Hatu is the name of a gold deposit and associated gold mines in the West Junggar region[1][2] in Tuoli County[3] within the Xinjiang province of China.[4] It is the largest gold deposit in West Junggar and occurs in the Central Asian Orogenic Belt.[5] It is located less than one hour by road from Karamay.[4] The area has an elevation of 1,300 with hills and minimal vegetation.[3]
| Location | |
|---|---|
  Hatu gold mine | |
| Province | Xinjiang |
| Country | China |
| Coordinates | 45°30′N 84°48′E / 45.5°N 84.8°E |
| Production | |
| Products | Gold |
| History | |
| Opened | 2004 |
| Owner | |
| Company | Dynasty Gold Corp. (70%) Xinjiang Non-Ferrous Metals Group (30%) |
Hatu's geology has gold and copper in quartz.[2] The occurrence has 56 tons of gold at a grade of 5 grams per ton[5] estimated to be able to produce 546,000 ounces of gold.[6]
Gold is extracted at number 1 and number 2 mines, the later known as the Qi2 Gold Mine Qi-2, Qiqiu No. 2, or Qi-II.[3]
Mining activity took started un May 2003[3] after Canadian mining company Dynasty Gold Corp entered into a joint venture with Chinese state mining company Xinjiang Non-Ferrous Metals Group.[6][4][7] Dynasty held 70% ownership.[7] By 2016, Dynasty was in a legal dispute with the state mining company.[6] Dynasty Gold were accused of permitting the use of Uyghur forced labour at the mine. The company denied it has control of the mine. Sheri Meyerhoffer the Canadian Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise announced an investigation of the company in July 2023, mentioning that "DYG's assertion that it terminated its mineral exploration activities in Xinjiang in 2008 does not seem to be supported by its press releases dated January 25, 2021 and April 13, 2022".[7]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Liu, Lei; Zhou, Jun; Jiang, Dong; Zhuang, Dafang; Mansaray, Lamin R.; Hu, Zhijun; Ji, Zhengbao (2016-02-25). "Mineral resources prospecting by synthetic application of TM/ETM+, Quickbird and Hyperion data in the Hatu area, West Junggar, Xinjiang, China". Scientific Reports. 6 (1): 21851. doi:10.1038/srep21851. ISSN 2045-2322. PMC 4766437. PMID 26911195.
- ^ a b Lijuan, Wang; Jingbin, Wang; Yuwang, Wang; Heping, Zhu; Lili, Qu (2010-09-07). "Fluid Geochemistry and Metallogenesis of the Hatu Gold Deposit in the Junggar Basin, Xinjiang". Acta Geologica Sinica - English Edition. 78 (2): 387–391. doi:10.1111/j.1755-6724.2004.tb00144.x.
- ^ a b c d Thomae, Barbara (1 November 2004). "Dynasty Gold makes splash in western China". The Northern Miner.
- ^ a b c "Nike Canada investigated by watchdog over claims it uses forced Uyghur labour in China". The Globe and Mail. 2023-07-11. Archived from the original on 2023-07-12. Retrieved 2023-07-11.
- ^ a b Hydrothermal apatite record of ore-forming processes in the Hatu orogenic gold deposit, West Junggar, Northwest China. By: Zheng, Jiahao, Shen, Ping, Feng, Wanyi, Contributions to Mineralogy & Petrology, 00107999, Feb 2022, Vol. 177, Issue 2
- ^ a b c "Canadian firms operate in China's Xinjiang region". The Globe and Mail. 2021-01-18. Archived from the original on 2023-05-09. Retrieved 2023-07-11.
- ^ a b c Tunney, Catherine (11 July 2023). "Watchdog probing claims that Nike Canada, gold company benefiting from forced Uyghur labour". CBC. Archived from the original on 11 July 2023. Retrieved 11 July 2023.