Company says it's made major gold discovery in Otago
Santana Minerals is hoping to mine the 27,000-hectare Otago site, ... Alluvial or gold-loose particles were first discovered at Bendigo during the Central Otago gold rush in 1862.
Proposed gold mine receives permit
A proposed gold mine in Central Otago has taken a significant step forward by obtaining a mining permit, the company's proprietor says. ... Mr Hawkeswood said the alluvial gold mine, if approved, would be a low-emissions operation, because of a floating dredge and large dump trucks.
Otago – Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand
Once the easy alluvial gold had been won, mining became mechanised and sluicing claims began. Working deeper alluvial leads required cooperation, the amalgamation of claims, …
$9b Central Otago gold discovery 'largest in four decades'
An Australian mining company has told its investors a gold discovery in Central Otago, near Bendigo, may be the largest gold discovery in New Zealand in 40 years. Santana …
New Zealand's goldfields – Gold and gold mining – Te Ara …
New Zealand has three main goldfields and each has its own geology. In Otago (and Marlborough) gold is found in quartz veins in schist and in river gravels which have weathered from schist. On the West Coast and at Golden Bay, gold is found in older Paleozoic greywacke and argillite rocks in ...
Geology and Gold | Macraes Operation
In Otago there are two types of gold deposit: Hard-rock deposits, which are hosted in Otago Schist basement rocks and were formed by geological processes deep within the Earth's crust; and alluvial deposits, gold eroded from hard-rock sources, transported, recycled, and concentrated as gold grains and nuggets in surficial sediments by physical ...
Alluvial gold – Gold and gold mining – Te Ara Encyclopedia …
These gold nuggets have been mined from river gravels in Otago. The gold has been beaten by boulders in flood waters, then folded back over countless times to give these flattened shapes. Dark impurities visible in the larger nuggets are black mineral sands...
St Bathans
Blue Lake, at the foot of Mt St Bathans in Central Otago, is one of several important historical gold mines in the area. ... Alluvial gold from quartz gravel river deposits 3. Pink baked sediments and grey melted sediments. ... is the most important geological feature in the story of gold mining in the St Bathans area. The gold was concentrated ...
Lithostratigraphy of gold-bearing Quaternary gravels, middle
Introduction. Quaternary gravels underlie a major part of the landscape in the Central Otago goldfield, especially in the valleys (Fig. 1 A).These gravels have been an important source of alluvial gold, both in the historic gold mining period of the 1860s to 1930s (Williams Citation 1974), and in the modern mining era including ongoing …
Alluvial gold: A geological model (Part 1) – Deposits
Some years ago, I worked in alluvial gold exploration and became fascinated by the facts and fiction of the old mining districts. However, there didn't seem to be a geological model to provide an understanding of what was required to produce profitable accumulations of alluvial gold.
Otago Pioneer Quartz (O.P.Q) Exploration Project
The Central Otago Schist Belt is renowned for the famous Otago gold rush that began in the 1860s, when alluvial gold was discovered in extremely rich Gabriel's Gully, an area located less than 15km to the east of OPQ Gold …
Introduction: Macraes Mine as an Orogenic Gold Deposit
The Otago goldfield, in which the Macraes deposit occurs (Fig. 1.2) developed as an alluvial goldfield following a large gold rush that was initiated in 1861.More than 8 million ounces of alluvial gold have been recovered from this goldfield since 1861 (Williams 1974), and numerous short-lived alluvial operations still occur …
Alluvial gold mining in Otago
Alluvial mining is technically simpler than hard-rock mining, so alluvial mining dominated Otago's gold mining history. Alluvial gold occurs as loose particles in the gravel, and is therefore easy to separate because of the high density of the gold.
OneMine | Past and Future Parameters for Mining the Otago …
The early records of hydraulic elevator and bucket ladder dredging in the Clutha River system indicate the success of that era of alluvial gold mining in Otago. …
Call for submissions on gold miner's consent bid | Otago …
It is applying to the district council for land-use consent to establish and operate an alluvial gold-mining operation. It is seeking a five-year duration for the consent. The mine, if approved, would be a low-emissions operation, with …
Hawkeswood Mining's Low-impact Gold Project In Central Otago
A new Central Otago alluvial gold mine is set to be a low-emissions operation, thanks to a large floating dredge and dump trucks, project proponent Hawkeswood Mining says. The company received ...
Mining | Free Full-Text | Alluvial Gold Mining Technologies …
This article provides a comprehensive and chronological account of the technological advancements in alluvial gold mining. Gold has been a highly prized commodity throughout history and has played a significant role in humanity's economic and cultural progress. The primitive methods of extracting gold from riverbeds were carried …
Hawkeswood Mining's Low-impact Gold Project In Central …
A new Central Otago alluvial gold mine is set to be a low-emissions operation, thanks to a large floating dredge and dump trucks, project proponent …
Economies of Scale (gold in Otago)
The total reported historical alluvial gold production from Otago was about 240 tonnes but undeclared gold could make this a very much higher figure. Hard-rock mining was on a small scale only, and most mines consisted of a few hundred metres of tunnels and a stamping battery.
Gold and associated minerals in the Waikaia placer gold …
Gold and associated minerals in the Waikaia placer gold mine, Northern Southland, New Zealand Christine McLachlan, Marianne Negrini and Dave Craw Geology Department, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand ABSTRACT The Waikaia alluvial gold mine is hosted in a Pleistocene paleochannel that is buried beneath younger sediments beside …
Gold in Otago, Department of Geology | University of Otago
2. Serpentine Diggings, Central Otago. A gold-mining ghost town, with the only remaining building being the old church. This scene is typical of Otago's tussock-grass covered uplands. Gold-bearing quartz veins are exposed at the surface on the hills in the distance, and alluvial gold workings are scattered in the streams in the foreground.
Where you find it – Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand
Gold, any miner will tell you, is where you find it – as the Cornish miners said, 'Where it be, there it be'. Many geologists would agree, but they would also add that gold is likely to be found only in certain areas. In New Zealand these areas are Otago, Southland, the West ...
Alluvial Gold -metals in the environment
Gold eroded from veins has been concentrated in sediments in valleys, basins and coastal plains as alluvial gold deposits in all gold bearing areas of New Zealand. These are often associated with high levels of mercury.
Geology and gold on Otago's northeastern margin
The northeast margin of the Otago Schist belt is a complex geological and topographic zone, with a long history of gold mining.
Otago Central Rail Trail geology
Pennyweight Hill – Alluvial gold along the northeast Otago margin, Miocene quartz gravels. Miocene Quartz Gravels; The Miocene gravels ... near to the historic Hamiltons Diggings alluvial gold mining area. The gold at Patearoa has …
Gold and associated minerals in the Waikaia placer gold mine…
Figure 1. Location maps for the Waikaia placer mine and regional context for alluvial gold. A, The Otago Schist goldfield in the South Island of New Zealand.B, Hillshade topographic image of Central Otago and Eastern Southland goldfields, with locations of principal Cenozoic gold paleoplacers that have formed sources for gold in …
Gold and gold mining
After finding gold in Otago and Southland, many Chinese miners were attracted to the West Coast. At Īnangahua's alluvial gold workings they made up an estimated 40% (715) of the population in 1882, but numbers dwindled in the depression of the 1880s. Their celebration of Chinese New Year with fireworks added interest to the goldfields.
The Miners Legacy
A known total of 2 million ounces of gold was taken out of Otago by June 1867. This phase of history had a major impact on the young New Zealand economy as first alluvial, then …
Central Otago Gold Story
Otago's alluvial gold comes from its schist mountains. During the ice ages, huge glaciers crushed and spread the schist through the valleys. Since then, the mighty Clutha Mata-au has acted like a huge sluice, leaving behind fine particles of gold where its waters flowed. ... The biggest revolution in gold mining, however, was the gold dredge ...
Environmental impacts of the life cycle of alluvial gold mining …
Alluvial gold mining activities in the Peruvian Amazon rainforest are responsible for mercury emissions and deforestation. To understand related environmental impacts, specifically toxicity and climate change, …
Environmental aspects of mining gold in Otago
Alluvial mining was the main culprit then, as this occurred at the largest scales, in surface gravels. The operations also undoubtedly muddied the waters downstream, although …
A global rise in alluvial mining increases sediment load in …
Mining in rivers has been a common method for the extraction of gold, diamonds and other precious minerals for centuries 7,8.We define such river mineral mining, often called alluvial mining, as ...
Alluvial Gold Mining in Otago 1861–1870: A Regional Analysis
New Zealand Geographer Alluvial Gold Mining in Otago 1861–1870: A Regional Analysis James Forrest First published: October 1962 https://doi/10.1111/j.1745 …
New Age Exploration expands pool of 'highly
The Central Otago Schist Belt is renowned for the famous Otago gold rush that began in the 1860s, when alluvial gold was discovered in 'extremely rich' Gabriel's Gully, an area located less than 15km to the east of OPQ gold exploration project. Hard rock gold mining followed but stopped in the early 1900s.