Mineral Resources in Egypt

- Iron reserve hits 150 million tons, and 90 gold mines in the Eastern Desert.

The Arab Republic of Egypt is famous for its miscellaneous mineral resources inside its mountains and deserts. Some of such resources had already been exploited, while others are still under preparation to be used in the coming years in the light of the free investment climate Egypt is currently witnessing.

Iron is one of the most important metals Egypt is famous for, as the residues of iron are found in the east of Aswan, al-Baharia Oasis and the Eastern Desert. The iron residues are found in more than 15 sites in the east of Aswan. It accompanies the formations of the Nubian sandstones that date back to the Cretaceous Age.

Iron raw in Aswan is mainly formed from the hematite and the goethite. The confirmed reserves of such residues are around 120-150 million tons. It was exploited since 1950s till late the 1960s, when the raw excavation was halted after the discovery of its residues in al-Baharia Oasis, due to the expensive cost of transferring the raw material from Aswan to the Iron and Steel Plant in Helwan.

1- Iron Residues in al-Baharia Oasis

Iron residues are found in 4 main sites in al-Baharia Oasis. Such residues are mainly formed from the hydrated iron oxide, known as the limonite and goethite, in addition to the hematite and other metals.

The iron residues are currently used in feeding the Iron and Steel Plant in Helwan, as a railway line has been constructed to link the iron raw sites in al-Baharia Oasis with Helwan.

The annual production for this plant reaches 1 million ton and the ratio of the raw reaches around 45 so concentration operations should be implemented to raise its percentage in the raw substance. The raw reserve reaches around 100 million tons.

Iron Residues in the Eastern Desert

Such residues are found in the middle sector of the Eastern Desert, south of al-Quseir, near the Red Sea Coast. Its rserves reach about 40 million tons. The raw is found in the form of magnetite, hematite and celica ribbons and its thickness ranges from a few cm to around 5 m.
The economic benefit from the raw iron is presented in a main objective; producing the cast iron which is used in producing various kinds of steel, especially that iron is one of the fundamental elements in all civil and military fields.

2- Manganese:

Although raw manganese is found in various sites, just a few could be economically invested. Om Bagama in Sinai is considered the most important site, as the raw manganese is found among the limestone and dolomite rocks that belong to the mid Carbonic Age formations.

The manganese raw residues are also found in Abu Zniema in Sinai, however, the reserve is somewhat low and could be estimated at around 40,000 tons.

In Halayeb, south east of the Eastern Desert near the Red Sea coast, the residues are abundant and reserves are estimated at around 120,000 tons. It is mainly used in producing steel, solid batteries, paints and chemical industries.

3- Gold:

The ancient Egyptians were the best nation who excavated gold as more than 90 old gold mines are located in the Eastern Desert and the gold monuments and works are a witness to the ancient Egyptians' skillfulness in digging for gold. The gold appears in the form of minute granules spread in the veins of the quartz that dissect the granite rocks along the Eastern Desert.

The importance of gold lies in its purchasing power that made it the cover for the metal coins, in addition to using it in making teeth and some medical drugs.

 
4- Titanium:

The main raw material for the titanium is represented in the almenite metal which is formed from the iron and titanium oxide. The almenite is found in various sites in Egypt, the most important of which are the Eastern Desert.

The almenite is also found as a component of the black sand which was concentrated as a result of the wind and wave movements in North Delta between Rosetta and Al-Areesh. The titanium is used in manufacturing the steel alloys and paints.

5- Tungsten and Tin:

The raw tin, known as the casterite and the raw tungsten are found in may sites in the Eastern Desert. The casterite is used as a main source for the tin component which is used in manufacturing the tin sheets and bronze bars.

6- Copper:

Although the copper raw is abundant in Egypt, yet, it is still not economically exploited. It is mainly concentrated in the Sinai Peninsula. Also the copper residues, which are innate in the nickel raw, are found in some areas of the Eastern Desert. It is noteworthy that the ancient Egyptians had largely used the raw copper in colouring.

7- Chrome:

The chrome raw, known as the chromium iron oxide, was discovered in mid 1940s. It is found in the form of ribbons or layers in many sites in the Eastern Desert.

The chromium is used as a main element for producing chrome which is used in manufacturing the anti-erosion steel, leather, dying and tanning.

8- Phosphate:

Phosphate in Egypt is considered one of the major metallurgical residues from both the metallurgical and economic aspects, because its production was and still occupying a distinguished position in the metallurgical field. This is attributed to the large quantities of phosphate which are found in the form of a belt of phosphate residues extending along the Red Sea Coast over an area of 750 km. its economic importance is attributed to the fact that it is largely exported. Moreover, it is manufactured in the form of chemical fertilizers as a kind of super phosphate. The phosphate sites of economic importance lie in 3 main areas:

1-The Nile valley between Edfo and Qena:
The raw reserves in al-Mahameed area alone are estimated at around 200 million tons. The geological studies found a reserve of about 100 million tons in al-Mahameed surrounding areas.

2- The Red Sea Coast between Safaga and Quseir:
Reserves in this area are estimated at around 200-250 million tons of phosphate raw.

3- The Western Desert:
Abu Tartur Plateau that lies among al-Dakhla Oasis represents the hugest phosphate residues in Egypt, as the reserve is estimated at around 100 million tons. However, there are some hurdles which prevent its optimum exploitation due to a noticeable amount of impurities, thus increasing its production cost.

9- Talc:

 
Talc residues are found in more than 30 sites, most of which are in the Eastern Desert. It is used in paper, soap, medical drugs and detergents manufacture.

 
10- Sulpher:

It is mainly found in the Mediterranean Sea Coast and the Gulf of Suez and is used in producing the sulfuric acid which, in turn, is used in main chemical industries. It is also used in making explosives, chemical fertilizers, pesticides, in addition to medical purposes and whitening textiles.

 
11- Gypsum:

It is found in more than 25 sites, the most important of which are the north of Asmailia, the east of the Gulf of Suez in Sinai, al-Alamain and the west of Alexandria. The gypsum is used in producing sulfuric acid, building materials and especially the moist.

12- Quartz:

It is found in many sites in the Eastern Desert. The percentage of celica in this mineral reaches around 98 %. It is mainly used in optics. The ultra pure quartz is used in producing solar cells through transferring the quartz (silicon dioxide) to pure silicon.

13- Potassium and Sodium Acids:

 
The residues of sodium carbonate (natron) are found in al-Natron Valley, Beheira govrnorate, while the residues of the sodium chloride comes from the seawater through evaporation in the salines along the Mediterranean Sea in Matrouh, Edco, Alexandria, Rosetta, Port Said and Qarun Lake in Fayyoum. Such residues are the main source for the sodium and chloride which are used in chemical industries, the most important of which are the caustic soda and the hydrochloric acid.

14- Glass Sand:

The high quality white sands which are used in making glass are abundantly found near the Gulf of Suez, an-Natron and Qena Valley.

15- Precious Stones:

Some of the most important precious stones which the Pharaonic civilization was famous for and still exists are the turquoise which is found in Sinai, the emerald which is found in the Eastern Desert and the chrysolite which is found in the Chrysolite Island in the south of the Red Sea.

16- Ornament Stones:

The ornament stones are one of the promising mineral resources due to two main reasons:
First: It is found abundantly in most of he Red Sea Mountains and the northern part of Sinai Peninsula and separate parts of the Western Desert.

Second: The great diversity of rocks, whether the igneous, transformational or sedimental rocks.

The most famous ornament rocks in Egypt are: the granite, marble, limestone, brishia and alabaster.