Goa sitting on gold mine

Panaji: In a discovery, which has the potential to make Goa's beleaguered mining industry stand up and take notice, a study conducted by Goa University has revealed traces of gold in the iron ore harvested and exported for decades from the mining pits in the coastal state.

The study conducted by the Botany department of the University by its researcher Sujata Dabolkar and Dr Nandakumar Kamat, a faculty at the varsity, has revealed gold concentration ranges from 7.71-13 ppm (parts per million) indicating the auriferous (containing gold) nature of Goa's iron ore.

A research paper published by the duo in the latest edition of the Journal of Geosciences Research, states that it is the first such research conducted in the state which analyses the presence of gold in ore extracted from Goa's iron ore mines, which have been shut down since 2018, following a Supreme Court order which pointed out irregularities in the mining lease renewal processes.

"Detection of gold in the samples has been reported. The gold concentration ranges from 7.71-13 ppm indicating auriferous nature of Goa's iron ore. There needs to be further research on neglected auriferous iron ore of Goa," the research paper states, adding that it is the first such report on "the detection of gold from the BHQ (banded hematite quartzite) and the BMQ (banded magnetite quartzite) of Goa".