Algae and mining: A new frontier in sustainable site rehabilitation

Algae might seem an unlikely candidate to help transform Australia’s post-mining landscapes, but a new CSIRO -led project suggests these tiny aquatic organisms could provide sustainable futures for mine sites, surrounding ecosystems, and local communities. Looking down the microscope at the microalgae Nannochloropsis Australia’s mining sector is approaching a crossroads—where economic legacy and environmental responsibility must find common ground. A new CSIRO -led study, supported by the Cooperative Research Centre for Transformations in Mining Economies (CRC TiME), suggests that one of the most promising bridges between these imperatives may come from an unexpected source: algae. Though small in stature, algae are emerging as giants in their potential to transform post-mining landscapes. The study, developed in partnership with the University of Queensland and Murdoch University , proposes that algae-based technologies could reduce mining’s environmental footprint while seeding new...

East Asia confirms conversion of Aceh mining permits

East Asia Minerals Corporation reports that its has received formal documents from the Indonesian Directorate General of Mineral, Coal and Geothermal confirming the conversion of mining permits to the new IUP for its Miwah, Barisan I, Takengon and Barisan II tenements in Aceh province. In Indonesia the company has a 70-85% interest in six advanced gold and gold-copper properties located in Aceh and in Sangihe Island in North Sulawesi province. Two of these, the Sangihe (Binebase-Bawone) and Barisan 1 (Abong) gold projects, are being advanced to define NI43-101 compliant resources.

The Barisan II tenement encompasses a cluster of six known porphyry centers within a 6.2 km by 3 km block. At the Upper and Lower Tengkereng areas, two windows of similar porphyry gold-copper mineralization, located about 1.5 km apart, are exposed through shallow inter-bedded sedimentary and volcanic cover rocks and may be linked at depth.

Geological features observed in drill core from Upper Tengkereng and surface outcrops at Lower Tengkereng confirm that these systems share many features of the world's best gold-rich porphyry copper deposits in the circum-Pacific rim.

Exploration by East Asia Minerals at the Lower Tengkereng project has provided confidence to improve on grades from the limited historic drilling. Surface channel sampling by East Asia at Lower Tengkereng, including 31 m of 0.77 g/t gold plus 0.03% copper and 116 m of 0.33 g/t gold plus 0.04% copper, confirms the presence of gold-rich porphyry mineralization.

At Upper Tengkereng East Asia drilled a 646.25 mhole averaging 0.39 g/t gold plus 0.21% copper (0.68 g/t gold equivalent), including 268 m of 0.57 g/t gold plus 0.26% copper (0.92 g/t gold equivalent) from 318 to 586 m. Significant near surface gold mineralization was also intercepted, including 14 to 82 m (68 m) of 0.51 g/t gold plus 0.21% copper (0.80 g/t gold equivalent).