Mining Intelligence and News
Australia

King of the Hills (KOTH) Operation

Click for more information

Categories

Overview

Mine TypeOpen Pit & Underground
StatusActive
Commodities
  • Gold
Mining Method
  • Truck & Shovel / Loader
  • Longhole open stoping
  • Room-and-pillar
  • Airleg stoping
Backfill type ... Lock
Production Start... Lock
Mine Life... Lock
SnapshotPreviously, the King of the Hills ore was being treated at Red 5’s Darlot processing plant, which was placed into care and maintenance in July 2022.

In 2022, Red 5 has established the new King of the Hills Processing Hub.

The King of the Hills (KOTH) Gold Mine now comprises a centralised 5.5Mtpa processing hub, which is fed by three mines:
1. KOTH Open Pit
2. KOTH Underground
3. Darlot Underground, a satellite mine 100 kilometers north of KOTH.

Since FY 2023 mine's production and financial results of Darlot mine have been included into the King of the Hills mine.
Related AssetDarlot Mine

Owners

SourceSource
CompanyInterestOwnership
Red 5 Ltd. 100 % Indirect
Red 5 owns and operates the new long-life King of the Hills (KOTH) Gold Mine. The KOTH Gold Mine comprises a centralised 5.5Mtpa processing hub, which is fed by three mines: KOTH Open Pit, KOTH Underground, Darlot Underground, a satellite mine 100 kilometeres north of KOTH.

The King of the Hills are 100% held and managed by Greenstone Resources (WA) Pty Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Red 5 Limited.

The Darlot mine is operated through Red 5’s 100%-owned subsidiary company, Darlot Mining Company Pty Ltd.

Contractors

Lock

- subscription is required.

Deposit type

  • Vein / narrow vein
  • Breccia pipe / Stockwork

Summary:

King of the Hills (KOTH) mine
The King of the Hills (KOTH) mineralisation is considered to be part of an Archean Orogenic gold deposit with many similar characteristics to other gold deposits within the Eastern Goldfields of the Yilgarn Craton.

Gold mineralisation is associated with sheeted and stockwork quartz vein sets within a hosting granodiorite stock and pervasively carbonate altered ultramafic rocks. Mineralisation is thought to have occurred within a brittle/ductile shear zone with the main thrust shear zone forming the primary conduit for the mineralising fluids. Pre-existing quartz veining and brittle fracturing of the granite created a network of second order conduits for mineralising fluids.

Brittle fracturing along the granodiorite contact generated radial tension veins, perpendicular to the orientation of the granodiorite, and zones of quartz stockwork. These stockwork zones are seen in both the granodiorite and ultramafic units and contain mineralisation outside the modelled continuous vein system (High Grade Veins).

Gold appears as free particles (coarse gold) or associated with traces of base metals sulphides (galena, chalcopyrite, pyrite) intergrown within quartz along late stage fractures.

Dimensions
The northern section of the mineralised zone (also known as part of the Western Flank) strikes 30 degrees west of true north over a distance of 700m and plunges to the southwest. Individual lodes dip east at 35 to 45 degrees. Eastern Flank mineralisation strikes 30 degrees east of true north over a distance of 700m and is sub vertical. Stockwork mineralisation runs along the contact of the granodiorite/ultramafic contact and penetrates up to and over 100 to 200m inter the granodiorite. The average strike of the eastern edge of the granodiorite runs 30 degrees east of true north over a distance of 4km and is vertical.

In summary the KOTH mineralisation is over 3.7km by length up to 770m wide at the top of the granodiorite/ultramafic contact where the mineralisation is sub horizontal. Along the eastern contact, in the northern half the sub vertical mineralisation is drilled down to a depth of approximately 590m and the southern half mineralisation has been drilled to approximately 250m below surface.

Mineralisation is still open down dip on the eastern contact and down plunge along the northern contact.

Darlot mine
The Darlot lodes are considered to be part of an Archean hydrothermal fault-vein deposit with many similar characteristics with other deposits within the Yilgarn Craton, namely host rock type and nature of hydrothermal alteration; however, it is atypical in being relatively flat-lying rather than steeply dipping. Felsic porphyries and lamprophyre intrusions are encountered throughout the deposit. The major host for gold mineralisation is the Mount Pickering Dolerite.

Gold mineralisation is associated with quartz veins and alteration haloes controlled by major D2 and D3 structures or secondary splays and cross-linking structures. The quartz veins are hosted mainly by magnetic dolerite and magnetic quartz dolerite rock types and, to a lesser extent, by non-magnetic dolerite and felsic volcano sedimentary rock types. Lamprophyre intrusions are present in the area with a variety of orientations. In most cases the lamprophyres are thought to be pre-mineralisation but are an un-favourable host rock for mineralisation and in most cases are barren.

Mineralisation is hosted by a fractionated Dolerite sill within the greater Mt Pickering dolerite syncline, with silica+/-albite+/- carbonate+/-pyrite+/-gold being the key alteration components.

St George is part of the Darlot Gold Mine, and the interpretation is based largely on the Centenary style mineralisation that is also in part associated with the Oval and Burswood Faults, with minimal supergene enrichment.

St George Mineral Resource has not been mined due to unfavourable economics in the past, however an economic review is still to be completed.

In the St George area, the mineralisation crosses lithological boundaries and is present in the mixed basalt, dolerite and felsic porphyry (MD and FAP) domains.

The St George gold mineralisation is located about the Oval and Burswood Faults and is associated with quartz veins and alteration haloes controlled by major D2 and D3 structures, secondary splays and cross-linking structures such as the echelon tension gash arrays as a result of oblique reverse movement on the faults stated above.

Reserves

Lock

- subscription is required.

Mining Methods

Lock

- subscription is required.

Comminution

Crushers and Mills

Lock

- subscription is required.

Processing

Lock

- subscription is required.

Production

The KOTH processing facility was commissioned in May 2022, production data for 2022 is represented for two months - May and June 2022.
CommodityUnits202420232022202120202019201820162015
Gold koz  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe102 48 9.150
All production numbers are expressed as metal in doré. ^ Guidance / Forecast.
* Combined production for Darlot Mine and King of the Hills (KOTH) Operation

Operational metrics

Metrics202320222020201920162015
Annual processing capacity  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe
Ore tonnes mined  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe403 kt457 kt
Waste OP  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe
Tonnes milled  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe76 kt392 kt

Production Costs

CommodityUnits2024
Cash costs Gold AUD
All-in sustaining costs (AISC) Gold AUD  ....  Subscribe
^ Guidance / Forecast.
** Net of By-Product.

Financials

Units20242023
Capital expenditures (planned) M AUD  ....  Subscribe
Revenue M AUD  ....  Subscribe
Pre-tax Income M AUD  ....  Subscribe

Heavy Mobile Equipment

Lock

- subscription is required.

Personnel

Mine Management

Job TitleNamePhoneEmailProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Nov 17, 2023
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Nov 17, 2023
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Sep 15, 2020
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Sep 15, 2020
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Sep 15, 2020
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required ........... Subscription required ........... Subscription required Subscription required Nov 17, 2023
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Nov 17, 2023
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Nov 17, 2023
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Nov 17, 2023
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Nov 17, 2023
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Nov 17, 2023

EmployeesTotal WorkforceYear
...... Subscription required 2023
...... Subscription required 2021
...... Subscription required 2020
...... Subscription required 2019
...... Subscription required 2018
...... Subscription required 2017

Aerial view:

Lock

- subscription is required.