A review of Archean granite-greenstone terranes, orogenic gold deposits, the Slave Province and modern exploration tools, techniques and methods was conducted to identify prospective areas in the Yellowknife domain for hosting orogenic gold deposits and illustrate the best exploration methods for delineating this deposit type. This study identifies Archean granite-greenstone terranes as economically important hosts to quartz-carbonate vein-hosted orogenic gold deposits. These deposits occur at convergent plate margins, but can also be related to local extensional tectonics within a convergent setting. Heat generated from tectonic processes can trigger hydrothermal fluid movement along first-order faults and shear zones. Precipitation of gold-bearing quartz-carbonate veins from the hydrothermal fluids occurs in second- and third-order faults and shear zones related to the first-order structures. This study also identifies the Archean Slave Province in northern Canada as a well-endowed craton with numerous orogenic gold deposits, diamondiferous kimberlites, VMS deposits and several other mineralization styles. In particular, three greenstone belts (Yellowknife, Cameron River and Beaulieu River) associated with likely first-order structures are comprised of prospective rocks for hosting orogenic gold and VMS mineralization. The Yellowknife greenstone belt hosts the past-producing and former world-class Con and Giant orogenic gold deposits, but has been little explored with modern exploration techniques. The Cameron River and Beaulieu River greenstone belts host numerous base and precious metal VMS and BIF-hosted orogenic gold prospects and deposits, indicating mineralization is present. There is considerable potential for significant discoveries to be made using modern exploration techniques in the greenstone belts; however, exploration in the region has been hindered over the past decade by ongoing political negotiations. Once the political negotiations are finalized, application of modern exploration methods and techniques in the prospective greenstone belts should be carried out. Regional scale methodologies should be applied to generate targets using predictive modelling, implicit 3D modelling, 3D geochemistry and exploration targeting so decisions defining a businesses strategy for ground acquisition of high priority targets are made using quantitative analysis. Once ground is acquired, field-based exploration for orogenic gold and VMS deposits should include geological mapping with a focus on structural geology, geochemical sampling and airborne magnetic, radiometric and EM geophysical surveys. Prior to reconnaissance drilling, integration of all data layers and interpretation within a common 3D earth model should be conducted. Following successful reconnaissance drilling, definition drilling along strike and down dip of intersected mineralization, combined with borehole geophysics, should be carried out to delineate the extent of mineralization.

[Partial abstract]: This study presents the first detailed geochemical and morphological characterisation of gold grains from the southern Seward Peninsula, Alaska, a region with significant historical and on-going placer gold mining. Quantitative Au, Ag, Hg, and Cu data are presented for gold grains from eleven sites. Additionally, quantitative Te, W, As, and Sb trace element data are presented for gold grains from ten of the eleven sites. Although it is acknowledged that quantitative trace element analysis of gold grains is a relatively new endeavour, the limited trace element data obtained in this study suggest that trace element analysis could be useful for characterising gold sources on the southern Seward Peninsula. Major and minor element geochemical profiling is sufficient at differentiating between sites from regional provenance systems but insufficient at differentiating between sites within a single system. Differentiating among sites within a single system will likely require microchemical analysis of mineral inclusions and analysis of trace element signatures.

The scope of this work has been limited to a discussion of employer-employee relationships in the field of metal mining and does not include consideration of labour problems in connection with the production of coal, non-metallic ores, or structural materials. The Introductory part deals with the early history of gold, mining and the subsequent discovery and development of the base-metal resources of the province. In this connection, a study is made of the geographical distribution and extent of these natural resources. A series of charts indicate* the locations of the major producing areas within British Columbia. The expansion of the industry through the years is now considered and developments are traced leading to the present scale of operations. Comparative graphs are presented indicating production scales, average price movements and employment statistics with regard to each of the major metals produced in the province. Attention is now directed to the development of trade unionism in the industry. This deals with the early history of the Western Federation of Miners and the later growth of the International Union of Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers, which now represents organized labour in the metal mines. The role of government in labour relations is shown to be an important factor. A study is made of the effects of such legislative enactments, as, the Industrial Disputes investigation Act, the Wartime. Labour Relations Regulations Act (P.O.1003), and the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act of British Columbia. Under the provisions of the last-mentioned act, which provides definite procedures for collective bargaining, some eighteen agreements are now in effect. Two of these actual agreements between the union and major producers have been made the subject for special study in the presentation of this phase of the subject. The strike record of the industry is now dealt with and the account of events leading up to the strike of 1946 among the gold producers is presented as being illustrative of the procedures followed. The present impasse of 1948 involving the same producers is shown to be an aftermath of the 1946 dispute. The discussion is concluded with an appraisal of present working conditions obtaining in the industry and current trends and indications are considered which would appear to have a bearing on future employer-employee relationships and the general welfare of the labour force, in the metal-mining industry. / Arts, Faculty of / Vancouver School of Economics / Graduate

MENVSC (Geography) / Department of Geography and Geo-Information Science / Artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) has devastating impacts on different parts of the environment and is a source of environmental degradation and contamination. ASGM degrades water resources, contaminate soil, sediments and water and lead to serious land degradation problems. ASGM activities are also associated with socio-economic issues such as child labour, prostitution and health and safety concerns. Insufficient understanding of the environmental and social problems of ASGM in Giyani Greenstone Belt has led to lack of mitigation strategies to reduce such problems. The main aim of this research was to assess and manage the environmental and socio-economic impacts of ASGM in Giyani Greenstone Belt. Remote sensing and GIS and Normalised Differential Vegetation Index were used to assess the effects of mining activities on vegetation cover. Assessment of the effects of ASGM on water, sediments and soil quality involved collection of samples in order to establish their physical and chemical properties. The concentration of toxic and trace metals were determined using Atomic Absorption Spectrometer (AAS) and X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) instruments. The pH meter was used to determine the pH level of the collected samples. Questionnaires, interviews and SPSS were used to assess socio-economic impacts of ASGM. The study culminated in devolvement of NDVI maps and this was used to assess the effects of ASGM on vegetation cover. Results showed that the mining activities in the area had caused extensive environmental degradation due to serious removal of vegetation cover in the site. ASGM had serious effects on soil, water and sediments quality such as environmental contamination by toxic and trace elements. Soil samples were found with high concentration of As, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn as compared to the recommended South African Soil Quality and WHO threshold values for plants. It was found that Klein Letaba had high concentration of Ba, La, V, and Ce above the World Soil Averages for plants. Sediments were heavily contaminated with Cr, Ni, Pb, Zn, As and Ba as compared to the recommended standards prescribed by US EPA and WHO. The pH of water, soil and sediments samples collected from both mining sites were found to be strongly alkaline which affects the plants growth as well as aquatic flora and fauna. Socio-economic issues such as child labour, injuries, educational problems, health and safety issues, police disturbance, creation of jobs and income generation were identified at mine sites. ASGM had serious effect on vegetation cover through environmental degradation. ASGM also had serious environmental contamination by toxic and trace elements. ASGM had both positive and negative socio-economic issues at mining site which include employment opportunities, income generation, occupational health and safety, police disturbance and arrests and the use of child labour. Mine site rehabilitation is recommended in this study to reduce environmental degradation. The remediation of contaminated area by concentrated toxic and trace elements should be applied at both mining sites. ASGM should be legalised to enhance positive aspects of the mining such as increase in income generation and creation of more employment opportunities. However, there should be enforcement of mining policies to reduce social and environmental problems.

MESMEG / Department of Mining and Environmental Geology / See the attached abstract below

MESMEG / Department of Mining and Environmental Geology / Giyani Greenstone Belt is known to host significant amount of gold of which about 10 tonnes were extracted from the belt in the 19th century. Due to increased gold price and mining practices that make it economic to mine low-grade ore deposits, major gold deposits within the belt have been the main targets for exploration while Nebulas Prospect remain unnoticed. To make the Nebulas Prospect attractive for investment, its gold mineralization potential needed to be investigated. The main purpose of this study was to conduct assessment of the probable gold mineralization in the Nebulas Prospect and its economic viability. The specific objectives were to establish the gold mineralized zones within the Nebulas Prospect, develop a geological model showing the geometry and placement of gold in the subsurface, establish gold grade distribution and its economic implication, and select the most appropriate and practical mining method for exploitation of the established gold deposit. The research approaches used in achieving these objectives comprised of knowledge driven predictive modelling of Nebulas Prospect to derive prospectivity map demarcating the area with the potential of hosting gold mineralization. Magnetic survey was conducted in geological permissive areas, thereby establishing boundaries of mineralization, both lateral and vertical. Geological and subsurface gold grade distribution were carried out by means of trenching and pitting. The integration of the geological, geophysical and geochemical data using Geosoft 8.5 and ArcGIS 10.5 assisted in development of a gold deposit model that model illustrates distribution and concentration of gold. Results of the investigation reveals that Banded Iron Formation (BIF) dominates the southern part of the study area while quartz vein and schist dominate the northern part. The application of knowledge driven predictive modelling established mineral prospectivity map for Nebulas Prospect, which narrowed the potential area for further investigation. The area located outside the boundary of prospective area indicated low mineralization potential compared to highly mineralized zone within geological permissive boundary. The two mineralize zones which exits in the Nebulas Prospect are separated by pegmatite intrusion which is observed from magnetic data presentation. The gold is hosted within BIF, schist and quartz vein. The highest concentration observed value of 10.65 g/t is hosted in serpentine schist and lowest significant of 1.24 g/t in BIF. The gold grades are higher in schists than in BIF and quartz veins. The Nebulas Prospect present significant measured iv gold mineral resource with substantial economic potential. The evaluation of the technical aspects of the Nebulas Gold Deposit, which include grade and tonnage was estimated through longitudinal vertical section method. The gold hosted within Banded Iron Formation (BIF) comprise a measured gold resource of 6957.6 t at an average weighted grade of 2.22 g/t Au. However, the gold mineralization hosted within tremolite-mica schist, serpentine schist and quartz veins comprise a measured gold resource of 3919.37 t with average grade of 3.8 g/t Au. The Nebulas Gold Deposit contain a significant grade and tonnage. At an assumed currently economically mineable cutoff grade 1 g/t Au, Nebulas Prospect has a measured resource of 10877 t at a weighted average grade of 2.79 g/t Au. Analytical hierarchy process (AHP) was used to prioritize the factors affecting mining method selection and ranking of potential mining method, technically appropriate for the established gold deposit in Nebulas Prospect. Open pit mining method was identified as appropriated for extraction of the Nebulas Gold Deposit. / NRF

MESMEG / Department of Mining and Environmental Geology / The increase in the demand and market price of gold has led to reprocessing of gold tailings in many parts of the world. Mines are recently closing down due to depletion of resources and increasing mining costs leading to the reprocessing of old tailings dams. The cost of rehabilitation is high, and therefore a more convenient way of rehabilitation is required. The most convenient strategy identified here was to reprocess tailings for gold and use waste rocks as construction materials. The tailings residues (waste remaining after reprocessing) will be relocated to a more convenient place to avoid pollution. Gold reprocessing from tailings dams has gained momentum in South Africa especially in the Witwatersrand Basin where there are large volumes of tailings. Gold is being reprocessed from tailings in this area using hydraulic monitors. This study focused on the evaluation of gold and heavy metals within the tailings at Consolidated Murchison Mine tailings in Gravelotte, Limpopo province. Augering was conducted over the tailings up to a depth of 8 m along four sampling Profiles. The first profile had two sampling points, the second profile with three sampling points, the third and fourth profiles consisted of four and five sampling points respectively. Samples were collected at 1 m interval, therefore a total of 112 samples were collected and analysed for heavy metals using X-Ray Fluorescence spectrometry and 84 samples were analysed for gold using fire assaying. Tailings sampling was accompanied with tailings logging, taking note of colour, texture and moisture content. Based on this, the oxidation status of the tailings dam was determined. Oxidation zone of this tailings dam was mainly from top down to a depth of 3 m. The transitional zone was not identified, hence after the oxidation zone, the rest was unoxidized zone. This study established that gold was erratically distributed within the tailings dam with the lowest and highest values of 200 mg/kg and 1880 mg/kg respectively and the average was 670 mg/kg. The tonnage of tailings within the dam was found to be 13 280 310 tons with a total gold amount of 8 897. 81 kg. At the current world market, this interprets to US$ 306 932 396.00 (R 4 281 706 924.20). It was concluded that this tailings dam is economically viable for reprocessing, although previous studies have indicated that it is not possible to extract gold from tailings dams completely. The heavy metal content of Pb, Ni and Cr were found to be high with average values of (ppm); 5631.5, 2062.6 and 1345 v respectively. The metals with the lowest values were Cd, Co and Cu, averaging (ppm); 0.01 ppm, 19.8 ppm and 42.1 ppm respectively. Heavy metal content in soil around the tailings dam was gradually decreasing with distance from the tailings dam. Waste rocks have been used in some parts of the world as sub-base material for engineering construction, hence in this study, a total of 6 waste rock samples were collected using grab sampling method for geostatistical investigation. Such samples were subjected to various geotechnical tests which included particle size distribution analysis (sieve analysis), Atterberg limit tests and laboratory compaction test to determine their suitability for construction. The waste rock material was found to be suitable for road construction as it was classified under Group A-1-a using the AASHTO classification system. The material consisted mainly of rock fragments, gravel and sand material with minor silt/clay. In general, Consolidated Murchison mine waste was found to be suitable for road construction. / NRF

Text in English / This is a study of community protest against Barberton Mines (Pty) Ltd. It is a study of conflict and conflict resolutions. Barberton Mines (Pty) Ltd is one of the three gold mining companies in Barberton, and is in dire need of a bankable community/stakeholder relation management strategy, which should at least reduce, if not eliminate, the endless violent community protests against its operations. Methodologically, the study is predicated on a qualitative approach backed by oral interviews and the use of a survey. The study reveals that as much as the community appreciates Barberton Mines for its delivery in socio-economic development initiatives, Barberton Mines’ recruitment and procurement departments are not doing any justice in terms of preferred policy in favour of the locals/Barberton community. This is a key source of conflict. The results also reveal that the Barberton Mines Transformation Trust (BMTT), a vehicle established for socioeconomic development in Barberton, is considered to be ineffective by the community and is one of the causes of the conflict. The resolutions of the conflict include the effective implementation of the mining legislation and unrolling of the Mining Charter. The effectiveness and lack thereof of these conflict resolutions are subjected to analysis in this study. / Development Studies / M.A. (Development Studies)

Currently the gold mining industry is taxed differently to other industries. It is taxed on a two-tier system. The nature of the gold mining tax formula encourages the mining of marginal gold ores. Firms that are involved in the mining of gold are subjected to a "tax tunnel", which is a tax free revenue portion. This is against the equity principle of taxation because it separates companies on the basis of what they produce and not on the basis of income generated. The South African government is in the process of implementing a revenue-based royalty system. The majority of firms in the gold mining industry feel that for the benefit of economic growth the government must consider implementing a profit-based royalty system. This study analyses the gold mining tax formula in comparison to the flat rate tax. It also analyses the reasons for the differential treatment of the gold mining industry. / Economics / M.Comm.

L’ouverture de la fenêtre des Combrailles apporte des enseignements nouveaux sur la puissance et la richesse de la cité des Arvernes.L’occupation du territoire est continue, de la Protohistoire au Moyen Âge, avec un très grand développement au moment de l’Empire romain.Le tracé des deux voies romaines majeures est établi : la densité de la population le long de leur passage prouve le rôle qu’elles ont joué.L’installation des habitats (avec la présence des élites) sur la totalité du territoire montre la complémentarité économique entre la capitale et la moyenne montagne.La densité des espaces miniers et l’exploitation de l’or à la période gauloise ont certainement contribué à la richesse des Arvernes. / The opening of the window of study of Combrailles provides new insights into the power and the wealth of the city of Arvernes.The occupacy of the territory is continuous from the Protohistory to the Middle Ages, with a great development at the time of the Roman Empire.The layout of two major ways is established : the density of population along their path proves the role they played.The settlement of the habitat (including those of the elites) on the whole territory shows the economic complementarity between rural areas and the cities.The density of mining spaces and the exploitation of gold during the Gallic period certainly contribute to the richness of Arvernes.