Is the remarkable and telling history of the Pilou mine ending with this fourth episode?
Detailed prospecting was done again in Pilou in the 1970’s by BRGM, without encouraging results. In 1993 the Australian mining company Asia Pacific bought the Pilou mining lease from BRGM. It carried out further prospecting including drilling until 1998, but results were not according to expectations. Overall Pilou has produced about 200 t of copper mattes. Their content was, according to Ed. Glasser, 20 to 25% copper, 8 to 10% lead and 400 g/t silver. This makes about 60 à 65 t of metals including 45 t of copper. Glasser wrote also that he received assurance that some 20 000 t of ore were exported or smelted in 1902. Over the 11 years of mining this would make about 2000 to 2500 t of copper contained at the assumed probable grades mined (slightly more than 10%). Some mines today have outputs greater than 100 000 t of copper per year, that is over 10 years about 500 times more than Pilou! Since the 1950’s copper is mined from gigantic low grade ore deposits. Their mining costs are very
