in the southern part of the Province of Quebec, where nearly all the productive chromite mines of Canada are situated. The ore occurs in serpentine in irregular masses and pockets without definite form, that range in size up to 75 feet along the longer axis, rarely reaching 100 feet. The amount of high-grade ore in the Quebec chromite deposits is not large, but low-grade ore bodies which under normal market conditions can not be mined at a profit are numerous and of large size. The low-grade ores range in content of chromic oxide from less than 20 per cent. to 35 or 40 per cent. Nearly all the Canadian ore mined has been exported to the United States. From 1910 to 1914 the output of chrome ore from the Quebec mines was insignificant, owing to the cost of mining low-grade ores and the lack of a market for them. When the price of chromite rose late in 1914, American firms began active developments in the field, and subsequently two concentrators were built by the Mutual Chemical Co. The output of Canadian chromite, both of crude ore and concentrates, during the war period was noteworthy, the production rising from 121 long tons in 1914, to 47,035 long tons in 1916 and 43,725 long tons in 1917.

The principal American firms interested in the development of the Canadian chromite deposits during the past few years have been the Mutual Chemical Co., the Harbison-Walker Refractories Co., the Electrometallurgical Co., and the Quebec Asbestos & Chrome Co. The last-named company purchased one of the concentrators built by the Mutual Chemical Co., and has furnished a considerable output both of crude ore and concentrates. Canadian firms have also produced considerable ore.

With the close of the war and the drop in the price of chromite, the Canadian mines have been largely abandoned. It is possible, however, that some American firms that mine ore for use in their own plants may continue work on a small scale.

When the United States was the world’s principal chromite-producing country, the output came from the eastern United States and principally from Maryland. The Wood chrome mine and neighboring deposits in Baltimore and Harford counties furnished most of the production. Smaller amounts were mined in North Carolina and Pennsylvania.

The principal chromite deposits of the United States, and those that have furnished nearly all the ore produced in recent years, are in California and Oregon. Recently deposits of some extent have been found in Montana, but these have not reached the producing stage. The chromite deposits of California are for the most part grouped into four principal districts, the Klamath Mountains region of northwestern California and southwestern Oregon; the Coast Range of west central California; the Sierra Nevada range throughout a considerable part of its length; and the San Luis Obispo district of southwestern California.

The chrome ores of California and Oregon form lenses or irregular bodies in serpentine and related rocks. Many of the ore bodies are found in comparatively fresh peridotite and dunite, and the intimate relation between the chromite and the associated pyroxene or olivine is well shown. In places, also, chromite masses are found in the mantle of residual material derived from the alteration of serpentine and other rocks. Most of the chrome ores of the Pacific Coast are of low-grade, few running more than 45 per cent. chromic oxide. Concentrating plants have been built to beneficiate the ore from bodies large enough to warrant such expenditure. At some plants the grade of ore was thus raised to more than 52 per cent. Locally small bodies of high-grade ore have been found.

The chromite mines of the eastern United States were first worked about 1827 and continued to be operated for about forty years. The California deposits began to be developed about 1870, but never furnished a large output until the war raised the price of chromite to unprecedented figures and ore could be produced at a profit in spite of high costs and high freight rates to consuming centers. The chromite mines of the United States have always been worked and controlled by American capital. In California the ore has been mined mainly by private individuals working small scattered deposits. A few large firms, such as the California Chrome Co., the Adams & Maltby Co., L. H. Butcher Co., and the Union Chrome Co., worked on a larger scale during the war period.

Deposits of chromite have been known in Alaska for a number of years, but not until the war brought high prices was it possible to mine them at a profit. The deposits of present importance are near the southwestern end of the Kenai Peninsula. About 1,000 tons of ore containing 46 to 49 per cent. chromic oxide was mined in 1917.

South America, Central America and Cuba.

—As far as is known, only one chromite-bearing district of importance occurs in South America, this being in the State of Bahia, in Brazil. One deposit has been worked at this locality by E. J. Lavino & Co., of Philadelphia, and the discovery of several neighboring deposits is reported. The first shipments of ore were made in February, 1918, and by July 1, 1918, 12,620 tons had been sent to the United States. The deposits are said to be owned by Newman & Co., a firm of American exporters in Bahia. They are leased to E. J. Lavino & Co., of Philadelphia.

South America, outside of Brazil, has no known chromite deposits of importance. In Colombia, chrome ore is reported to exist near Antioquia and chromiferous pig iron is said to have been produced by the blast furnace near Medellin. In Venezuela, chrome ore is said to occur on Coro Peninsula.

Important chromite deposits lie along the north coast of Cuba in the provinces of Camaguey and Oriente. A small deposit is found in the northwestern part of the Province of Matanzas. The most important deposits in Cuba are those at the Caledonia mine, south of the Bay of Nipe and northeast of the Bethlehem Steel Co.’s Mayari iron mines. These deposits are estimated to contain about 40,000 tons of ore in sight. They are owned and worked by the Bethlehem Steel Co., which began exploitation in the spring of 1918. Shipments during 1918 amounted to 8,820 tons. Next in importance to the deposits at the Caledonia mine are those along the coast, northeast of Baracoa, known as the Cayoguan and Potosi deposits, where about 35,000 tons of ore is estimated to be in sight. The deposits are on the north edge of a rugged mountain range forming the eastern end of Cuba. The Cayoguan claims are owned by Brady interests, American, and the Potosi claims by the Harbison-Walker Refractories Co., of Philadelphia.

In the Province of Camaguey the deposits are found northeast of the town of Camaguey. They consist chiefly of masses of ore in residual clay and float on the surface. The underlying rock is serpentine. The Camaguey deposits are owned in part by Lehigh University and in part by Cubans. The estimated reserves are 20,000 tons.

Exploitation of the chromite deposits of Cuba began in the fall of 1917 and continued during the spring and summer of 1918. Only the Caledonia mine has produced ore. The chromite deposits are all associated with areas of serpentine.

Chromiferous iron ores that are destined to play an important part in the American iron and steel industry are found at Mayari, Camaguey, and Moa, along the northeastern coast of Cuba. The reserves are measured in hundreds of millions of tons. Only the Mayari deposits are mined at present.

Chromite deposits were developed in the interior of Guatemala in 1917 and shipments started in the autumn. The deposits were owned and operated by the International Railways of Central America, an American company, and are situated in the hills 100 miles inland from Puerto Barrios. The ore is in serpentine. It is very pure and is especially desirable for chemical purposes. The average chromic oxide content of the shipments during 1918 was 58 per cent., thus making this the highest grade ore that came to the American market. The ore was used by the Grasselli Chemical Co. Because of the distance from the railroad, these ores are very expensive to mine, and it was only on account of the high prices paid for chromite during the war that they were developed.