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Australia

Gossan Valley Project

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Summary

Mine TypeUnderground
Study CompletedFeasibility
StagePermitting
Commodities
  • Copper
  • Zinc
  • Gold
  • Silver
  • Lead
Mining Method
  • Longhole open stoping
  • Longitudinal retreat
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SnapshotThe Gossan Valley project is part of the Golden Grove mine operations. Located approximately 7km south of the existing Gossan Hill mine, Gossan Valley is set to become a third mining front, increasing production flexibility and optimising the overall mining profile at Golden Grove.

In December 2024, 29Metals announced a final investment decision for the Gossan Valley project, confirming its technical viability and economic attractiveness. The development of this project will replace the diminishing ore reserves at the Scuddles site, providing stability and a long-term perspective for the Golden Grove operations.

Owners

SourceSource
CompanyInterestOwnership
Golden Grove Operations Pty Ltd (operator) 100 % Direct
29Metals Limited 100 % Indirect
All tenements of Golden Grove operation are 100% owned by Golden Grove Operations Pty Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of 29Metals Limited.

Deposit type

  • VMS

Summary:

The Gossan Valley deposit is around 7km south of Gossan Hill and presently comprises five separate mineralised areas, the main Gossan Valley lenses and four smaller areas, Grassi and Flying Hi, 1-2km to the south of Gossan Valley and Felix and Conteville, 0.5-1km to the north.

Zinc and copper mineralisation are hosted in the GGF, chiefly in the GG4 and GG5 members, unlike Gossan Hill and Scuddles where zinc mineralisation occurs predominantly in GG6. Sphalerite and chalcopyrite have locally replaced massive magnetite in GG4 and GG5 although mineralised lenses are generally narrower than at Gossan Hill and Scuddles. Stringer chalcopyrite also occurs in GG1 and occasionally in the GV4 Member of the Gossan Valley Formation. Small lenses of sphalerite and chalcopyrite are also developed in GG6. The same style of mineralisation has been intersected at Felix approximately 500m to the north of Gossan Valley with massive magnetite locally replaced by sphalerite and chalcopyrite.

A small resource has been defined at Conteville which is located to the north of Felix; mineralisation remains open in all directions and warrants further drilling. Flying Hi to the south of Grassi contains copper and zinc mineralisation which is hosted in the upper portion of the GG1 member.

Post-mineralisation dolerite bodies and rhyolite dykes intrude and stope out portions of the mineralisation at Gossan Valley in a similar manner to Gossan Hill.

Gossan Valley is hosted in the Golden Grove Formation. Similar to Gossan Hill, the mineralisation at the Gossan Valley deposit has locally replaced sub-massive to massive magnetite in what is traditionally seen as a chalcopyrite-dominant footwall for the Gossan Hill deposit. However, at Gossan Valley the mineralisation is a combination of sphalerite and chalcopyrite.

At Gossan Valley, stringer chalcopyrite and pyrite also occur further in footwall sediments, and small lenses of sphalerite and chalcopyrite occur in the hangingwall to the main mineralised position. A number of post mineralisation dolerite intrusives crosscut the stratigraphy and mineralisation at the Gossan Valley Deposits in several generations and orientations. In turn, the dolerites are crosscut by later small rhyolite intrusions.

The Gossan Valley deposits are made up of multiple lenses within a 3.4 kilometre portion of prospective stratigraphy, extending from Grassi in the south to Conteville in the north. Some of the lenses that make up the Gossan Valley and Grassi deposits are open down plunge. The Conteville deposit remains open down plunge.

Gossan Valley mineralisation is hosted in Golden Grove Member 4 (GG4) of the Golden Grove Formation. The nature of mineralisation is considered to be strata bound. The style of mineralisation at Gossan Valley is similar in nature to that of Gossan Hill and comprises multiple steeply dipping zones. Each zone varies from 50m to 450m along strike, 40m to 400m down-dip and 3m to 10m in thickness.

Reserves

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Mining Methods

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Heavy Mobile Equipment

Fleet data has not been reported.

Comminution

Crushers and Mills

Milling equipment has not been reported.

Processing

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Commodity Production

CommodityUnitsAvg. Annual
Copper kt 4
Zinc kt 20
All production numbers are expressed as metal in concentrate.

Operational metrics

Metrics
Annual ore mining rate  ....  Subscribe
Ore tonnes mined, LOM  ....  Subscribe
* According to 2024 study.

Production Costs

CommodityUnitsAverage
Assumed price Zinc USD  ....  Subscribe
Assumed price Copper USD  ....  Subscribe
* According to 2024 study / presentation.

Operating Costs

CurrencyAverage
Total operating costs ($/t milled) AUD  ....  Subscribe
* According to 2024 study.

Project Costs

MetricsUnitsLOM Total
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Total CapEx $M AUD  ......  Subscribe
Pre-tax Cash Flow (LOM) $M AUD  ......  Subscribe
Pre-tax NPV @ 9% $M AUD  ......  Subscribe
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Pre-tax payback period, years  ......  Subscribe

Personnel

Mine Management

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Workforce

Aerial view:

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