Geita Gold Mine
Encyclopedia
The Geita Gold Mine is an open pit
gold
mine
located in the Geita District
of the Mwanza Region
of Tanzania
. It is operated by AngloGold Ashanti
.
In 2008, the mine accounted for 6% of the company's overall annual gold production and employed close to 3,200 people.
colonial period, beginning with gold discoveries near Lake Victoria
in 1894. The first gold mine in what was then Tanganyika
, the Sekenke Mine, began operation in 1909, and gold mining in Tanzania experienced a boom between 1930 and World War II
. By 1967, gold production in the country had dropped to insignificance but was revived in the mid-1970s, when the gold price rose once more. In the late 1990s, foreign mining companies started investing in the exploration and development of gold deposits in Tanzania, leading to the opening of a number of new mines.
The Geita mine commenced production in 2000, initially as a joint venture of AngloGold
and Ashanti. With the merger of the two companies in 2004, the mine became fully owned by AngloGold Ashanti. The mine was inaugurated by then-Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa
, who pledged more incentives for investments in the sector. But the opening of the mine also raised fears within environmentalists from Tanzania and Uganda that ist closeness to Lake Victoria
, 20 kilometres away, could cause further environmental damage to the already affected water system. Unlike the North Mara Gold Mine
, where a spill caused extremely high levels of arsenic, cadmium, cobalt, copper, chrome, nickel and zinc at the area around, at Geita the situation was found to be less acute. But at Geita, too, higher than natural levels of arsenic and other metals in sediments were found.
The mine started to experience production difficulties from 2007 onwards, starting with the failure of the highwall in the Nyankanga open pit, continued with some significant breakdowns of major mining equipment and in the process plant. Geita continued to under perform in 2009, producing 272,000 ounces of gold for the year, 43,000 short of the anticipated 315,000 ounces.
In March 2010, a gang of robbers stormed into the mine, tied up a security guard, seized his gun and stole 14 boxes of explosives. The police later managed to arrest one of the gang members and retrieved 12 of the 14 boxes but the incident raised questions in regards to the security at the mine.
Open-pit mining
Open-pit mining or opencast mining refers to a method of extracting rock or minerals from the earth by their removal from an open pit or borrow....
gold
Gold mining
Gold mining is the removal of gold from the ground. There are several techniques and processes by which gold may be extracted from the earth.-History:...
mine
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
located in the Geita District
Geita District
Geita District is located in Mwanza Region, Tanzania. According to the 2002 Tanzania National Census, the population of Geita District was 712,195. Geita is bordered to the South and the West by the Shinyanga Region, to the North by the Sengerema District and to the East by the Misungwi District...
of the Mwanza Region
Mwanza Region
Mwanza Region is one of the regions of Tanzania. Its capital is Mwanza, which is also Tanzania's second city.The neighbouring regions are Kagera to the west, Shinyanga to the south, and Mara to the east...
of Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
. It is operated by AngloGold Ashanti
AngloGold Ashanti
AngloGold Ashanti Limited is a global gold mining company. It was formed in 2004 by the merger of AngloGold and the Ashanti Goldfields Corporation.AngloGold Ashanti Limited is now a global gold producer with 21 operations on four continents...
.
In 2008, the mine accounted for 6% of the company's overall annual gold production and employed close to 3,200 people.
History
Gold mining in Tanzania in modern times dates back to the GermanGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
colonial period, beginning with gold discoveries near Lake Victoria
Lake Victoria
Lake Victoria is one of the African Great Lakes. The lake was named for Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, by John Hanning Speke, the first European to discover this lake....
in 1894. The first gold mine in what was then Tanganyika
Tanganyika
Tanganyika , later formally the Republic of Tanganyika, was a sovereign state in East Africa from 1961 to 1964. It was situated between the Indian Ocean and the African Great Lakes of Lake Victoria, Lake Malawi and Lake Tanganyika...
, the Sekenke Mine, began operation in 1909, and gold mining in Tanzania experienced a boom between 1930 and World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. By 1967, gold production in the country had dropped to insignificance but was revived in the mid-1970s, when the gold price rose once more. In the late 1990s, foreign mining companies started investing in the exploration and development of gold deposits in Tanzania, leading to the opening of a number of new mines.
The Geita mine commenced production in 2000, initially as a joint venture of AngloGold
AngloGold
AngloGold was a gold mining company based in South Africa and majority-owned by the Anglo American group. In 2004 it merged with the Ashanti Goldfields Corporation to create the world's second-largest gold producer, AngloGold Ashanti. It's a big company....
and Ashanti. With the merger of the two companies in 2004, the mine became fully owned by AngloGold Ashanti. The mine was inaugurated by then-Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa
Benjamin Mkapa
Benjamin William Mkapa was the third President of the United Republic of Tanzania and former Chairman for the Revolutionary State Party .-Biography:...
, who pledged more incentives for investments in the sector. But the opening of the mine also raised fears within environmentalists from Tanzania and Uganda that ist closeness to Lake Victoria
Lake Victoria
Lake Victoria is one of the African Great Lakes. The lake was named for Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, by John Hanning Speke, the first European to discover this lake....
, 20 kilometres away, could cause further environmental damage to the already affected water system. Unlike the North Mara Gold Mine
North Mara Gold Mine
North Mara Gold Mine is an open pit gold mine in the Tarime District of the Mara Region of Tanzania. It is operated by African Barrick Gold.It is one of four gold mines African Barrick Gold, a subsidiary of Barrick Gold, operates in Tanzania, the other three being Tulawaka, Bulyanhulu and the...
, where a spill caused extremely high levels of arsenic, cadmium, cobalt, copper, chrome, nickel and zinc at the area around, at Geita the situation was found to be less acute. But at Geita, too, higher than natural levels of arsenic and other metals in sediments were found.
The mine started to experience production difficulties from 2007 onwards, starting with the failure of the highwall in the Nyankanga open pit, continued with some significant breakdowns of major mining equipment and in the process plant. Geita continued to under perform in 2009, producing 272,000 ounces of gold for the year, 43,000 short of the anticipated 315,000 ounces.
In March 2010, a gang of robbers stormed into the mine, tied up a security guard, seized his gun and stole 14 boxes of explosives. The police later managed to arrest one of the gang members and retrieved 12 of the 14 boxes but the incident raised questions in regards to the security at the mine.
Production
Production figures of the recent past were:| Year | Production | Grade | Cost per ounce |
| 2003 | 661,000 ounces | 3.60 g/t | US$ United States dollar The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies.... 183 |
| 2004 | 570,000 ounces | 3.74 g/t | US$ 250 |
| 2005 | 613,000 ounces | 3.14 g/t | US$ 298 |
| 2006 | 308,000 ounces | 1.68 g/t | US$ 497 |
| 2007 | 327,000 ounces | 2.01 g/t | US$ 452 |
| 2008 | 264,000 ounces | 1.92 g/t | US$ 728 |
| 2009 | 272,000 ounces | 1.89 g/t | US$ 954 |
| 2010 |
External links
- AngloGold Ashanti website
- Geita mine (TZA-00057) Secretariat of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States website