Overview

Glass Earth Gold: Driving gold discovery and development in New Zealand.

New Zealand is unusual compared to the world's other gold-producing regions - it has large, operating world class gold mines, but exploration for and development of new deposits has been neglected for more than a decade. Glass Earth Gold is leading the revival of gold exploration activity, using cutting-edge science and technology to model historic gold deposits and locate new economically viable lodes.

Our exploration for gold throughout New Zealand is focussed on these three regions - follow the links for an introduction to each region and our individual projects:



New Zealand: World class gold deposits.

While relatively unexplored with modern exploration techniques, New Zealand currently hosts two world class gold mines. The Newmont Mining-owned Martha Hill gold mine at Waihi in the Hauraki region of the North Island is a 10 Million oz epithermal deposit, and the OceanaGold owned Macraes gold mine in Central Otago, South Island is a 7 Million oz mesothermal gold deposit. Additionally, over 8 Million oz of placer gold has been mined historically in Central Otago.


Martha Mine

Macraes Mine

Hauraki Region


Glass Earth completed a major data collation/interpretation and targeting exercise amalgamating into a single digital 3D database and visualisation platform the previous 100+ years of exploration, mining, geological mapping and geophysical surveying to complement extensive regional geochemical surveys collected by the NZ government.

The resultant targeting and ranking process identified 11 high priority targets with the characteristics of major epithermal gold systems capable of hosting a world class gold deposit.

Newmont bought into this process entering into a JV with Glass Earth to fund and undertake the exploration of this and other priority targets within Glass Earth permits.

The WKP WEST DISCOVERY is a result of this targeting process; a significant endorsement of science driven exploration management.

The Hauraki Joint Venture is focused on the WKP-West target, but also continuing regional exploration on several other high ranking targets in the vicinity.

This JV complemented the earlier Waihi West JV with Newmont, over Glass Earth's permit immediately adjacent to the Martha Gold Mine.

Central Volcanic Region


Glass Earth commenced work in the CVR and Mamaku areas of the North Island in 2005 with two airborne geophysical surveys (gravity & magnetics) over a large portion of the region. Interrogation of this data led to detailed geochemical sampling, ground geophysical surveys, and surface mapping of a number of anomalous zones. Scout drilling (diamond drilling) commenced in 2006 over 5 prospects, and returned some encouraging results.

In order to further define drill targets, Glass Earth implemented E-SCAN(r), a new generation multi-directional DC resistivity method that highlights resistive/conductive contrasts (quartz versus altered rock) in 3D down to approximately 650m depth. These surveys were carried out over the whole target zones, and are providing 3D information of the subsurface systems that could host gold mineralisation.

In the Mamaku Region, Glass Earth has identified, through its geophysical surveys, the extension of the Coromandel Volcanic Arc; host to the 10 Million oz Martha Gold Mine operated by Newmont at Waihi. Surrounding the historic Muirs Reef gold deposit (production 43,642 oz gold circa 1930's), Glass Earth's Gibraltar and Otawa prospects have demonstrated that this epithermal gold prospect represents one large continuous alteration and quartz veined system over 5,000 m in length.

Otago Region


The Otago Region has produced over 8 Million oz of placer (alluvial) gold since 1861 and hosts the 7.2 Million oz Macraes Gold Mine (OceanaGold Limited).

During 2007 Glass Earth collected new data using an advanced airborne mapping technology. The NZ$4M survey was flown over 53,000 line km, and took 7 months.
This data along with a significant new regional geochemical database, has provided completely new insights into the prospectivity of the region.

Target concepts incorporated into exploration programmes are addressing:
  1. Large tonnage/ounce resource in relation to unoxidised shear-related mineralisation e.g. advanced projects such as Serpentine, and new high priority greenfields prospects like Fruidburn, form two highly prospective projects that are scheduled for detailed exploration activities.
  2. Small, multiple, high grade, oxidised ore deposits

Conceptual modelling, combined with hard rock geochemical data, has highlighted that in many cases low angle shear related mineralisation is overprinted by small multiple high grade quartz veins host to coarse gold. These shallow high grade oxide ore systems are being examined to determine their potential to contribute to hard rock gold production via a mobile crushing and gravity separation plant.

Historical drilling, trenching and rock chip sampling and limited underground workings show potential for the recovery of this high grade mineralisation by gravity separation. Further prospects, including Ophir and Sparrowhawk, present opportunities to go directly to mining these shallow high grade oxide ores, and could provide sufficient gold resources to support production from a mobile plant.