Mineral resources are a naturally occurring part of nature’s gift to mankind. Considering that Africa is one of the largest continents in the world, it is not surprising that it is home to more than 30% of the world’s mineral resources. Running the length and breadth of the continent, some of these minerals like Tanzanite are only found on the continent.
10 Unique Mineral Resources That Are Found in Africa
1. Tanzanite
This rare mineral resource is only found on a strip of land in the Merelani hills in the Simanjaro district of Tanzania. It was first discovered in 1967 and named the stone of the 20th century.
Geologically, it occurred through a violent clash of the tectonic plates about 585 million years ago. This clash also led to the formation of Mount Kilimanjaro. Tanzanite’s rarity has made many references to it as a geological phenomenon.
Over the years, jewelers have come to attach so much importance to it, at such driving up its demand. Thanks also to its beauty, it fetches a high value with a carat of the rare gem going for amounts between $300 to $500.
At the moment, tanzanite is rarer than diamond: it appears in blue and violet colors and only appears pink rarely. Since it is only found in Tanzania, the government has taken a keen interest in it and stepped in to regulate its mining.
2. Gold
This is one of the most well-known mineral resources found in Africa. Ghana is the leading producer of this item followed by South Africa. In ancient times it served many purposes including as a monetary unit. It is also produced in Congo, Sudan, Mali, Algeria
It is considered one of the most precious mineral resources alongside silver and platinum. Generally, it is believed that the ancient Egyptians were the first to discover gold as far back as 2450 BC.
Also, the ancient kingdoms of Ghana and Mali were associated with the item. In fact, the Mali king, Mansa Musa is regarded as the richest man that ever lived with a net worth of over $400 billion in today’s value due to his gold.
Over the years, this conductor of electricity and heat has become a fashion item. Jewelers value a carat of gold at $20 and above depending on the quality.
Until 2006, South Africa used to be the biggest producer of gold and drove so much revenue from its mining. However, this position has since been taken over by China. Notwithstanding, it has retained its importance as Johannesburg is still considered the gold capital of the world in recent times.
3. Diamond
It is one of the most popular mineral resources that Africa is known for. Diamond is mined in Angola, Botswana, DRC, Namibia, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Zimbabwe, CAR, and South Africa. Added to this, Botswana is the top producer of this natural resource globally.
It’s no wonder that Botswana’s economy is supported by the diamond industry which employs about a quarter of the country’s population. Also, one of the largest rough-cut gem-quality diamonds ever found, the Cullinan Diamond was discovered in South Africa in 1905. The rough-cut stone weighed 3,106 and since its discovery, the diamond also known as ‘The Great Star of Africa’ has been associated with the British royal family. Other great diamonds discovered in Africa include the ‘Golden Jubilee’, ‘Heart of Eternity’, ‘Centenary Diamond’, and the ‘Graff Lesedi La Rona’.
Despite the beauty associated with this mineral resource as seen in pieces of jewelry, it has also been linked to bad omens and conflicts, especially in West Africa, a situation that has led to such diamonds being referred to as blood diamonds.
4. Platinum
Like other mineral resources that are mainly found in Africa, the highest deposit of platinum is found in South Africa and Zimbabwe. The southern African country accounts for 80% of the world’s total production. It also has the biggest platinum mines in the world with the Impala mine located in the northwest of the country being the largest. Reportedly, it accounted for 696.4 thousand ounces of platinum in 2021.
In its purest form, platinum is the most precious metal on earth. It is generally believed that Earth may not be the only planet to have this precious metal. In fact, the meteorites and the moon have a higher content of it. For years, there were speculations that one day platinum would be mined from the moon. As it is, South Africa leads countries like Canada, the USA, and Zimbabwe in the production of this mineral resource.
5. Cobalt
The Democratic Republic of Congo has the largest reserve of this mineral resource which accounts for almost half of the world’s reserve. Globally, the Central African country provides 70% of supplies. It was discovered in 1739 but over the years, it has proven to be quite dangerous as well as an item of medicinal use in cancer treatment.
Its usage has been traced to 2600 years among ancient civilizations like China, Europe, and Egypt which used cobalt dye. In modern times, it is one of the components used in technology when used with other metals to form superalloys.
While cobalt is one of the numerous resources that makes Congo a mineral-rich country, the central African country has still not maximized its potential.
6. Manganese
This precious metal is mainly found on the African continent. At the top of the global producing countries are South Africa and Gabon. It is regarded as a controversial metal due to its high toxicity. The fumes or dust from this metal can cause a condition called manganism. Though it is believed that symptoms of poisoning can last from one to two months, there are cases that take as long as twenty years.
Nonetheless, its mining has continued over the years as it is important in iron and steel production.
7. Tsavorite Garnet
The green-colored gemstone Tsavorite is also known as Tsavorite. It is so rare that it is only found in East Africa, precisely in Kenya and Tanzania. Tsavorite was discovered by Campbell Bridges in 1967 while searching for gemstones in the mountain regions of northwest Tanzania.
It took another three years before he found the gem again, but this time around it was in Tsavo, Kenya. He decided to name the newly discovered gem Tsavorite in honor of the Tsavo National Park which is close to where he discovered it and the Tsavo River that flows through the area.
Geologically, Tsavorist forms due to a violent volcanic eruption, the same reason why the rare gem is only found in small sizes.
See Also: These Three Countries Possess 50% of Africa’s Wealth
8. Rhodium
Rhodium is only found in a few places in the world including South Africa, Russia, and Zimbabwe. South Africa produces 85% of the global output. Rodium derives its name from the Greek rhodon due to its rose color.
It is used in the chemical industry as a catalyst for making substances like nitric acid. As a strong anti-corrosive agent, it is not surprising that it is used in the automotive industry as well as for hardening platinum and palladium.
Unlike other mineral resources that are used by jewelers, rhodium is not used due to its thickness.
9. Bauxite
This metal is mostly found in Guinea. The country accounts for 7.4 billion tons of annual output. Since its discovery, it has become an important part of the chemical industry with uses ranging from abrasive to aluminum production.
Though Bauxite was first discovered in 1821 in Baux, France, its largest deposit is in Guinea and Australia. It’s mining in Guinea started in the 1960s and the government controls more than 40% of its mining operations.
10. Zirconium
Zirconium is one of the metals that is in high demand globally. South Africa produces 392,000 tons which in turn makes up 40% of the global output. Aside from the southern African country, other places where Zirconium is found include Senegal and Sierra Leone.
When it was first discovered in Sri Lanka in 1789, there was a general misconception about it being an inferior kind of diamond.
Over the years, this has been proven otherwise. In fact, they are used in a number of ways ranging from industrial products like steel alloys to medical uses.
