Subject: [Geology] The Lawa Gold Deposit (feasibility study)
Article:

In 1974, the price of 1 Troy oz of gold was US$135 and a feasibility study recommended that it would be economically profitable to mine for gold. Today in 1997 the price of gold is US $325. The gold deposit is located at the left bank of the Lawa River. Coordinates 54 degrees 15' and 54 degrees 05'W and 3 degrees 30' and 3 degrees 5'N. It is near the border with French Guiana. The village of Benzdorp is near the deposit. The village is about 240 km from Paramaribo and can be reached by air landing at Maripasoela in French Guiana. The richest deposits are assumed to be near the Fatoe Swietie Mts. Other deposits are somewhat to the east of the Antino-Eau Clair and A-Rufin Pointu Creeks. Exploitation began as early as 1861. In 1895 the French Compagnie desMines d'or de la Guyane Hollandaise acquired concession rights and obtained a fair production of gold. Mining companies which operated from 1928 to 1935 did not have much success. In 1935 the Susa Kreek Goudvelden Mij obtained concession rights. Mining was performed by manual labor by some 200 men and the production of gold was about 125 kg a year. In 1956 the Lawa Goudvelden Mij started a dredge project in the Rufin valley. The dredge started operating in 1963 after an investment of more than SF 3 million. The operation was not a success due to a wrong cost evaluation, bad management, gold theft and the fixed gold price ($35 for 1 Troy oz). the company went out of business in 1969 and the concession rights went to Benz & Co WIHC in paramaribo. The company worked with 15 local gold diggers. The concession rights expired in Feb 1975. The feasibility study suggests that the gold ore reserves can not be mined by a single method. The best method would be the use of a dredge which can mine 60% of the gold ore. The remaining deposits might be economically mined by individual diggers. The 1974 study concludes that at a gold price of $135-140 for one Troy oz, mining of the Lawa gold deposits would be economically feasible. --My note: I am not aware of a more recent feasibility study as this new study will reflect inflation since 1974. ------


Met dank aan Albert Buys








Met dank aan Albert Buys