Mining Intelligence and News
Mali

Nampala Mine

Click for more information

Categories

Summary

Mine TypeOpen Pit
StatusActive
Commodities
  • Gold
Mining Method
  • Truck & Shovel / Loader
Production Start... Lock
Mine Life... Lock
SnapshotThe Nampala Property is comprised of a contiguous block of one mining permit (Nampala Mine) and three adjoining exploration permits (Mininko, Gladie and Kamasso).

On January 16, 2025, Robex Resources announced the results of an updated technical report, which extends Nampala Life of Mine.

Since 2017, the Nampala Mine has been in continuous operation, processing primarily oxide material (saprolite). With ongoing improvements to the processing flowsheet, the mine has achieved consistent increases in throughput. However, in 2024, the introduction of harder transitional ore led to a slight reduction in throughput.

Owners

SourceSource
CompanyInterestOwnership
Government of Mali 20 % Indirect
Robex Resources Inc. 80 % Indirect
Nampala SA. (operator) 100 % Direct
Robex Resources operates the Nampala mine, which is 80% owned by Robex through its subsidiary Nampala SA, with the remaining 20% held by the Government of Mali.

Contractors

Lock

- subscription is required.

Deposit type

  • Vein / narrow vein
  • Orogenic

Summary:

Deposit Type
The Nampala deposit is classified as a turbidite-hosted orogenic gold deposit that has been significantly influenced by tonalitic intrusions. This style of mineralisation is characteristic of greenstone belts worldwide and is typically associated with deformed and metamorphosed sedimentary sequences, often intruded by late-stage granitoids. The Nampala Property exhibits many key features of orogenic gold deposits, including its geological setting, structural control, alteration assemblages, and likely fluid composition.

Mineralization
Gold mineralisation at the Nampala Mine is divided into a Main and an East Zone. The turbidites hosting the Main and East gold zones of the Nampala Mine are oriented NNE and dip steeply ESE. In the Main Zone, these are composed of thick, interbedded greywacke, siltstone, and shale sequences. A graphitic shale horizon, which is not gold-bearing, separates the Main and East Zones. The East Zone turbidites include interbedded sandstones (arenite and gritstone), with gritstones comprising coarse lithic fragments suspended in a quartz-feldspar matrix.

The dominant hydrothermal alteration in both the Main and East zones of the Nampala Mine is marked by pervasive carbonatisation and silicification, with disseminations of pyrite and arsenopyrite accompanied by chlorite and kaolinite. Extensive saprolitic weathering is evident across the Property, affecting all lithologies to depths that can exceed 100 m before giving way to unaltered fresh rock. Overlying this, a thick layer of residual lateritic soil and duricrust, at times exceeding 10 m in thickness, blankets the region, rendering outcrops scarce.

Gold mineralisation is primarily hosted within competent, coarse-grained turbiditic units, specifically greywackes and siliceous sandstones. These lithologies, characterised by their brittle nature, facilitated the fracturing and subsequent vein formation. Gold occurs predominantly within structurally controlled tension quartz vein systems and stockworks that exploit these fractures and associated zones of enhanced porosity.

The tonalite intrusion, enveloped by lamprophyres, also contains mineralised quartz veins that share a similar orientation with those observed in the metasediments, suggesting a common structural control on mineralisation. Although the lamprophyre intrusions exhibit limited mineralisation, confined primarily to their margins, they appear to influence the spatial distribution of gold significantly. This is evidenced by the preferential concentration of gold mineralisation in the metasediments proximal to the lamprophyre contacts, supported by lithological competency contrasts and geochemical gradients.

Conversely, shear zones are predominantly developed within the more ductile, often graphitic, shales. These shear zones, however, are typically barren of significant gold mineralisation.

The structures and quartz vein system within the Main Zone are structurally and lithologically controlled and can be classified into three distinct mineralised structural domains, aligned along a north-south axis that are separated by at least two brittle faults: Northern Domain, Central Domain, Southern Domain.

Northern Domain
The Northern Domain is marked by NE–SW oriented mineralised envelopes containing two distinct quartz vein sets:
1. Moderately mineralised, sub-vertical en-échelon veins: These white to smoky lenticular veins trend ENE–WSW, dip steeply to the SSE, and are typically 10 m to 20 m long and 10 cm to 20 cm thick.
2. Conjugate stockwork of narrower, shallow-dipping veins: This stockwork consists of vertically stacked white veins and veinlets trending E–W.

The stockwork in the Northern Domain is primarily confined to arenite and sandstone beds and coarse-grained greywackes, forming decametric sigmoidal (augen-shaped) envelopes.

Central Domain
The Central Domain consists of an envelope containing three quartz vein sets:
1. Subvertical en-échelon white veins trending ENE–WSW and dipping steeply to the SSE. These veins range from 10 cm to 60 cm in thickness.
2. Flat, undulating veins that dip shallowly (25° to 30°) to the SSW and SSE. 3. Conjugate stockwork veins that consist of stacked smoky and white veins striking roughly N100 and dipping 50° to the SSW.

The Central Domain’s stockwork is denser than in the Northern Domain. The Nampala Mine’s highest-grade mineralisation occurs where stockworks overprint the en-échelon veins in both domains.

Southern Domain
The Southern Domain exhibits the following characteristics:
1. Quartz vein envelopes oriented approximately 020°N: This envelope is truncated by N–S structures or terminates at stratigraphic contacts. Veins propagate in coarse sediments along the intrusive contact and hornfels, where a less dense stockwork of quartz-carbonate veinlets and stringers, with disseminated sulphides, develops.
2. Anastomosing sub-vertical shear corridors: Oriented NNE–SSW. These corridors converge near the south wall of the mine pit. Mineralisation and hydrothermal alteration occur predominantly in more competent coarse-grained greywackes and sandstones, bound by less competent mudstone and siltstone. 3. Conjugate en-échelon tension veins: These veins are confined to coarse sediments, with flat veins dipping 25° to 30° to the S–SSE (2–3 m wide and <5 cm thick) and narrower sub-vertical veins with a steep W dip (60° to 70°). Sigmoidal shapes are often observed in the west-dipping veins.

Alteration
The dominant hydrothermal alteration in both the Main and East zones is marked by pervasive carbonatisation and silicification, with disseminations of pyrite and arsenopyrite accompanied by chlorite and kaolinite (clay minerals). The alteration exhibits a clear zonation pattern radiating outward from quartz veins. Sulphides, primarily fine (submillimetre) pyrite and arsenopyrite, are predominantly disseminated. These are concentrated within silicate-carbonate alteration halos in the surrounding wall rock and the quartz-carbonate veins. Silicification and arsenopyrite content appear slightly more pronounced in the East Zone than in the Main Zone, suggesting a higher intensity of alteration in this area.

Reserves

Lock

- subscription is required.

Mining Methods

Lock

- subscription is required.

Heavy Mobile Equipment

Lock

- subscription is required.

Comminution

Crushers and Mills

Lock

- subscription is required.

Processing

Lock

- subscription is required.

Commodity Production

CommodityUnits2025202420232022202120202019201820172016
Gold oz  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe55,685 44,946 36,997 12,051 
All production numbers are expressed as metal in doré. ^ Guidance / Forecast.

Operational metrics

Metrics202420232022202120202019201820172016
Annual processing capacity  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe
Stripping ratio  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe1.8 1.6 1.5 2.4
Ore tonnes mined  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe1,873,721 t1,797,809 t1,451,497 t680,621 t
Waste  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe3,458,443 t2,951,212 t2,184,546 t1,613,814 t
Total tonnes mined  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe
Tonnes processed  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe1,909,663 t1,795,591 t1,615,966 t719,090 t
Daily processing rate  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe4,400 t

Production Costs

CommodityUnits202520242023202220212020201920182017
Total cash costs (sold) Gold CAD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 623 / oz   643 / oz   618 / oz  
All-in sustaining costs (sold) Gold CAD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 930 / oz   973 / oz   906 / oz  
^ Guidance / Forecast.

Operating Costs

Currency20242023202220212020201920182017
Total operating costs ($/t milled) CAD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe

Mine Financials

Units20242023202220212020201920182017
Sustaining costs M CAD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 16.5   15.5   10  
Revenue M CAD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 99.2   78.4   57.2  
Operating Income M CAD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 27.9   25.4   22.6  
Pre-tax Income M CAD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe
After-tax Income M CAD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe

Personnel

Mine Management

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Aug 1, 2025
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Aug 1, 2025
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Aug 1, 2025
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Aug 1, 2025

Workforce

EmployeesContractorsTotal WorkforceYear
...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required 2023
...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required 2022
...... Subscription required 2021
...... Subscription required 2020
...... Subscription required 2019

Aerial view:

Lock

- subscription is required.