Raids on illegal mining camps

[DizzyDigger]

Just when we think we have it rough...

PICTURED: Raids on illegal mining camps target brothels | Daily Mail Online

Sure, there are a load of issues involved, but in the end it is small-scale
miners trying to find a way to eek out a living.

 

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[Alex Burke]

Same in Columbia too, the miners get extorted by terrorists, in turn get blamed for funding FARC or other militant groups there, then their equipment gets destroyed or worse judging from this video. Miners there then get blamed for pollution, child prostitution and anything else convenient.

The UN is pushing the Mercury treaty that will ban Mercury in 2020 and make the situation worse for the miners. They are "training" the miners by handing out leaflets about the dangers of Mercury and showing them how to use equipment they will never be able to buy like jaw crushers and copper plates... At a budget of around $1 to train and equip every artisanal miner in the world it is never going to work and we will see miners portrayed as terrorists more and more in the news.

Here's another video that blew my mind, miners being attacked by a chopper I believe if the source RT is right... also consider that the US provides military assistance and works closely with the govt there. So for those that think that things like this could never happen here it's not the biggest stretch to imagine given how mining is portrayed on tv and in the media here. Here's link:

 

[Goldwasher]

we should in no way lend any support to this type of mining. Many here will gripe about how we are a nation of laws and how they shouldn't be broken. Double standards are lame. These counttries have laws that are being broken. All the while they have laws fow legal mining. The environmental damage cause by this type of illegal mining is terrible. It is in no way bringing anything positive to the regions where it occurs. Mining in our country is not illegal and is cutting edge and very safe. We need to be mindful of the fact that the we are being unjustly overregulated and criminalized. However enabling or supporting the unresponsible practices in these countries helps our situation in no way. in the short and long term it is not helping the local populations in the areas shown either. i've seen the way they use mercury and the lack of regard for the areas where these resources are developed it is shameful and any responsible miner would speak up against it rather than show any kind of sympathy!

 

[Alex Burke]

we should in no way s
lend any support to this type of mining. many here will gripe about how we are a nation of laws and how they shouldn't be broken. The environmental damage cause by this type of illegal mining is terrible. It is in no way bringing anything positive to the regions where it occurs. Mining in our country is not illegal and is cutting edge and very safe. We need to be mindful of the fact that the we are being unjustly overregulated and criminalized. However enabling or supporting the unresponsible practices in these countries helps our situation in no way. in the short and long term it is not helping the local populations in the areas shown either. i've seen the way they use mercury and the lack of regard for the areas where these resources are developed it is shameful and any responsible miner would speak up against it rather than show any kind of sympathy!

I agree it's deplorable mining techniques and my post isn't to say I think it's ok. I wanted to point out that given better equipment that retained a high percentage of gold like a GoldCube or a GoldHog etc that may be part of the solution to many miners there and provide a economic incentive to many of the small miners to stop using merc.

Most the miners there never own an excavator, wash plant or partake in clearing forest despite what the media shows. Most the mining is done by taking ore to town and running it in ball mills with merc then burning the merc off in town in the shops polluting the towns, water and making the miners hardly any money. Obv they do a lot of dredging and panning too and need modern equipment for both hard rock and placer. In Bolivia as an example the govt built amalgamation stations the miners can take there ore to with a heavily guarded buyer on site and this reportedly worked pretty well so maybe there is an opportunity for a change of techniques in these problem areas if the political will and money was there.

 

[Clay Diggins]

At a current market price of $6,200 for a flask of Mercury I seriously doubt those small miners are using it on their own. The Hefe uses the nearly free labor of the local poor people to mine their lands cheap. Then they complain about the "illegal" mining and have the small miners removed by the government when they are done. The Hefe gets the timber, the gold and a free cleanup. The small miner gets the shaft.

Both mining and prostitution are legal in Peru as they are everywhere in South America. There's a lot more to this story than what the greenies are regurgitating. Look a little deeper and you will see a corrupt system put in place by the Spaniards more than 400 years ago. Blaming the little guy for trying to feed his family in a rigged system is naive.

Heavy Pans

 

[Alex Burke]

Well said, I think the price of Mercury in Columbia and Peru is much cheaper than most other places like Brazil or countries in Africa, Indonesia. They say it's $35-50 a kilo in Columbia and Peru but $100-200 a kilo in other parts of the world. We export 6 tons a year to them lol, they also import it from other countries and I'm sure they mine some bringing the cost down maybe?

I agree on all your points about the Hefe's being a major part of the problem along with too many things to list here. I can't tell you how many times I thought watching a clip of a guy rubbing merc into a wooden bowl "that guy needs a mini highbanker with some gold hog matts

 

[Clay Diggins]

hmmm

from USGS Open File Report 2007–1252

At Barrick’s Pierina gold mine, near Huaraz in northern Peru, and at Newmont’s Yanacocha gold mine, near Cajamarca, also in northern Peru, the gold-silver ore, which also contains mercury, is milled and then leached with cyanide to remove the metals.

In the zinc precipitation process (Merrill-Crowe process), mercury is also precipitated with the gold and silver, and some of these precipitates may contain in excess of 20 percent mercury (Washburn and Hill, 2003). A carbon-based extraction system is then used to recover the dissolved metals.

The gold-silver-mercury amalgam, or Merrill-Crowe precipitate, is then sent to a large, on-site retort for step-heating, which will volatize and remove the mercury from the gold-silver ore. The volatized mercury cools, condenses, and then passes into a tank that is periodically tapped, and the mercury is drained into a 1 ton container. The container sits in a larger, water-filled pan that will trap any droplets of mercury that may splash during tapping. The 1-ton container itself has a 2-to 3- centimeter (cm) layer of water inside that keeps the mercury from volatizing at ambient temperatures. The byproduct mercury is then transferred to flasks for export only to the United States and the gold-silver concentrate moves on for further treatment in-plant.

A good read that pretty much dispels the idea that mercury is not recovered from the small operations and that Peru produces their own mercury supply rather than paying the going market price ($109 kilo).

Notice that about 1/3 of the mercury imported to Peru is used for other than mining or transhipped to other countries.

Poor people that aren't educated enough to read what is said about them or write to correct the misconceptions are the perfect patsies in these international commerce wars. Reviling the downtrodden masses based on youtube videos of some guy with a wooden batea and a gram or two of mercury is not proof of criminal mining. Read the report and compare it to the "facts" the green press is offering. 20 tons or more of gold are mined by small miners in that little district - so who is getting rich? Not the small miners obviously. Follow the money.

Heavy Pans

 

[Alex Burke]

Yes if they were taught how to retort with a condenser like seasoned miners here do they could recycle it and save money too. The point is most of the miners there are exploited and trying to feed their families but not being represented correctly in the press and media just like here...

The idea UN scientists are going to train and equip miners there is extremely hopeful to be nice. They do not either really want to or have the money to provide modern equipment and training on how to use it, so imo it boils down to whenever the private business world sees a way or a market to make a move into the small scale mining market there.

Given the fact the UN has spent 20 mil with little success and part of their affiliate merc website states they are looking for people with innovative private business ideas I think they finally realize they need to get the miners making money and stop handing out fliers about mercury.

 

[Goldwasher]

thanks again for bring more to light Barry. The way the local higer ups use the locals and then blame the locals is rediculous. and i guess my point was don't fall for the propaganda that misuses the real info on the ground to force the wrong kinds of regulation and change....pretty soon they'll be asking for hope as well

@ alex I like your input and view on the subjeect thhanks for chiming in. i will say that i think there is a lot more heavy equipment used than you may think...and I agree that the little guys should have better smaller gear....but, they may regret the lack of volume processed compared to what they run now.

 

[dredgernaut]

I have 8 pounds of mercury in the original flask from the turn of the century , I think I'm rich , lol