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Australia
Beta Hunt Mine

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 Location:
56 km S from Boulder, Western Australia, Australia

  Address:

Kambalda East
Western Australia, Australia
6442
Phone+61-8-9278-6500
WebsiteWeb
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  • Overview
  • Owners
  • Geology
  • Mining
  • Processing
  • Production
  • Reserves
  • Costs & Financials
  • Fleet
  • Personnel
  • Filings & News

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Overview

StageProduction
Mine TypeUnderground
Commodities
  • Gold
  • Nickel
Mining Method
  • Longhole stoping
Production Start1974
Mine Life2029
The Beta Hunt expansion to double mined tonnes to 2 Mtpa by 2024 is a key part of the Company's plan to increase gold production to a range of 185,000 – 205,000 ounces by 2024. Construction of a second decline commenced in the first quarter of 2022 and remains ahead of schedule with completion expected during the first quarter of 2023 (original expected completion date was for the second quarter of 2023) and on budget.
Latest NewsKarora Resources Reports Record Revenue, Strong Earnings Growth In Fourth Quarter 2022     March 23, 2023


Owners

Source: p. 21
CompanyInterestOwnership
Karora Resources Inc. (operator) 100 % Indirect
Karora owns and operates Beta Hunt under a sub-lease agreement with St.Ives Gold Mining Company Pty Ltd (“SIGMC”). SIGMC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Gold Fields Limited (“Gold Fields”). The mining tenements on which the Beta Hunt is located are held by SIGMC.

Contractors

ContractorContractDescriptionRef. DateExpirySource
unawarded or unknown Haulage Gold mineralisation is trucked a distance of 78km to the Higginsville Processing Facility using a contracted haulage operator via the Goldfields Highway. Dec 31, 2020
unawarded or unknown Mine Development Beta Hunt Second Decline commenced waste development from underground on 25 November 2021, having advanced 60 metres as at December 31, 2021. The box cut and portal contracts have been awarded. The box cut commenced in February 2022, with contractors for the decline expected to be fully mobilised by mid March 2022. Dec 31, 2021


Deposit Type

  • Vein / narrow vein
  • Mesothermal

Source: Source p.73-83,101

Summary:

The nickel deposits on the Beta Hunt Sub-lease are type examples of the Kambalda style komatiite-hosted nickel sulphide deposits. The characteristics of the Western Flanks and A Zone gold deposits are consistent with the greenstone-hosted quartz-carbonate vein (mesothermal) gold deposit model.

Nickel mineralization is hosted by talc-carbonate and serpentine altered ultramafic rocks. The deposits are ribbon-like bodies of massive, matrix and disseminated sulphides varying from 0.5 - 4.0 m in true thickness but averaging between 1.0 - 2.0 m. Down dip widths range from 40 - 100 m and the grade of nickel ranges from below 1 to 20%. Major minerals in the massive and disseminated ores are pyrrhotite, pentlandite, pyrite, chalcopyrite, magnetite, and chromite, with rare millerite and heazlewoodite generally confined to disseminated mineralization. The hangingwall mineralization tends to be higher tenor than the contact material. The range of massive ore grades in the hangingwall is between 10 and 20% nickel while the range for contact ore is between 9 and 12% nickel. The hangingwall mineralogy varies between an antigorite/chlorite to a talc/magnesite assemblage. The basalt mineralogy appears to conform to the amphibole, chlorite, plagioclase plus or minus biotite.

Unlike other orebodies on the Kambalda Dome, the Beta Hunt system displays complex contact morphologies, which leads to irregular ore positions. The overall plunge of the orebodies is shallow in a southeast direction, with an overall plunge length in excess of 1km. The individual ore positions have a strike length averaging 40m and a dip extent averaging 10m. The geometry of these ore positions vary in dip from ten degrees to the west to 80 degrees to the east. The mineralisation within these ore positions is highly variable ranging from a completely barren contact to zones where the mineralisation is in excess of 10m in true thickness.

Gold mineralisation is focussed about the Kambalda Anticline and controlled by northwest trending, steep, west-dipping shear zones associated with re-activated normal faults that previously controlled the komatiitic channel flow and associated nickel sulphide deposition. Gold mineralisation is interpreted as a D3 extensional event associated with porphyry intrusives – the source of magmatic hydrothermal fluids carrying the gold.

Mineralisation is hosted dominantly in Lunnon Basalt (below the ultramafic contact) with minor amounts associated with specific porphyry intrusives. Not all porphyries are mineralised - some are intruded post-mineralisation. The basalt (and porphyries) are preferred mineralisation hosts
as a result of their susceptibility to hydraulic fracturing to form quartz veining, with the migrating ore fluids causing wall-rock alteration. The migrating ore fluids associated with the shearing are interpreted to pass through the overlying ultramafic (because of its ductile nature), developing as mineralisation only where the shear zone passes through more competent rock e.g. porphyry and basalt.

Gold mineralization occurs in three broad, steeply dipping, north-northwest striking quartz vein systems within a sheared biotite-rich, pyritic zone of the Lunnon Basalt. Veining is dominated by shear parallel and extensional vein styles. A Zone and the Western Flanks both occur to the north of the AIF, a major north-northeast trending structure, and is represented by Beta mineralisation to the south of the fault. The Fletcher Shear Zone was discovered by drilling in 2016 and is the third mineralised gold zone at Beta Hunt.

A fourth zone, East Alpha, is inferred by analogy to the known mineralised quartz vein systems, however further drill testing is required to confirm its existence.

Coarse, specimen quality occurrences of gold can occasionally be found where the mineralised shears intersect the interflow sediment horizon and the overlying nickel-bearing basalt/ultramafic contact.


Mining Methods

  • Longhole stoping

Source: p.381,383

Summary:

Beta Hunt is a mechanised underground mine accessed from a single decline. The mine commenced operation in 1974, mining both nickel and gold over extended periods. From 2008 to 2014, the mine was on care and maintenance with gold mining commencing in 2015. Currently the mine is producing at a rate of approximately 65,000t per month.

Underground gold mining takes place in two mining areas, the Western Flanks and the A Zone. Western Flanks and A Zone employ a top down, longhole retreat mechanised mining method which suits the subvertical nature of the deposit.

The mine is accessed by portals and a series of declines throughout the mine. The declines are typically 5.5 mW x 5.8 mH, with a standard ore drive size of 4.5 mW x 5.0 mH. Lateral development profiles are well matched to the mobile fleet. Ore is hauled from the underground to surface via the decline where it is then transported via a separate surface haulage fleet to the processing facility.

Top down, mechanised long hole retreat stoping is the mining method used at Beta Hunt. Current stope design dimensions are typically 25m high, vary in width from 2.5 – 25m and 50m on strike. In situ rib and sill pillars are left at geotechnically specified positions, with sill pillars typically left at 75m vertical intervals. Backfilling of stopes is not currently employed in the mine plan.

The typical stope ore cycle post ore drive development is:
- Drilling of blast holes using a longhole drilling rig;
- Charging and firing of blast holes;
- Bogging of ore from the stope using conventional and tele-remote loading techniques;
- Loading of trucks with an LHD;
- Trucks haul ore to surface via the portal; and
- Surface trucks haul ore to the processing facility.

Lateral development drives are excavated using mechanised twin boom jumbos, with vertical development excavated using a production drill rig.


Crushing and Grinding
Flow Sheet: Source
Source: Source p.381,449-452

Gold mineralisation is trucked a distance of 78km to the Higginsville Processing Facility using a contracted haulage operator via the Goldfields Highway.

The mill feed is classified and stockpiled according to gold grade to blend an optimal feed mix to the processing facility. Oversize mill feed is sorted from stockpiles and broken on the ROM pad using a loader or excavator. Any oversize that cannot pass through the primary crusher grizzly is broken by a rock breaker.

The crushing circuit has a nameplate capacity of 1.0 Mtpa and consists of four stages of crushing:
- A 36 x 48 Jacques primary single-toggle jaw crusher;
- A 1.68 m Trio Turbocone TC66 (standard configuration) secondary cone crusher;
- A 1.68 m Trio Turbocone TC66 (short head configuration) tertiary cone crusher; and
- A 1.29 m Trio Turbocone T51 quaternary cone crusher.

Crushed material exits the product screen with a P80 of 10mm and is stored in the fine ore bin. The fine ore bin has a live capacity of 1,500t.

Crushed mill feed is withdrawn from the Fine Ore Bin via a belt feeder, which transfers the crushed product onto the mill feed conveyor that feeds into the ball mill. Mill feed can also be fed via an emergency feeder which is fed from the fine ore stockpile via FEL.

The grinding circuit consists of an overflow ball mill, hydro-cyclone cluster classifier and gravity recovery circuit (discussed in the Gravity Recovery functional specification). The ball mill is a LMMP/CITIC-HMC 4.90 m diameter by 6.77 m EGL overflow ball mill.

The crushed mill feed is conveyed to the ball mill feed chute and combined with process water and recirculating cyclone underflow slurry. The ball mill operates in closed circuit with the mill discharge slurry classified by a cluster of hydro-cyclones.

Oversize ore particles and reject grinding balls are rejected from the ball mill discharge slurry by a 16 mm aperture trommel screen connected to the discharge trunnion of the mill. The oversize material (mill scats) is removed from the circuit to protect the cyclone feed slurry pumps and reduce wear rate on cyclone liners and the slurry handling equipment. Mill scats are rejected to a scats bin for removal by wheel loader.


Processing

  • Gravity separation
  • Consep Acacia Reactor
  • Centrifugal concentrator
  • Smelting
  • Carbon re-activation kiln
  • Agitated tank (VAT) leaching
  • Concentrate leach
  • Carbon in pulp (CIP)
  • Elution
  • Carbon adsorption-desorption-recovery (ADR)
  • Solvent Extraction & Electrowinning
  • Cyanide (reagent)

Flow Sheet: Source
Source: Source

Summary:

Gold mine production is processed at Karora’s 100% owned Higginsville gold processing facility located 78km south by road.

The processing plant consists of an open circuit jaw crusher followed by closed circuit secondary and tertiary crushers, a fine ore bin, ball mill, gravity separation circuit, one leach tank, and six carbon adsorption tanks.

The primary sections of the processing plant that are currently in use are:
- Crushing and conveying;
- Ore storage & reclaim and grinding;
- Leaching and carbon adsorption;
- Carbon stripping, electrowinning, refining and carbon re-generation;
- Tailings thickening;
- Tailings deposition and storage;
- Reagent mixing and handling; and
- Plant services.

Gravity and Intensive Cyanidation
A gravity separation circuit is included in the design to enhance the recovery of gold that concentrates in the hydro-cyclone underflow stream.

A 100 t/h bleed of the hydro-cyclone underflow stream is delivered to the gravity feed screen for classification. The gravity feed screen is a 1.2m wide by 2.4m long horizontal vibrating screen having an aperture of 3.25mm.

Oversize from this screen will return to the ball mill feed chute for further grinding. Undersize material will report to a centrifugal concentrator to extract the gold. The gravity concentrator is a XD40 Knelson Concentrator.

The resulting concentrate from this process will then be subject to intensive cyanidation in a CS1000DM ConSep Acacia dissolution module to recover the gold. Pregnant solution from the intensive cyanidation process is pumped to the gold room for electrowinning in a CS1000EW ConSep electrowinning module.

Leaching and adsorption
The leach and adsorption circuit consists of one 1,000m3 leach tank and six CIL carbon adsorption tanks, all with a 1,000m3 capacity.

All tanks mechanically agitated with dual, open, down-pumping impellor systems powered by 55kW drives. Facilities are currently available to inject oxygen into tanks #1, #2 and #3 with a high shear oxygen injector pump recirculating into Tank #1.

Leach tank 1 is used as the initial oxidation (oxygen sparged) tank and for the initial dosing of Cyanide. Slurry flows from this tank into the carbon adsorption circuit.

Gold that is dissolved into the cyanide leach solution is recovered and concentrated by adsorption onto activated carbon (Haycarb) in the adsorption tanks.

Cyanide solution at 30% strength by weight is added to the leach tank feed distributor box and/or the first CIL tank via a flow meter and automatic control valve. The design leaching residence time is 5 hours.

Discharge from the leach tank will overflow into the first of six 1,000m3 CIL tanks (tanks 2 to 7) which have an average effective working volume of 984m3 each. The combined adsorption residence time is 30 hours.

In the CIL tanks, the carbon is advanced counter-current to the slurry flow, with new and regenerated carbon added to the last tank and advanced to the first tank while the slurry flows from tank one to tank six. Loaded carbon is pumped from adsorption tank one to the gold room elution circuit periodically for stripping of the gold.

Carbon stripping, electro-winning, refining, and carbon regeneration
Gold is recovered from the loaded carbon by a Pressure Zadra electro-winning circuit. Gold is deposited onto steel wool cathodes by the electro-winning cells. The cathodes are subsequently dried and smelted in the gold room barring furnace to produce gold bullion for shipment.

The gold from the gravity circuit is leached in the Acacia reactor and it is then electroplated by the Acacia electrowinning circuit. Steel wool cathodes from the Acacia cell are smelted in a similar manner to the gold produced by the Pressure Zadra circuit.

Barren carbon is reactivated using a liquid natural gas (LNG) fired vertical kiln at around 700°C prior to being returned to the adsorption circuit for reuse.

Recoveries & Grades:

CommodityParameter202120202019201820172016
Gold Recovery Rate, % 9493919391
Gold Head Grade, g/t 2.952.773.114.482.172.3
Nickel Head Grade, % 2.312.732.72

Production:

CommodityProductUnits202120202019201820172016
Gold Metal in doré oz 78,47666,47947,64262,23335,30723,002
Gold Metal in ore oz 73,80137,02727,882
Nickel Metal in concentrate kt 0.30.81.8

Operational Metrics:

Metrics202120202019201820172016
Ore tonnes mined 886 kt747 kt512 kt531 kt371 kt
Tonnes milled 884 kt745 kt475 kt493 kt552,531 t354 kt

Reserves at January 31, 2022:
Updated Gold Mineral Reserve estimate expected by end of Q4 2022.
Gold Mineral Resources were estimated using 1.3 g/t cut-off grade. For Nickel Mineral Resources, the models are reported within proximity to underground development and nominal 1% Ni lower cut-off grade for the nickel sulphide mineralization.

CategoryTonnage CommodityGradeContained Metal
Measured & Indicated 13,210 kt Gold 2.6 g/t 1,124 koz
Measured & Indicated 692 kt Nickel 2.8 % 19,600 t
Inferred 9,426 kt Gold 2.6 g/t 786 koz
Inferred 492 kt Nickel 2.7 % 13,200 t

Commodity Production Costs:

CommodityUnits20212020201920182017
Total cash costs (sold) Nickel USD 4.29 / lb   2.98 / lb  
Total cash costs Gold USD 1,554 / oz  
Total cash costs (sold) Gold USD 840 / oz†   943 / oz†   958 / oz†   924 / oz†   1,520 / oz†  
All-in sustaining costs (sold) Nickel USD 4.33 / lb   3.27 / lb  
All-in sustaining costs (sold) Gold USD 1,049 / oz   1,641 / oz  
All-in sustaining costs (sold) Gold USD 1,617 / lb†  
† Net of By-Product.

Operating Costs:

Units20202019
UG mining costs ($/t milled) AUD 59.971.3
Total operating costs ($/t milled) AUD 95.9111.71

Financials:

Units20212020201920182017
Sustaining costs M CAD 8.8   3.4  
Revenue M CAD 185.4  160.9  94.6   101.9   35  
Operating Income M CAD 73.9  96.1  24.5   13.8   -65  



Heavy Mobile Equipment:
HME TypeModelSizeQuantityStatusRef. Date
Drill jumbo (two boom) 2 Existing Dec 31, 2020
Load-Haul-Dump (LHD) Caterpillar R2900 17 t 3 Existing Dec 31, 2020
Load-Haul-Dump (LHD) Caterpillar R1700 14 t 3 Existing Dec 31, 2020
Truck (underground) Caterpillar AD60 60 t 5 Existing Dec 31, 2020
Truck (underground) Caterpillar AD63 1 Existing Dec 7, 2022
Truck (underground) Caterpillar AD60 60 t 2 Proposed Dec 31, 2020

Mine Management:

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
Chief Executive Officer Paul Huet LinkedIn Jul 26, 2022
Chief Operating Officer Bevan Jones LinkedIn Nov 7, 2022
General Manager Stasi Capsanis LinkedIn Sep 21, 2022
Health, Safety & Training Manager Peter Shere LinkedIn Dec 15, 2022
Mining Manager Wayne Gough LinkedIn Jul 26, 2022
Processing Manager Dennis Nunn LinkedIn Jul 26, 2022
Project Manager Colin Harken LinkedIn Jul 26, 2022
Project Superintendent Philip Botha LinkedIn Jul 26, 2022

Staff:

EmployeesYear
100 2020

Corporate Filings & Presentations:

DocumentYear
Corporate Presentation 2022
Other 2022
Financial Review 2021
Management Discussion & Analysis 2021
Management Discussion & Analysis 2021
Management Discussion & Analysis 2020
Technical Report 2020
Technical Report 2020
Annual Report 2019
Financial Review 2019
Management Discussion & Analysis 2019
Technical Report 2019
Financial Review 2018
Management Discussion & Analysis 2018
Press Release 2018
Financial Review 2017
Management Discussion & Analysis 2017
Preliminary Economic Assessment 2016

News:

NewsDate
Karora Resources Reports Record Revenue, Strong Earnings Growth In Fourth Quarter 2022 March 23, 2023
Karora Announces an 8% Increase to the Beta Hunt Nickel Measured and Indicated Mineral Resource March 7, 2023
Karora Resources Completes Beta Hunt Second Decline Ahead of Schedule, Provides Development Update and Announces Director Retirement March 3, 2023
Karora Announces Significant Increases in Beta Hunt Gold Mineral Resources and Gold Mineral Reserves February 13, 2023

Aerial view:

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