Overview
Stage | Production |
Mine Type | Underground |
Commodities |
|
Mining Method |
- Longhole stoping
- Bench stoping
- Paste backfill
|
Processing |
- Gravity separation
- Flotation
- Inline Leach Reactor (ILR)
- Agitated tank (VAT) leaching
- Carbon in pulp (CIP)
- Carbon adsorption-desorption-recovery (ADR)
- AARL elution
- Solvent Extraction & Electrowinning
- Cyanide (reagent)
- Roasting
|
The operation includes three underground producing mines, Raleigh and Rubicon – Hornet as well as a number of new discoveries that are currently under development. The most advanced, being the Pegasus deposit that came into production in 2015. All of the Kundana mines yield a “free- milling” ore, where the gold is readily available and recoverable in a conventional CIP circuit. The EKJV comprises eleven mining leases totalling 52 square kilometres of tenure. |
Latest News | Evolution gains access to East Kundana with Tribune investment February 25, 2019 |
Source:
p. 5
The EKJV is between Rand Mining Limited (12.25%), Tribune Resources Limited (36.75%) and Gilt-Edged Mining Pty. Ltd. (51%). On 1 March 2014, Gilt- Edged Mining became a wholly owned subsidiary of Northern Star Resources Ltd.
Summary:
The Kundana Operation hosts several deposits spatially associated with the Zuleika Shear Zone (‘ZSZ’), a NW/SE trending structure stretching more than 250km, separating the Ora Banda and Coolgardie Domains.
Typically, deposits within the ‘ZSZ’ are comprised of narrow, high grade quartz veins, hosted within smaller shear structures formed at the contacts of the Archaean Greenstone stratigraphy’s belonging to the two domains.
Strike extents for each of the deposits are controlled by late-stage NNE trending sub-vertical structures, exhibiting varying amounts of dextral offset.
In total, the Kundana area is known to host more than 5Moz of gold, including the deposits Raleigh, Rubicon, Hornet and Pegasus.
The Raleigh deposit is hosted within the Strzelecki Shear, located at the stratigraphic contact between Andesite/Intermediate Volcanoclastic and Gabbro, with varying amounts of interflow sediment.
The main lode comprises a laminated quartz vein up to 2m true width and dipping 70º west, grading on average 55gpt Au. Gold is typically associated with sphalerite and galena.
The deposit is well defined with drilling showing economic mineralisation extending up to 750m below surface.
The Rubicon, Hornet and Pegasus deposits are all hosted within the K2 Shear, located at the stratigraphic contact between Intermediate Volcanoclastic and the Victorious Basalt, with varying amounts of Centenary Shale.
The main lode comprises several mineralising events which can be distinguished by the presence of laminated or brecciated quartz, and differing amounts of galena, sphalerite, arsenopyrite and pyrrhotite.
Vein grades typically average 25gpt Au for the main lode with the structure varying in thickness from 0.5-4m and dipping 80º west. Several hangingwall lodes with varying orientation have also been identified and exhibit localised ore grades.
All three deposits remain open at depth, with drilling and underground development identifying distinct highgrade zones plunging to both the north and south.
Mining Methods
- Longhole stoping
- Bench stoping
- Paste backfill
Summary:
Kundana also employs the method of underhand long hole bench stoping with paste fill similar to that of the Kanowna Belle operation. This method is used to ensure that high extraction rates of the orebody are achieved as the orebody can grade from 5.0gpt to +31gpt plus. This mining method also assists with minimising any future stress impact on the Operation.
Ore drives are mined along the strike of the orebody following the high grade laminated quartz vein. Once the strike ore drive is completed a vertical rise is established and extraction of the ore between two levels is commenced. The ore body is significantly narrower than the Kanowna Belle ore body with stope widths typically in the order of 1.0m to 2.5m wide. Once a stope panel has been mined, typically 15-18m along strike a paste fill barricade is erected and the stope void is backfilled with paste fill (reconstituted mine tailings, sand, cement and water). The paste fill is reticulated from surface via steel pipe work and delivered in to the stope as a thick slurry. Over a period of 1-2 days the paste fill cures and hardens which then allows the next stope void to be extracted. This process continues until the entire level has been mined out.
The Kundana Operations currently consist of five underground ore bodies. The Raleigh ore body is accessed form the Raleigh pit with underground stoping occurring at +650m below surface. Three other orebodies, Rubicon, Hornet and Pegasus, are accessed from the Rubicon pit and portal with stoping occurring between 200m and 400m below surface. Production has also recently commenced on the 100% owned Millennium deposit at Kundana.
All mining operations are operated by Northern Star Mining Services.
Crusher / Mill Type | Model | Size | Power | Quantity |
SAG mill
|
|
|
|
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Processing
- Gravity separation
- Flotation
- Inline Leach Reactor (ILR)
- Agitated tank (VAT) leaching
- Carbon in pulp (CIP)
- Carbon adsorption-desorption-recovery (ADR)
- AARL elution
- Solvent Extraction & Electrowinning
- Cyanide (reagent)
- Roasting
Source:
Summary:
Ore from the Kundana operations is treated at the NST owned Kanowna Belle processing facility located adjacent to the Kanowna Belle mine.
The Kanowna Belle processing plant is a complex and versatile plant that includes separate circuits for processing free-milling and refractory gold ores. The plant has undergone progressive upgrades since its initial construction and now has an annual throughput capacity of approximately~ 2Mtpa of hard rock underground ore.
The crushing and grinding circuits are common for the free milling and refractory circuits.
Pre-leach classification is achieved using a hydro-cyclone classifier circuit consisting of a cluster of 18 x 250mm cyclones that are fed from a central distributor. Only eight to nine of the cyclones are operated at any one time depending on volume of slurry in the milling circuit. Three of the cyclones in the cluster are dedicated to feed the Knelson gravity concentrator during the free milling ore campaig ........

Recoveries & Grades:
Commodity | Parameter | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 |
Gold
|
Head Grade, g/t
| 7.9 | 8.2 | 8.7 | 12.4 | 10.8 |
Production:
Commodity | Units | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 |
Gold
|
oz
| 216,621 | 209,106 | 191,504 | 204,000 | 147,000 |
All production numbers are expressed as metal in doré.
Operational Metrics:
Metrics | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 |
Ore tonnes mined
| ......  | 0.8 Mt | 0.7 Mt | 0.5 Mt | 0.4 Mt |
Reserves at June 30, 2020:
Category | Tonnage | Commodity | Grade | Contained Metal |
Proven
|
1,319 kt
|
Gold
|
5.2 g/t
|
221.6 koz
|
Probable
|
3,369 kt
|
Gold
|
4.7 g/t
|
507.7 koz
|
Proven & Probable
|
4,688 kt
|
Gold
|
4.8 g/t
|
729.4 koz
|
Measured
|
2,037 kt
|
Gold
|
6.2 g/t
|
405.9 koz
|
Indicated
|
5,880 kt
|
Gold
|
5.2 g/t
|
992 koz
|
Inferred
|
4,367 kt
|
Gold
|
4.4 g/t
|
617.6 koz
|
Total Resource
|
12,282 kt
|
Gold
|
5.1 g/t
|
1,016 koz
|
Mine Management:
Job Title | Name | Profile | Ref. Date |
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Oct 3, 2020
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