North Mara Gold Mine

Last updated
North Mara
Location
Tanzania location map.svg
Schlaegel und Eisen nach DIN 21800.svg
North Mara Gold Mine
Location in Tanzania
Africa location map.svg
Schlaegel und Eisen nach DIN 21800.svg
North Mara Gold Mine
North Mara Gold Mine (Africa)
World location map (equirectangular 180).svg
Schlaegel und Eisen nach DIN 21800.svg
North Mara Gold Mine
North Mara Gold Mine (Earth)
Location Tarime
Region Mara
Country Tanzania
Coordinates 01°28′S034°31′E / 1.467°S 34.517°E / -1.467; 34.517
History
Opened2002
Closed2024 (expected)
Owner
Company Acacia Mining plc
Website Acacia website
Year of acquisition2006

North Mara Gold Mine is a combined open pit and underground gold mine in the Tarime District of the Mara Region of Tanzania. It is one of three gold mines of Acacia Mining plc, a company listed on the London Stock Exchange, that operates in Tanzania, the other two being Bulyanhulu and the Buzwagi Gold Mine.

Contents

The mine has been controversial in the local community, with an attack on the mine in 2008. Though parts of the government and the operating company deny it, a 2016 study counted at least 20 local deaths and nearly 1000 cattle. [1]


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. [2]

The North Mara mine, which opened in 2002, consists of one active open pit (Nyabirama) and one active underground mine (Gokona), a process plant, waste rock dumps, a tailings containment pond, and other associated facilities. As of 2014 there was an expected mine life of 9 years remaining. [3]

The mine was owned by Afrika Mashariki Gold Mines, which became Placer Dome Tanzania, a subsidiary of Placer Dome. [4] 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 setting 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. [5]

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. [6] 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 [7] ), 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. [8]

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. [7]

A 2016 study concluded that the mine regularly and repeatedly violated human rights protections for the Right to a healthy environment in Tanzania. [1]

Killings at the mine

In 2011 and 2013 several villagers who entered the mine area looking for gold were killed by police officers assigned to support the mine's security guards. [9] [10] The court case brought against the mining company by Humans Rights Organizations on behalf of families was settled out of court in February 2015. [11] [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mining</span> Extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the Earth

Mining is the extraction of valuable geological materials and minerals from the surface of the Earth. Mining is required to obtain most materials that cannot be grown through agricultural processes, or feasibly created artificially in a laboratory or factory. Ores recovered by mining include metals, coal, oil shale, gemstones, limestone, chalk, dimension stone, rock salt, potash, gravel, and clay. The ore must be a rock or mineral that contains valuable constituent, can be extracted or mined and sold for profit. Mining in a wider sense includes extraction of any non-renewable resource such as petroleum, natural gas, or even water.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barrick Gold</span> Canadian mining company

Barrick Gold Corporation is a mining company that produces gold and copper with 16 operating sites in 13 countries. It is headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It has mining operations in Argentina, Canada, Chile, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominican Republic, Mali, Papua New Guinea, Saudi Arabia, Tanzania, the United States and Zambia. In 2023, it produced 4.05 million ounces of gold at all-in sustaining costs of $1,335/ounce and 420 million pounds of copper at all-in sustaining costs of $3.21/pound. As of 31 December 2023, the company had 77 million ounces of proven and probable gold reserves.

Placer Dome Inc. was a large mining company specializing in gold and other precious metals, with corporate headquarters in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Newmont Corporation is an American gold mining company based in Greenwood Village, Colorado. It is the world's largest gold mining corporation. Incorporated in 1921, it owns gold mines in Nevada, Colorado, Ontario, Quebec, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Australia, Ghana, Argentina, Peru, and Suriname. In addition to gold, Newmont mines copper, silver, zinc and lead.

Goldcorp Inc. was a gold production company headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The company stood among the largest gold producers in the world, employed about 15,800 people worldwide, engaged in gold mining and related activities including exploration, extraction, processing and reclamation. Goldcorp’s operating assets included eleven mines in North and South America.

Vedanta Resources Limited is a diversified mining company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the largest mining and non-ferrous metals company in India and has mining operations in Australia and Zambia and oil and gas operations in three countries. Its main products are Zinc, Lead, Silver, Oil & Gas, Iron Ore, Steel, Aluminium and Power. It has also developed commercial power stations in India in Odisha and Punjab.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Porgera Gold Mine</span> Mine in Enga Province, Papua New Guinea

The Porgera Gold Mine is a large gold and silver mining operation in near Porgera, Enga province, Papua New Guinea (PNG), located at the head of the Porgera Valley. The mine is situated in the rain forest covered highlands at an altitude of 2,200 to 2,700 m, in a region of high rainfall, landslides, and frequent earthquakes.

Buyat Bay is small bay on the south coast of Minahassa Peninsula on the north of Sulawesi island of Indonesia. Since 1996, Newmont Mining Corporation under its subsidiary company, PT Newmont Minahasa Raya, has been using the bay as the tailing dumping ground for its gold mining activities. In 2004, local people in the area complained several unusual health problems which further suspected Newmont's for breaching the mining waste level regulation to had contaminated the area with hazardous materials. The Indonesian activist group on environment, WALHI, claimed that Newmont has been dumping 2,000 tonnes of mine waste into the bay daily. A legal case between the government of Indonesia versus one of the company's top executive is still ongoing.

The Marcopper mining disaster is one of the worst mining and environmental disasters in Philippine history. It occurred on March 24, 1996, on the Philippine island of Marinduque, a province of the Philippines located in the Mimaropa region. The disaster led to drastic reforms in the country's mining policy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geita Gold Mine</span> Open pit gold mine in Tanzania

The Geita Gold Mine is an open pit gold mine located in the Geita District of the Geita Region of Tanzania. It is operated by AngloGold Ashanti.

Acacia Mining is a gold mining business operating in Tanzania, with exploration properties in Kenya, Burkina Faso and Mali. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and the Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index until it was re-acquired by Barrick Gold in September 2019.

The Sekenke Gold Mine was an underground gold mine in the Singida Region of Tanzania.

Tulawaka Gold Mine was a combined underground and open pit gold mine located in the Biharamulo district, in the Kagera Region of Tanzania. It is operated by African Barrick Gold, who owned 70% of the mine. The remaining 30% was owned by MDM Mines.

Bulyanhulu Gold Mine is an underground gold mine in the Shinyanga Region of Tanzania, located 55 kilometres south of Lake Victoria. It is one of three gold mines owned by Acacia Mining plc, formerly African Barrick Gold plc, a company owned by Barrick Gold, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange, and operates in Tanzania. Acacia also owns Buzwagi Gold Mine and the North Mara Gold Mine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buzwagi Gold Mine</span> Gold mine in Tanzania

Buzwagi Gold Mine is an open pit gold mine in the Shinyanga Region of Tanzania, located 6 kilometres southeast from the town of Kahama. It is operated by Acacia Mining.

The Kirondatal Gold Mine was a gold mine in the Singida Region of Tanzania.

The Golden Pride Gold Mine is an open pit gold mine located in Nzega District of the Tabora Region of Tanzania. It is operated by Australian mining company Resolute Mining.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pascua Lama</span>

Pascua-Lama is an open pit mining project of gold, silver, copper and other minerals. Pascua Lama is located in the Andes mountains, in the southern reaches of Atacama Desert, straddling the border between Chile and the Argentina Northwest at an altitude of over 4,500 metres. Toronto-based Barrick Gold, the world's largest gold mining company, is developing the project. Due to its proximity to glaciers, Pascua-Lama has caused controversy and public protest in Chile, including demonstrations and petitions presented to the Chilean government. Chile has not approved the project.

Canadian mining in Latin America and the Caribbean began in the 20th century. Latin America and the Caribbean's vast resources give the region great geopolitical importance, attracting foreign interest for centuries. From the colonial race of European empires, to the multinationals of today's neoliberal capitalist world, this region continues to draw interest. Canada's involvement in Latin America increased dramatically since 1989 with several landmark negotiations and agreements. By 2009, the Canadian larger-company mineral exploration market in this region was valued at US$1.7 billion.

Pueblo Viejo mine is an open-pit gold and silver mine in the Sánchez Ramírez Province of the Dominican Republic where mining operations started in 2012 and expect to cease in 2041. It is the largest gold mine in Latin America and 13th largest gold mine in the world. The mine is run by Pueblo Viejo Dominicana Corporation (PVDC), which is 60% owned by Barrick Gold Corporation and 40% owned by Newmont Corporation.

References

  1. 1 2 Walwa, William John (2016). "Large-scale mining and the right to a clean, health and safe environment in Tanzania". The African Review: A Journal of African Politics, Development and International Affairs. 43 (2): 97–123. ISSN   0856-0056. JSTOR   45341723.
  2. ↑ Tanzania Mining History Archived 2010-08-14 at the Wayback Machine tanzaniagold.com, accessed: 24 July 2010
  3. ↑ "At a glance". www.acaciamining.com. Retrieved 2019-10-18.
  4. ↑ North Mara Archived 2010-06-05 at the Wayback Machine tanzaniagold.com, accessed: 24 July 2010
  5. ↑ Obulutsa, George (15 December 2008). "UPDATE 1-North Mara gold mine operational -Barrick Tanzania". Reuters. Retrieved 22 July 2010.
  6. ↑ Mwita, Sosthenes (28 July 2009). "MP:Close down North Mara mine". Daily Citizen. Retrieved 22 July 2010.
  7. 1 2 Bariyo, Nicholas (28 June 2010). "Tanzania Clears North Mara Gold Mine Over River Pollution-Min". Morning Star (Dow Jones Newswires). Retrieved 22 July 2010.
  8. ↑ Mwakalebela, Leonard (9 February 2010). "MPs demand fresh probe on North Mara toxic effluents". Daily Citizen. Retrieved 22 July 2010.
  9. ↑ "Shooting Gold Diggers at African Mine Seen Amid Record Prices". Bloomberg. 2010-12-23. Retrieved 2019-10-18.
  10. ↑ finance, jdub / facing. "Facing Finance - Barrick Gold: Human Rights Violations in Tanzania". Facing Finance. Retrieved 2019-10-18.
  11. ↑ "African Barrick Gold lawsuit (re Tanzania) | Business & Human Rights Resource Centre". www.business-humanrights.org. Retrieved 2019-10-18.
  12. ↑ Vidal, John (2015-02-10). "British gold mining firm agrees settlement over deaths of Tanzanian villagers". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2019-10-18.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.