1. Name the mineral, give its chemical formula, and describe its important physical or chemical properties.
2. Detail where the mineral is found in New Zealand.
3. Explain how and when the mineral was formed and why it exists in its current location.
4. Briefly describe the history of exploration and utilisation of the mineral.
5. Describe the process required to extract the resource from its surroundings.
6. Detail and discuss any environmental hazards associated with the extraction process, and explain the methods which are used to manage and minimise these hazards.
7. Describe any further processing which takes place.
8. Describe the important physical or chemical properties of the mineral after processing.
9. Describe the uses for the mineral after processing. Relate these uses to the mineral's important physical or chemical properties.
10. Detail any environmental programmes which have been put in place as part of the processing procedures. Give specific examples.
11. Evaluate the long term prospects for this mineral resource in New Zealand. What factors affect the future of the resource?
12. Describe and detail any advantages or disadvantages to: a.) the local community b.) the country as a whole in exploiting this mineral resource. Back up your statements with specific examples.

1. Name the mineral, give its chemical formula, and describe its important physical or chemical properties.
Gold is a rare metal. It has the chemical symbol Au. Aurora was the Roman goddess of the dawn. The purity of gold is described by its 'fineness' in parts per 1,000 or by the carat scale. Pure gold is 24 carat or 1,000 fine. Pure gold is soft and wears easily. It is often mixed with other harder metals. A mixture of metals is called an alloy.

Gold is very unreactive. This means it is resistant to corrosion and tarnishing. That is why a gold nugget can be buried in the ground for thousands of years and still come up looking shiny

Gold is malleable and ductile. This means that it is easily shaped, and it can be pulled out into very thin wires. A square lump of gold about the size of your thumb nail would weigh an ounce. That ounce of gold can be flattened into a sheet so thin that it would be thinner than a piece of writing paper, and light could pass through it. It would cover an area bigger than a classroom. The same lump of gold can be drawn into a piece of wire 80 km long. That's long enough to go around a rugby field 80 times.

For further scientific facts about gold see www.chemicalelements.com/elements/au.html

The reason for the gold being found in different states in the North and South Island is that the rocks of the South Island are millions of years older and the precious metal has been released into rivers and streams as the rock has been worn down and eroded over time.

Martha Mine in Waihi and Macraes Mine in Otago are the only two large producing gold mines in New Zealand. Both are hard rock mines. At these mines the gold is too small to see and is mixed in with the rock. You can find out more about gold production at Martha Mine by visiting their website www.marthamine.co.nz In the South Island gold is also produced by smaller operations which mine for placer gold deposits, usually in stream and river beds. These alluvial gold deposits are found in Otago and the West Coast.

3. Explain how and when the mineral was formed and why it exists in its current location.…

Gold is one of the many elements that make up the molten material deep in the earth. Volcanic activity pushes this molten material towards the surface where it begins to cool. As the mineral - laden fluids cool, some minerals crystallise out and are deposited - often in quartz veins - in the surrounding rock. Gold is one of these. Different minerals are deposited at different depths. Minerals that are soluble only at very high temperatures are deposited first far below the surface, while others are very soluble and remain in solution until they reach the surface. The diagram shows how veins of silica containing gold and silver formed in rock fissures. These are the quartz veins which are currently being mined at Martha Mine. As the dissolved mineral-rich water ascended, cooled and the pressure released, many minerals came out of solution. They deposited or crystallized on the sides of the fractures. The predominant minerals were quartz (SiO₂ ) and calcite (CaCO₃ ). Gold and silver crystalized as electrum (Au-Ag alloy), native gold (Au) and acanthite (Ag₂S). The geothermal fluids also altered the chemistry of the rocks they passed through, forming minerals like pyrite (FeS₂ ), adularia feldspar (KAlSi₃O₈ ), calcite, chlorite and illite clay. Many of these mineral-filled fractures (or veins) intersected to form a complex lattice framework deep underground. The largest vein (Martha Lode) reached dimensions of at least 1.6km long by 600m deep and up to 30m wide. Millions of years of erosion has removed hundreds of vertical metres off the volcanic rock sequence and progressively exposed the quartz vein lattice. Being relatively resistant to erosion, this lattice caused an ancient topographic high which was then covered by more volcanic activity before being eroded over several million more years to form the current landscape.

Over time the gold-bearing rock is eroded and water deposits the gold downstream. Gold is very heavy, and so is deposited in places where the current slows down, on bends, and in depressions in the river bed. These are called placer deposits or placer gold. Most of the gold deposits in the South Island were first formed by erosion from glaciers, then the rivers carried the gold further and deposited it downstream. While the rocks that are the source of the gold may contain only very small amounts of the metal, this erosion over long periods of time has trapped and concentrated the heavy mineral grains

For information about volcanic activity see volcanoes on this site, For further information about geological forces and gold see the geology section of the Martha Mine website www.marthamine.co.nz

4. Briefly describe the history of exploration and utilisation of the mineral.…

Gold was discovered in California in 1848, in New South Wales and Victoria in 1851, and on the Coromandel Peninsula in New Zealand i n 1852. The first discovery proved short lived. Miners were seeking alluvial gold which occurs as grains in gravel and sand deposited by rivers. Only very small amounts were found in the Coromandel. The area features hard rock gold deposits. The gold is found in quartz veins and the rocks have to be crushed and ground finely, then chemically treated to finally retrieve the precious metal.

The early prospectors with their gold pans and simple sluicing equipment were replaced by larger scale operations that maintained a high level of gold output for the next 60 years. In 1881 the first steam powered dredge the Dunedin was launched at Alexandra on the Clutha River. Dredges would operate in Otago and along the West Coast for the next 60 years and produce most of New Zealand's gold. The last of the old dredges stopped working in 1982.

Hard rock miners worked the quartz vein deposits of the Hauraki Goldfield on the Coromandel Peninsula in the North Island and the West Coast in the south. The mine workings were generally underground. Rock crushing plants powered by water wheels were set up beside rivers. The remains of many of these can still be seen today.

The Martha Mine in Waihi is an example of gold mining on the Coromandel. In 1878 John McCombie and Robert Lee discovered gold on Pukewa (Martha Hill). The following year William Nicholl pegged a five acre claim over the diggings of McCombie and Lee and named it Martha after a family member. Underground mining commenced in the same year. The Martha Mine became one of the most important gold and silver mines in the world. By 1952, when the mighty underground Martha Mine closed, around 5.6 million ounces (174,160 kg) of gold and 38.4 million ounces (1,193,180 kg) of silver had been produced from 11,932,000 tonnes of ore.

Seven vertical shafts had been sunk for the underground Martha Mine; the deepest was 600 metres from the surface. Radiating from the shafts was a network of 175 kilometres of tunnels on 15 horizontal levels. A workforce averaging 600 men was employed over the seventy year life span of the mine. In 1909, when gold production peaked, a total of 1500 people were employed in the mine and at the Victoria Battery. You can find out more about early gold mining in Waihi by visiting the website of the Waihi Gold Mining Museum and Art Gallery www.waihimuseum.co.nz

An increase in the price of gold and rapidly improving technologies saw renewed exploration in the late 1970s. Three mines were developed. Golden Cross and the new Martha Mine in the North Island and Macraes in Otago. Martha and Macraes continue to operate, with both mines recently undergoing significant expansion programmes.

Alluvial gold output from the South Island has also increased as new technologies and mining methods have allowed the economic working of shallow deposits.

Exploration continues. The two most promising areas being Reefton in the South Island and Gladstone Hill near Waihi in the North Island. A new mine is currently being permutted near Waihi. See www.favona.co.nz

Placer gold is relatively easy to extract from its surroundings as the hard work has already been done over time by natural forces, the valuable mineral occurs in free, separate grains. Most alluvial gold in New Zealand has been mined in the West Coast and Otago regions of the South Island where very large alluvial gold deposits have formed from erosion of mountain ranges over millions of years.

The alluvial mining process consists of six stages:

• excavating the gold-bearing sand and gravel
• transporting this material to a plant to recover the gold
• washing the gravel to remove clay and separate out large boulders
• treating the material to produce a small amount of material rich in gold (called concentrate)
• disposing of the alluvium after the gold has been removed
• rehabilitating the area

The recovery plant is designed to promote the settling out of grains of gold while the lighter material is washed away. The gold pan and sluice widely used by early alluvial miners works on the same principle. Several methods are currently employed.

Riffle tables consist of a box set at a gentle slope and lined with matting such as artificial turf. A grid of metal bars called riffles are set on top of the matting. In the turbulence caused by the sand and water slurry passing over the riffles the lighter particles are washed away and the gold and other dense materials remain trapped in the matting. Course grains of gold can easily be recovered in this way.

Fine grained alluvial deposits require different methods. Some plants use vibrating diaphragms to keep the material moving while water passes through it. The heavy minerals settle through a screen at the base of the unit.

Other plants use centrifuges to separate materials of different density. Heavy minerals are thrown to the side of the centrifuge bowl and trapped in grooves in its lining while the water overflows and carries away the unwanted lighter material

Extracting gold from ore in a hard rock mine is much more complex and involves a series of physical and chemical processes. The information below is a summary of how gold is mined at Martha Mine in Waihi. and has been provided courtesy of the Waihi Gold Mining Company Ltd. You can find out more by visiting their website www.marthamine.co.nz

Crushing
The primary crushers receive ore and waste at separate times. They break the larger rocks down to a size suitable for transport on the conveyor.

Transport
A rubber belted conveyor transports the ore and waste rock approximately two kilometres, via a tunnel through Union Hill, to the mill and waste disposal area which are located outside the town.

Grinding and sizing
Ore is stockpiled at the mill before being fed into a S.A.G. mill with lime, water and steel balls. The larger particles from this mill are returned to the S.A.G. mill for more grinding. The finer particles receive more grinding in a ball mill, and are size classified to give a final product of 80% less than 70 microns. This is about the same consistency as talcum powder.

Leaching and adsorption
A slurry of ground ore, water and a weak cyanide solution is fed into large steel leach tanks where the gold and silver are dissolved. Following this leaching process the slurry passes through six adsorption tanks containing carbon granules which adsorb the gold and silver. This process removes 93% of the gold and 70% of the silver.

Elution and electrowinning
The loaded carbon is fed into an elution column where the bullion is washed off. The barren carbon is recycled. The wash solution—pregnant electrolyte—is passed through electrowinning cells where gold & silver is won onto stainless steel cathodes.

Bullion Production
The loaded cathodes are rinsed to yield a gold and silver bearing sludge which is dried, mixed with fluxes and put into the furnace. After several hours the molten material is poured into a cascade of moulds producing bars of doré bullion.

Water Treatment
Some water from dewatering the mine, from the embankment underdrains and decantation from the tailings pond is recycled for use in the grinding circuit. Excess water is pumped to the Water Treatment Plant and treated to the required standards before discharge into the Ohinemuri River.

Tailings Disposal
Waste rock from the mine is used to build the embankment structure. The embankment retains the tailings slurry in a pond where solids settle and compact. Water is decanted off and used in the process plant or treated before it is discharged.

Rehabilitation
The disturbed land is progressively rehabilitated where possible. At Martha Mine the tailings impoundment embankment has been grassed and is grazed by cattle. Several areas of native plantings have also been established. When the mine closes final rehabilitation will be carried out.

6. Detail and discuss any environmental hazards associated with the extraction process, and explain the methods which are used to manage and minimise these hazards.…

Until as recently as 50 years ago there was little regard given to the environmental consequences of gold mining during the operation or at its end. Waste rock was dumped wherever it was most practical, rivers and streams were used to carry away sludge, shafts and sites were left abandoned, and no thought was given to rehabilitating the land previously mined. These practices were not confined just to mining. In most areas of human activity the environment was not something that was considered.

The table below compares early mining and modern mining operations.

…

Today things have changed.

The Resource Management Act 1991 sets out a series of restrictions on the use of land, the use of beds of lakes and rivers, the use of water and also relating to the discharge of contaminants into the environment. Generally speaking, it is up to the applicant to prove that the activity they are proposing will not have a significant effect on the physical and social environment. This usually involves a significant amount of research and the presentation of large volumes of material.

The application is made to the appropriate consent authority. Local authorities such as regional and district councils will hold public hearings. They will listen to what the mining company and members of the local community have to say.

Submissions can be made in support or opposition to any resource consent application, which are then heard at a Council hearing. Appeals can then be lodged with the Environment Court.

Before a mine can be permitted a wide range of conditions must be met. The operation must meet the requirements set out by the Mining Licence and the Water Rights. The Mining Licence and Water Rights have strict conditions aimed at ensuring that mining activities do not adversely affect the area or the natural environment. These conditions cover aspects such as noise, dust, vibration, hours of operation, and water quality.

8. Describe the important physical or chemical properties of the mineral after processing.…

Pure gold is ductile, malleable and resists corrosion. It is both a good conductor and reflector of heat. These properties are all accentuated by the refining process.

Gold was made into jewellery long before it was used as currency. The earliest gold jewellery dates from the Sumeric civilisation around 3,000BC. The jewellery was worn by both men and women. Goldsmith’s skills that were understood and mastered at that time are still used today, although some of the techniques have been lost. Gold wedding rings, used in marriage ceremonies since the 9th century, date back to the ancient Egyptians. All of these historic uses of gold were made possible because of its properties: it is found as a free metal, it is very resistant to corrosion, and it is easily shaped, beaten and stretched.

In the modern world gold has even more uses.

Gold reflects heat. This property, and the fact that it is so malleable, means that it is used a lot to coat glass with a thin film which lets through light but not heat. One ounce of gold is enough to cover 93 square metres (approximately 1000 square feet) of glass. Gold-covered glass reflects heat off the outside of a building in summer, and helps to retain warmth in winter by reflecting the heat inside back into the room. The use of reflective glass has reduced cooling and heating costs by as much as 40% in some buildings.

Gold is a very good conductor of electricity. As we already know it able to be drawn out into very thin wires, and it doesn't corrode or tarnish at high or low temperatures. This means you've got a great material for use in complex and small electronic applications.

Gold plating on contacts for switches, relays and connectors accounts for most of the 120 to 140 tonnes of gold required each year by the electronics industry for the circuits in calculators, television sets, computers, telephones and lots of other products.

The space programme depends on the clean, non-corroding electrical performance of gold. Because the metal reflects heat it is used to protect astronauts, satellites and critical electronic components from damage by hazardous x-rays and solar radiation found in space.

Gold is used in medicine. Compounds of gold were first used experimentally in 1927 in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and are still used today. Radioactive gold is used to treat several types of cancer. Gold leaf is used to treat chronic ulcers and is used in surgery to patch damaged blood vessels, nerves, bones and membranes.

Each year dentists in the United States alone, use about 30 tonnes of gold. Because of their high resistance to corrosion, tarnish and other properties, gold alloys are used for crowns, bridges, gold inlays and dentures.

10. Detail any environmental programmes which have been put in place as part of the processing procedures. Give specific examples.…

Over a hundred years ago in the early days of gold mining in New Zealand little thought was given to the environmental effects of the activity. The land, what it produced, and what lay beneath were seen as being there for the taking, with no thought for the future. So the giant kauri forests were cut down, and gold mines poured their waste into rivers and the sites were abandoned when production ceased.

Today things have changed. Mining of any sort is regarded as a temporary land use. As such it is the responsibility of the mine operator to plan and put in place a range of environmental programmes during the operation of the mine and at closure. Large mining companies must leave significant bonds, usually millions of dollars, with local authorities as a guarantee of their performance.

Environmental programmes fall into three broad categories:

• ongoing programmes designed to deal with such important operational issues as noise, dust and water
• concurrent rehabilitation
• post-closure rehabilitation.

Operational issues:
Noise, dust, and vibration, and surface and groundwater quality are all monitored as part of a mine's ongoing operation. These measurements are taken to ensure that the mine is working within the operational limits set out in the Resource Consent.

Post-closure rehabilitation:
Once a mine has stopped operating the final stages of rehabilitation are completed. This may include adding walkways, picnic areas and toilets, or providing other recreational areas. At Martha Mine a Trust Board has been set up to oversee the site when it is returned to public use. A recreational lake, walkways, and various public amenities are planned. See www.marthamine.co.nz for details. The Golden Cross mine at Waitekauri north of Waihi is the only modern gold mine to move into post-closure rehabilitation. At Golden Cross post-closure work is almost complete. The land has been returned to native plantings and pasture. Pathways and tracks and picnic areas are being constructed. The Te Puna Quarry Park near Tauranga, although not a gold mine, is a good example of a rehabilitated site.

Macraes in the South Island and Martha Mine in the North Island both have several years of operational life remaining before they move into closure and subsequent rehabilitation. There is the possibility of an underground mine at Gladstone Hill in Waihi. Drilling programmes have indicated an economic resource. Resource Consents have not yet been applied for. Small alluvial operations in the South Island will continue for some time.

12. Describe and detail any advantages or disadvantages to:…

a.) the local community
b.) the country as a whole
in exploiting this min Color eral resource.
Back up your statements with specific examples.

Any mining operation modifies the environment. There will be excavation, construction, roading and waste storage sites. In addition their will usually be extra people arrive in the district, new jobs created, and a demand for local services.

Whether you regard this as a good or bad thing may depend on your point of view.

Perhaps the best example of a recent gold mining operation is Martha Mine in Waihi. The town was built on gold. For a hundred years up until 1952 the mighty Martha was a world-class mine. Mining returned to Waihi in the mid 1980s. After 10 years of exploration and permitting and public consultation the Martha Mine reopened as an open pit operation. Since then the mine has been extended, and is due to close in 2007. For more information see www.marthamine.co nz or www.waihimuseum.co.nz

Read Hauraki Herald reporter Helen Stirling's account of a day at Martha Mine.

…

…

Martha Mine in Waihi employs 234 people directly and about 800 people indirectly through the provision of goods and services. The operation contributes $10 million annually to the local economy through wages and salaries and $19.2 million through the purchase of goods and services. The mine accounts for 47% of Waihi's GDP. (All figures 1999).

In recent years the mine has funded an upgrade of the Waihi Memorial Hall , contributed significantly to the funding of the new Waihi Events Centre, and the Waihi Community Marae, built a new scout hall and premises for the local radio club, and contributed nearly a quarter of a million dollars to fund the construction of a replica poppet head as part of Waihi's Streetscape programme. In addition Martha Mine regularly funds or sponsors local events, conducts mine tours for tourists to the area (the proceeds are donated to local schools) and holds open days which attract people from throughout the upper North Island. Since 1992 the local high school, Waihi College, has received an annual grant of $25,000 from Martha Mine. The local information centre was constructed by the mining company. To replace a lake that had formed over part of the early mine workings on Martha Hill, Gilmour Lake and reserve was developed by Martha Mine and handed over to the Hauraki District Council in January 1993. When the mine closes in 2007 and rehabilitation is complete the town will have a recreational lake, walkways, and several recreational areas and amenities.

For more detail see Martha Mine's Community Story on their website www.marthamine.co.nz

• we rely on minerals
• everything we use in our everyday lives is either grown or mined
• minerals must be mined where they are found
• rehabilitation plans are developed before the mine starts operation
• permitting is stringent and requires significant expert and public input
• the area affected by a mining operation is small compared to other activities
• a mine will last a comparatively short time
• the mining area will be rehabilitated during operation and at closure
• mine site perimeters are constructed to reduce noise and to block sight lines through the use of bunds, fences or plantings
• daily operations are conducted to reduce noise, dust and vibration
• the rehabilitated mine site will be a community amenity
• mining activities are a major contributor to the economy through wages and salaries, purchases of goods and services, national taxes and local government rates
• mining activities are a major regional employer
• operations such as Martha Mine are significant regional tourist attractions
• closure strategies allow communities to plan for the eventual closure of the mine and to minimise any social or economic effects when the mine ceases to operate

• a mine site is a change to the local environment, which some people find unsettling
• mine workings may cause some noise in the immediate area or increased traffic on the roads
• a large mining operation may change the social structure of a town, some people find this unsettling
• farm land may be displaced while the mine is operating
• some people have concerns about long tern hazards to the environment (although independent research suggests the risk is very low)
• some people are concerned that any mining activity will automatically lead to more mines (although on average only one prospecting programme out of one thousand actually results in an operating mine being developed)

Links to other websites about gold.…

The Gold Institute www.goldinstitute.com

The Geological Society of New Zealand www.gsnz.org.nz

The Minerals Council of Australia www.minerals.org.au

Chamber of Mines of South Africa www.bullion.org.za./welkome.html

Martha Mine Waihi www.marthamine.co.nz

For further historical information on the Waihi area, and gold and silver mining in particular, see the Waihi Gold Mining Museum and Arts Centre site waihimuseum.co.nz

For information about resources and activities based around the historic Thames goldfields see www.thames-info.co.nz/GoldfieldPromotions/

Locate information on the Hauraki Goldfields on this site

The Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences maintains an excellent site which is regularly updated. It contains a wide range of up to date information. www.gns.cri.nz

The Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration based in the United States can be found at www.smenet.org

Australasian Institute for Mining and Metallurgy site www.ausimm.com.au

Silver…

Much of the information about gold also relates to silver.

1. Name the mineral, give its chemical formula, and describe its important physical or chemical properties.
Silver is a ductile, malleable, brilliant greyish-white element. Its chemical formula is Ag. Silver has the highest electrical and thermal conductivity of any metal. It is malleable (easily shaped), ductile (can be drawn into very thin wire) and has antiseptic properties.

For further scientific facts about silver see www.chemicalelements.com/elements/ag.html

2. Detail where the mineral is found in New Zealand.
Silver is found as a free metal in nature. It can be found as nuggets or bound up with rock and too small to see with the naked eye. It is often, but not always, found in association with gold or other metals. Martha Mine in Waihi is the only producer of silver in New Zealand. The metal particles are mixed with the rock and too small to be seen. The mine produces about a million dollars worth of precious metals each week, of which 85% is silver and 15% gold. You can find out more about silver production at Martha Mine by visiting their website www.marthamine.co.nz

3. Explain how and when the mineral was formed and why it exists in its current location.
Silver is formed in the same way as gold. See gold above.

4. Briefly describe the history of exploration and utilisation of the mineral.
In New Zealand silver has been recovered in conjunction with gold or copper or lead-zinc mining. Over 1200 tonnes of silver have been recovered from the Hauraki Goldfield since 1862.

5. Describe the process required to extract the resource from its surroundings.
Silver is extracted from rock in the same way as gold. See gold above.

6. Detail and discuss any environmental hazards associated with the extraction process, and explain the methods which are used to manage and minimise these hazards.
See gold above.

7. Describe any further processing which takes place.
See gold above.

8. Describe the important physical or chemical properties of the mineral after processing.
Pure silver is malleable, ductile and resists corrosion. It is an excellent conductor of heat and reflector of light. It has purifying and antiseptic properties.

Today the world uses about 100 million ounces of silver each year. The many properties of silver mean that it is widely used today in science and technology. Each year over 7,000 new patents and papers are published which describe a product or process in which silver is a vital part.

Silver has a range of electrical, mechanical, optical and medicinal properties. Silver is used in home appliances, computers and spacecraft, plumbing and jewellery. It has not been an easy metal to replace as new technology reveals additional applications.

The photographic industry uses 35% of the silver used each year throughout the world. Silver halides, coupled with dyes produce colour images. X-Ray and black & white photography also rely on silver. Although new technologies are available, photographic experts believe that silver-based photography will continue at the forefront for years to come because of its image quality, convenience, and low cost.

Watches, cameras and calculators use silver batteries to provide higher voltage and long life. Silver oxide-zinc batteries, which have twice the electrical capacity of lead-acid batteries of the same size, are used extensively in aircraft and submarines, where weight is critical.

Silver concentrates the sun’s rays on solar collectors, It is found on the backs of mirrors and protects the heat-reflecting gold film on office windows. Most personal computer use silver contacts in their keyboards.

Silver thiosulphate prevents the release of ethylene gas from cut flowers making it possible to market long lasting flowers for export. Overseas silver can be prepared as crystals of silver iodine and seeded into cold cloud to produce raindrops or snowflakes.

In the home, silver will activate oxygen to kill bacteria and can be used in swimming pool filters or to purify drinking water. Each year millions of water purifiers are sold to rid drinking water of bacteria, chlorine, lead, trihalomethanes, particulate and odour. Silver is used to prevent the build-up of bacteria and algae in the filters.

The thermal conductivity of silver means microwave cooking can be made more appetising due with a silver alloy coating applied to the bottom of microwave cookware. The surface of the cookware will reach 260 degrees C in five minutes, resulting in a browning or crisping of food surfaces.

We use the term 'silverware' to indicate the best cutlery. Many of the best table accessories such as knives, forks and spoons; jugs, serving dishes and trays are made out of silver. The malleability and non-tarnishing qualities of silver make it ideal for this use.

…

10. Detail any environmental programmes which have been put in place as part of the processing procedures. Give specific examples.
See the examples provided above which describe and explain the environmental programmes at Martha gold and silver mine in Waihi.

11. Evaluate the long term prospects for this mineral resource in New Zealand. What factors affect the future of the resource?
Silver will continue to be recovered as a by-product of gold mining.

12. Describe and detail any advantages or disadvantages to:
a.) the local community
b.) the country as a whole
sin exploiting this mineral resource.
Back up your statements with specific examples.
See gold above.

Links to other websites about silver.

Silver Institute www.silverinstitute.org

Coeur d'Alene Mine Corporations www.coeur.com

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