Teita Hills anthophyllite deposit, Teita Hills, about 120 miles from the Port of Mombasa, Kenya

The Teita Hills deposit in Kenya gave anthophyllite, and the sources date its discovery to 1949: Asbestos, the industry's trade journal, wrote in July 1952 that "the discovery of the Makinyambu Asbestos Deposits was made towards the end of 1949 in the Teita Hills, roughly 120 miles from the Port of Mombasa and 25 miles from the railway."^1,2 The same article said that "several extensive, inter-related deposits of anthophyllite have been found within an area of about five square miles," and that Makinyambu Asbestos Mines Ltd. held "an Exclusive Prospecting License covering a total area of 70 square miles in which further exploration is proceeding."¹ The deposit "at present being worked," it said, had "a length of 200 yards, a width of 100 yards, and a minimum depth of 120 feet."¹ The U.S. Bureau of Mines' Minerals Yearbook for 1952, drawing on the trade journal, reported that "a mill has been built, and some progress has been made in developing uses in such products as chemical filters, compound packings, and thermal and acoustical insulation."²

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

Year by year

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

1949

• Opened: “The discovery of the Makinyambu Asbestos Deposits was made towards the end of 1949 in the Teita Hills” (Makinyambu Asbestos Mines Ltd.), p. 4¹
• Exploration: “A deposit of anthophyllite was discovered in 1949 in the Teita Hills”, as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 11²

1952

• Fiber: “anthophyllite” (Makinyambu Asbestos Mines Ltd.), p. 4¹
• Worked: “The deposit which is at present being worked” (Makinyambu Asbestos Mines Ltd.), p. 4¹
• Reserves: “this deposit has a length of 200 yards, a width of 100 yards, and a minimum depth of 120 feet” (Makinyambu Asbestos Mines Ltd.), p. 4¹
• Exploration: “Exclusive Prospecting License covering a total area of 70 square miles” (Makinyambu Asbestos Mines Ltd.), p. 4¹
• Mill: “A mill has been built”, as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 11²

Other names

Documents call this mine “Teita Hills”, “Makinyambu Asbestos Deposits”.

References

1. Asbestos Magazine, 1952, July 1952 (July 1, 1952), p. 4.
2. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1952 (January 1, 1953), p. 11.