Mesquite Mine

Mesquite Mine is a gold mining operations from New Gold,  located in Imperial County, California. The Mesquite gold mining operation acquired in June 2009 as a result of a successful business combination with Western Goldfields Inc ( “WGI).  Before the merger, WGI acquired the Mesquite Mine from Newmont Mining Corporation in 2003.  Feasibility study completed in 2006 and Commercial production in Mesquite mine started January 2008.

The Company became the owner of the Mesquite Mine in 2009 following the Western Goldfields Business Combination. The mine is operated by the Company’s wholly owned subsidiary, Western Mesquite Mines, Inc. (“WMMI”).

Currently, the major assets and facilities associated with the Mesquite Mine are:

• Mineral resources and reserves in the Cholla, Big Chief, Rainbow, Vista and North Big Chief deposits.
• The physical plant site including heap leach pads, process plant, workshops, warehouses, office buildings and drying equipment.
• Facilities providing basic infrastructure to the mine, including electric power, heat, water treatment and supply, and sewage treatment.
• Mine infrastructure including open pits, ramps, maintenance shops, and mobile equipment fleet.

Location Mesquite Mine

The Mesquite Mine is located in Imperial County, in Southern California, United States, 39 kilometers (24 miles) north of the Mexican border and 26 kilometers (16 miles) west of the border with the State of Arizona. Access to the property is a good quality roads. Local resources are in the cities of Brawley, California and Yuma, Arizona, at a distance from the mine of 56 kilometers (35 miles) and 84 kilometers (52 miles).

The mineral rights to the Mesquite mine a total area of ​​approximately 1,890 hectares (4,670 acres). They consist of 212 unpatented and 53 patented mining lode claims, 122 patented and 97 unpatented mill site claims, 266.3 hectares (658 acres) of California state leased land and 127.5 hectares (315 acres)  of fee lands.

History Of Mesquite Mine

Felizario Parra discovered gold in April 1876, worked placers until 1880, and sold out for $3000.00. Dry washing of low grade ores continued intermittently for 100 years, along with many exploratory shafts. From 1957 to 1980, Dick and Anna Singer mined, recorded earlier efforts, made studies, and sold their findings to Gold Fields Mining Corporation. After investing 70 million in exploration, development and construction, Gold Fields began full-scale production in March 1986.

The production reached 207,897 ounces of gold in 1992. It was expected that began this production rate would be maintained until 1999 when the mine would be exhausted.  Gold Fields and Santa Fe Pacific Gold Corporation, which has hired approximately 300 people contributed greatly to operate public and private needs and with full environmental problems until it was acquired by New Gold Inc. In 2001, the mine closed due a fall in gold prices, but it was reopened in 2007.

Geology & mineralization
The Mesquite district lies on the southwest flank of the Chocolate mountains in the upper plate of a regional scale shift. The host rocks are a fragment of Precambrian and Mesozoic continental crust with a very complex structure and metamorphic history, largely pre-dates the Oligocene age gold mineralization is mined today.  

The Mesquite Mine includes a number of gold deposits localized along two sub-parallel zones of northwesterly trending faults that. A sequence of gneiss host rocks imprints and locally invading granites much of the Mesquite district is covered by a veneer of unconsolidated post-mineral sand and gravel deposits that vary from several tens of meters in thickness. 

The gold mineralization at Mesquite has been deposited in an epithermal setting,  within 150 to 300 metres of the paleo-surface subsequent to amphibolite grade metamorphism. The bulk of the gold mineralization occurs as disseminations and along a northwesterly trending system of moderately steep developed venous faults and fractures dips.

Gold occurs primarily as native gold, ranging in size from very coarse disseminations submicron. Since the start of commercial production in 1985, the Mesquite Mine has more than 4 million ounces of gold. 

Exploration Potential

The Mesquite Mine achieved commercial production in 2008 with most of the exploration work carried out by New Gold’s predecessors. Since acquiring the Mine in 2009, the company has conducted a series of drilling campaigns to explore potential extensions to the known ore bodies and to upgrade resource classification to support future mine planning. New Gold continues to conduct periodic exploration and delineation drilling campaigns to support ongoing reserves development and mine planning.

Minerals Processing In Mesquite Mine
The Mesquite Mine is an open pit operation. Mining is carried out with a conventional truck / shovel open pit method. Run-of-mine ore is hauled directly to the leach pad for processing. Mineral ore processing is by heap leaching in a carbon-in column circuit test about 92% gold. Process recoveries are determined by oxidation. Ultimate Gold recovery for the mine reserves and life of mine production plan based on 75% recovery of oxide ores and gravel and 35% recovery of the non-oxide ores. Doré is from the site shipped a major refiner, where the gold and silver refined bullion. Gold is then sold to bullion banks on the spot market, outturned than at the refinery.

Cerro San Pedro Mine Mexico

Cerro San Pedro mine is a gold and silver mine located in central Mexico, around 20 km northeast of the capital San Luis Potosi, a city of which has approximately one million inhabitants with a strong industrial base. The mine is is easily accessed from the city center, and an international airport is not far away.

The Cerro San Pedro Mine is owned by New Gold through the Mexican Company, Minera San Xavier (“MSX”) with a stake of 100% and the first gold was poured in May 2007. This mine has a history about of ongoing legal challenges mainly due to a land use legality in area, and then the challenges were successfully overcome.

The Cerro San Pedro Mine has an enviable record of compliance with Mexican, about international environmental, safety standards, health and enjoys overwhelming local support as a trusted corporate citizen.

Mining History

Cerro San Pedro has been mined since the mid-1600s, production that have been generated on until the year 1940 around  2.5 million ounces of gold and 40 million ounces of silver. In 1592 padre Diego de la Magdalena with some of the peoples in Guachichil pueblo from Mesquitique.

Among them, a man named Cualiname or Gualiname, where they bring attention about  the golden outlines in their face paintings. The missionary asked him where he had obtained this pigment, and was told that in the east of Mesquitique much of the powder. 

Magdalena say to Francisco Franco approximately this discovery, and then notified to Captain Miguel Caldera , which is a of indigenous peoples for the Viceroyalty of New Spain and and that control of this region.

The latter named the locale San Pedro del Potosí, to honor his namesake saint and in memory of the famous mines of the Potosí in Alto Perú of the Viceroyalty of Peru, in present day Bolivia.

Several mining companies during the 1990s and the 2000s, has conducted mining operations in Cerro San Pedro before mining operations Metallica Resources and Peak Gold company merged to form New Gold in June 2008.

But now New Gold has already owns 100%  of shares and operates it through its wholly owned subsidiary in Mexico Minera San Xavier.

But in December 2009 Operations were suspended after a court order prohibited the use of explosives at the mine site. In  17 March 2010 the decision of the federal court about the restrictions imposed by the previous court order and doing a wisdom by giving back operations at the mine.

Geology & Mineralization In Cerro San Pedro mine

The mining district is located in the Eastern Sierra Madre fold-and-thrust belt of east-central Mexico. The district was originally discovered by Spanish explorers during the late 16th century.

The local stratigraphic section is dominated by Cretaceous limestones which have been intruded from the San Pedro porphyry, a late Cretaceous to early Tertiary age monzodiorite intrusive body emplaced along a regional scale thrust fault.

The mineralization occurs within an upper oxidized zone, disseminated gold and silver houses associated with iron oxides and a lower zone of gold-silver-zinc-lead sulphide mineralization.

Estimated the available historical records, among year 1575 and 1950 the Cerro San Pedro district produced approximately 2.5 million ounces of gold, for the production of silver by generating 40 million ounces of silver, while copper production generates around 93 million pounds  and other products 405 million pounds of zinc, 224 million pounds of lead

Nearly all of this production carbonate replacement mantos, veins, and fireplaces in the limestones next to Pedro porphyry San, which is host to disseminated and stockwork style mineralization.

recently has opencast the oxide zone in the production of approximately 1.6 million ounces of gold and 78 million ounces of silver from both limestone and porphyry ore types.

When combined with historical estimates of Cerro San Pedro is quarter estimated more than 4 million ounces of gold and have 100 million ounces of silver and associated zinc, lead and copper.

Processing Ore In Cerro San Pedro Mine

Mine operates as an open pit. Run-of-mine ore is processed by heap leaching and the Merrill-Crowe recovery process to recovery process gold and silver doré. Process plants consist of a heap leach pad lined which leading to a conventional Merrill Crowe recovery circuit for gold and silver .

Run-of-mine ore is stacked on the leach pad and then a pregnant solution flows toward the bottom through the heap leaching of gold ore, which is then solution from result this mineral ore pumped to the Merrill Crowe plant for stages of the process produce gold-silver doré.

Then the results of doré is transported from location to a refinery, where the silver and gold to be refined to make gold bullion. Gold is then sold to bullion banks on the spot market

Video New Gold Inc Cerro San Pedro Mine Mexico

Blackwater Mining Project New Gold Inc

Blackwater mining project constitute a mining project of New Gold, and located on the northern flanks of Mount Davidson in Nechako Plateau, approximately 160 kilometers southwest of the city of Prince George, 110 kilometers southwest of the town of Vanderhoof in central British Colombia. The project is located approximately 450 kilometers north of New Gold’s New Afton project. 

New Gold Inc mining project of this currently in the environmental assessment phase comprises 75 mineral tenures totaling 305.78 square kilometers, and has a total area of property 227 mineral claims covering an area of ​​1,046.78 square kilometers. The project is appealing and close to infrastructure, the terrain is characterized by rolling hills, the project is accessible by road and access to low cost hydro power is with the construction of a 230 kV transmission line. 

History Of Gold Projects  Blackwater

The Blackwater Project area has been actively explored since in 1973 by Granges Inc from streams draining the Mt.Davidson area with the discovery of anomalous concentrations of silver, lead, and zinc in silt samples taken. History of the workmanship of the project includes soil geochemistry, geophysics and reverse circulation and diamond drilling.

Richfield’s work on the Blackwater Gold Project began in 2009 when the company recognized the bulk gold potential on the property. In March 2009 Richfield optioned the Davidson and Dave claims from Silver Quest Resources Ltd. and the Rozek family respectively.

The initial mineral resource estimate for its Blackwater project was published in March 2011 and was on 25,263 meters of drilling in 77 holes on the area. An updated mineral resource estimate was prepared in September 2011 and has an additional 71 holes (24,660 meters) March estimate, bringing the total number of core drilling up to 148 (49 223 meters). 

Released indicated  and Inferred mineral resource estimate in March 7, 2012 presents drill results to December 2011. It is estimated an indicated resource of 5.5 million ounces of gold and an inferred resource of 2.3 million ounces of gold 0.4 grams per tonne cut - off grade 

Mining projects Blackwater reported mineral resource in March 31, 2013 within a conceptual pit shell at gold equivalent cut-off values ​​reported 0.3-0.4 grams per tonne. The deposit contains measured and indicated mineral resources for the direct processing of 306 million tonnes at 0.88 grams per tonne gold and 5.8 grams of silver per ton, which representing 8.6 million ounces of gold and 57.5 million ounces of silver. 

Moreover, the measured and indicated mineral resources suitable for storage and the future of the mine processing contains 91 million tonnes with 0.30 grams per tonne gold and 4.3 grams of silver per ton, which representing 0.9 million ounces of gold and 12.6 million ounces of silver.

Conforms to the CIM (as defined at the ending of the publication) this mineral resource estimate is compliant with definition standards required pursuant to National Instrument 43-101 and is based on a geological block model that contains 286,966 individual assays from 309,516 meters of core of 1,003 drill wells at a nominal distance of 25 meters to 50 meters.

 Assay data density is sufficient to classify the mineral resource when the measured and indicated confidence levels as necessary to support the estimation of a mineral reserve. The drill Gap database was supported by approximately 80,000 quality assurance / quality control (QA / QC) check sample supports assays. 

 Geology & Mineralization In Blackwater project

The Blackwater project within the Stikine Terrane of Inter Montane Belt of central British Columbia. The Stikine Terrane includes Jurassic to Early Tertiary magmatic arc and the associated sedimentary rocks. The Blackwater deposit hosted by a sequence of intermediate and felsic volcanics belonging to the Late Cretaceous Kasalka Group. These rocks overlain by Eocene age post-mineral volcanics belonging to the Ootsa Lake Group and backed by basinal clastic rocks of the Late Jurassic Bowser Lake Group

A well-developed system of northeasterly, northwesterly and northerly striking faults cutting the whole package and acts as the main control to gold-silver mineralization in the region. Quaternary glacial, colluvial and alluvial obscure most of the bedrock in the immediate project area.

gold and silver mineralization at Blackwater occurs obtrusive within an intermediate sulphidation, epithermal gold-silver system that takes place within two kilometers of a cluster of mineralized porphyry centers the same Late Cretaceous stratigraphic Kasalka group.

Host rocks within the deposit are pervasively hydrofractured, pyritized and changed to a mixture of silica and sericite. The mineralization is typified by gold-bearing polymetallic sulfides (pyrite, sphalerite, marcasite, pyrrhotite) as disseminations and porosity infillings in the fragmentary unit of the deposit.

Mineralization is strongly controlled by the northwest and northeast extending zones of of shearing and tectonic brecciation. The deposit is bounded by post-mineral trench forming fault in the north and south. A major north-south trending fault transects the orebody, it is divided into two distinct geological domains integral part of the mineral resource block model.

The feasibility study for the project in 2014, New Gold identified several areas of potential gold mineralization over 1,100 square kilometer property package. New Gold is currently leading his focus for more gold and silver resources in several kilometers of the known epithermal mineralization at Blackwater and the recently discovered porphyry copper-molybdenum mineralization in the south.

Video Blackwater Project New Gold Inc 

Rainy River Gold Project New Gold Inc

The Rainy River project constitute gold mining project which is located in Richardson Township, Approximately 65 kilometers northwest of Fort Frances in northwestern Ontario. This mine project managed and owned by New Gold Inc which is the intermediate gold producer.

The property is centered in the Richardson Township at northwestern Ontario, approximately 160 kilometers south of Kenora and 420 kilometers west of Thunder Bay. The property has exceptional infrastructure with access road, electrical wires, and railway 21 kilometers south of the property. 

The project estimated to be productive a 21,000 tonnes per day processing of a combination of open pit, underground and stockpiled ore. The project is expected to produce 325,000 ounces of gold per year to below the industry average cost. New Gold intends to pursue the possibility of higher grade ounces to the project early years, and increasing processing lower grades from the processing of storage at the finish of the mine life , with the goal of cash flow and  to improve profitability of the mining project. 

Exploration on Rainy River Gold Project began in 1967 with Noranda, International Nickel Corporation of Canada, Hudson Bay Exploration after that by  Development and Mingold resources until operating in 1989.  The Ontario Geological Operating survey geological mapping in 1971 and again in 1987 to 1988 in connection with a rotasonic overburden drilling program. 

Nuinsco began to conduct exploration activities on location between 1990 and 2004. In June 2005, Rainy River to Ream acquired a 100% interest in the project from Nuinsco. Nuinsco drilled from 1994 to 1998 to a series of widely spaced reverse circulation (RC) drill holes fifteen kilometers far, Nuinsco a series of diamond drill program completed to assess the mineral potential of the anomalies that led to the original discovery of the 17 zone in 1994

After acquisition in 2005 Rainy River Resources key sections relogged the historic core on the property drilled, and then enter all the data into a GIS database.

Geology And Mineralization In Rainy River project

Rainy River project consists of several multiple volcanogenic-style gold deposits situated within the Late Archean Wabigoon Subprovince of Ontario. Local stratigraphy comprises a series of tholeiitic mafic volcanic rocks structurally overlain by calc-alkalic dacitic metavolcanic rocks that host the bulk of gold mineralization in the district.

Mineralized zones generally follow the regional northwesterly strike and southerly dip of stratigraphy. The largest of these, the ODM / 17 Zone extends 1,600 meters along strike, 975 meters down dip (open at depth), and has a true width of 200 meters.

Three main types of gold mineralization have been auriferous sulfide ¬ ± quartz stringers and veins in felsic quartz phyric rocks (ODM / 17, Beaver Pond, 433 and HS zones), quartz-ankerite-pyrite shear veins in mafic volcanics (CAP /: Rainy River identified South zone) and sulfide-containing silver-enriched quartz veinlets in dacitic tuffs and breccias (Intrepid zone).

Identified most of the gold mineralization to date in the sulphide occurs stringers and veins within the felsic quartz bearing rock phyric. In a fourth type of mineralization of copper-nickel-platinum minerals occurs a little, young mafic-ultramafic intrusion (34 Zone) within the main cluster of gold and silver deposits located. All deposits Demonstrate a certain degree of deformation, with the exception of copper-nickel-platinum-bearing type.

Exploration Potential Rainy River

The Rainy River project represents one of Canada’s newest emerging gold districts. The Rainy River was explored for the first time for nickel sulphide mineralization in the mid-1960s. The final recognition of district gold potential in 1988 and led to the discovery of gold mineralization of stratiform auriferous volcanogenic style sulphide deposits.

So far, exploration efforts have been delineated become 3.8 million ounces of gold reserves is plus additional 2.7 million ounces of measured and indicated resources. As the project advances toward its mid-2017 target for the start of commercial production, New Gold continues to focus on the discovery of additional gold resources with the potential to enhance and extend the commercial life of the project.

Video Rainy River Gold Project New Gold Inc

Bullion British Gold Coins

One of the best collections  and known in most of gold coins in the world is the classic collection of British gold coins or Gold sovereigns. With an exciting and different history, British gold coins  constitute a coin collection that are highly sought after by numismatists and collectors. British Sovereigns have surge in more recent are in high demand among most investors rather than collectors.

British Sovereign coins were minted by King Henry VII of England for the first time in the year 1489th its value was 1 pound sterling , also known as twenty shillings. However, because gold coins are produced as a form of official destination and not in the form circulate in general, then it is not given the nominal label stamped on the coin.

While Henry the Eight “ruled purity, for Sovereigns was lowered twenty-two carats (92% purity), which created a new standard of what is today called” Crown Gold “, a title still used today in both the UK and the United States. The content of their gold was reduced a few times until it was fixed at 7,322 grams, and in other words 0.2354 oz

The British Royal Mint has released various additional denominations of gold sovereigns, including 1 / 2 Sovereign released with an official value of 10 shillings (1/2 pound), double sovereigns with a nominal value of two pounds and 5x sovereigns with an official value of five pound sterling. 

Then the Mintfor in 2009, the first time was released 1/4 Sovereign coins with an official value of five shillings. It is obvious that the nominal value does not imply true value at the present time. This is a British gold coins were widely produced until the First World War, when the pound was removed from the gold standard. Until 1932, Gold Sovereigns were minted strictly at local mints in some commonwealth countries, specifically in Australia , Canada, India and South Africa, and production ceased until 1957.

Then Sovereigns produced again starting in 1957, Until the year 1982, sovereigns were minted as circulated bullion, but around at the year 1982 to 1999 production only as proofs for numismatists. Since 2000, Sovereigns have been marked again as bullion coins whose value depends primarily on their weight in gold. 

As mentioned earlier, British gold coins have an official value. Their true value is dictated both by the current market price, how much gold is in them and unstable numismatic value that varies massively depending on which coin is and how much in demand. 

Gold coins recently should in theory cost, influenced by the market value of their weight and a minimum premium, but can sell for much more. Throughout history, British gold sovereigns were often removed from circulation by the Royal Mint and their gold content remolded into new coins.

There were also buybacks of coins that had lost some of their weight in circulation, and were replaced full weight Sovereigns. Since so much transformation of Ancient coins took place, Ancient British gold coins often are very rare and of high value to numismatists.

British Sovereigns are because of their historical and cultural character affected greatly. Collectors very fond a Sovereigns because of history and rarity, their have tremendous numismatic value. But Ancient British sovereigns are likely unsuitable for people who do not want to invest in gold 

This type of investor is better off buying gold coins, because they are not so interested in aesthetics from numismatic coins. Recently marked Sovereigns with a better choice for people.

However if buying bullion sovereigns as a form investor, one drawback that may arise from British gold coin is the average gold content of 7.322 grams, and not written on the coin.  This could make Sovereigns less liquid than a 1 oz. Coin, especially outside the UKwhere British Sovereigns are widely known. They can be sold to gold dealers because they are familiar with them.

Video British Britannia Gold Coin 1 Oz