Richland halts operations at Queensland sapphire mine

Aim-listed Richland Resources has temporarily suspended mining activities at its Capricorn sapphire mine, in Queensland, citing extreme weather conditions and a weak market environment. The company said on Monday that it had decided to halt operations to conserve cash resources, as heavy rainfall continued to hamper production efficiency. Since the start of October, the Capricorn site has had about 271 mm of rainfall, compared with 35.6 mm in the fourth quarter of last year.