'Black gold' may poison SA lakes

The future of one of South Africa's most extraordinary and pristine natural environments is in the balance.

The Chrissiesmeer district in Mpumalanga province has more than 300 lakes and pans that form an extensive ecosystem in which a large variety of plant and animal life - notably birds and frogs - thrive.

The trouble is, it sits partly inside one of the country's biggest coalfields. And with the coal price rising as a result of growing demand, from China and from South Africa's own energy needs, mining applications have taken off.

Geologists and ecologists fear that mining operations close to the lakes and pans could cause irreparable damage, particularly from the sulphuric acid that would get into the water systems and kill the vegetation and organisms on which the animal life exists.

The inhabitants also fear that the operations would deface the landscape and harm the area's tourist appeal.

Concerns about mining have led to the formation of local associations like the Escarpment Environment Protection Group (EEPG) and the Mpumalanga Lakes District Protection Group (MLDPG).

The processes allowing mining to take place have been subjected to legal proceedings. A case in the Pretoria High Court concerns a particular operation which affects a lake called Tevrede se Pan. But the outcome could have a bearing on the wider issue.

The proceedings have been instituted against Minister of Minerals and Energy Buyelwa Sonjica, the deputy-director of her department and a company, Black Gold Estates. The applicants are the MLDPG and two local land owners.

The case could also cast light on the broader issue of the mineral and energy department's attitude to the department of environmental affairs and tourism and its ecologically protective laws.

The Chrissiesmeer lakes and pans are listed as an Important Bird Area (IBA) under the international system to preserve bird habitats.

Marius Wheeler of the Avian Demography Unit of the University of Cape Town says among the criteria for its qualification are that it regularly has significant numbers of globally threatened species and that it is a regular home to congregatory water- and seabird species.

Moves are also afoot to get it listed as a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention.

Dr Gerhard Verdoorn, chief executive of BirdLife South Africa, says as a wetland and a grassland the area is of vital importance.

"Mining cannot but have a massive impact. What we cannot understand is why there cannot be closer co-operation between the departments involved to see that the region is properly protected," he says.

Birding, frog-counting and veld-flower excursions are on offer, but little has been done to develop the eco-tourism industry. There are no tourist route maps, bird hides or public access roads to the lakes and pans, most of which are on private land.

The biggest of the lakes is Chrissiesmeer, which is about 9km by 3km.

It was named Lake Chrissie in the 1880s after the daughter of the then president of the Zuid-Afrikaanse Republiek, Andries Pretorius.

Adding to its tourist value is a rich history reaching back to the of time to San inhabitants, then to a people called the Tlou-tle, who are believed to have lived on the lakes about 1 500 years ago in floating villages they constructed mainly from reeds. The area's history also stretches back to the Anglo-Boer War, with a major battle in the town which is still re-enacted annually as a tourist event.

The area's ecological importance has been borne out in a study done by the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency in collaboration with the province's department of agriculture and land affairs.

The Mpumalanga Biodiversity Conservation Plan has classified most of the lakes district as "highly significant" and pockets of it as "irreplaceable".

Both categories specifically preclude mining. The latter goes as far as requiring that the land be incorporated into South Africa's formal protected-area system of nature reserves.

The category of "highly significant" areas requires that land be maintained in its natural state. It also recommends that any significant destruction of such areas' biodiversity should cause it to be elevated to the "irreplaceable" category, where it would come under formal protection.

Koos Pretorius, chairperson of the EEPG, says the mining threat is a combination of factors that has been aggravated by the sudden increased demand for coal.

Mineral-rights holders are governed by a "use it or lose it" law whereby they forfeit their rights to the state unless they exercise these within a set period.

Pretorius alleges that big mining companies are the major mineral-rights holders in the area and have opted to put their mineral rights which are of marginal value in trust for black economic empowerment purposes.

He alleges that some of the mining operators have not obtained the water licences required by the department of water affairs for such operations. There are even cases where mining has gone ahead even after applications have been turned down.

Professor Terrence McCarthy of the School of Geosciences at the University of the Witwatersrand is adamant that mining would be environmentally catastrophic.

"We should instead ring-fence the whole place and set strict conditions for its land and water use," he says.

As an expert on economic geology and environmental science, and a leading authority on the Okavango Delta, he says the area is of critical ecological value.

At an altitude of about 1 800m, it is among the highest plateaus of the Highveld region. It forms the headwater of the Vaal, Komati, uMpuluzi and the Usutu rivers.

The pans are clustered together and are unlike any others in the country.

"There is no other place like this in the country. Geomorphological uniqueness like this often goes hand in hand with biological uniqueness, which translates into high degrees of endemism. Its avian fauna has been fairly well studied, but not much else. We now have a team looking into all these many aspects," he says.

The danger of mining is largely seated in the geographical properties that give the lakes and pans their exceptional water quality.

Unmined, explains McCarthy, the rainwater soaks into the surface soil and weathered rock that is bedded on a sandstone layer. From there, it flows down to a "seepage zone" of spongy soil and vegetation that filters it slowly into the lake.

When mined, the sandstone bed is removed to get to the coal seam. Even if filled in afterwards to look like having been rehabilitated, the rainwater seeps through the surface soil into the back-filled pit whence, after the chemical reaction with the pyrite-bearing waste rock, it eventually "decants" into the lake in the form of water enriched in iron sulphate and sulphuric acid.

"Because the pans and lakes are closed, there is no flow-through and dilution. Loss of water is through evaporation, increasing the acidity. It is a relentless process. Eventually the pans will become pools of red water. They will turn into toxic pits. It will be a tragedy," says McCarthy.

Source : www.iol.co.za

GOLD EXPLORATION - Richmont drills high-grade zones at Island Gold project

ONTARIO - Montreal’s RICHMONT MINES reports that the Island zone of the Island Gold joint venture, 90 km from Wawa, is showing good continuity and several high grade zones. The project is owned 55% by Richmont (the operator) and 45% by PATRICIA MINING of Toronto.

Notable intersections (cut at 75 g/t Au) include 9.97 g/t Au over 2.8 m in the B1 zone, 13.77 g/t Au over 2.7 m, 17.06 g/t Au over 1.5 m in the C zone, 23.32 g/t Au over 3.1 m in the D zone, 27.46 g/t Au over 3.6 m in the D1 zone, 10.77 g/t Au over 2.1 m in the E zone, 8.42 g/t Au over 1.5 m in the E1 zone, 17.45 g/t Au over 1.7 g in the E2 zone, and 8.36 g/t Au over 3.6 m in the Flat zone.

Even better grades were reported from the Goudreau and Lochalsh zones. Drill core assayed as high as 50.00 g/t Au over 1.5 m in the Goudreau zone and 25.08 g/t Au over 2.0 m in the Lochalsh zone.

The underground exploration program is supplying ore to the 426-t/d mill at the site. A closure plan has been submitted to the province. The technical report on the Island Gold project is available at www.Richmont-Mines.com.

Mexivada discovers visible gold zones at Mayoko Project, Republic of Congo

Mexivada Mining Corp. is
pleased to announce that visible gold has been found at two localities on
its Mayoko gold project, associated with Archean oxide facies banded iron
formations. The President of Mexivada, Richard Redfern, just returned from
a field trip to examine progress on site at Mexivada's projects in the
Republic of Congo ("ROC"), where one of its senior North American
consultants is guiding the project work, along with Mexivada's project
chief, Dr. Noel Watha-Ndoudy. Mexivada also completed its initial 4-trench
program at Bikelele, on its Bitsandou diamond concession, using a large
track-mounted excavator.
Visible gold has been found in chlorite-altered, oxide facies,
magnetite-hematite rich banded iron formations ("BIF") and associated
breccia and vein quartz at the Lemagna and Lekoumou target areas at Mayoko.
Samples have been delivered to ALS Laboratories for rush fire assay
analysis. Mexivada has just begun work tracing out the Lekoumou target
zones along strike to determine their overall potential. Kessi reported
highly anomalous gold values of in excess of 4 grams per tonne gold in the
area in his PhD dissertation at Mayoko, but the gold potential here has
never been scientifically examined prior to Mexivada's present work effort.
The Lemagna BIF gold zone, which shows similarities to the famous Homestake
Mine BIF gold mineralization in South Dakota (+1,000 tonnes of gold mined
at a grade of +8 g/t Au), is being surveyed, mapped and sampled in detail
and possible strike extensions are being studied. A third possible en
echelon gold-bearing zone has been found to the southwest of Lemagna, where
prospectors developed pits and shafts into gold-bearing quartz along a
swampy area several hundred metres in length.
Mexivada has examined less than 10 percent of the prospective Mayoko
greenstone-BIF gold belt. The company feels that this area holds the
potential for the discovery of gold mineralization that could support a
large-scale mining operation. A highway and a functioning railroad system
run directly through the main project area, near the recently discovered
gold zones.
Mexivada's initial program of trenching at Bikelele, on Mexivada's
exclusive Bitsandou diamond concession area east of Mossendjo, has been
completed. Four trenches were excavated. The main trench was sited over a
spot where a 6 carat and 4 carat white diamonds were reported to have been
recovered and sold by local family prospectors. No kimberlites were
intersected in the program, but several prospectives areas of BIF were
uncovered, including sheared zones with breccia mineralization. Samples of
these rocks have been submitted to ALS for analysis. The search for
possible kimberlites will continue, as Mexivada narrows down the possible
areas for their occurrence. Mexivada is also conducting reconnaissance for
kimberlites in the nearby Carrefour (BRGM) and new Vouka target areas.
Mexivada has a geological/mining engineer and 4 wheel drive vehicle
dedicated to this program, based out of Mexivada's new Mossendjo field
office complex.
This press release and its contents have been reviewed by Richard R.
Redfern, Mexivada's President, who is a Certified Professional Geologist
and Qualified Person as defined under National Instrument 43-101.
About Mexivada Mining Corp.
---------------------------
Mexivada is a Canadian mineral exploration company focused on
identifying, acquiring, advancing, and joint venturing high-grade
Gold-Silver, Diamond, and Rare Metal exploration projects in Mexico,
Nevada, and the Republic of Congo. For further information, including area
maps and photos, please visit our web site at http://www.mexivada.com or contact
us by e-mail at info@mexivada.com.
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

"RICHARD R. REDFERN"

Richard R. Redfern
President

The TSX Venture Exchange does not accept responsibility for the adequacy
or accuracy of this release.

Caution Concerning Forward-Looking Statements
This news release and related texts and images on Mexivada's website
contain certain "forward-looking statements" including, but not limited to,
statements relating to interpretation of mineralization potential, drilling
assay results, future exploration work, and the expected results of this
work. Forward looking statements are statements that are not historical
facts and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties which could
cause actual events or results to differ materially from those reflected in
the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation: risks
related to fluctuations in metals and diamond prices; uncertainties related
to raising sufficient financing to fund the planned work in a timely manner
and on acceptable terms; changes in planned work resulting from weather,
logistical, technical, governmental, social, or other factors; the
possibility that results of work will not fulfill expectations and realize
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in the interpretation of sampling and drilling results and other tests; the
possibility that required permits may not be obtained in a timely manner;
risk of accidents, equipment breakdowns or other unanticipated difficulties
or interruptions; the possibility of cost overruns or unanticipated
expenses in these work programs.
Forward-looking statements contained in this release are based on the
beliefs, estimates, and opinions of management on the date the statements
are made. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove
accurate. Actual results may differ materially from those anticipated or
projected. Mexivada Mining Corp. undertakes no obligation to update these
forward-looking statements if management's beliefs, estimates, opinions, or
other factors, should change.

Source : mexivada.com

Environmental fascism – Mining facing misinformation and downright lies from anti-mining NGOs

LONDON (Mineweb.com) --In an interesting initiative at this year’s Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) meeting, the organisers invited film makers Phelim McAleer and Ann McElhinney to show their film – Mine Your Own Business. Following the showing the flimmakers fielded questions about the film itself, as a part of a debate as to how the mining industry should face up to the problems it faces from NGOs who mislead the public with anything from deliberate misinformation to downright lies about the benefits or otherwise that the industry brings to local populations.

The two Irish documentary makers were invited initially by Gabriel Resources, currently trying to develop Romania’s Rosia Montana gold project against strong environmental opposition. McAleer and McElhinney agreed to do this provided they had totally independent editorial control of the film they would produce. Indeed Alan Hill of Gabriel felt initially that he would have preferred a different type of film altogether.

McAleer, takes on the role in the documentary of devil’s advocate looking at the claims and counter claims of the miners and the NGO opponents. In person it is apparent that he now feels extremely strongly from a personal front about what the NGOs seem to be trying to do in stopping mining where it promises, not only to provide jobs and income to poverty-stricken locals, but in Rosia Montana’s case actually help clean up a horrendous environmental legacy of poorly-controlled state mining operations at the site.

He claims to have absolutely no interest in mining per se – his background is journalism with London’s respected Financial Times newspaper – but does have a strong interest in what a developing industry can do for jobless locals living in horrendously primitive surroundings. Thus he and his colleague have ended up producing a Michael Moore-type documentary highlighting the hypocrisy and damage being done by some anti-mining NGOs in their fight to kill new mining operations in various parts of the world.

He admits that the NGOs may believe deeply that what they are doing is justified, as may the people who fund them, but that they are perhaps more than just misguided and that their actions actually harm the people they are supposedly setting out to protect.

At Rosia Montana, for example, the NGOs paint a picture of an idyllic mountain village where villagers live on good income generated from agricultural and sheep raising income, and that the locals almost unanimously oppose the big mining project. In fact it seems to be the reverse that is true. The locals are almost unanimous in their support for the new mine, while the local ground is too poor to support an agricultural alternative. Living conditions in the village are extremely primitive and the mine offers not only jobs, but new modern housing.

The filmmakers did not just rest their case with Rosia Montana – they also looked at two more projects being set up in extremely poor areas of the world – Rio Tinto’s titanium sands mining project in Madagascar – the world’s third poorest country – and Barrick’s Pascua Lama gold mining project high in the Chilean Andes. They found that NGO’s operating largely from a western viewpoint that the locals would obviously prefer living a poverty stricken existence and maintaining their indigenous cultures, when in fact the opposite is true.

In Madagascar the prospective mine life is 60 years, and the project would involve building a decent port there – which would be the seventh largest in Africa and provide long term benefits to the local community that they could currently only dream of. In Chile, the NGOs are supported by local landowners who do oppose the project, but primarily because if the mine is built they will have to compete with the mines for local labour which is currently paid below subsistence level wages.

Here too one of the leading lights in the anti-mining campaign turned out to be an environmental activist living in one of London’s wealthier suburbs who had never been to the Pascua Lama site, yet felt qualified to speak supposedly for the locals who he had never met!

It was apparent from the question and answer session that the two filmmakers both felt that the NGOs seemed, in all three studies examined, in a ‘conspiracy’ to keep the poor in continuing poverty, with all the problems that brings in terms of poor health, poor life expectancy, high infant mortality and the ‘pleasure’ of continuing to live in horrendous conditions.

What is also interesting is what this writer terms environmental fascism. There have been attempts to suppress this film and prevent it being shown. The filmmakers have even received death threats because of it. Documentary TV channels and film festivals won’t screen it, although will happily carry works which try to paint the opposite picture.

What can one do about this. In the subsequent discussion at the PDAC one has to say that not much came to the fore in realistic ways of attacking the problem faced by miners. There wasn’t any real opposition to the findings – but then the film was shown to a highly supportive audience. There perhaps was a consensus that the industry should perhaps be more proactive in putting its case and that the film should be made available to educational establishments – although whether they would actually show it is perhaps another matter.

Phelim McAleer himself, who has inherited a very jaundiced viewpoint about the activities of the NGOs during the making of the film, even feels that mining should not even try and work any of the NGOs at all, although one speaker from the floor did urge caution and pointed to some significant cooperative work between Rio Tinto and some environmental groups.

Combating NGO misinformation is something the industry will continue to have to deal with. Whenever a prospective mine springs up nowadays, special interest groups will almost automatically oppose it. While often local people and politicians will ultimately ensure that the projects do go ahead for the benefits they bring to the local communities, getting to this stage can be a long and costly process for the mining company. Perhaps the McAleer approach of trying to bring the NGOs to account has a lot of merit, but whatever is done, the industry itself has to remain squeaky clean in its dealings and operations so as not to give opponents further sticks to beat it with.

The NGOs, like terrorists, do not seem to abide by the rules of the game. They do need to be brought to account in some way or other, because misinformation and lies once promulgated in the media tend to be considered as fact by the general public – even though they may be withdrawn at some stage in the future. The question is haow can the industry achieve this. The debate continues.

Mineweb always carries details of at least 20 independently written top mining, mining finance, metals and mining sector analysis articles on its homepage as well as a fast news feed to keep you right up to date with what is going on in the mining and metals sectors worldwide. These are continuously updated through the day. Click here to go to Mineweb's home page and access the latest news and comments on developments in mining and metals worldwide.

Source : www.mineweb.net

Perihelion Global Files Additional Mining Claims on Land Surrounding Patented Gold Mine

Perihelion Global (PINKSHEETS: PHGI) announced that the corporation has filed mining claims on an additional 60 acres of land surrounding the company's Patent Claim #5797 located in Box Elder County, Utah. The 60 acres of claims have been accepted and filed with the US Department of Interior BLM and recorded in Box Elder County, Utah. Patent Claim #5797 has been assayed in separate geological reports to have 1,277,950 oz of Gold deposits, currently worth more than $823 Million US ($823,000,000.00).

The 60 acres are in addition to the 800 acres of mining claims the company successfully filed for in November 2006 that surround Patent Claim #5797. Patent Claim # 5797 and the surrounding claims on 860 acres are located in Box Elder County, Utah, Township 6N Range 19W approximately 8 miles east of Montello, Nevada in the Lucin Mining District in the West Salt Lake Base.

"We are extremely pleased to secure additional mining rights in the lands surrounding Patent Claim #5797, which we strongly believe has the potential of containing like quantities of Gold, Silver and Copper as our Patent Claim," said John H. Beebe, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President of Perihelion Global.

The company also wishes to announce an update on the status of the small scale mining permit which was filed previously. Stated Beebe, "While the process has been extensive, we anticipate that we will be granted approval from the State of Utah, Division of Oil, Mining and Gas on our mining permit at any time. We are very excited to begin work on this property, and believe it will offer significant value to our shareholders."

About Perihelion Global:

Perihelion Global focuses on the acquisition, development and management of technologies and strategic commodity reserves in the energy, natural resource and advanced communications markets. Perihelion's management team specializes in providing solutions for the strategic challenges of 21st Century in environments that are mission critical in the global marketplace. For more information, visit: www.perihelion.com

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that are worse than expected;
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Source : john@perihelion.com