- North Mara Gold Mine
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North Mara Gold Mine Location in Tanzania
North Mara Gold Mine01°28′S 034°31′E / 1.46667°S 34.51667°ECoordinates: 01°28′S 034°31′E / 1.46667°S 34.51667°E
Location Tarime Region Mara Country Tanzania Owner Company African Barrick Gold Website ABG website Year of acquisition 2006 LSE ABG Production Financial year 2009 Ounces of Gold 212,000 History Opened 2002 Closed 2019 (expected) North Mara Gold Mine is an open pit gold mine in the Tarime District of the Mara Region of Tanzania. It is operated by African Barrick Gold.
It is one of four gold mines African Barrick Gold, a subsidiary of Barrick Gold, operates in Tanzania, the other three being Tulawaka, Bulyanhulu and the Buzwagi Gold Mine. In the financial year 2009, the four operations produced a combined amount of 716,000 attributable ounces of gold.[1][2]
Contents
History
Gold mining in Tanzania in modern times dates back to the German colonial period, beginning with gold discoveries near Lake Victoria in 1894. The first gold mine in what was then Tanganyika, the Sekenke Mine, began operation in 1909, and gold mining in Tanzania experienced a boom between 1930 and World War II. By 1967, gold production in the country had dropped to insignificance but was revived in the mid-1970s, when the gold price rose once more. In the late 1990s, foreign mining companies started investing in the exploration and development of gold deposits in Tanzania, leading to the opening of a number of new mines.[3]
The North Mara mine, which opened in 2002, consists of four open pits, a process plant, waste rock dumps, a tailings containment pond, and other associated facilities. In 2009, North Mara employed close to 2,200 people. As of 2009 there was an expected mine life of 10 years remaining.[4]
The mine was owned by Afrika Mashariki Gold Mines, which became Placer Dome Tanzania, a subsidiary of Placer Dome.[5] Barrick Gold took over Placer Dome in January 2006.
2008 attack
In 2008 a group of 200 people broke into the North Mara mine site and destroyed approximately US$15 million worth of Barrick property, including lighting some of it on fire. The vandalism resulted in temporarily closing an open pit, and an increase in security on the property. Motivation for the attack on the property was not determined, the local police suggested they were attempting to get gold from the pit.[6]
Environment
In 2009 a Tanzanian Member of Parliament, Harrison Mwakyembe, demanded the Mara Gold Mine be closed, due to the deaths of eighteen villagers from Nyamongo which had been attributed to drinking water polluted by the mine.[7] In February 2010 the National Assembly of Tanzania ordered the government to have a study completed to determine if the North Mara Gold Mine was polluting the Tigithe River (the drinking water supply for more than 250,000 people[8]), thereby killing people and livestock, as had been reported. The government accepted the "principle" of doing the study, and stated that there had been minimal environmental monitoring done in the area because the National Environment Management Council is quite small, with only 20 environmental inspectors for the entire country.[9]
In June 2010 the Tanzanian government declared the Tigithe River free of pollution, following changes made to Barrick's environmental program. The government stated the water is potable and suitable for human consumption. Barrick had replaced 40,000 square metres (430,000 sq ft) of liner within their effluent pond, which they claim was destroyed by vandalism.[8]
Production
Recent production figures for the mine:[4]
Year Production Grade Cost per ounce Tonnes processed 2007 237,000 ounces 2.86 g/t US$ 461 2,709,678 2008 197,000 ounces 2.64 g/t US$ 804 2,643,860 2009 212,000 ounces 2.74 g/t US$ 508 2,604,747 2010 References
- ^ African Barrick Gold website accessed: 22 July 2010
- ^ Patrick, Margot (19 March 2010). "African Barrick Gold Weakens on Debut". Wall Street Journal. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703580904575130961856921110.html. Retrieved 24 July 2010.
- ^ Tanzania Mining History tanzaniagold.com, accessed: 24 July 2010
- ^ a b Mara African Barrick Gold website: North Mara Gold Mine accessed: 22 July 2010
- ^ North Mara tanzaniagold.com, accessed: 24 July 2010
- ^ Obulutsa, George (15 December 2008). "UPDATE 1-North Mara gold mine operational -Barrick Tanzania". Reuters. http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSLF70151420081215. Retrieved 22 July 2010.
- ^ Mwita, Sosthenes (28 July 2009). "MP:Close down North Mara mine". Daily Citizen. http://www.dailynews.co.tz/home/?n=3153. Retrieved 22 July 2010.
- ^ a b Bariyo, Nicholas (28 June 2010). "Tanzania Clears North Mara Gold Mine Over River Pollution-Min". Morning Star (Dow Jones Newswires). http://news.morningstar.com/newsnet/ViewNews.aspx?article=/DJ/201006280425DOWJONESDJONLINE000062_univ.xml. Retrieved 22 July 2010.
- ^ Mwakalebela, Leonard (9 February 2010). "MPs demand fresh probe on North Mara toxic effluents". Daily Citizen. http://www.dailynews.co.tz/home/?n=7371&cat=home. Retrieved 22 July 2010.
External links
- Barrick website
- African Barrick Gold website
- North Mara mine (TZA-00044) Secretariat of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States website
Barrick Gold Corporation Corporate Management CEOAaron RegentHoward Beck • William Birchall • Donald Carty • Gustavo Cisneros • Marshall Cohen • Peter Crossgrove • Robert Franklin • Brett Harvey • Brian Mulroney • Anthony Munk • Peter Munk • Aaron Regent • Nathaniel Rothschild • Steven ShapiroMines North AmericaBald Mountain • Cortez • Golden Sunlight • Goldstrike • Hemlo • Marigold • Pueblo Viejo • Round Mountain • Ruby Hill • Turquoise RidgeSouth AmericaAustralia PacificCowal • Darlot-Centenary • Granny Smith • Kanowna Belle • Lawlers • Osborne • Plutonic • Porgera • Super PitAfricaSubsidiaries African Barrick Gold
Gold mines in Tanzania Active mines Historic mines Sekenke • KirondatalRelated article: Economy of Tanzania • Ministry of Energy and MineralsCategories:- Barrick Gold
- Gold mines in Tanzania
- Surface mines in Tanzania
- Mara Region
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