The BAM gold resources occur close to the surface below a thin glacial till overburden, ranging from 10 – 15 m vertical thickness. The 2022 model was therefore constructed with a view towards selective open pit mining.
Geotechnical parameters used for the 2022 pit optimization work by Cube were based on recommendations from the geotechnical assessment work carried out by WSP in 2018 (Nelson, 2018).
Recommended Pit Wall Angles and Bench Height Based on Geotechnical Studies (Nelson, 2018):
- Bench Height - 20 m;
- Berm Width - 8.5 m;
- Batter Angle - 80 Degrees;
- Crest to Crest - 50 Degrees;
- Stack Height - 200 m;
- Ramp Width - 28 m;
- Ramp gradient - 1 in 10 ratio;
- Optimisation Slope - 54 Degrees;
- No Ramp Passes - 1;
- Number of Benches - 10;
- Horizontal distance - 148 m;
- Crest to Crest - 53.4 m.
The planned development of the open pits was scheduled based on the open pit optimization shells for Run B (Indicated and Inferred Resources). The schedule intervals are in quarterly increments for the life of the mine and includes a crusher feed schedule together with end of period stockpile balances.
The schedule was prepared within a schedule optimization tool (Minemax Scheduler) to obtain the maximum project value within the applied practical constraints. The schedule includes preproduction, mining production from the open pits, stockpiling and processing. To guide th ........
