This trip has been CANCELLED

West Africa is host to world-class gold deposits and is a premier mining destination. The 35th IGC has support from Anglogold Ashanti, Gold Fields Limited and Newmont Mining which operate mines in southwestern Ghana. The excursion will start in Accra, Ghana on Saturday 3 September and then fly to Takoradi on Sunday 4 September from where road transport will take the group to the mines around Tarkwa, near the southern end of the Tarkwa Basin. The group will be hosted by Gold Fields and Anglogold Ashanti from 4-7 September ( https://www.goldfields.co.za/gl_west_tarkwa.php)

The Gold Fields open pit surface operation exploits narrow, tabular auriferous conglomerates similar to those mined in the Witwatersrand Basin of South Africa. Development over a strike of 8km contiguous to the Damang pit provides upside potential with a further 15km of strike trending south-west toward Tarkwa reflecting a prospective corridor for ongoing near-mine exploration. Visits to other gold mines in the area are being arranged. The group returns to Accra via Takoradi on Thursday 8 September and flies to Kumasi on 9 September with bus transport to the Ahafo mine.

Newmont’s Ahafo mine is located along the Sefwi Volcanic Belt, a northeast-southwest trending volcanic belt the Brong Ahafo region, about 30 km south of Sunyani and 290 km northwest of Accra. It started production in 2006 and in 2010, produced 545,000 oz of gold. Ahafo is primarily a surface mine with one underground portal. Newmont Ghana currently operates four open pits at Ahafo with reserves contained in 13 pits, over a strike length of 40 km.

Great Mines (Information PDF)
Operations Overview (website link www.newmont.com)

On Sunday 11^th September the group returns by bus and plane to Accra via Kumasi and can then depart to their onward destinations or stayover in Accra at their own cost. Hotel and dinner in Accra on 3^rd and 8^th September is included in the price.

Contact Greg Botha (gabotha@geoscience.org.za) if you are interested