Overview
Stage | Production |
Mine Type | Open Pit |
Commodities |
|
Mining Method |
|
Production Start | ...  |
Mine Life | 4 years (as of Jan 1, 2021) |
Copper producer Austral Resources Australia Ltd is pleased to announce that the first blast at Anthill Mine has been fired on 16 November 2021.
Approval to commence mining at Anthill was received on 25 October 2021.
First ore mining is expected to commence in March/April 2022. |
Source:
p. 45,61,62
Contractors
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Deposit Type
- Breccia pipe / Stockwork
- Vein / narrow vein
Summary:
The mineral resources comprise secondary oxide copper mineralisation that form as sub-horizontal blankets in the ferruginous saprolite horizon, immediately above underlying copper sulphide mineralisation which is structurally controlled. Oxide copper mineralisation occurs predominantly in the form of malachite, with minor amounts of azurite, chrysocolla, cuprite, and rare native copper. The primary sulphide mineralisation occurs as chalcopyrite and pyrite, with cuprite and chalcocite occurring in the transitional zone between the oxide and sulphide zones.
The Anthill deposit is hosted predominantly within the Esperanza Formation. The host lithology of the orebody is inferred to be dolomitic siltstones; however, the strong weathering and oxidation process has resulted in the near complete loss of dolomite from the rock in the upper oxide zone. The mineralisation appears to be controlled by a combination of steep structural elements and broad dome features. The Anthill transition is commonly hosted in structurally controlled silicified zones as well as in silicified sedimentary breccia in dolomite, which appear to have been a preferred permeability horizon for mineralising fluids.
Dimensions
Approximately 1,700 m x 770 m and ranges in thickness from less than 10 m to approximately 40 m; mineralisation is subdivided into three areas: Anthill East, Anthill West, and Anthill Link (low- grade).
Summary:
The mining method is typical of other operations in the region and there are well established mining contractors who can provide the required mining services, comprising of rigid mining dump trucks, hydraulic excavators and rockdrills. Ore from the ROM area will be rehandled with front-end loaders into the road trains and hauled to the Mount Kelly ROM, where ore will be crushed, agglomerated, and radially stacked onto the leach pads. A conventional excavator and truck fleet scenario was compared with using Kenworth “bigfoot” trucks before progressing the study in the May 2020 Mining report completed by CSA Global. It was decided to go with conventional truck and excavator as road trains are more suited to wider and shallower pits.
Mining will involve blasting on 10 m benches with load and haul activities on three or four flitches of varying heights. It is planned to use three flitches in large waste zones in the upper parts of the pit with a larger excavator, and four flitches in the ore with a smaller excavator. This approach can ensure selective mining while utilising blast-hole sampling for grade control, as there is a requirement to mine ore and waste with a minimum of dilution and mining ore loss.
The pit shells and lobes of mineralisation were then subdivided into the stages:
• Stage 1 East: The Starter Pit to the east, enabling to reach some ore and defer waste rock stripping;
• Stage 1 West: Excavation focused on the small West Pit;
Flow Sheet:
Summary:

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Production:
Commodity | Units | Avg. Annual (Projected) | LOM (Projected) |
Copper
|
M lbs
| 22 | 89 |
All production numbers are expressed as cathode.
Reserves at June 30, 2021:
Mineral Resource estimate using a copper cut-off grade of 0.30% Cu.
Category | Tonnage | Commodity | Grade | Contained Metal |
Proven
|
1.86 Mt
|
Copper
|
0.9 %
|
|
Probable
|
3.2 Mt
|
Copper
|
0.9 %
|
|
Proven & Probable
|
5.06 Mt
|
Copper
|
0.9 %
|
47,500 t
|
Measured
|
3 Mt
|
Copper
|
0.79 %
|
|
Indicated
|
8.7 Mt
|
Copper
|
0.71 %
|
|
Inferred
|
2.1 Mt
|
Copper
|
0.52 %
|
|
Total Resource
|
13.8 Mt
|
Copper
|
0.7 %
|
|
HME Type | Model | Size | Quantity | Status | Leased or Contractor | Ref. Date |
Drill (blasthole)
|
.......................
|
|
.......................
|
Existing
|
|
Nov 17, 2021
|
Excavator
|
.......................
|
225 t
|
.......................
|
Existing
|
|
Feb 10, 2022
|
Excavator
|
|
350 t
|
.......................
|
Existing
|
|
Jan 11, 2022
|
Excavator
|
.......................
|
|
.......................
|
Existing
|
|
Feb 10, 2022
|
Truck (dump)
|
|
210 t
|
.......................
|
Existing
|
|
Jan 11, 2022
|
.......................
|
|
.......................
|
|
Proposed
|
|
Sep 10, 2021
|
.......................
|
|
.......................
|
|
Proposed
|
|
Sep 10, 2021
|
Truck (haul)
|
.......................
|
|
|
Existing
|
|
Dec 7, 2021
|
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