WASHINGTON, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES, October 28, 2014 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Graphite is the new gold, and if you find that hard to believe, just ask Bloomberg. Graphene, which has been described as lighter than a feather and stronger than steel, is predicted to unlock technology’s dynamic new era of super energy-efficient gadgets, inexpensive quick-change batteries, wafer-thin touchscreen computing, and a sturdier, lightweight automobile chassis. The change is already underway: the Industrial Minerals Data report reveals that Elon Musk’s Tesla Gigafactory will consume 126,000 metric tons of raw graphite per year.

This substance, which is acknowledged to have the potential to revolutionize the industrial world, is regarded as supply critical by the European Union and the United States. The price of graphite over the last three to four years has ranged from $1,250 to $3,500 per ton. Now, here comes the hard part. None of the graphite that Musk uses comes from the U.S. The world’s largest producer of graphite is China, which has closed four of its largest mines to drive the price higher.

You see the problem. Now take a look at the solution. Inside what was once an abandoned mine, there are thousands of tons of high-grade graphite. The Giant King Mine, located 90 miles away from Musk’s factory, was one of California’s premier gold mines back in its glory days, then fell into obscurity during World War I. It enjoyed a brief return to prosperity, suffered a fire, endured World War II, and fell into neglect for 75 years. But Robert Orlich believes in both its legacy and its potential and he has embarked on an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign to continue to rehabilitate the Giant King Mine.

He and the other partners of the Giant King Mine, LLC, who have been working on the mine under an exploratory plan of operation for the last four and a half years, have already spent over $1,000,000 so far on this project. During that time, they’ve found between 10,000 to 15,000 tons of blasted and stockpiled gold-bearing ore to be processed. But Robert Orlich isn’t promising anyone a quick path to untold riches. The days of the California Gold Rush are gone. But what he is promising is the opportunity to be part of an adventure that few people can ever expect to enjoy. Crowdfunding can restore an important part of California’s history after decades of neglect. But it can also help to create high-paying jobs for local unemployed miners and truckers, and bring American-sourced, precious, rare earth minerals to the marketplace.
The first phase of the fall funding goal is $187,600 to be raised by November 12. This amount is needed to obtain the mining permit and pay the required fees to the EPA, OSHA, MSHA, the California Water Quality Board, and the Surety Board for Forest; to seal the water intrusion point inside the lower adit of the mine; to rebuild the existing water retention pond; to conduct ongoing water monitoring and testing; to purchase underground fire safety and extraction equipment; as well as repairs and upkeep to the mine road. The partners are covering the daily operating costs themselves.

The Giant King Gold Mine is part of the Tahoe National Forest and Orlich’s zeal for bringing the mine back to life comes with a contemporary respect for Mother Nature. Their exploratory plan of operation application was approved by the California Water Quality Board; in fact, the partners exceeded the requirements for water quality. They are committed to using the identical-low impact plan during the extraction process so that their work, and the support of the crowdfunding community that donates to the campaign, is beneficial to their home state.
There’s a reason they call California the Golden State, and the Giant King Gold Mine is proof.

About Giant King Gold Mine
Located in east-central Nevada County, California, the Giant King Mine (www.giantkingmine.com) consists of 480 acres of mines along the Melones Fault, where quartz veins are noted for rich ore shoots that often contain pockets of gold-in-quartz containing hundreds to thousands of ounces per ton. The Giant King Gold Mine also is home to thousands of tons of high-grade graphite, a valuable mineral that’s crucial for industrial development as the silicon age gives way to the carbon age. Robert Orlich and his partners have already spent over one million dollars to rehabilitate the neglected mine as part of their plan to restore it both for its historic legacy and for its mining potential. Their Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign can bring the mine back to life, provide jobs, and give the United States a stake in the graphene market currently dominated by China.

Robert Orlich
Giant King Mine
www.giantkingmine.com
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