Development
The Great Dyke was first reported in 1867 by the explorer Karl Mauch. However the existence of rich ore deposits was not realized until around 1918.
Chromite is mined throughout the Dyke, especially in the Darwendale, Lalapanzi and Mutorashanga areas. The three largest chrome mining companies are Maranatha Ferrochrome, Zimalloys and Zimasco, although most mines are worked by the tribute system.
Platinum group metals are currently mined at Ngezi Mine south of Selous by Zimplats of the Impala Platinum Group, at Unki Mine near Shurugwi by Anglo American and at Mimosa Mine near Zvishavane by Zimasco for Impala Platinum. The Hartley Platinum Mine near Makwiro is not currently operating. Oxidized, near-surface ores are a promising future source for platinum-group metals because of their easy accessibility. They constitute a resource of ca. 160-400 Mt, but mining has so far been hampered due to insufficient recovery rates.
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