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CRM Gorj Project
Located in the Danubian Autochthonous of the Southern Carpathians, the CRM Gorj project comprises multiple graphite-rich schist horizons within a structurally complex, high-grade metamorphic setting.
Key Details
The project area is located within the Danubian Autochthonous part of the Cristallyno-Mesosoic Domain of the Meridional Carpathinas. The Danubian Autochthonous is composed of Precambrian- Paleozoic metamorphosed rocks intruded by granites (pre-Alpine basement), and Paleozoic – Mesosoic sedimentary and volcanic rocks. The pre-Alpine basement was affected by the Variscan orogeny and was later reworked during the Alpine orogeny.
In the project area, the geology consists of pre-Alpine basement rocks, mainly metabasaltic migmatites, surrounded by granitoids. Lenses of marbles (crystalline limestones), graphitic schists, as well as amphibolites, biotite gneisses and quartzites, occur within the metabasaltic migmatites.
The graphitic schist mineralisation in the area is well known with exploration and mining taking place during the 1900s. Multiple perimeters were historically investigated
Why Romania? Why Graphite?
Based on the historical works and documents available from Professor TRIFULESCU that outlines the historical graphite investigations in the area, the mineralisation has the following characteristics:
The graphite mineralisation is associated with the Proterozoic Olteț Series.
The mineralisation is present in four graphitic horizons, in association with various lithologies, such as paragneissic quartzite, micaschist, crystalline limestone, or para-amphibolites.
Multiple deformation and faulting events affected the mineralisation, resulting in complicated orebody morphology.
The mineralisation occurs as folded lenses, up to 0.2 km width and 2 km length; with fold hinges containing thicker mineralisation.
Mineralisation usually strikes WSW-ENE in the south of the licence and SW-NW in the central and northern part of the project.
The grade ranges from 1 — 70% graphitic carbon and varies both at a deposit scale and between mineralised bodies.
The average grade in most mineralised bodies is 10 – 20% graphitic carbon, with higher grade mineralised bodies containing averages of 25 – 40% graphitic carbon.
Graphite crystallinity and mineralisation morphology was influenced by different metamorphic events and the intrusion of magmatic bodies.
Grain size of historically exploited graphite varies from microcrystalline to macrocrystalline (0.01-1 mm) and falls into the commercial grade “lamellar graphite”.
The mineralisation was historically prospected using geological and geophysical techniques.
Historical reserves of 250 Mt, of which 50 Mt have more than 20% graphitic carbon, were defined.