ZIMSEC O Level · Geography · Form 3, Form 4
Minerals in Zimbabwe
- Gold: found along greenstone belts (Kwekwe, Kadoma, Shurugwi, Bindura).
- Platinum and chrome: the Great Dyke (Mhondoro-Ngezi, Zvishavane, Mutorashanga).
- Diamonds: Marange and Murowa.
- Coal: Hwange.
- Lithium: Bikita, Arcadia and other deposits – increasingly important for batteries.
Methods of mining
Open-cast (for minerals near the surface, e.g. coal at Hwange), underground shaft mining (deep gold reefs), alluvial mining (panning in rivers).
Importance and problems
Benefits: foreign currency from exports, jobs, growth of towns, and infrastructure.
Problems: land degradation, deforestation, river siltation and mercury pollution from illegal gold panning, dust and air pollution, mine accidents.
Energy
- Hydroelectric power: Kariba (on the Zambezi, shared with Zambia).
- Thermal power: Hwange (coal).
- Others: solar (increasingly used in homes and farms), biogas, firewood (the main fuel in rural areas, causing deforestation).
Exam tip: For environmental problems, name the problem, explain the cause and suggest a solution.
Check yourself
- Name the mineral belt rich in chrome and platinum.
- State two environmental problems caused by illegal gold panning.
- Give one advantage of solar energy for rural areas.
Show answers
- The Great Dyke.
- Any two: river siltation, mercury pollution, land degradation, deforestation.
- It is renewable and free once installed, and needs no national grid connection.
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