Korlaca mine, Serbia

The Korlaca mine in Serbia, then Yugoslavia, was described in 1952 by W. B. Millar, a consulting geologist writing in Asbestos, the industry's trade journal.² He wrote that it "was in process of being developed by private German interests when the last war intervened and was subsequently completed and put into operation by the Yugoslavs."² The mine was "developed along the side of a hill by a series of benches 8 m. high," with main workings "some 450 m. long," and its fibre was "short, white, semi-brittle chrysotile," no longer than a quarter inch, in zones reported as "carrying 2% to 3% fibre."² Its mill was designed for "480 tons of ore in 20 hours," and "the plant operates at a loss."² The U.S. Bureau of Mines' Minerals Yearbook for 1964, citing the Engineering and Mining Journal, called it "the only working mine in Yugoslavia."¹

The documents report work here (mining, shafts or a mill) but no fiber sold or shipped; that is what our documents say, and the mine may still have sold some.²

Location

Year by year

Every statement about this mine in the documents, in each document's own words, by the year it is about.

1952

• Mill: “The mill ... is designed to handle 480 tons of ore in 20 hours. The plant operates at a loss”, said by W. B. Millar, Consulting Geologist, as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 6²
• Opened: “being developed by private German interests when the last war intervened and was subsequently completed and put into operation by the Yugoslavs”, said by W. B. Millar, Consulting Geologist, as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 6²
• Reserves: “The better sections of the fibre zones are reported as carrying 2% to 3% fibre”, said by W. B. Millar, Consulting Geologist, as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 8²
• Description: “developed along the side of a hill by a series of benches 8 m. high. The main workings are some 450 m. long”, said by W. B. Millar, Consulting Geologist, as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 6²
• Fiber: “short, white, semi-brittle chrysotile”, said by W. B. Millar, Consulting Geologist, as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 8²

1964

• Worked: “The only working mine in Yugoslavia is at Korlaca in the same area”, as reported by Engineering and Mining Journal, p. 8¹

Other names

Documents call this mine “working mine ... at Korlaca”, “Korlaca-Belci”, “Korlaca mine”.

References

1. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1964 (January 1, 1965), p. 8.
2. Asbestos Magazine, 1952, August 1952 (August 1, 1952), pp. 6, 8.