Gondwana History: Memorable Moments from Namibia's Past, 6th edition, by Mannfred Goldbeck

Gondwana History: Memorable Moments from Namibia's Past, 6th edition, by Mannfred Goldbeck. Gondwana History, Vol 6. Nature Investments, Namibia 2015. ISBN 9789994579549 / ISBN 978-99945-79-54-9

Gondwana History: Memorable Moments from Namibia's Past, 6th edition by Mannfred Goldbeck is the last book in the Gondwana History series, and it provides a unique opportunity to extend the most sincere thanks to everybody involved and to its readers.

Mannfred Goldbeck  

The Khan copper mine in the Namib Desert

In today's age it is a little known fact that during the German colonial era a copper mine was operational close to the current Rössing uranium mine. Of a once thriving operation with approximately 964 tons of processed copper produced from 32,450 tons of ore only an old mining tunnel and a few ruins remain. The copper was shipped to Germany. Several reports written around 1900 recorded the copper ore in the scenic valley close to the Khan River about 70 kilometres from the coastal town of Swakopmund. Paul Ramdohr wrote in 1938 in the magazine "Zeitschrift fur praktische Geologie" that the geologists Ernst Reuning, Professor Dr. Heinrich Ludwig Lotz and O. Stutzer mentioned the ore body at that time. However, the discoverer of the copper reserves was probably Eduard Pechuel-Loesche (1840-1913), a scientist and geographer from Leipzig, Germany. Pechuel-Loesche travelled widely. From 1884 to 1885 he undertook a journey with his wife through then German South West Africa. The country had just been proclaimed a protected area (Schutzgebiet). D. A. Smith in his 1965 paper "The geology of the area around the Khan and Swakop Rivers" reported that Pechuel-Loesche mentioned the copper reserves in the Khan Mountains in his travel journals. Pechuel-Loesche also painted during his travels and 400 watercolour paintings exist, now kept in the Geographic Seminary in Hamburg, Germany. Research might be worthwhile to see if he also painted while travelling in South West Africa. A box with his travel diaries from that journey still awaits analysis in a collection in Munich. Bruno Simmersbach wrote about the early days of mining in the Namib Desert: "In the Khan Mountains near the railway station Khan in the area of the Colonial Society (Kolonialgesellschaft) the company Spilhaus from Cape Town completed some prospecting works. The results encouraged the company C. Heckmann, Kupfer & Messingwerke to conduct further trials, which unexpectedly resulted in the discovery of a rich ore body. The ore, called bornite (Kupfererz) was found in pinkish-white pegmatite rock veins. The copper grade was about 6 to 7 percent. The Heckmann company in Hutten Street in Duisburg-Hochfeld establised a subsidiary, Khan-Kupfergrube GmbH. In 1908/09 preparations began to establish mining operations, which took seven years. This required long-term planning and extensive capital. The first priority was a sufficient water supply. A well was dug 7 kilometres away in the Khan River Valley, 180 metres lower in altitude. The well provided water reliably throughout operations. Machinery and equipment for the mining operations came from Germany and was installed. A shaft was drilled into the mountain, a transmission belt was put in place as well as a small railway. Contiguous with these installations several brick buildings and houses were constructed. Copper mining began in earnest in May 1914. The copper concentrate was produced on site, which was a technical achievement in those days. The concentrate was shipped to Germany. About 80 Europeans and 400 local workers were employed at the Khan copper mine. All groceries and supplies had to be brought to the mine from Swakopmund. The mining company wanted to build a railway link to the existing Otavi railway line to the Khan station further south. These plans were dropped. Instead, the company built a narrow-gauge link 11 kilometres long northwards to connect with the railway line at Arandis. Sections of the old railway embankment, the shunting area, are still visible today at the Arandis Mountain. The small locomotive huffed and puffed as it pulled the wagons filled with copper concentrate uphill towards Arandis. The return journey back to the Khan copper mine was child's play. [...]

This is an excerpt from Gondwana History: Memorable Moments from Namibia's Past, 6th edition, by Mannfred Goldbeck.

Title: Gondwana History: Memorable Moments from Namibia's Past, 6th edition
Authors: Walter Rusch; Mannfred Goldbeck; Inke Stoldt; Sven-Eric Kanzler; Antje Otto; Gordon McGregor; Ron Swilling; Errol Hurter
Series: Gondwana History, Vol 6
Publisher: Nature Investments
Namibia, 2015
ISBN 9789994579549 / ISBN 978-99945-79-54-9
Softcover, 15 x 21 cm, 111 pages, 85 images, 1 map, English text