Skirminkel Posted February 7, 2014 Posted February 7, 2014 I realize there is a lot of wealth and benefits from mining, the problem is there is a lack of accountability form the mining groups when things go wrong. We already have a huge issue with the acid mine water on the West Rand (which has now gone quiet as well). Our water resources are scarce and mining is a huge polluter of the environment as well as a drain on water.So having money from mining doesn't help when we cant drink the water and use it for farming (Magalies is based on tourism and farming). Agree completely. The water situation is a very unfortunate one, but this comes from more than 100yrs of mining in the area. So where does the buck stop now? How do you determine who should be responsible for the current situation, mining companies form 100yrs ago or the current holders. That's why is I say that the emphasis needs to be on responsible mining. There has to be a balance. Government is getting a lot of flack for this. Not too long ago we had our first case of a successful prosecution against a coal mining company.
Super_mil Posted February 7, 2014 Posted February 7, 2014 This is what they sent me: That's just south-east of my current pin, but essentially the same area & catchment that would be affected.
Mojoman Posted February 7, 2014 Author Posted February 7, 2014 Typical winters pic but this is that area, it would be sad to see it mined: The Blaaubank river is fed from 3 other water sources in this area and this then feeds into the Magalies river (with water from Maloneys Eye upstream)
nigelhicks Posted February 7, 2014 Posted February 7, 2014 Im still confused with this as from a geological perspective the area is underlain by Pretoria Group rocks - Timeball Hill quartzite and iron formation which overlies Chuniespoort Dolomites ... These units are not gold / diamond / platinum / or nickel bearing ... Gold and Uranium are hosted in the Witwatersrand Supergroup rocks which likely occur at depth in the region (similar to at the Klerksdorp region - but this is proper depth (2km or so) so it wont be surface mining. The area is away from the Bushveld Complex so there wont be any Platinum there ... Nickel is also associated with the bushveld Complex so this is also not likely ...
Mojoman Posted February 7, 2014 Author Posted February 7, 2014 Just spoken to the land owner and he is not even aware of this! So it looks like you don't have to give fair warning of a meeting nor let the landowner know either!
dre Posted February 7, 2014 Posted February 7, 2014 Just spoken to the land owner and he is not even aware of this! So it looks like you don't have to give fair warning of a meeting nor let the landowner know either! WTF!!! Typical - Ministers busy with corruption. Probably some BEE company funded by the state, and some ape sitting at the top thinking he wants more shiny things.
Slowbee Posted February 7, 2014 Posted February 7, 2014 experience has shown that they may well be after something else and trying their luck - but it costs a lot of money to "try" your luck. why are you an I&AP? how did you get to see the notice ? were you not informed of the prospecting permit via a letter?
Skirminkel Posted February 7, 2014 Posted February 7, 2014 experience has shown that they may well be after something else and trying their luck - but it costs a lot of money to "try" your luck. why are you an I&AP? how did you get to see the notice ? were you not informed of the prospecting permit via a letter?1 in every 1000 prospecting projects advances to a mining stage. You have to get serious investors investing billions of $ to open a mine. Another issue, it is very misleading from the media to tell people that there is 10 trillion cubic metres of shale gas in the Karoo for instance. This is simply just a theory from geologists that think that there might be shale gas. Circumstances might point to the potential of shale gas but nothing has been proven yet. Then you get people that runs with it and it can spiral out of control.
Mojoman Posted February 7, 2014 Author Posted February 7, 2014 experience has shown that they may well be after something else and trying their luck - but it costs a lot of money to "try" your luck. why are you an I&AP? how did you get to see the notice ? were you not informed of the prospecting permit via a letter?I do tourism in the area and the notice was just sent to my general enquiries box Now the idiots have said they are not having the meeting as it clashes with the last dates for voter registration. Shoddy and suspicious!
nigelhicks Posted February 7, 2014 Posted February 7, 2014 I do tourism in the area and the notice was just sent to my general enquiries box Now the idiots have said they are not having the meeting as it clashes with the last dates for voter registration. Shoddy and suspicious! Nope - standard issue - I deal with this stuff ALL the time as a geologist .. the never keep to their dates etc. They just have to have the public participation completed within a specific timeframe ... I doubt this will lead to much ... Oh and that 50-50 video was a load of propoganda ... love the way those shots taken are from all over the show at random mines ... and some of the comments and statements made were total BS.
nigelhicks Posted February 7, 2014 Posted February 7, 2014 the bit about Sterkfontein and teh Cradle of Human kind was classic - find the nearest UNESCO site (which is 20 odd km's away from the proposed prospecting area and say that it will be affected ... Come on - Moropeng and Sterkfontein are as far away from the gold mines in Krugersdorp as they are to the prospecting area ... Also the issue with the roads is Null and Void as a number of arterial roads propogate out from the region (R500 to N14 would be best route to major trunk road) ... Please dont take it that I am for Mining (although I am a geologist) .. but in some instances it works and in others not - but people try and find fault with EVERYTHING that is on their doorstep ...Crumbs i know of okes who were bleeting about Shale Gas etc in the Karoo and then when a proposal for a solar park (eco-friendly power) was put through in their area they were against that too as they said it would stuff up the vegetation. Honestly you cant win ... Ok so I have delved into my Minerals Resources of SA book and come up with the following Gold HAS been previously won from quartz veins in the Pretoria Group 3km south of Magaliesburg ... this was the site of the oldest known gold producer in SA on the farm Blaaubank. Although present the mineralization was not of good quality or quantity and was never economic with the depoists being lode gold deposits that occur in veins and are small and erratic. Gold discovered on Kromdraai led to public diggings with gold identified over 3.5km distance - no production figures are available but it seems that although there was enrichment near surface the gold at depth in the veins was refractory and of poor quality. Gold in appreciable amounts is also evident in the basal conglomerate of the Black Reef Quartzite which has been derived from weathering of the underlying Wits reefs.
nigelhicks Posted February 7, 2014 Posted February 7, 2014 no nickel in that region Some alluvial diamonds occur out towards Lichtenburg in the alluvial diamond fields, with these related to palaeo-river courses of the Harts River, Mooi River and Vaal River.
Super_mil Posted February 7, 2014 Posted February 7, 2014 Good work Hicks Now go get a beer and have a good weekend. I'm going dirt jumping.
Mojoman Posted February 7, 2014 Author Posted February 7, 2014 Maybe there is something out there as its attempt number 4 or 5 now in the general area? And there have been samples taken in the past? Interestingly when I rode out in that area this afternoon I noticed a car (newish town car, not some random farm bakkie, you notice these things!) parked behind some trees on the landowners land. I could hear voices in the veld (its a hilly area with a lot of old mine workings/rock piles everywhere) so I went back up the road a km or so and circled back around, 4 or 5 guys took to the hills, leaving behind their phones, jackets, tools etc. I watched them flee and then crossed the veld back to the main dirt road and the car from earlier had gone. The area does have a problem with illegal miners (there are several vertical and incline shafts scattered about) and I wonder if the owner of that car was something to do with the company that made the application for the prospecting, perhaps engaging the illegal miners to get samples for them?....a Magalies mystery....! The Blaaubank mine is approx 4km from this area. But surely if there is nothing there then its best to let them do their sampling etc and discover there is nothing and be shot of this endless problem? Apparently the landowner has phoned the company and done whatever it is a landowner does in this situation and I think this is why the meeting was actually cancelled, nothing to do with voter registration?
Mojoman Posted February 7, 2014 Author Posted February 7, 2014 The old Blaaubank mine is basically just ticking along, I don't think there is any mining on the go currently, I know a friend had some or other surveryors course there a few years back and they used to use it for various mining related training courses but at the moment the mine is inactive and it looks as though the land has been sold off to developers (sad news as we were hoping to make use of some of the paths that pass through the land onto the next area of grazing).
Cellar Posted February 7, 2014 Posted February 7, 2014 Crumbs i know of okes who were bleeting about Shale Gas etc in the Karoo and then when a proposal for a solar park (eco-friendly power) was put through in their area they were against that too as they said it would stuff up the vegetation. Honestly you cant win ... Like the ever so green euro twits that want clean energy, and then bitch and moan that the wind farms look so terrible. Ah, fun times in Germany drinking beer and laughing at idiots.
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