SÖĞÜT MINE

The splits opened in the chromitite zones surfacing in the west – the southwest of Yapraklı Hill (1648 m) are known as “Yapraklı Mine” and the cracks opened in the chromitite zones surfacing in the south are as “Yarıkçam Quarry”.

Between the years 1958 and 1974, the mining activities had been continued at both quarries by Bursa-Toros Chrome Enterprises and the chromitite zones observed on the surface had been surveyed by splits opened with different dimensions. However, in some of them, exploration and production activities had been conducted together by tracing direction and slope continuities of the mineralization in the galleries and wells drilled beginning from the surfacings. Bursa-Toros Chrome Enterprises continued its mining activities in this region for a few years after the year 1992. After the year 1995, Akmetal Mining continued the mining activities aiming at producing the ores observed in small splits opened. Upon the exploration of high grade ore in the boreholes drilled in the year 2008, this ore was started to be produced by open cast mining method.

Massive chrome ore of 220,000 tons has been produced from Söğüt Region mine between the years 2007 and 2015.

Proje kapsamında Söğüt Ocakları (Yapraklı-Yanıkçam) ve yakın çevresinin 1/1.000 ölçekli topoğrafya ve jeoloji haritası hazırlanmıştır.  Jeoloji harita çalışmaları sırasında, sahadaki kaya birimleri ayırt edilmiş, sahada Aladağ ofiyolitine ait tektonit dokulu kayaların yüzeylendiği ve bu kayalardan hazrburjitlerin en yaygın kaya türü olduğu tespit edilmiştir (Şekil 5). Dunitler ise harzburjitler içerisinde kalınlıkları birkaç cm ile yer yer 5-10 metreye ulaşan, iç yapıya uyumlu katmanlanmalar, bant ve düzensiz mercekler şeklinde görülmektedir. Kromit zuhurlarıda bu birim içerisindeki dünit düzeylerine bağlıdır. Kromitit zonları ise kuzeybatı-güneydoğu doğrultulu ve ortalama 45-60⁰ ile güneybatıya eğimli bir iç yapı sergilemektedir.

272 boreholes with a total length of 17347.60 m had been opened between the years 2007 and 2011 at Yapraklı and Yanıkçam and the depth continuity of the mineralization had been made visible up to the elevation of 1475 m. However, a drilling work of approximately 5000 m had been carried out at Yapraklı mine between the years 2013 and 2014 and the production of determined ores (high grade > 40% Cr) were started through open and closed mining methods.