Overview
Stage | Production |
Mine Type | Underground |
Commodities |
|
Mining Method |
- Cut & Fill
- Longhole open stoping
- Transverse stoping
- Paste backfill
|
Processing |
- Gravity separation
- Concentrate leach
- Agitated tank (VAT) leaching
- Carbon in leach (CIL)
- AARL elution
- Solvent Extraction & Electrowinning
- Cyanide (reagent)
|
Summary:
Mineralisation domains are defined by abundance of quartz and quartz/carbonate veining, the presence of distinctive laminated veining (quartz/sericite/sulphides +/- au), strong potassic alteration, abundance of sulphides (commonly >3% pyrite) and elevated gold grade (>0.5g/t).
The mineralised zone strikes 15 degrees east of true north over a distance of 500m and plunges 45 degrees to the southeast. The mineralised zone consists of several stepped or en echelon style foliation parallel lodes disposed in plan in a “horse-shoe” shape with the limbs converging at the southern end. The mineralised zone and individual lodes dip east at 35 to 45 degrees and are conformable with the foliation of the Mine Sequence mafic schists. Individual lode widths vary from 2m to 30m true width. Mineralisation has been tested to approximately 2,080m below surface and remains open.
Gold mineralisation at Tower Hill is hosted within a moderately (35 - 50°) east-dipping quartz vein package adjacent to the contact of granite and strongly foliated ultramafic rocks. Quartz-gold vein lodes strike north to north-northwest with strike lengths of up to 600 m and widths from less than a metre to a vein package with a horizontal width of up to 50 m.
Mining Methods
- Cut & Fill
- Longhole open stoping
- Transverse stoping
- Paste backfill
Summary:
The primary mining method since resumption of underground production in 2008 is a Longhole Open Stoping method with paste fill. Stoping configurations are predominantly double lift (40m vertical interval) however single lift stoping (20m vertical interval) is used in some areas. The Double Lift stoping method involves concurrently mining the uphole and downhole sections of the stope. The upper and lower portions of the stope are drawn back and bogged at the same time.
The Tower Hill reserve is planned to be extracted using two different production mining methods, Transverse Long Hole Stoping and Cut and fill stoping methods.
Processing
- Gravity separation
- Concentrate leach
- Agitated tank (VAT) leaching
- Carbon in leach (CIL)
- AARL elution
- Solvent Extraction & Electrowinning
- Cyanide (reagent)
Flow Sheet:
Summary:
All Gwalia ore is trucked to the Gwalia processing plant. The processing plant is located at St Barbara’s Leonora Operations and consists of a three stage crushing circuit, single stage milling circuit and hybrid CIL circuit with one designated leach tank and 7 adsorption tanks. Gold is recovered from activated carbon into concentrated solution via a split AARL type elution circuit. Electrowinning and smelting are conducted in an adjacent secure gold room. The tailings from the process are thickened and pumped to a paddock type tailings storage facility with multi-spigot distribution (Zimmerman 2013). Gold doré bars are transported by armoured trucks to the Perth Mint for refining.
All Tower Hill ore will be trucked to the Gwalia processing plant.
Recoveries & Grades:
Commodity | Parameter | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 |
Gold
|
Recovery Rate, %
| ......  | ......  | ......  |
Gold
|
Head Grade, g/t
| 10.8 | 12.5 | 10.7 |
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Reserves at June 30, 2019:
Category | Tonnage | Commodity | Grade | Contained Metal |
Proven & Probable
|
12,707 kt
|
Gold
|
5.8 g/t
|
2,379 koz
|
Total Resource
|
28,783 kt
|
Gold
|
5.8 g/t
|
5,400 koz
|
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