Story: Mining and underground resources
This is an aerial view of Macraes Gold Mine, east Otago. Although the original gold workings at Macraes were underground, all recent mining has been opencast. The gold originates in a gently sloping mineralised zone, about 150 metres thick. The ore is dug out of the opencast pits, crushed and treated to remove the impurities and concentrate the gold. A total of 5.7 tonnes of gold were produced in 2004.
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