ECONOMIC - CHROME MINES

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00809A000600140131-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 15
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 13, 2011
• Sequence Number: 131
• Publication Date: February 10, 1951
• Content Type: REPORT

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COIrrmpi/~~{~ CLASSIFICATION C0 FIDI~ZAL 4 IU ITIAt
US OFFICIALS ONLY --Mai tamrn t ta+rrunc ancwrv orpllm F
DATE OF
INFORMATION 1939-1943
DATE D1ST. l D Feb 1951
NO. OF PAGES 15
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
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THE ALBANIAN CHROMTTE MINES
The report shows that the Albanian chromite nines are distributed through
fine regions:
A. The Pogradec zone in Southern Albania, West of Lake Ohrid
B. The Xlos zone in Central Albania
C. The Kukes zone in Northern Albania
D. The Leta) zone on the northern frontier of Albania
E. The Kosove zone to the north of the Leta) zone, with the two mining
regions of Deva and BabaJ Boks.
The chromite ere production of Albania in 1942 vas 38,000 tons, with an
average content ~f 42 percent Cr203. Nstimated production for 1943 to 66,000
tons.
All. data and.'figures for 1943 must there-
fore Ze considered as est tes only, and the differease between these and
the actual figures vould have .to be determined.
'.F
Comm/US OFFICIALS ONLY
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CONPID IAL
The Albanian mining regions are in the mountains. ore must be brought to
loading stations in the valley by animal transport or by cable railways. Most
of the operations are on the surface, but there is some underground mining.
Formerly, ore was carried from the loading stations by animal-drawn vehi-
cles, but now, since completion of the necessary roads, trucks s can bbd Dd. in
the northern region it is planned to build a narrow-gauge
and Jakova to ?tie. (The Italian report does not indicate w ether it has been
completed.)
The report shows that the following problems must be solved:
1. Extension of underground mining: Winter weather makes it necessary
to stop surface mining almost completely during January and February, and pro-
duction during November, December, and March is only about one tenth of that
achieved during the summer months. The construction of shafts would permit
working throughout the year, and would also allow the exploitation of ore
veins at greater depths.
2. Electrification and motorization of the operations.
3. Transport: Building of cable railways to transport the ore from the
mining sites to the loading stations in the valley. Building of light rail
ways, construction of roads, and motorization of vehicles. Up to 1942, 71
kilometers of road had been built. The new narrow-gauge railway connecting
the loading station at the Deva mine with Jakova and the Yugoslav railroad
station at Peke is to be finished by September 1943.
4. Workers: In 1942, about 3,000 workers were employed, 1,600 of them
for road construction.
The following table suwoarizes 1943 production and investment plans for
for the five regions.
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Mining Aegion Transport Facilities
Pogradec
(Southern Albania) 5ea:?150 km of road
to Durres (port)
Land: 40 km of road
to narrov-gauge (?)
92 station Struga
(Central. Albania) Sea: 125 km of road
1943. 400 km
(in parentheses:
including stocks
left from Dec.42
110 km of road to ( " 32,000)
Lipljan
to W.eng,9in
(port)
since 1942, road to
Pei
Production Costs investments (mil-
(million Italian lion Italian lire) Total Expendi-
lire) (in parentbe- (in parentheses: tures (million
!SL ._lire 3!!r ton) lire per ton) ita3 iea lire)
approx 7.5 2 1/3 approx 10
(7.30) (235)
approx 7 4.5 approx 11.5
approx 6.5 T approx 13.5
approu 35 approx 21*
,
*Road construction 6; cable railways 5; light railways 3; mine mechanization 5; industrial buildings 2.
(This ends the German analyst's introduction]
Total production in 1942: 35.000 tons approx 65,000
87x)
approx 14.5
approx 6.5
approx 56
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F_
CONFU fNT .
time within the earthquake zones.
show pisolithic material measuring from a few millimeters to a few centime-
ters in diameter, and called leopardite, ring ore, or kokarden ore, depend-
ing on the type of absorption by the still liquid magmatic mass.
The basic part of the mineral is frequently composed of compact minerals
which consist of a uniform crystalline mass and a strong penetration of the
pisolith's,?generally interrupted by olivinic infiltrations. Parts of this
mass which have become solid by serpentinization were often torn out by eart'
quake. This affords an explanation of the fact that compact masses of mineral
originating in other zones are found mainly in fault zones. The Leta) mining
region is an example. The mineral usually appears in the form of parallel
veins which run in the direction of the general ore structure.
The geclogical map of Albania shows a certain number of great faults
which run in an arc from south-southeast to north and whose eastern part is
particularly interesting. These faults separate the region into five mein
zones which cclrt9io great masses of peridotites. Until now, chrome ure in
large quantil:ea has been found only in the fifth, or easternmost, zone. The
first prospecting activities were carried out in this zone by the Italian
Alm+;i Corporation in 1938-39. This is the region arcund Pogradec on Lake
Ohrid, and farther north, near Kukes, where thm White Drin and the Black
Drin join. All other prospecting operations -- northwest of Lase Ohrid,
near Klos in central Albania and at Letaj (northeast Albania), and that car-
ried out recently near Kosove, northwest of Jakova -- arA in this fifth zone.
So far we have not received any positive information on strikes made in the
other four zones1 which also contain peridotite.
The rocks found in the various mines of Albania contain all the kinds
of ores mentioned above. the'compact and very rich ores, pisolithic minerals
with medium to high ore'content, and minerals with varying ore content. The
ore deposits are in the usual vein formati:in, with more or less rich ore veins
and with concentration of the most varied forms in connection with the ophio-
lites.Schlieren plates have been found only in the Kukes region. They resemble
50X1-HUM
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Memelisht: rich minerals and compact ore deposits
Gjerduk: sporadic occurrence of ore with medium content
Kathjel: isolated and compact ore deposits
Pisbkesh: compact ore deposits, pisolithic ore deposits, and iso-
lated deposits
Skroske: compact ore deposits, pisoliths, and isolated deposits
Librazhd: to be explored
B. Klos Zone, central Albania
1. Fortuna: minerals with brittle structure
2. Italia: compact ore with penetration zones
3. Littorio: compact ore, partially with penetrations
4. San Luigi: penetrations, at some points compact ore also
C. Kukes Zone, Northeast Albania
1.' Kalimash: mostly pisolithic penetrations, some compact ore or
schlieren plates
2. Dukagjin: mainly penetrations
3. Surroj: mainly penetrations
4. Qaf' e Kumbulles: low ore content
Cop IDENTIAL
coNFIDZNrLAL
those frequently found in Yugoslavia. On the whole, the rocks, if properly
selected, have a good ore content which makes cozmnercial exploitation worth-
while and which suffices for present-day purposes.
The material which is poor in ore content, on the other hand, is not
sufficiently concentrated to justify the building of mine installations.
An outline of the zones is as follows:
A. Fogradec Zone, west of Lake Ohride, extending to the northwest
Letaj Zone, northeast Albania
1. Letaj: mostly rich and compact mineral; only a few isciated zones;
occasional occurrence of pisolite
2. Perollaj: rich mineral, usually in nodular form
3. Zogaj: mostly compact ore
jthize: mostly compact ore
Le
4
,
.
5. Kepenek: rich ore and compact are, occasionally mixed with penetra-
tions
6. Kam: mostly rocks rich in ore, also compact ore
j. Helshan: mostly compact ore
8. Lenic: compact mineral, low ore content
9. Bityci: generally rich, compact rock. In some mines it is deposited
in nodular form within the dunite. Deposits have been detected as far
as Tropoje, but could not be developed so far because of lack of trans-
port facilities.
E. Kosove Zone
This zone contains the Deva and Bebaj Boks mines and several diggings in
the vicinity of Poporac nd Orahovac.
1. Deva: small mine with a single, lenticular deposit of good, compact ore
2. Babaj Boks: small amount of ore of inferior grade, very difficult to
. sort
3. Popovac: new prospecting activities, mixed ore
4. Orahovac: lenticular deposits and residues of mostly impregnated min-
eral with ?a few schlieres plates. The mineral resembles that found in
the Vardar valley.
CONFIDENTIAL
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CONFIBENIIN.
A total of 160 mines are in operation. In 1942 production was 37,867 tons
of ccercial ore with an average content of 42 percent Cr203.
Transport created great difficulties. A greet nusaber of mountain trails
bad to be built to make the mines, located in the mountains and without trans-
The following roads
port facilities,
with the This Albanian followed eby the twork. construction
connecting accessible.
and high'atsay
totaling 71.3 kilometers, were built: rai~ta.ra
Road connection to Memelisht 0.7
Road to Gjerduk 9.0
Road to Kathjel 7.4
Road to Bushtrice 4.0
Total for Progradec 21.1
Road to Kalimash 7.0
Road from Dukagjin to Surroj 13.3
Road to fukag j in -
Total for Kukes 25.3
Road from Jakova to Qaf' e Prushit 12.5
Road Qaf' e Prushit to Kepenek 12.5
Total for Letaj 25.0
The transport of ore from the individual mines to loading ramps located
on roads passable by trucks was carried out almost entirely by animals in 1942.
Cable railways to Mine 4 at Memelisht and to Mines 10, 11, and 12 at Kalimash
were also in operation. This uneconomical and inefficient means of transport
has led to the decision to motorize transport facilities, to electrify some
phases of production, to install mechanical equipment, and to build narrow-
gauge railway lines of considerable length. It is planned to build a line
50 kiloters
Peje. the of terminil
to long
ovoannihdl Meaua will be equipped
with ore-loading machinery.
II. MINING PLANS FOR 1943
A. Poadec ZZne .
In 1942 work in the shaft was accelerated, and considerable chromite de-
posits were found which will guarantee regular production for some time to
come. The Cr203 content increases with the depth of the mine. Excluding the
Skroske zone, for which no definite data is available as yet, the following es-
timaate of reserves was made at the end of 7912 for the zones comprising the
Pogradec zone: certain reserves, 24,000 tons of standard ore; probable
reserves, 12,000 tons; and possible reserves, 12,000 tons; or an estimated to-
tal of 48,000 tons
-6-
COMMMIA:.
COCEi8E0u N.
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CONFID 1 TIA L
Most. of- these ores are in the Mamelisht, Kath.jel, and Pishkaah aaines.
The Gjerduk mine will probably be exhausted by 1943. Prospecting at Skroske,
at an elevation of 1,800 meters, was carried out only on a small scale, but the
tests showed exceptionally good results.
Fifteen hundred meters of road were built, to connect the valley termi-
nal of the Kathjel cable railway with the already existing road. The cable
railway at Pisbkash was extended from an elevation of 1,050 meters to the
__..._ kil m`ern ..f ,.m,...@ a.. b'Ft _B ehtri n.m valley -re
completed. This road is to be used for transporting the ore mined at Skroske.
Ore production in the Pogradec region during 1942 was as follows: first-
grade ore, 6,538 tons; second-grade ore, 1,472 tons; total, 8,010 tons.
The 1943 production is estimated as follows: b?emelisht, 2,430 tons;
Gjerduk, 600; Kathjel, 2,500; Pishknsh, 1,900; and Skroske, 2,570, a total of
10,000 tons.
The following construction work is to be carried out during 1943: in-
stallation of two pumps, installation of three ventilators, construction of
an explosives depot at Memelisht, construction of 1,000 meters of cable rail-
way at Kathjel, extension of Kathjel road, extension of Pisbkash cable rail-
way, construction of 1,500 meters of light railway Line, construction of three
cable railways at Pishknsb, construction of compressed-air installations, con-
struction of 3,000 meters of mountain trail for the akroske mines, installa-
tion of one motor compressor, construction of three cable railways, and ex-
tension of the Bushtrice road.
B. 1Los one
Klos is located in central Albania, 109 kilometers from the port of
Shengjin and is connected with the latter by a good truck road. The first
prospecting for chromite in this zone was carried our in April 1942, at bench
mark 809, in the immediate vicinity of the road at a point about 13.6 kilome-
ters from Klos in the direction of Diber. The first digging operations did
not strike any well-defined deposits, but revealed a number of chromite blocks
intermixed with serpentines which apparently had rolled down into the valley
from the surrounding mountains (Doghz.t Mountain).
The work carried out later and on a larger scale, in a mountainous area
with dense vegetation, led to the discovery of important chromite deposits.
These strikes were made in the vicinity of the above road, at bench mark 1200
(Littorio mine), at bench mark 1150 (Italia mine), at bench mark 1320 to the
south of the road (Murrize mine), and at bench marks 950, 1560, and 1300 (Ban-
Luigi mine). Even approximate data on the size of the deposit would be pre-
mature, but it has definitely been established that these are the largest chro-
mite deposits in Albania. Initial operations produced 3,309 tons of commercial
chromite up to November, when the onset of winter prevented continuation of the
work.
Preparatory work was carried out during the short period in which the weather
permitted operations. The nine at bench mark 809 (l+ort'.ina mine) was connected
with the national highway, and preparations for a. number of diggings v