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legal gold miners in Central Asia.

PLACER GOLD MINER - METAL PRICES- STOCKFI LE- PLACER J OURNAL- H O M E - SEARCH

VOLUME 1 VOLUME 2 VOLUME 3 VOLUME 4 AUTHORS EDI TORSWor ld P lace r J ourn a l - 20 04 - Volum e 4 .

Illega l ha rd rock go ld m ine rs o f Mon goli a

- m a jo r i m pa c t s on b io logic a l

a n d s o c io -e c o n o m ic s y s t e m s

Ba a t a r T u m e n b a y a r1

, Robin Grays on2

,

Bill Mu rr ay3

, Tseve l Delger t soo4

& Ur t n asan Tuul4

(1 ,2 ) Eco-Minex In te rn at iona l ; (3) Murray Har r i son Ltd . ;

(4) Mongol ian Busine ss Developm en t Agen cy MBDA

(1 ) t u m en b a@m ag icn e t .mn (2 ) em iweb@m agicne t .m n (3 ) b i ll .m ur ray@m urrayh ar r i son .com

By 2003 hard-rock ninjas may have peaked

t about 20,000 people in northern Mongolia,

aving absorbed most of the pool of village-

ased unemployed and under-employed."

ABSTRACT

A rapid growth in the number of illegal artisanalminers ('ninjas') is underway in Mongolia, both plaand hard-rock. The study documents the growth inhard-rock ninjas and highlights some majorenvironmental and sociological impacts.

Until recently, ninjas were rare, but in the 1998-20interval a massive poverty-driven increase in hardrock ninjas occurred, with its main focus in theSelenge watershed, using hand tools for mining antaking the bagged lump-ore home to their small rutowns ('soum centres') for crushing and hammerinmilling by hand pestles and then panning/sluicingusing water and mercury. By 2003 hard-rock ninjamay have peaked at about 20,000 people in northMongolia, having absorbed most of the pool of villabased unemployed and under-employed, havingalleviated poverty and boosted incomes rendering

affordable medicare, travel, schooling, clothing anbetter nutrition. Farmers complain of labour shortaand farms now need to make more efficient use oflabour and to pay higher wages. The general 'driftthe cities' did not occur in these regions, andstandards of living are high for rural Mongolia.However the economic success of the villages isunsustainable being at a high price of health, safeand environment. Death and injury are frequent frroof-falls, shaft collapse, blasts and suffocation, ofinvolving children.

GATHERING LOOSE

COLLUVIAL...ASM profitably removeeasy-to-dig screes ofweathered rubble founddownhill of gold-bearingquartz veins.

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legal gold miners in Central Asia.

An epidemic of mercury poisoning is forecast tocommence in several soum centres affecting entirehouseholds. Law enforcement is at breaking point the legal rights of mining companies infringed, thecosts increased and investment jeopardised.

Some hard-rock ninjas have moved up the technoladder and financial ladder and now use advancedmining and processing methods. Many use dynamin large quantities, posing a risk of nitrate

contamination of groundwater and surface streamfrom residual explosives. Diesel generators,compressors and pneumatic drills are used withincreasing frequency. Shafts are now often in exceof 30 metres deep, assisted by manual windlassesMineral processing remains village-based but isbecoming increasingly mechanised with electric-driven crushers, ball mills, rotary wheel mills (=Muller mills), cyclones for dust extraction, heatedindoor sluices and electrically heated furnaces.

Although most hard rock ninjas undertake illegal

mining within 20-50 kilometres of their home villaseveral groups commenced in early 2004 in truckito their villages loads of quartz gold ore minedillegally inside the South Gobi Protected Area closethe China border. Ten trucks were stopped by poliand a 900-km shuttle service involving 100 trucksdiscovered.

Ecological damage to the Gobi by illegal mining anecological damage to the Selenge watershed bymercury are demonstrated to now be linked.

DOWNLOAD THI S ABSTRACTGO TO NEXT ABSTRACT

MINERS TURN

TO DYNAMITE...Thousands of hard-rockillegal miners now useexplosives in largeamounts to mineunderground along gold-

bearing quartz veins.

DEEP STEEP

UNDERGROUND

DIGGINGS...Many hard-rock ninjas cutslot-like stopes to extractgold-bearing quartz veins.Mine collapses arefrequent and cause deathand injury. Ventilation ispoor and deaths fromsuffocation are increasing.

THE INFAMOUS

MULLER MILLS...

ALLUVIALS.. Excellent for milling hardrock ore to powder,infamous as mercury isalways added!

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