Shinkolobwe
Shinkolobwe, or Kasolo, or Chinkolobew, or Shainkolobwe, was a radium and uranium mine in the Haut-Katanga Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), located 20 km (12.4 mi) west of Likasi (formerly Jadotville), 20 km (12.4 mi) south of Kambove, and about 145 km (90.1 mi) northwest of Lubumbashi.
Shinkolobwe mine, 1925 | |
| Location | |
|---|---|
Shinkolobwe mine Shinkolobwe mine | |
| Location | Shinkolobwe |
| Province | Katanga |
| Country | Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Coordinates | 11°03′17.9″S 26°32′50.2″E |
| Production | |
| Products | Uranium ore |
| History | |
| Closed | 2004 |
The mine produced the most economical uranium ore in the world and was used for the Manhattan Project and subsequent nuclear weapons produced by the United States in the 1940s and 50s. Before World War II, uranium extracted here was originally taken to Belgium to be processed; this supply was captured by the Wehrmacht in 1940 and subsequently used for the unsuccessful German nuclear program.
The Shinkolobwe mine was officially closed in 2004.