Overview
Stage | Production |
Mine Type | Open Pit |
Commodities |
|
Mining Method |
|
Production Start | ... |
Mine Life | 2028 |
The Company is actively developing its Anthill copper mine which achieved an average daily production rate of 33.5 tonnes of LME Grade-A copper cathode from its Mt Kelly heap leach and SXEW processing plant by the end of 2022.
Austral continues to develop the Anthill Mine as it seeks to extend the mine life beyond four-years. Between October and November 2022, the Company drilled 41 reverse circulation holes, and it intends to continue drilling in 2023. |
Source:
p. 20
The Anthill oxide copper mine is owned by Austral Resources.
Contractors
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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:
Austral operates the Anthill Mine using a conventional truck and shovel approach. Initially, the overburden was removed to expose a copper oxide ore layer, which is now mined to provide around 5,000 tonnes per day of feed to the Mt Kelly processing area.
During 2022 year three mining fronts were maintained, being East Stage 1 pit, East Stage 2 pit and the West pit. This allowed some flexibility in the mining schedule, particularly with the onset of the wet season.
The majority of ore was sourced from the West pit, with adverse weather conditions slowing production from the Stage 1 East pit towards the end of the December 2022 quarter.
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 a 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 ........
Flow Sheet:
Summary:
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Pipelines and Water Supply
Source:
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Production:
Commodity | Units | Avg. Annual (Projected) | LOM (Projected) |
Copper
|
M lbs
| 22 | 89 |
All production numbers are expressed as cathode.
Operational Metrics:
Metrics | 2022 |
Daily processing rate
| ...... |
Annual production capacity
| ...... |
Ore tonnes mined
| ...... |
Total tonnes mined
| ...... |
Tonnes processed
| ...... |
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Reserves at December 31, 2022:
Copper Ore Reserves: 0.3% CuEq cut-off grade. CuEq = Cu% - 0.04%Ca.
Mineral Resources are reported inclusive of Mineral Reserves.
Category | OreType | Tonnage | Commodity | Grade | Contained Metal |
Proven
|
Oxide
|
1.78 Mt
|
Copper
|
0.81 %
|
|
Probable
|
Oxide
|
2.63 Mt
|
Copper
|
0.88 %
|
|
Proven & Probable
|
Oxide
|
4.41 Mt
|
Copper
|
0.85 %
|
37.485 kt
|
Measured
|
Sulphide
|
0.02 Mt
|
Copper
|
0.7 %
|
0.14 kt
|
Measured
|
Transitional
|
0.29 Mt
|
Copper
|
0.9 %
|
2.61 kt
|
Measured
|
Oxide
|
2.26 Mt
|
Copper
|
0.72 %
|
16.27 kt
|
Measured
|
Total
|
2.57 Mt
|
Copper
|
0.74 %
|
19.02 kt
|
Indicated
|
Sulphide
|
0.84 Mt
|
Copper
|
0.61 %
|
5.12 kt
|
Indicated
|
Transitional
|
1.82 Mt
|
Copper
|
0.76 %
|
13.83 kt
|
Indicated
|
Oxide
|
5.23 Mt
|
Copper
|
0.65 %
|
34 kt
|
Indicated
|
Total
|
7.89 Mt
|
Copper
|
0.67 %
|
52.95 kt
|
Inferred
|
Sulphide
|
1.67 Mt
|
Copper
|
0.54 %
|
9.02 kt
|
Inferred
|
Transitional
|
0.26 Mt
|
Copper
|
0.47 %
|
1.22 kt
|
Inferred
|
Oxide
|
0.14 Mt
|
Copper
|
0.37 %
|
0.52 kt
|
Inferred
|
Total
|
2.07 Mt
|
Copper
|
0.52 %
|
10.76 kt
|
Total Resource
|
Sulphide
|
2.53 Mt
|
Copper
|
0.57 %
|
14.42 kt
|
Total Resource
|
Transitional
|
2.37 Mt
|
Copper
|
0.74 %
|
17.54 kt
|
Total Resource
|
Oxide
|
7.63 Mt
|
Copper
|
0.67 %
|
51.12 kt
|
Total Resource
|
Total
|
12.53 Mt
|
Copper
|
0.66 %
|
82.7 kt
|
HME Type | Model | Size | Quantity | Status | Leased or Contractor | Ref. Date | Source |
Drill (blasthole)
|
.......................
|
|
.......................
|
Existing
|
|
Nov 17, 2021
|
p.7
|
Excavator
|
.......................
|
225 t
|
.......................
|
Existing
|
|
Feb 10, 2022
|
p.1
|
Excavator
|
|
350 t
|
.......................
|
Existing
|
|
Jan 11, 2022
|
p.1
|
Excavator
|
.......................
|
|
.......................
|
Existing
|
|
Feb 10, 2022
|
p.1
|
Truck (dump)
|
|
210 t
|
.......................
|
Existing
|
|
Jan 11, 2022
|
p.1
|
.......................
|
|
.......................
|
|
Required
|
|
Sep 10, 2021
|
p.54
|
.......................
|
|
.......................
|
|
Required
|
|
Sep 10, 2021
|
p.54
|
Truck (haul)
|
.......................
|
|
|
Existing
|
|
Dec 7, 2021
|
|
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