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South Africa
Moab Khotsong Mine

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 Location:
20 km SE from Klerksdorp, South Africa

  Regional Office:
Randfontein Office park Corner of Main Reef Road and Ward Avenue
P.O. Box 2
Randfontein
South Africa
1760
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Fax+27-11-692-3879
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  • Overview
  • Owners
  • Geology
  • Mining
  • Processing
  • Production
  • Reserves
  • Costs & Financials
  • Personnel
  • Filings & News

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Overview

StageProduction
Mine TypeUnderground
Commodities
  • Gold
  • Uranium
Mining Method
  • Scattered stoping
  • Backfill
Processing
  • Flotation
  • Agitated tank (VAT) leaching
  • Acid tank leaching
  • Carbon in pulp (CIP)
  • Elution
  • Solvent Extraction & Electrowinning
  • Cyanide (reagent)
Mine Life8 years (as of Jan 1, 2020)
The Moab Khotsong mine began production in 2003 while Great Noligwa mine, which was merged with Moab Khotsong in 2014, began production in 1968.


Owners

Source: p. 71
CompanyInterestOwnership
Harmony Gold Mining Company Ltd. 100 % Indirect
On October 18, 2017, Harmony entered into a share and asset sale and purchase agreement with AngloGold Ashanti Limited and Coreland Property Investment Company Proprietary Limited (now known as Harmony Moab Khotsong Operations Proprietary Limited) to acquire the Moab Khotsong and Great Noligwa mines, together with certain long life projects and tailings dams for consideration of US$300 million in cash, which was paid in full without any post-closing adjustment. The Moab Acquisition was completed with effect from March 1, 2018.

Deposit Type

  • Sedimentary


Summary:

The Vaal Reef is the primary economic horizon at Moab Khotsong. A secondary economic horizon, the C-Reef, contributes less than 5% of total mining volumes. Both reefs are narrow tabular deposits forming part of the Witwatersrand Supergroup and are stratigraphically located near the middle of the Central Rand Group. The Vaal Reef lies approximately 255m below the C-Reef.

The geology at Moab Khotsong is structurally complex with large fault-loss areas between the three mining areas (top mine, middle mine and Zaaiplaats). The geological setting is one of crustal extension, dominated by major south-dipping fault systems with north-dipping Zuiping faults wedged between the south-dipping faults.

The De Hoek and Buffels East faults are structural bounds for the reef blocks of the middle mine to the north-west and south-east respectively. The northern boundary of Moab Khotsong’s middle mine is the north-dipping Zuiping fault. Moab Khotsong (particularly middle mine) requires a reduced drill spacing pattern of the order of 50mx50m, which allows for accurate delineation of the structurally bound mineable blocks so that accurate and efficient mine designs can be implemented to ensure optimal extraction and maximum orebody use.

The mineralisation model adopted for the deposit is that of gold precipitation in the conglomerates through the actions of hydrothermal fluids. The fluids precipitated gold and other elements through reactions that took place at elevated temperatures (300-350°C). Migrating liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons precipitated as solid hydrocarbon (carbon), which was then mesophased through metamorphism and structural deformation.

Carbon was preferentially precipitated in bedding-parallel fractures that most commonly followed the base of the Vaal Reef package (A-bottom sub-facies), however, gold and uranium mineralisation is also commonly observed within the A-middle and A-top sub-facies of the Vaal Reef. Gold was precipitated very soon after the carbon, giving the critical gold-carbon association that characterises many of the high-grade Vaal Reef localities.

A geological model is employed to delineate variations (either lateral or vertical) in characteristics of the Vaal Reef and C-Reef. The current geological model thus subdivides these two reefs into homogeneous zones based on geological and grade characteristics.

The Vaal Reef consists of a thin basal conglomerate (the C-facies) and a thicker sequence of upper conglomerates (A-facies). These two sedimentary facies are separated by the B-facies, which is a layer of barren orthoquartzite. The A-facies is the primary economic horizon at Moab Khotsong, however remnants of the C-facies are sporadically preserved below the A-facies. High gold values in the Vaal Reef are often located at the base of this unit and are associated with high uranium values and the presence of carbon. Uranium is an important by-product recovered from the Vaal Reef.

The C-Reef is mined on a limited scale in the central part of top mine where a high-grade, north-south trending sedimentary channel, containing two economic horizons, has been exposed. To the east and the west of this channel, the C-Reef is poorly developed with limited areas containing economic concentrations of gold and uranium. As with the Vaal Reef, high uranium values are also often associated with high gold values. A carbon seam, with a thickness of 5mm to 20mm, commonly occurs at the base of the conglomerate. To the north of the mine, the C-Reef sub-crops against the Gold Estates Conglomerate Formation and, in the extreme south of the mine, the C-Reef has been eliminated by a deep Kimberley erosion channel and the Jersey fault.


Mining Methods

  • Scattered stoping
  • Backfill


Summary:

The tabular nature, along with the depth and structural complexity of the orebody dictates the mining method utilised at Moab Khotsong mine. Mining at Moab Khotsong is based on a scattered mining method together with an integrated backfill support system that incorporates bracket pillars. The economic horizons are exploited between 1,791m and 3,052m below surface.


Crushing and Grinding


Processing

  • Flotation
  • Agitated tank (VAT) leaching
  • Acid tank leaching
  • Carbon in pulp (CIP)
  • Elution
  • Solvent Extraction & Electrowinning
  • Cyanide (reagent)

Source: Subscription required

Summary:

Moab Khotsong’s mineral processing is done through the Great Noligwa gold plant with design capacity exceeding the maximum planned production volume from the operation. The plant uses the reverse gold leach method which recovers gold and uranium through gold cyanide and acid uranium leaching.

The operation has a dedicated ore processing plant within close proximity to Moab Khotsong and tailings are pumped to existing tailings storage facilities. Most of the waste rock is separated from reef ore underground and accounted for separately. All waste and reef is delivered to the metallurgical plant.

Noligwa gold plant was commissioned in 1971 and treats approximately 200 000 tons per month of reef material from the Great Noligwa, Kopanang and Moab Khotsong mines. Following milling in two run-of-mine mills, the slurry is thickened before being pumped to the uranium section for uranium extraction.

The uranium plant residue at pH 1.5 -2.5 is returned to the go ........

Recoveries & Grades:

CommodityParameter2020201920182017201620152014
Gold Head Grade, g/t 8.848.1710.18.159.058.511

Production:

CommodityUnits2021202020192018201720162015
Gold koz  ......  Subscription required ^  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required106294280254
All production numbers are expressed as metal in doré. ^ Guidance / Forecast.
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Operational Metrics:

Metrics202020192018201720162015
Tonnes milled  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required327 kt1.1 Mt1 Mt0.9 Mt
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Reserves at June 30, 2020:
Moab Khotsong 2020 cut-off 1,801 cmg/t.

CategoryTonnage CommodityGradeContained Metal
Proven 3.2 Mt Gold 7.93 g/t 808 koz
Probable 3.3 Mt Gold 8.57 g/t 909 koz
Probable 6.5 Mt U3O8 230 g/t 3 M lbs
Proven & Probable 6.5 Mt Gold 8.26 g/t 1,178 koz
Proven & Probable 6.5 Mt U3O8 230 g/t 3 M lbs
Measured 4.2 Mt Gold 16.9 g/t 2,268 koz
Indicated 14 Mt Gold 15.09 g/t 6,081 koz
Indicated 18.2 Mt U3O8 610 g/t 24 M lbs
Inferred 7.5 Mt Gold 16.26 g/t 3,925 koz
Inferred 7.5 Mt U3O8 610 g/t 10 M lbs
Total Resource 25.7 Mt Gold 15.73 g/t 12,994 koz
Total Resource 25.7 Mt U3O8 610 g/t 34 M lbs

Commodity Production Costs:

CommodityUnits202020192018201720162015
Cash costs Gold USD  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required 761 / oz
Total cash costs Gold USD 779 / oz 729 / oz 798 / oz
All-in sustaining costs (sold) Gold USD  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required 1,017 / oz 938 / oz 884 / oz 1,018 / oz
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Financials:

Units2021202020192017201620152014
Capital expenditures (planned) M USD  ......  Subscription required
Capital expenditures M USD  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required42   42   47   45  
Revenue M USD  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required
Gross profit M USD  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required
Subscription required - Subscription is required


Heavy Mobile Equipment:

Mine Management:

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jan 25, 2021
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Staff:

EmployeesContractorsTotal WorkforceYear
Subscription required Subscription required Subscription required 2020
Subscription required Subscription required Subscription required 2019
Subscription required Subscription required Subscription required 2018
Subscription required 2017
Subscription required 2016
Subscription required 2015
Subscription required 2014

Corporate Filings & Presentations:

DocumentYear
................................... Subscription required 2020
................................... Subscription required 2020
................................... Subscription required 2020
................................... Subscription required 2019
................................... Subscription required 2019
................................... Subscription required 2019
Form 20-F 2018
Integrated Report 2018
Other 2018
Year-end Mineral Reserves 2018
Annual Report 2017
Annual Report 2016
Year-end Mineral Reserves 2016
Annual Report 2015
Other 2014
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Aerial view:

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