Mining in the country is restricted two principal mining operations. Nickel is the most important mineral product, followed to a lesser extent by gold and silver.
Drops are attributable to depletion of oxide reserves.
However, the underlying sulphide resource has been estimated to contain 35 Moz gold, 107Moz silver and 2.5Mt zinc. In order to develop this massive resource, the owners Rosario Dominicana have tendered the operation several times. However, the operation suffers from some serious environmental problems i.e. acid mine drainage from sulphide dumps. Canadian major Placer Dome has been awarded the tender to takeover and develop the project. Numerous foreign investors are actively exploring the country for gold and base metal deposits.