Gold Potential, Mining and Processing of Turkey
M Kaya1
ABSTRACT
This article focuses on Turkey’s gold potential with respect to
exploration, development and operation after 1985. Apart from Turkey’s
geology, which offers a substantial number of volcanic-associated gold
(Ag) and gold-copper (Au-Cu) projects, there are numerous other factors
which make the country a favourable place for mining. Turkey has a
mining history which goes back to pre-Roman times and an excellent
mining code which ensures security for long-term production. In the
country, the Government and local villagers are very positive and the
country works extremely well logistically with excellent road and
telecommunication links. The opportunities for new discoveries in Turkey
are very high. Moreover, Turkey has its eyes turned west as it moves
towards joining the European Community and it is no surprise that
international companies believe it has got its timing as well as its partner
relationship right. Newmont, Teck Cominco, BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto,
Eldorado Gold, etc all have direct or indirect interests in Turkey, as do an
increasing number of midtier and junior exploration companies. Turkish
Koza Gold Mining is the first Au producing company of Turkey. The
Eldorado Gold owned 245 t Kisladag Au deposit in Western Turkey is
currently also producing Au. In the meantime Anatolia Minerals
Development is advancing the 131 t resource at the Cöpler Au deposit in
North Eastern Turkey. These are significant world-class deposits.
Further encouragement for investment in the Au mining sector has
been provided by the introduction of a new mining law in 1985. Foreign
investments in the country were encouraged and have seen a rapid
increase in the last two decades. Gross domestic product (GDP) growth is
in excess of five per cent per annum, inflation is down from 70 per cent to
single figures, the budget deficit has been cut by 40 per cent to 11 per cent
and industrial output and productivity are increasing rapidly. Turkey is
politically and economically stable, is a member of the European
Customs Union, has a supportive mining legislation, is highly prospective
and under-explored and hosts significant recent gold discoveries.
HISTORICAL OVERVIEW OF MINING IN TURKEY
Legends and historical records indicate that metal mining in
Turkey goes back at least 8000 years. Copper, gold, silver,
lead, tin, iron, mercury and other metals have been mined since
ancient times by Phoenicians, Greeks, Hittites, Romans,
Ottomans and modern-day Turks. Gold mining in Turkey started
in 3000 BC. Turkey is an ancient epicentre of civilisation and it
is no coincidence that the first bronze (an alloy of Cu and Sn)
was compounded in Turkey (circa 2900 BC), that the first Fe was
refined here by the Hittites (circa 1500 BC) and that Croesus
created a coin emblazoned with his own image (circa 600 BC) in
the kingdom of Lydia which lay here. Of course, the ancients
were only able to find the richest and most obvious deposits and
Turkey has had almost no exploration with modern methods until
just recently. In fact, what mining occurs here focuses on a few
deposits mined since ancient days, leaving large areas almost
completely unexplored.
Turkey is located in the Alpine orogenic belt between the
Eurasian, Arabian and African plates and has undergone repeated
episodes of orogeny and mineralisation. Turkey is geologically
complex and remains geothermally and tectonically active today.
From north to south, Turkey has four main tectonic belts: the
Pontid, Anatolid, Taurid and Border fold belts. Myriad intrusions
and metal deposits are found in all but the Border belt. The
Taurids, a belt of folded, faulted, mineralised mountain chains,
arcs across southern Turkey. The Taurids vie with the Pontids as
the most metal-rich region of Asia Minor. Much of Turkey’s
1. Osmangazi University, Mining Engineering Department, Eskisehir,
Turkey. Email: mkaya@ogu.edu.tr
World Gold Conference Cairns, QLD, 22 - 24 October 2007
Pb-Zn-Ag and Cu-Au-Ag-Co mining are located there. Much of
the ancient world’s metals came from the massive sulfides,
porphyries, replacements, veins, etc found there. For most of
Western history, Turkey was the centre of the world, known as
Anatolia. Anatolia’s mineral wealth has been one of its
attractions during these and earlier eras.
MINING LAW IN TURKEY
The mining industry in Turkey operates under the jurisdiction of
the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources. All mining rights
in Turkey are reserved to the Turkish government. Individuals or
companies with legal status in Turkey may apply for, obtain and
hold valid permits, which grant exploration and mining rights in
Turkey. Exploration and mining rights are granted under a
staged, three-licence system: exploration licence (valid for
30 months, progress reports every eight months are given),
preoperation licence (valid for three years, progress reports every
eight months are given) and operation licence (ten to 60 years,
annual reports are given). The Turkish Mining Department and
the Minister of Mines give licences with coordinates after paying
fees per hectare to the Turkish government. Ongoing production
and/or the discovery of additional Reserves generally allow the
holder to request an extension at any time. Under prevailing
Turkish mining law, claims do not immediately become open for
staking upon expiry. Rather they are withdrawn by the Mines
Division, which, after a period of between a few to several
months, posts a notice stating the place, date and time that these
claims will be auctioned off to the highest bidder. Once such an
auction is completed, any claims that did not sell are then
annulled and the ground made available for acquisition by the
normal staking procedure. An amount of five per cent of the
annual gross profits obtained from the ores mined from each
mine site (gross profit) are paid to the Turkish government as a
state right and another five per cent goes to the Turkish mining
fund.
Turkish mining laws and regulations require various types of
permits for various types of activities, covering any type of
surface disturbance in government forest areas through to full
mine permitting. At the exploration stage, the main type of
permitting required pertains to drilling. Generally, there is no
permit necessary if a drill program is not in excess of a total of
3000 m; if it is, then an environmental impact report is required.
Typically, six months are required to have a report prepared and
approved. If any drill holes are to be located in a government
forest, then a special permit is required from the Forestry
Department and a fee is paid to cover any anticipated damage to
trees as a result of drilling. Mine permitting is undertaken as part
of and following the preparation of a feasibility study and entails
all of the environmental planning necessary for such operations,
including precautionary methods to be employed during mining
and reclamation plans to follow mine closure.
GOLD DEPOSITS AND PROSPECTS OF TURKEY
The Au metallogeny of Turkey constitutes a sector of the
Tethyan Eurasian metallogenic belt within the Alpine-Himalayan
orogenic system that formed from the Jurassic-Cretaceous to the
present. This orogenic system produced many different types of
deposits related to subduction, collision, post-collision and
rifting processes. Au deposits, as well as other mineral deposits
of Turkey, are mainly concentrated in late Mesozoic and Tertiary
47
M KAYA
rocks. Turkey possesses a wide spectrum of Au deposits related
to Mesozoic and Cenozoic volcano-plutonic arcs. However,
porphyry Au-Cu, epithermal Au (including both high and low
sulfidation styles), and Au-rich volcanic-associated massive
sulfides are the most economically important to date. Orogenic
Au, including listwanite-hosted, placer Au and skarn-hosted Au
are relatively less important or abundant deposit types. Other
potential Au systems for exploration include Carlin-type Au,
detachment-fault-related Au, iron oxide-Cu-Au and Au in
carbonate-replacement and Mn deposits (Akcil, 2004).
Exploration for Au in Turkey has been mainly focused on
porphyry and epithermal Au deposits, with some lesser emphasis
on other types. In the first gold mine operation, there were
serious objections to the use of cyanide, which was actively used
in gold mining for almost 120 years and it was necessary to
address all kinds of environmental issues. Currently, Europe
produces only one per cent of the world Au demand and Turkey
is becoming one of the biggest Au producers in the European
area. Turkey is also one of the biggest Au consumers in the world
along with India, the USA, Saudi Arabia and China. Turkey
imports 150 - 200 t of Au every year at a cost of US$1.5 -
2 billion. Turkey exports US$1 billion of Au products every year.
Anglo Tur Mining Co (South African, Anglo-American Corp,
established in 1998), Cominco Mining Co (Canadian Cominco
Res Int Ltd, established in 1987), Dardanel Mining Co (Canadian
Corona Ltd and Inco Ltd), Eurogold Mining Co (Australian
Normandy Poseidon and Canadian Metal Mining Corp,
established in 1989, Rio-Tur Mining (British RTZ Corp Ltd,
established in 1990), Tüprag Metal Mining Ltd (South African
Gencor Ltd then Canadian Eldorado Gold, established in 1986),
Fronteer Development, Ariana Resources, Stratex Int Plc and
Anatolia Minerals Development Ltd are working in Turkey.
Table 1 shows some of the gold deposits and their properties in
Turkey. Figure 1 shows the distribution of Au deposits on the
map of Turkey. During Au explorations, 201 people (Tüprag 51,
Cominco 45, Eurogold 66, Rio Tinto 25 and Anglotur 14) were
employed.
Ovacik gold mine (Koza Gold Company)
Ovacik Gold Mine is 100 km north of Izmir Province and 15 km
west of Bergama. The Ovacik Au body was discovered in 1989,
plant construction started in 1994, construction was completed in
1997 and the operation finally started to recover Au and Ag in
June 2001. Ore grade is 9 g/t Au and 11 g/t Ag and the reserve
is about three million tonnes. There are both open pit and
FIG 1 - Geological spread of Turkish gold deposits in the country (green cities have gold deposits).
48 Cairns, QLD, 22 - 24 October 2007
underground mines in Ovacik. In the ore, heavy metal contents
are low. In 1993, Eurogold Mining Corp (subsidiary of
Normandy Poseidon Group (67 per cent) and German Metal-
gesellschaft AG Group (33 per cent)) brought into Turkey the
first Au mining technology and environment protection
technologies. Eurogold was opened and operated the Ovacik
Gold Mine. The open pit produced 200 000 tpa and the
underground mine 100 000 tpa. As with any new project, there
has been controversy between miners and other groups on the
environmental effects of the cyanidation process. Local villagers
showed resistance to the use of cyanide in their country yard.
There was much resistance organised by national and
international environmental non-government organisations
(NGOs) and many court trials to prevent the Au mine from
operating. The company, which produces 3 t of Au and Ag
annually, only started operation after an elaborate permission
procedure.
Geology of Au deposit
The Ovacik-Narlica deposit, in the Bergama area, is the first
documented example of low-sulfidation epithermal Au
mineralisation in the Western Anatolian Volcanic and Extensional
province. The province hosts several other epithermal deposits,
such as the quartz-adularia-type Efemçukuru and Küçükdere
deposits and the porphyry-related high sulfidation Kisladag
deposit. The Ovacik-Narlica deposit is classified as a quartz-
adularia-type or ‘low sulfide-tion’ Au deposit based on wall-rock
and vein alteration assemblages and is similar to many deposits
elsewhere in the world (Yilmaz et al, 2003).
Mining in the Bergama graben area started at the Narlica Au
deposit around 600 BC, during the reign of King Croesus. This
Au occurrence is located at a higher elevation (270 m) than that
of Ovacik (70 m). Substantial ancient mine workings and dumps
were developed at Narlica over a 500 m strike length within a
1600 m long epithermal lode. Pottery from shallow pits, shafts
and drives provides evidence that Au from epithermal quartz
veins in the Ovacik area was further exploited during the Roman
era (~400 AD). The Ovacik-Narlica Au-Ag epithermal deposit
was rediscovered during a regional bulk leach extractable gold
(BLEG) stream-sediment sampling program in 1988 and was the
first economic deposit in the region to be identified by modern
prospecting techniques. During the initial BLEG sampling
program several anomalous Au values, ranging from 3 - 142 ppb
Au, were returned. Follow-up of the 142 ppb BLEG Au anomaly
World Gold Conference
 TABLE 1
Gold deposits in Turkey.

Place/location Au grade Ag grade Reserve Au Ag Project situation Prod Life exp Company Process Deposit type
(g/t) (g/t) ( 1000) (t) (t) (tpa) (yr)
(t)

World Gold Conference

Izmir-Bergama-Ovacik 9 11 2980 26.8 24 In operation since 2001 3 8 Koza Gold Mine Cyanidation + CIP Vein epithermal
GümüÕhane-Mescitli- 12 8 1000 12 8 Feasibility Koza Gold Mine Cyanidation + CIP Vein epithermal
Mastra
Izmir-Seferihisar- Efemçukuru 12.65 2760 34 Feasibility 10 Tüprag-Eldorado Flotation + Vein epithermal
cyanidation
UÕak-EÕme-Kisladag 1.43 0.9 74 000 245 In operation since 2006 14 Cyanidation + heap
leaching
Balikesir-Havran- 6.43 11.8 1500 9 15.6 In suspension-development 6 Tüprag-Eldorado Cyanidation + CIP Vein epithermal
Küçükdere
EskiÕehir-Sivrihisar- 6.5 5.3 974 5.88 5.17 In suspension-development 8 Tüprag-Eldorado Cyanidation + CIP Dissemine-isvenit
Kaymaz
Koyulhisar-Sivas 1.8 Exploration Tüprag-Eldorado
Toplak Tepe 0-3
19.6
Artvin-Cerattepe (sulfide) 1.8 23.9 3800 37.48 1246 Feasibility Cominco Cyanidation + CIP Masive sulfide
(Fe-head) 5.2 200 1600
Erzincan-Iliç-Çukurdere-Çöpler 3.3 - 4.6 179 Exploration Anatolian Min Dev Bioleaching +
(Cu-Au) Corp (Rio Tinto) cyanidation
Tunceli-Ovacik Au Cyanidation + heap
leaching
Manisa-Salihli-Sart 96 mg/m3 10 In operation Gravity separation Placer

Cairns, QLD, 22 - 24 October 2007

Çanakkale-Kirazli-Akbaba 12.5 8000 10 Exploration Fronteer Dev Group High sulfidation
epithermal
Sindirgi-Kiziltepe- 4.3 Exploration Ariana Res Plc Epithermal quartz
Balikesir vein
Goveli 4.16 Exploration Ariana Res Plc
Inlice (Au) 6.22 Exploration Stratex Int Plc
Karaa™ac (Mo-Cu-Au)
Muratdere, Bilecik (Cu-Au-Mo)
Derinköü-Artvin (Cu-Mo-Au) Exploration Aldridge Min Inc
Olucak-GümüÕhane (Au-Ag-
Pb-Zn-Cu)
KaletaÕ (Au) 6.8 362 MTA Epithermal, refractory
Total 560 183

49
GOLD POTENTIAL, MINING AND PROCESSING OF TURKEY
M KAYA
in late 1988 resulted in the location of abundant quartz float in an
area which is now known to contain the ancient mine dumps at
Narlica. During further prospecting, several epithermal quartz
veins were located near the village of Ovacik. Rockchip
sampling from this vein returned high Au grades of up to 110 g/t.
Since 1989, approximately 20 000 m of drilling has been
undertaken by Normandy Mining Ltd on and around the deposit
area during definition of the Ovacik orebody. As of 2003, the
Ovacik deposit contained a total Reserve (Proven + Possible +
Probable) of 4.19 Mt at 7.6 g/t (31.87 t or 1.02 Moz contained
Au), of which 2.4 Mt at 10 g/t (24 t) is mineable.
Process description
At the Ovacik gold mine, Au is extracted from crushed ore using
cyanidation. Cyanide was first used in the Turkish mining
industry in 1987 at a state-run Ag plant (Gumuskoy). Today,
approximately 2500 t of NaCN are used annually in Turkey for
Au and Ag recovery, including 1100 tpa used at the Gumuskoy
Ag plant. Approximately 2.5 Mt of cyanide is manufactured
annually worldwide. The Ovacik Au mine uses some 240 t of
NaCN annually. Au grade for the open pit mine is 8.3 g/t and the
reserve is about 843 000 t. Grade for the underground ore is
10.8 g/t and the reserve is about 900 000 t. The underground
mine has an eight year life expectancy and the open pit mine a
two year life expectancy. The Ovacik Gold Mine is producing 13
per cent of the European area’s Au. Turkey is becoming the
biggest Au producer in Europe.
Ore is crushed in two steps to -16 mm with 98 per cent of dust
coming from crushing being suppressed by a dust collection
system and pumped back to the concentrator. In the Ovacik
cyanidation plant, ore is first crushed and then wet ground in
mills to liberate Au particles. In the grinding section, two serial
mills and cyclones are used. Once the ore is wet ground to
-38 µm, high degree Au liberation is achieved. pH is adjusted by
lime. Cyclone overflow is thickened to 45 per cent solids in the
thickener. Thickener overflow is recycled to the grinding circuit.
Two open cyanidition tanks and eight activated carbon tanks
(CIP) are used. Loaded active carbon is screened, washed, eluted
with a caustic and cyanide mixture and then water to strip off Au
and Ag. Barren carbon is reactivated and reused in the circuit.
The company obtained an Environment Positive Certificate from
the Turkish government, which ensures that Au production does
not have any detrimental effect on the environment and living
organisms. The company gives commitments on dust control,
sound control, blasting technique, waste disposal/destruction,
waste purification, air-water quality, rehabilitation, monitoring
and inspection to the government.
The total investment for Ovacik Gold Mine is US$35.6 million.
Of this, 44.6 per cent is spent for local goods and services, 20 per
cent for local employment, 32 per cent for export goods and
services and 3.4 per cent for foreign experts. Operating cost is
around US$20 million (47 per cent of this amount is spent for
domestic goods and services and 27 per cent for employment).
Annually, US$2 - 3 million is spent for new explorations in the
area and approximately US$40 million worth of Au is exported.
During plant construction 341 people were employed and during
production 238 people (180 of these are local villagers) were
employed. This operation also creates excellent tourism potential
for the area.
Cyanide destruction process
Plant tails are chemically treated by the Inco SO2/air method
(patented in 1984), which is used in more than 67 plants in the
world. This process is based upon conversion of CNWAD to
cyanate using a mixture of SO2 and air with CuSO4 catalyst.
Normally, the SO2/air process is configured as a single-stage
continuous treatment facility. The technology is safe and reliable
50 Cairns, QLD, 22 - 24 October 2007
and is selective for total cyanide detoxification. Typically, the
process is capable of removing total cyanide to less than 2 mg/L,
from feeds containing total cyanide in the range of 50 -
2000 mg/L (Robbins et al, 2001).
At Ovacik, the Inco SO2/air chemical decomposition process
and natural degradation are deployed in cyanide destruction.
Turkey’s Ministry of the Environment has set the limit on weak
acid dissociable (WAD) cyanide levels in discharged tailings to
<1 ppm. Treated tailings from the CN destruction plant are then
discharged into the tailings pond (resistant to earthquake
intensity nine), where the remaining cyanide present in the
tailings is decomposed by natural degradation, and heavy metals
are precipitated and stabilised. The system has the capacity to
decompose over 99 per cent of the cyanide present, reducing
total cyanide concentration in solution to below the 1 ppm limit.
All of the potential environmental pollutants at the mine,
including dust, HCN gas, solution cyanide and heavy metals in
tailings pond and groundwater are monitored on a daily basis and
reported monthly to government regulatory authorities. Plant
tails are collected into the leak-proof tailings dam which has a
70 cm clay lining and a 1.5 mm thick geomembrane. Water from
the tailings dam is recycled to the concentrator. The processing
plant has an automatic control system for chemicals addition,
pH, analysis, etc. The destruction circuit was designed to destroy
8.4 kg/h of cyanide in a tailings stream composed of 45 - 48 per
cent solids (by weight). The slurry and cyanide flows have been
calculated using a basis of 900 tonnes of ore processed per day
(approximately 180 ppm CNTotal).
Koza Gold Company
Koza Gold Company is a Turkish company established by
100 per cent Turkish capital in order to prospect and exploit Au
mines in Turkey. The Koza Gold Company bought all shares of
Normandy Madencilik AS from Newmont Mining Corporation
in March, 2005. Thus, a 100 per cent Turkish owned company
produces Au for the first time in the history of the Turkish
Republic. Koza Gold company has 38 gold deposits in 14 cities
in Turkey. Seven deposits are in the Izmir-Ovacik and
GümüÕhane-Mastra areas (Koza Altin, 2007).
Efemçukuru-Izmir epithermal gold deposit
(Tüprag-Eldorado Gold)
Project location and description
Efemçukuru is located in western Turkey, 20 km southwest of
Izmir in a mountainous area known as Tepe Da™i. The property
is held by Tüprag, a wholly owned subsidiary of Eldorado Gold,
and covers an area of 3000 ha. Site access is via local paved
roads from the coast and the city of Izmir to the North. The
Efemçukuru project reached an advanced stage of development
with the completion of a full prefeasibility study in early 1999,
which describes an 800 t/d underground mine supported by a Au
flotation recovery plant. The project is in the permitting stage
with ongoing evaluation of alternative ore processing options.
Geology and mineralisation of the deposit can be found in
Oyman, Minareci and Piskin (2003).
Reserve/Resource
The Efemçukuru mineral resource, which lies within the north,
middle and south ore shoots in the Kestane Beleni structure, is
estimated to contain approximately 2.4 million tonnes at a grade
of 14.44 g/t, or 31 t (1.1 million ounces) of Au. Ore reserves
within the deposit are classified at 1.8 Mt with a grade of
13.14 g/t, or approximately 22.2 t (784 100 ounces) of Au. The
planned mine production rate is 280 000 tpa to recover an
average of 2.56 t (90 000 ounces) of Au annually. The operating
life of the mine, based on the presently known resource, is
expected to be 12 years.
World Gold Conference

Past and present activities
The target identified at the Efemçukuru project is a high-grade
vein-hosted Au system. In 1997, the company completed a
4092 m diamond drilling program along the north, middle and
south ore shoots to further delineate the initial identified resource
of 18.7 t (660 000 ounces). This resulted in an increase in the
resource to 31.2 t (1.1 million ounces) contained in 2.52 Mt at an
average grade of 13.71 g/t. Additional diamond drilling was
carried out for hydrogeological testing in the vein structure as
well as the hanging wall and footwall rocks. In 1998, Micon
International evaluated the geological model and confirmed a
measured and indicated resource of 1.87 Mt @ 14.26 g/t, with an
inferred resource of 660 000 t @ 11.99 g/t. Au reserves of 22.2 t
(784 100 ounces) were established during an internal
prefeasibility study completed in 1999. In 2006 the Company
completed 6720 m of the 13 000 m drill program for the
feasibility study to be completed in Q2 2007. In 2007, the
exploration drilling program will be expanded to 21 000 m.
Recently, 5.6 m of drill core grading 218.6 g/t Au was reported
(Pitcher, 2007). An Environment Positive Certificate was issued
in September 2005. Engineering and procurement studies
will continue to the end of Q3 of 2007. Construction and
preproduction development will start from Q2 of 2007 and finish
in Q3 of 2008. Commissioning and start-up will begin in Q3 of
2008 (Eldorado Gold, 2007c).
Kisladag gold mine (Tüprag-Eldorado)
Location
Kisladag is located between the major centres of Izmir (180 km
to the west) and Ankara (350 km to the northeast). Usak is the
closest large population centre, located 35 km to the northeast,
and access to the site is via all-weather paved roads servicing
several small villages in the immediate area. The project sits on
the western edge of the Anatolian Plateau, in gentle rolling
topography, at an elevation of approximately 1000 m. The
climate is arid with hot summers and cold winters. Annual
rainfall is approximately 460 mm, occurring mainly from
November to May. Economic activity in the area consists of a
mixture of subsistence farming and grazing. Property size is
157 km2. Eldorado Gold owns a 100 per cent interest in the
Kisladag Gold Project through its wholly owned Turkish
subsidiary Tüprag.
Project status
• Feasibility study completed in March 2003,
• Environmental Positive Certificate received at the end of the
Q2 2003,
• Establishment Certificate received in December 2003,
• zoning plan approved in August 2004,
• construction permit received in September 2004,
• first Au poured on 12 May 2006,
• commercial production began on 1 July 2006,
• 2006 production was 2 t (70 895 ounces) of Au at a cash cost
of US$206, and
• forecast 2007 production is 5.4 - 5.7 t (190 000 - 200 000 oz)
of Au at a cash cost of US$210/oz to US$220/oz (Tüprag,
2007).
Project description
The Kisladag Au Project is the largest Au mine in Turkey when
in full production. Kisladag is a 14 year open pit heap leach
Au mine. At full production the mine should produce 6.8 t
World Gold Conference Cairns, QLD, 22 - 24 October 2007
GOLD POTENTIAL, MINING AND PROCESSING OF TURKEY
(240 000 oz) annually. Cash cost for gold production over the life
of the mine is US$232/oz. Geology and mineralisation of the ore
deposit can be found on the Eldorado Gold web site.
Process description
A total of 31 000 m of drilling between 1996 and 2002 on the
Kisladag deposit was completed and Micon International
prepared a resource estimate in accordance with NI 43-101,
which increased the Measured and Indicated and Inferred Au
Resources to 223 t (7.86 million ounces). Ore (166.4 Mt) at a
grade of 1.13 g/t Reserve was found. A mine production rate of
5 Mtpa of ore was set for the first four years of the mine’s life.
Average daily production rates will be 16 000 t of ore and
13 000 t of waste during these initial four years. Annual ore
production will increase to 7.5 Mt in Year 5, and to 10 Mt the
following year, remaining at that level until the end of the mine’s
life. The highest daily production rate occurs in Year 7 with a
total movement of 79 000 tpa (ore plus waste). Total quantities of
ore and waste will be 115 Mt and 106 Mt, respectively, over the
mine life, and the overall strip ratio will be 0.92. A mining
contractor will initially be employed for waste movement and ore
mining, and in Year 4 of operations. Eldorado will begin to phase
in its own mining fleet and mine workforce for completing the
project.
Kisladag ore is amenable to heap leaching technology. Au
recovery of 81 per cent is projected for the oxide ore. The
primary ore has higher sulfide content and Au recovery is
projected to be 60 per cent. The ore will require a crush size of
80 per cent passing 6.3 mm and a leach period of 90 days. The
Kisladag ore will be processed in a standard heap leach facility
containing a three-stage crushing circuit, an overland conveyor to
the heap leach pad, mobile conveyors and a stacker for placing
the ore and a carbon adsorption facility (ADR plant) for
recovering the Au. The carbon will be treated on-site in a
refinery and the final product will be Au doré bar. The average
Au production in the first four years of operation is expected to
be 4 t (143 000 ounces) annually, increasing to 6.5 t (230 000 oz)
annually after Year 5. Figure 2 shows some views of the Kisladag
Au Project (Eldorado Gold, 2007e). During construction the
workforce will be 450 and during mine operation 350 people will
be employed. About 80 per cent of these workers are local. The
Kisladag Au mine creates investment, employment, tax and
export revenues, local economic activity by purchasing consumer
goods and services (such as buying equipment, maintenance
services, transportation, construction, communication,
computation, science and technology, insurance, finance, law,
management and travel services, etc) and contributes to the
education, health and infrastructure (roads, water, etc) of local
remote communities. Kisladag Au mine is the heap leaching
pioneer of Turkey.
Tüprag’s other gold deposits in Turkey
Pontide volcanic belt of Turkey
In the Western Pontides area, Tüprag controls 145 200 ha in
42 exploration licences. The targets in this area are large, bulk
tonnage, high sulfidation-type precious metal systems and low
sulfidation-type precious metal vein systems. Tüprag is focusing
on areas within the Pontide volcanic arc where intrusive/volcanic
complexes are found with associated alteration in the overlying
volcanic rocks. These targets include the Koyulhisar District,
Toplak Tepe, the AS Project and Biga Peninsula.
Koyulhisar district
This area has a concentration of stream sediment anomalies and
historic mining activity. Tüprag controls 60 893 ha in 14
exploration licences in the Koyulhisar district (Sivas), in areas
51
M KAYA
A B
D E
G H
FIG 2 - Kisladag gold project (A) open pit, (B) crushing-screening plant, (C) ore transportation to leach area, (D) heap leach area,
(E) spreading the ore to leach area, (F) gold recovery plant, (G) gold melting and casting, (H) first dore gold.
where late-Cretaceous/early-Tertiary rocks intrude similar age
volcanics. Argillic alteration is widespread on the concessions
and the property partially surrounds prospective land containing
high sulfidation-type Au targets. Argillic alteration is present at
the base of the silica outcrops and rock chip sampling has shown
values of up to 1.8 g/t of gold. In 2004, Tüprag mapped and
sampled outcrops and road cuts on the ridge to provide drill
targets for 2005.
Toplak Tepe
Toplak Tepe is an exploration licence of 1671 ha, with targets
that are both disseminated, bulk tonnage mineralisation and
high-grade feeder zones beneath a massive barite deposit mined
during the 1990s. Stockwork mineralisation is hosted in altered
dacitic volcanics and subvolcanic intrusives, the same units that
host volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) deposits in the region
at Cayeli (Inmet) and Cerrateppe (Inmet-Teck Cominco). The
stockwork zone is at least 1500 m long and 450 m wide, and is
surrounded by a hydrothermally altered zone consisting of
silicification, seritisation and argillic alteration. Rock chip
sample results in the zone range from 0.3 g/t to 19.6 g/t of Au.
Tüprag undertook detailed mapping and sampling, along with
road building to provide access for drilling in late 2005. The
primary drill target was high-grade feeder zones beneath the
barite cap (Eldorado Gold, 2007d).
AS project (Demir Joint Venture)
Eldorado 50/50 joint venture consists of 27 licences covering
a total of 58 642 ha. Work to date has concentrated on the
AS property, which has two exploration licences covering
52 Cairns, QLD, 22 - 24 October 2007
C
F
approximately 8000 ha. This property, discovered during a
reconnaissance program in 2001 and 2002, is a porphyry-style
Au-Mo-Cu deposit. The geology consists of mid- to late-Tertiary
multiple intrusives into Paleozoic metamorphic rocks and earlier
Tertiary volcanics. Porphyry-style stock work mineralisation is
located in the intrusives, with quartz tourmaline alteration
present in the intrusives and quartz alunite alteration present in
the volcanics. Coincident with the mineralisation and alteration
is a well-defined Au-Mo-Cu soil anomaly that defines a ‘bull’s
eye’ target over the most altered and mineralised intrusive. The
surface extent of this anomaly is approximately 1500 m
east-west by 600 m north-south. Tüprag is encouraged by this
property due to the similarity in alteration styles when compared
with the Kisladag Project. In 2004, Tüprag completed the
permitting and construction of 6 km of roads through the centre
of the anomaly for mapping, sampling and drill access. Initial
drilling and geochemical work was conducted in 2005. In 2006
the company continued drilling, mapping and geochemical work
(Eldorado Gold, 2007b).
Biga Peninsula
In the Biga Peninsula area of western Turkey, Eldorado controls
25 exploration licences covering 38 244 ha. Reconnaissance
work has been continuing since 2005.
Fronteer Development Group’s gold projects in
Turkey
Fronteer Development Group (FRG-TSX, FRR-Frankfurt)
acquired a 100 per cent interest in five epithermal Au properties
located in Western Turkey (Çanakkale) belonging to Teck
Cominco Arama ve Madencilik Sanayi Ticaret AS.
World Gold Conference

Çanakkale-Agi Dagi-Kirazli
Feasibility studies in the Agi Dagi and Kirazli high-sulfidation
epithermal Au systems on the Biga Peninsula continue to expand
the Au resources, reaching 36 t (1.26 Moz) Au and 145 t
(5.12 Moz) Ag and 23 t (0.8 Moz) Au and 156 t (5.55 Moz) Ag,
respectively (Fronteer Development Group, 2007). The Agi Dagi
Project includes a large target area measuring 4 km by 2 km. The
structural grain of the property strikes NE-SW, the majority of
which remains untested by drilling. Currently, two main Au
zones have been defined on the property including the Baba zone
on the south-east end, and the Deli zone on the north-east end,
with both of these zones included in a recently completed
resource estimate. The combined resources of the Agi Dagi
property include: 6.2 t Indicated (217 000 oz) and 30 t Inferred
(1 043 000 oz) of Au and 425 000 Indicated and 4 697 000
Inferred ounces of Ag (Fronteer Group, 2007). Fronteer currently
has nine drill rigs operating in Turkey on three projects (Agi
Dagi, Kirazli and Biga Peninsula).
Kirazli
The Kirazli project includes a large target area measuring 2 km
by 1 km. The highlight of this project is a very high-grade Au
zone that has the potential to expand into an exceptional deposit.
Fronteer spent the 2005 exploration campaign delineating and
expanding this high-grade Au zone and testing other targets on
the property. Results have now defined a large Au zone that is
approximately 1000 m long, 100 m wide and averaging 40 -
60 m in thickness. The high-grade Au zone sits in the middle of
this larger zone. A recently completed resource estimate of the
Kirazli Au zone has yielded the following results: 1.2 t
(44 000 oz) Indicated and 16 t Inferred (563 000 oz) of Au and
50 t Indicated (1 693 000 oz) and 109 t Inferred (3 859 000 oz) of
Ag (Fronteer Group, 2007). Exploration plans for 2006 at Kirazli
were based on a CAD$2 million budget that will include
approximately 5000 m of drilling and exploration.
Ariana Resources Plc Goveli gold project in
Turkey
Ariana Resources Plc is a gold exploration company focused
exclusively on Turkey. It is focused on the discovery of
multimillion ounce potential epithermal deposits in the highly
prospective Tethyan metallogenic belt of Turkey. Ariana is
holding 61 licences covering approximately 1000 km2, with two
advanced projects and over 100 targets. Ariana discovered the
Kinik Au prospect. In a deal with Newmont Mining Corp in
January 2005 Ariana acquired the Sindirgi Au project, which
hosts over 45 km of Au bearing epithermal quartz veins (ADVFN,
2005). Sindirgi is described as Ariana’s ‘flagship asset’. Sindirgi-
Kiziltepe prospect has more than 4.3 t (150 000 oz) of Au and
suitable for open pit mining. Ariana’s eastern licences also have
the potential to turn up a Cu-Au-Mo porphyry deposit, always
a desirable asset, but especially so in today’s metal price
environment.
Ariana Resources, a British Mining Company, has found
significant Au mineralisation at its site in Turkey. The Goveli Au
project is in Western Turkey and the Au mineralised zone found
there measures around 5 km long by 0.5 km wide. Grades have
been found there with values such as 4.16 g/t Au while Ni is also
present. A follow up exploratory drill program is now underway
in order to define drill targets. Field observations indicate that the
mineralisation is associated with a complex array of faults and
fracturing. Structural mapping, geophysics and a program of
trenching are planned to define possible high-grade feeder zones
that would be a target for a future drilling program in 2007.
Goveli is made up of three exploration licences totalling a
surface area of some 44.5 km2. It is about 125 km north-east of
Izmir and 60 km south-east of the company’s other Au project,
Sindirgi (World Gold Council, 2006).
World Gold Conference Cairns, QLD, 22 - 24 October 2007
GOLD POTENTIAL, MINING AND PROCESSING OF TURKEY
Stratex International Plc’s gold projects in Turkey
Stratex is an international exploration and development company
(established in 2004 and AIM quoted) focusing on the search for
quality mineral resources, primarily Au and base metals (Cu,
Mo, Zn and Ni). Stratex is initially focusing this search in Turkey
but is also considering other projects in Europe and Africa.
Current operations
Stratex has rapidly developed a portfolio of high priority
prospects in Turkey that require drilling to evaluate the resource
potential. In total the company holds six groups of exploration
licences, four outcropping mineral occurrences and one possible
new Au district. Three projects are drill-ready. The total area
held under licence currently amounts to 476 km2. Over the next
18 months Stratex is planning an extensive drilling program as
well as substantial mapping and sampling of prospective
projects. Key elements of the exploration program will include:
• Drilling of a high-sulfidation epithermal Au occurrence
(Inlice) within a newly discovered potential Au district.
Stratex found 54.60 m grading 6.22 g/t Au and 17.10 m
grading 10.88 g/t in Inlice Gold deposit.
• Drilling at Karaagac, a partially exposed Au-bearing zone
extending over an area of approximately 3.5 km2.
• Mapping and drilling at Dikmen, a porphyry-hosted
Mo-Cu-Au occurrence.
• Field mapping and sampling on the Muratdere porphyry-
hosted Cu-Au-Mo prospect.
The current mineral prospects are all located in central and
western Turkey, a region in which a number of volcanic-
associated Au and Au-Cu deposits have been discovered during
the past decade. Stratex has identified wide-spread evidence for a
‘high sulfidation’ style of Au mineralisation on its Inlice
property. This style of mineralisation occurs at three of the
largest and lowest-cost Au mines placed into production in the
last 15 years, namely Yanacocha, Pierina and Alto Chicama in
Peru.
Anatolia Minerals Development Ltd’s (AMDL)
gold projects in Turkey
Anatolia and Rio Tinto are strategic exploration partners and are
seeking Cu and Au deposits in Turkey. They control over one
million hectares and have been active since 1996 (Anatolia
Minerals Development Limited, 2004). AMDL is an American
and Canadian company and trades on the Toronto Stock
Exchange. It started Au exploration in Tunceli (Ovacik) and
Erzincan (¤liç-Çöpler) in 2000. AMDL is exploring for
Au-Ag-Cu in Balya, Biga, Tunceli, Çayeli, Hakkari, Erzincan
and Hatay. Çöpler is the second biggest discovered Au deposit of
Turkey.
Çöpler Gold Project is in line to be the next major Au
mine development in Turkey. AMDL has outlined 179 t Au
(6.3 million oz) at Çöpler (79 t (2.8 million oz Proven and
Probable) and a 99 t (3.5 million oz resource). On 2 March 2007
a new mine plan was completed based on 79 t Proven and
Probable Au (51 t Proven and 28 t Probable). The feasibility
study indicates an initial capital of US$125.7 million for oxide
mill and heap leach facilities. Excellent grades in the
near-surface oxides should allow early Au production to average
5 t (176 000 oz) per year with cash operating costs averaging
US$208/oz. Total estimated production costs are US$298/oz Au,
yielding an unoptimised after-tax rate of return of 34.3 per cent
at a Au price of US$475 per ounce (based on the average Au
price over the past two years). Payback occurs 1.9 years after
initial production. Çöpler is expected to produce 28 t of Au over
53
M KAYA
a ten-year life. A preliminary assessment on sulfide expansion is
also now underway. Resource expansion potential remains open
throughout the Çöpler Region.
Aldrich Minerals Inc’s gold projects in Turkey
Aldrich Minerals Inc has two properties in north-eastern Turkey
near the Black Sea coast: Derinköy and Olucak. The target
deposit type for both properties is volcanic-hosted epither-mal
Au, although the potential for porphyry-type Cu-Mo-Au deposits
must be considered to be theoretically present.
Derinköy property
The Derinköy property is located 30 km south-east of the city of
Artvin. The village of Derinköy lies toward the north-western
edge of the property, with the village of Hizarli located towards
the south-west edge. The Çoruh River parallels the western
boundary of the property and cuts across its north-western
corner. This property comprises three exploration licences
(issued in 2001) for a total area of 8400 ha. A fourth licence has
been recently acquired by BHP which will be included in this
property under the terms of the company’s agreement with BHP.
The property is accessed by a paved village road connecting the
villages of Hizarli and Derinköy from Artvin-Erzurum road.
Elevation of the property varies from 450 - 2100 m. Higher
elevations are covered in pine forests and grassy meadows. The
property appears to have a history dating back to ancient times,
evidenced by a number of collapsed adits and small-scale slag
dumps. It appears as if these workings were focused on one or
more narrow base metal mines. In 1991, MTA completed a
sediment geochemical survey across the area, including several
dozen samples on and around the property. Shortly thereafter, a
licence was acquired by Dardanel Madencilik AS (a Turkish
subsidiary of INCO). INCO did not comprehensively pursue the
epithermal Au potential of the property.
Olucak property
This property is situated within the Eastern Pontites, a regionally
extensive, roughly east-west trending range of hills and
mountains that spans the Black Sea coast of north-eastern
Turkey. The property is located approximately 100 km by road to
the south-southwest of Trabzon and 20 km north-east of
GümüÕhane. The village of Olucak lies within the south-eastern
quadrant of the property which is connected to main
GümüÕhane-Trabzon state road by a 15 km long paved road
leading to the village Olucak. The Olucak Project is covered by
five exploration licences (issued in 2002) totalling 14 039 ha.
Elevations on the property range between 1550 to 2470 m
with poor vegetation. Several silicified Au-Ag-Pb-Zn-Cu
mineralisation anomalies on the Olucak property were originally
identified by MTA in 1990 by stream sediment geological
surveys. A 12-hole diamond drill program in nine locations, for a
total of 1741 m was performed. In 2001, BHP acquired licences
over the property and carried out a stream sediment geochemical
survey, identifying several locations of anomalous Au within and
outside of the property. No further work was undertaken by BHP.
The epithermal Au potential was never of interest to BHP.
Kaletas (Gümüshane) gold mine
The Kaletas mine has an estimated resource of 362 000 t of
refractory Au with an average grade of 6.8 g/t Au. The Kaletas
disseminated Au occurrence, hosted by thin-bedded, silty to
sandy limestones, consists of siliceous lenses developed along
permeable zones such as fault, fracture and bedding planes. Au is
enriched in silicified limestone, especially along zones of
extensive carbonate removal. The gangue minerals are composed
of calcedonic quartz, calcite, dolomite, illite and holloysite.
Kaletas epithermal refractory Au ore is a Carlin type Au deposit
54 Cairns, QLD, 22 - 24 October 2007
in the Pontide island arc (Çubukçu and Tuysuz, 2000). Previous
studies showed that cyanidation of Kaletas Au ore gave 50 -
67 per cent Au recovery. Roasting at 550°C as a pretreatment
step before cyanidation was shown to improve the recovery of
Au only to 80 per cent. Two-stage cyanidation of ultra-finely
ground ore was found to improve the extraction of Au to 93 per
cent.
CONCLUSIONS
Turkey is a stable and attractive country in which to invest and
explore for Au and base metals. It has a long history of metal
mining and its geology, which remains largely under-explored, is
highly prospective for the discovery of potentially world-class
Au and Cu-Au deposits. Western Turkey has so far gained the
most attention from international mineral explorers, whereas the
east has been little explored owing to a somewhat wilder
character than the west. This comparative lack of exploration
may mean that big discoveries are more likely in future to be
made in the eastern part of Turkey.
Turkey is the crossroads of Europe, Africa, the Middle East
and northern Asia, the land bridge between east and west, north
and south. There is no question that Turkey is one of the world’s
better locations to search for mineral deposits, lying at the
junction of the African, Eurasian and Arabian plates. This has
resulted in a geologically active environment, making it possible
for magma and hot fluids to well up from the mantle forming
mineral deposits. Deposits in Asia Minor almost cover the whole
spectrum in age (the Paleozoic to the Tertiary) and type
(porphyries, skarns, veins, disseminated, massive sulfides, etc).
In the last 22 years, the untapped potential of Turkey’s mineral
resources has attracted the attention of senior mining companies
including RTZ, Inmet, Teck Cominco, BHP Billiton, Normandy
(Newmont), Fronteer, Ariana, Stratex and Eldorado Gold and has
resulted in multimillion ounce discoveries such as the Ovacik,
Küçükdere, Kisladag and Çöpler deposits. Turkey has reserves of
more than 560 t Au and 183 t Ag. A total of 267 Au deposits are
found in Turkey.
New Au mines in Turkey provide employment, income, local
sustainable social and economical development, tourism potential,
skilled worker education, foreign currency, tax income, etc. Gold
mines also support local health (policlinic opening, etc), education
(school opening) and infrastructure (roads, water, etc). Gold mines
bring environmentally friendly new technologies to the Turkish
mining sector. The Turkish government says ‘yes’ to both
environment and to mining for sustainable development and
increasing the living standards of citizens by setting acceptable
standards. Turkey wants to evaluate its natural resources
scientifically, logically and profitably with minimum
environmental problems. In order to achieve these objectives, Au
mines should have good relationships with local people by
providing employment, income and services to the area. Local
people’s fears on air/water/soil pollution, tailing pond security
and rehabilitation after mine closure have to be explained by
providing information to communities. Au mines must listen to
the NGOs and develop good public relations with local people.
Au mines should also pay attention to rehabilitation
(reafforestation, plantation, agriculture) of mine sites.
The Turkish government positively supports all mining
operations/investments in Turkey. New gold mines accelerate all
mining sectors in Turkey. The Turkish government provides
support and guidance to ensure the contribution of the industry to
the economy while maintaining the quality of the environment
and meeting the social and economic needs of Turkish citizens.
Initially, there were objections/concerns to the use of cyanide;
but for the time being two Au mines are in production without
any problems. It is the Turkish government’s short-term aim to
have operating seven Au mines which have attracted US$500
million of local and international investment and which will
provide employment to 1450 people.
World Gold Conference

REFERENCES
ADVFN, 2005. Ariana Resources dealings commence [online]. Available
from: <http://www.advfn.com/news_DealingsCommence_12007334.
html> [Accessed: May 2007].
Akcil, A, 2004. Potential bioleaching developments towards commercial
reality: Turkish metal mining’s future, Minerals Engineering,
17:477-480.
Anatolia Minerals Development Limited, 2004. Annual report 2004
[online]. Available from: <http://www.anatoliaminerals.com/anatolia
uploads/Anatolia_Annual_Report_2004.pdf> [Accessed: May 2007].
Çubukçu, A and Tuysuz, N, 2000. Origin of Kaletas (GümüÕhane)
epithermal gold ore, presented to Earth Sciences and Mining
Congress, MTA, Turkey (in Turkish).
Eldorado Gold, 2007a. Eldorado Gold web site [online]. Available from:
<http://www.eldoradogold.com> [Accessed: May 2007].
Eldorado Gold, 2007b. AS project [online]. Available from:
<http://www.eldoradogold.com/s/ET_Demir.asp> [Accessed: May
2007].
Eldorado Gold, 2007c. Efemçukuru project [online]. Available from:
<http://www.eldoradogold.com/s/EfemcukuruProject.asp>
[Accessed: May 2007].
Eldorado Gold, 2007d. Pontine Volcanic Belt, Turkey [online]. Available
from: <http://www.eldoradogold.com/s/ET_Pontide.asp> [Accessed:
May 2007].
Eldorado Gold, 2007e. Turkey update [online]. Available from: <http://
www.eldoradogold.com/s/TurkeyUpdate.asp> [Accessed: May 2007].
World Gold Conference Cairns, QLD, 22 - 24 October 2007
GOLD POTENTIAL, MINING AND PROCESSING OF TURKEY
Fronteer Development Group 2007. News release [online]. Available
from: <http://www.fronteergroup.com/s/Home.asp>.
Fronteer Group, 2007. Turkey projects [online]. Available from: <http://
www.fronteergroup.com/projects-tur.htm> [Accessed: May 2007].
Koza Altin, 2007. Koza Altin web site [online]. Available from:
<http://www.ovacik-altin.com> [Accessed: May 2007].
Oyman, T, Minareci, F and Piskin, Ö, 2003. Efemçukuru B-rich
epithermal gold deposit, Izmir, Turkey, Ore Geology Reviews,
23:35-53.
Pitcher, N S, 2007. Efemçukuru drilling continues to deliver excellent
results, including 5.6 meters @ 218.6 g/t gold [online], Eldorado
News Release, 27 March. Available from: <http://www.eldorado
gold.com/s/News-2007.asp?numCols=1&page=2> [Accessed: May
2007].
Robbins, G, Devuyst, E, Malevich, A, Agius, R, Iamarino, P and Lindrall,
M, 2001. Cyanide management at Boliden using the Inco SO2/air
process, in Proceedings International Conference on Mining and the
Environment (Securing the Future), Skelleftea, Sweden, pp 718-728.
Tüprag, 2007. Tüprag web site [online]. Available from: <http://www.
tuprag.com.tr> [Accessed in May 2007].
World Gold Council, 2006. Ariana finds gold in Turkey [online].
Available from: <http://www.gold.org/discover/news/article/5573>
[Accessed: May 2007].
Yilmaz, H, 2003. Geochemical exploration for gold in western Turkey:
Success and failure, Journal of Geochemical Exploration,
80:117-135
55