Cornwall in Focus NewsStriking Gold
Published 11 May 10 17:34
With the staycation trend bringing Cornwall back to the forefront of holiday destinations with its quiet rural spots, happening seafront towns and deserted golden beaches, it now seems that South Crofty mine is about to join the upturn.
The landscape of Cornwall is full of reminders of the huge mining industry that once thrived in the Duchy. It is said that not an acre of ground in Cornwall has been left unturned in the search for precious metals and minerals. Falling tin prices finally saw the closure of South Crofty - the last working mine in Cornwall - in 1998.
With mining gone but not forgotten, Western United Mines was launched in 2007 to explore the feasibility of re-opening South Crofty. Now they seem to have struck gold. The plan was to mine copper, tin and zinc, but advances in prospecting techniques have led to the discovery of gold in twice the quantity at which commercial companies become interested. With this exciting find, Western United Mines now plans to expand its operations and to extract at least copper and tin by next year.
Watch this space ...
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