VITI MINING LTD
Mining and Exploration
Tenement Under Application
Prospect Votualevu
Votualevu has an area covering 16,200 hectares that is very prospective for high-grade manganese ore and is located about 4km east of Nadi City . The deposits at Votualevu were reputedly discovered during World War 2 by American airmen based at Nadi International Airport , but development of the deposits did not commence until 1948
Lack of exposure, and deep weathering, obscure geological relationships at the Votualevu Old Mine, but the manganese deposits in this area seemed to have formed in calcareous sediments, tuffs and crystalline limestone. However submarine pyroclastic and volcanic rocks crop out nearby and some previous works quoted in the literature shows the deposits occurring within this group.
In yet another report, Harvey (1955) noted elongate outcrops of massive ore enveloped by chalcedony aligned ENE and SSW.
A total of two weeks in early April 2008 was spent in Votualevu by the prospecting team from VML and several new areas of manganese depositions were discovered, proving that substantial manganese deposits remain in-situ and requires further exploration. Appendix 5 shows several photos (taken during the two-week reconnaissance visit in early April) of manganese expressions in Votualevu requiring further study.
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