Otago mining plans

Press, 3 February 1987, Page 22

Otago mining plans

*PA Dunedin • A recently formed Dunedin-based company, Mir'age Mining, has its sights set "on several Otago hard-rock •and alluvial gold deposits. ' The company, financed by "private investors to re-evalu-.ate old Otago mining sites, 'has brought together prospecting, exploration and mining licences.

» It had held talks with three possible Western Australian Joint venture partners so far >and it is also looking for ’further local and national “financial backers.

a In the meantime, one of •the two directors, geologist JMr Mark Hesson, is continuing to survey various areas •while the other director, en■gineer Mr Raymond Stewart,

is building a mobile testing plant. Mr Hesson said the strategy was to obtain a cash flow from alluvial gold mining operations to finance exploration and prospecting of hardrock gold and schealite deposits.

The' company also has the mining licence for the State schealite and gold mine at Glenorchy. Mining of the underground high-grade ore has begun and the company has a plant to process the mine dumps using the more efficcient modern recovery methods.

The mobile testing plant can process up to 20 cubic metres of gravel an hour and includes a centrifugal gold concentrator.