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Starting A New Mine After Magnetic, Resistivity And I.p Survey.


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I am starting a new gold mining project in Zimbabwe. I have contacted a Geologist and Geophysicist who did a Magnetic Survey on the target area. He also did a Resistivity and I.P. Survey. No other method was used and one has to dig 8 meters into mudstone to get to rocks of any kind as there are no out-crops. There are people mining near the area and his interpretations were also based on information he got from shafts dug by the other people nearby.

He tells me to be more sure it would be prudent to diamond-core-drill ten 60 meter holes along the target area which would cost US$48,000 at US$80/meter.

If I sink one 60-meter shaft in one of the positions identified by the surveys, it would cost me less than $20,000 to do so including buying the equipment and paying laborers.

As an artisanal miner would it not make sense for me just sink a shaft and hope, because generally, people mining within 200-meter radius of this area are getting very high yields of gold, more than 100g/ton sometimes? The hope would be the reef is basically the same as it is the same greenstone belt.

I have attached a report with pictures and diagrams that further explain the results. How much can I rely on the three methods of survey results?

Gold Fan Report 10.12.2016.pdf

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Ultimately geophysical prospecting just provides clues. Each clue is put together in context with all the other clues and judgement calls made. A magnetic survey for instance just reveals magnetic anomalies. This could be a clue to a valuable resource, or perhaps just a zone with more magnetite than the surrounding rock. Very many places that return what look like exciting results via geophysical surveys never prove out to be mines. And I have seen places where mines are that have been subjected to geophysical survey after the fact, with surprisingly little result.

I tend to think in terms of strong clues and weak clues. Actual physical results by way of surface sampling, digging pits, drilling, etc. are strong clues. Geophysical methods by and large in my opinion are weak clues. They have to be taken together with all the information you have to provide an overall picture, but taken alone and separately are not much to go on. I would advise caution as there are people that put far too much weight on geophysical survey results alone. They would tend to be the type who are looking for investors. Just my opinion as a layman however.

There are people here with more knowledge and experience than I and hopefully they will chime in. The reality is this sort of thing is beyond the scope of this forum and most of the people here are not involved in such things so you may find better sources of information elsewhere.

Here is an old guide (1968) that provides some easy to understand practical information:

HANDBOOK OF GEOPHYSICAL PROSPECTING METHODS FOR THE ALASKAN PROSPECTOR

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Thanx  will  read the book.  i  hear  you  but  at  this point other  exploration methods are tricky.  like i said  top  7m  is  just mudstone, soil  samples wouldnt really  come out  with  much.  they  would probably  be  contaminated with  gangue  and ore from  shafts dug  nearby.  

trenching  7m  is also  tricky

Diamond core  drilling would be  the  best method  but  i  feel  the cost is  prohibitive for  a small  scale miner.  $48,000 is really  a  lot,  infact  its enough to dig  2 or  3 shafts.  Labour  is  cheap  and abundant  in Zimbabwe,  experienced  labour for  that matter.  You wouldnt believe  it  but  some labourers actually quoted me  $2,000 to  dig  a shaft  50m deep. Of course  you have to  feed them  and  provide  explosives for  blasting.

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Just logically speaking, wouldn't you want 10x the information for only slightly more than 2x the cost by going with the coring program? Then you can more wisely place your $20,000 production shafts later. Assuming you can afford the coring program at least, and suspect your deposit will pay far more.

Otherwise, you've spent $20,000 to sink one shaft and what if it comes up barren? Then you spend another $20,000 to sink another shaft, and maybe it comes up barren too...and now you have to keep sinking $20,000 shafts and hope to get lucky.

I guess it depends if your deposits are lens-like, or continuous veins, how faulted the area is, etc.

I really don't know, just thought it was an interesting topic that you don't see much here and I enjoyed reading your report.

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19 hours ago, jasong said:

Just logically speaking, wouldn't you want 10x the information for only slightly more than 2x the cost by going with the coring program? Then you can more wisely place your $20,000 production shafts later. Assuming you can afford the coring program at least, and suspect your deposit will pay far more.

Otherwise, you've spent $20,000 to sink one shaft and what if it comes up barren? Then you spend another $20,000 to sink another shaft, and maybe it comes up barren too...and now you have to keep sinking $20,000 shafts and hope to get lucky.

I guess it depends if your deposits are lens-like, or continuous veins, how faulted the area is, etc.

I really don't know, just thought it was an interesting topic that you don't see much here and I enjoyed reading your report.

I hear your  logic  hey.  But its sink  or  swim  with  one shaft. when  i say $20k  shaft  i  mean  including  compressor,  jack  hammer,  water pump  e.t.c,  they are  once off  capital equipment.  a  second  shaft  wouldnt even  cost  5k.

The  idea  is  to  avoid  spending  $48k  with  no guarrantees  of  returns. Here  coring  is  usually done  by  bigger  companies that are  better  resourced.  

From my observations  so  far, most  of  the miners  who have  sunk  shafts  nearby  have  come  out  good.

Of  course  the risk  of  not getting anything  is  always  there  and real.

i have  already  bought  a compressor  within the  20k  budget

20170305_193221.jpg

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Forget mining - you could get rich developing this into a TV show - Gold Rush Zimbabwe! ?

Just joking of course. You sound very much like a sensible person with a head on your shoulders. I wish you much success with your operation. I would not be surprised if you get contacted with offers of interest due to your post here. I do also hope you will let us know how it all works out. I wish I could offer more than that. Good luck!

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1 hour ago, Steve Herschbach said:

Forget mining - you could get rich developing this into a TV show - Gold Rush Zimbabwe! ?

Just joking of course. You sound very much like a sensible person with a head on your shoulders. I wish you much success with your operation. I would not be surprised if you get contacted with offers of interest due to your post here. I do also hope you will let us know how it all works out. I wish I could offer more than that. Good luck!

Thanx  hey.  We all have to start  somewhere.  Experience  is the best  teacher, perhaps  if  my fingers  get  burnt  a  bit  i will  be  wiser.

at  least  the  cattle will have water  to  drink  wen  we  pump  it out:biggrin:

 

20170305_212415.jpg

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Fly me over and I'll Dowsing Rod the Red and Pinks on the MagMaps  and read the Boots on the ground" geology 4 ya! :tongue: Cheers, Ig

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1 hour ago, idahogold said:

Fly me over and I'll Dowsing Rod the Red and Pinks on the MagMaps  and read the Boots on the ground" geology 4 ya! :tongue: Cheers, Ig

ha ha we got people who do that here but I would no sooner use a gravimeter than that. But for this type of deposit, I doubt your method. Unless you just want to find underground water sources and hope the gold got liberated there

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Sounds like a good adventure keep us updated!!!

 

Good luck!!!!!!!!

 

 

 

RR

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