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Australia
KCGM Operation (Mt Charlotte Mine)

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 Location:
0 km E from Kalgoorlie-Boulder, Western Australia, Australia

  Address:
Black Street
PMB 27
Kalgoorlie
Western Australia, Australia
6433
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Overview

StageProduction
Mine TypeOpen Pit / Underground
Commodities
  • Gold
Mining Method
  • Stoping under rockfill (SURF)
  • Truck & Shovel / Loader
  • Sub-level caving
  • Longhole open stoping
  • Avoca
  • Backfill
Processing
  • Gravity separation
  • Desliming
  • Carbon re-activation kiln
  • ACACIA reactor
  • Flotation
  • Concentrate leach
  • Agitated tank (VAT) leaching
  • Carbon in leach (CIL)
  • Carbon in pulp (CIP)
  • AARL elution
  • Carbon adsorption-desorption-recovery (ADR)
  • Elution
  • Solvent Extraction & Electrowinning
  • Cyanide (reagent)
  • Roasting
Mine Life2026
KCGM Operations include the Fimiston Open Pit (the “Super Pit”), Mt Charlotte Underground Mine and the Fimiston and Gidji Processing Plants, located adjacent to the City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder.

Mining at Fimiston Open Pit (the “Super Pit”) began in 1989.

The history of mining at Mt Charlotte stretches back to 1893. Large scale underground mining began in 1963 and has been managed by Kalgoorlie Consolidated Gold Mines Pty Ltd (KCGM) since 1989.
Latest NewsMerger of Northern Star and Saracen implemented     February 12, 2021


Owners & OPERATOR

Source:
CompanyInterestOwnership
Saracen Mineral Holdings Ltd. 100 % Indirect
Northern Star Resources Ltd. 100 % Indirect
Kalgoorlie Consolidated Gold Mines Pty Ltd. (operator) 100 % Direct
On February 12, 2021, Saracen Mineral Holdings completed its merger with Northern Star Resources Ltd.

In November 2019, Saracen Mineral Holdings Limited purchased Barrick Gold Corporation’s 50% stake in KCGM. In January 2020, Newmont Goldcorp sold its 50% share of the operations to Northern Star Resources Limited.

With 50/50 Joint Venture Owners Saracen Mineral Holdings Limited and Northern Star Resources Limited, KCGM is now 100% Australian owned for the first time in its 31 year history.

Deposit Type

  • Porphyry
  • Breccia pipe / Stockwork
  • Vein / narrow vein


Summary:

The Golden Mile deposit occurs in the Kalgoorlie Terrane within the southern portion of the NNW trending Archaean Norseman-Wiluna Greenstone Belt. The greenstone belt has been multiply deformed and regionally metamorphosed to grades varying from lower greenschist to amphibolite grade.

The stratigraphy covered by the Fimiston Project tenements consists of a basal ultramafic unit called the Hannan Lake Serpentinite. This ultramafic unit is overlain successively by the high magnesian Devon Consols Basalt, Kapai Slate, tholeiitic Paringa Basalt and the Black Flag sediments. Differentiated zones of dolerite and gabbro texture occur within the mafic sequence. The Golden Mile Dolerite, hosting the bulk of the Golden Mile and Mount Charlotte gold mineralisation, is a strongly differentiated layered gabbro, approximately 700m in thickness. The Golden Mile Dolerite is situated conformably between the Paringa Basalt and the Black Flag sediments. This entire stratigraphic sequence is intruded by numerous porphyry dykes of intermediate to felsic composition.

The Fimiston style gold mineralisation, which accounts for the bulk of the economic gold ore of the Golden Mile deposit, is hosted dominantly in the Golden Mile Dolerite with lesser mineralisation hosted in the Paringa Basalt. The Golden Mile deposit is an intensely mineralised Archaean shear zone system developed between the Adelaide and Golden Pike faults. Gold mineralisation occurs over a north-south strike length of 4,250m, a width of 1,850m and has been historically mined to a depth of about 1,200m underground.

The mineralisation consists of numerous narrow, generally 1-2m wide, but locally up to 20m wide, vertically and laterally extensive lodes, up to 1,200m vertical and over 1,000m along strike length. The Fimiston lodes occur in three principle orientations: Main 140o/80oW, Caunter 115o/55oW to 80oW and Cross Lodes 050o/90o to 80oN-S. The deposit lies within a regional syncline and is divided into the Eastern Lode System and the Western Lode System, divided by the steeply dipping reverse Golden Mile Fault. The Main and Caunter lodes are the dominant sets in both the Western and Eastern Lode Systems. The lodes in the Western Lode System display good lateral and vertical continuity whereas lodes in the Eastern Lode System are segmented by numerous steep reverse faults. The lodes in the Western and Eastern Lode System form a funnel shaped array which is sub-vertical in the Western Lode System and steeply west dipping in the Eastern Lode System.

The Mt Charlotte style gold mineralisation accounts for the bulk of the economic gold ore of the Mt Charlotte deposit, but may be seen in some areas of Fimiston Pit. It is predominantly associated with pyrite in carbonate alteration haloes around quartz veins with a minor proportion as relatively coarse free gold within the veins, commonly close to their margins. The veins vary in width from a few millimetres to a maximum of about 2 metres but are commonly between 2 cm and 50 cm wide. The vein spacing varies from 20 cm to tens of metres but is typically from 50 cm to 2 metres in areas mined as ore. Quartz is the dominant vein-fill mineral; accessory vein minerals include calcite, ankerite, scheelite, pyrite, pyrrhotite, and gold.

The Hidden Secret style gold mineralisation is hosted within the Williamstown Dolerite at the contact with the Kapai Slate and Devon Consols Basalt and spatially associated with a porphyritic intrusion and the Towns Fault. Gold is hosted in deformed a quartz vein 2- 20cm wide. Vein minerals include pyrite, telluride, silica, carbonate and fuchsite.

Multiple drill programs were completed in FY2020 across various project areas at Mt Charlotte. Results are encouraging with more drilling planned in FY2021 as the full scale of the mineralised system and how it interacts with Fimiston is being modelled and tested.

Mt Ferrum is a shear-hosted Fimiston-style lode located 600m east of the Sam Pearce decline of the Mt Charlotte mine. Mineralisation is hosted within Paringa Basalt and strikes NNE. Infill resource definition drilling has identified a series of hangingwall and footwall structures, and stockwork mineralisation in Williamstown Dolerite to the west of the main lode. Mineralisation is thought to be controlled by the structural architecture and is the subject of a geological review currently underway.

Kal East is a narrow, high-grade Fimiston-style lode lying 250m to the east of existing infrastructure at the Mt Charlotte mine. Infill resource definition drilling has identified more complexity than expected, defining a series of hangingwall and footwall structures. Mineralisation is hosted primarily within Williamstown Dolerite and the highest grade is constrained within a steeply dipping southerly plunging shoot. Internal zones within the Williamstown Dolerite are important in controlling the distribution of gold.

Belgravia is a series of mineralised lodes lying 100m north of existing infrastructure at the Mt Charlotte mine. Mineralisation is hosted within pillowed and variolitic Devon Consols Basalt in proximity to the Hannans Lake Serpentinite, the contact of which is intruded by felsic porphyritic rocks. Infill resource definition drilling has identified eight separate NNW- striking lodes with en échelon geometry. The lodes are overprinted by stockwork mineralisation, with veins dipping to the north similar to the Mt Charlotte-style stockwork orientations.


Mining Methods

  • Stoping under rockfill (SURF)
  • Truck & Shovel / Loader
  • Sub-level caving
  • Longhole open stoping
  • Avoca
  • Backfill


Summary:

The selected mining method for the Fimiston Open Pit is a bench mining open pit method. The proposed open pit cutbacks will be mined using conventional open pit mining methods (drill, blast, load and haul) under an owner operator model, utilising 800t class excavators and 240t class trucks. This method is consistent with the current and historic mining method of the Fimiston Open Pit and is deemed appropriate given the proposed cutbacks are an extension of the current Fimiston Open Pit.

The shovels and trucks is moving the ore and waste rock from the Pit floor to the next step in the gold recovery process – the Primary Crusher. The WENCO Production Monitoring Control System coordinates the dig plan of the blast with the schedule supplied by the mining planners in the Mine Technical Services Department to create an operating manual for the Pit for that day.

Ausdrill provides a custom manufactured machine for Production and Ancillary Services on site (The Rock Commander 330 / and the 350 Longreach) which is designed around an excavator track based frame to enable reach and flexibility whilst providing a highly efficient way to access drill and aide in the mining sequence in the pit famous for large stopes and underground networks.

The new Fimiston open pit production profile (100% in JORC compliant Reserves) consists of several large mining areas, aiming to consistently maximise fleet productivity: Oroya Brownhill, Fimiston South Stage 1, Golden Pike South, Fimiston South Stage 2, Golden Pike North.

Fimiston South, located at the southern end of the Super Pit, will be KCGM’s single largest cutback in a decade, with a ~10:1 strip ratio (including Inferred Resource ^ material) and ~850Mt total material movement.

A two stage, 12 year mine life is planned. Stage 1 will commence in the second half of FY21, and Stage 2 will commence in FY23. Stage 1 has received full regulatory approval from the relevant government authorities, whilst the application for Stage 2 has been submitted for approval.

Golden Pike is a priority mining front, due to high grades (Reserves 25Mt @ 2.0g/t) and low strip ratio (average 2.9:1). Although this is the deepest open pit working area at ~600m below surface, it benefits from the investment made by previous owners. The waste pre-stripping at Golden Pike has been completed in the preceding ~10 years.

Mining continues at the Golden Pike South cutback, whilst the Golden Pike North cutback will commence in FY24, once the East Wall. The new plan has Golden Pike South finishing in FY24 (previously FY21) and Golden Pike North being mined from FY24 to FY29 (previously FY24 to FY26).

Mining of the Oroya Brownhill (OBH) cutback commenced in March 2020, following a comprehensive review of various east wall remediation strategies for the May 2018 slip. Eight years of mining is currently planned in two stages, with an average strip ratio of 9.0:1 (including pre-strip) at an average grade of 1.5g/t.

Mt Charlotte Underground Mine
The main historical method of mining at Mt Charlotte was open stoping. Typically, large stable open stopes were mined and then the rib/crown pillars were mass blasted, with waste rock fill above cascading onto the broken ore.

The Mount Charlotte underground mine is accessed via a portal Sam Pearce decline within the Fimiston Open Pit. Production in Mount Charlotte is carried out utilising a combination of remnant Sublevel caving, modified Avoca and conventional longhole open stoping. Where possible, stopes are backfilled with development waste to save haulage costs.

Currently stoping under rock fill (SURF) is used to recover remnant resources. Extraction is from drawpoints until waste rock dilution becomes excessive. Ore from Mt Charlotte is transported to the Fimiston Plant via the Sam Pearce Decline. The underground stopes are backfilled with either mine waste or crushed rock for stability purposes. Fill is delivered through the Glory Hole. Development of the Hidden Secret deposit located 400m east of Mt Charlotte commenced during 2016. Planned stope extraction will utilise the modified Avoca method.

Overland Conveyor
A conveyor previously used to transport ore has been reversed and is now used to convey waste rock from the Fimiston Operational Area to the Glory Hole for underground fill. The conveyor passes under Boorara Road and over Williamstown Road. An unsealed access road is in place along the length of the conveyor.

The Mt Charlotte Underground Mine currently produces ore at the rate of 1.15M tonnes per annum (tpa) which is transported directly to the ROM at the Fimiston Plant via the Sam Pearce decline located within the Fimiston Open Pit north eastern wall. Waste rock produced during mining at Mt Charlotte is not brought to the surface, instead it is used to backfill underground voids. Small volumes of waste rock from the Fimiston Open Pit are crushed at Fimiston before being conveyed to the ‘Glory Hole’ Pit to be used for backfilling of underground stopes at Mt Charlotte.


Crushing and Grinding
Crusher / Mill TypeModelSizePowerQuantity
Pebble crusher 1
SAG mill 2
Ball mill 3
Ultra Fine Grind (UFG) 3


Processing

  • Gravity separation
  • Desliming
  • Carbon re-activation kiln
  • ACACIA reactor
  • Flotation
  • Concentrate leach
  • Agitated tank (VAT) leaching
  • Carbon in leach (CIL)
  • Carbon in pulp (CIP)
  • AARL elution
  • Carbon adsorption-desorption-recovery (ADR)
  • Elution
  • Solvent Extraction & Electrowinning
  • Cyanide (reagent)
  • Roasting

Flow Sheet: Subscription required

Summary:

The ore from the Fimiston Open Pit and Mt Charlotte Underground Mine is processed at KCGM’s Fimiston and Gidji Processing Plants. The Fimiston and Gidji Processing Plants were commissioned in 1989.

The Fimiston Processing Plant operates in accordance with Prescribed Premises Licence L6420/1988/14 with an approved production capacity of 14,500,000 tonnes per year, whilst the Gidji Gold Processing Plant operates in accordance with Prescribed Premises Licence L5946/1988/13 with an approved production capacity of 438,000 tonnes per year.

The Crushing Services International (now CSI Mining Services) team crush raw material mined from Mt Charlotte and the open pit, where it then heads to the processing plant, or as waste to the Glory Hole. The team also supplies stemming material for the Blast Crew to use when backfilling blast holes and road base to sheet mine roads.

The Crushing Facilities and Stockpiles consist of contractor owned ‘secondary’ crushing fac ........

Recoveries & Grades:

CommodityParameter20202019201820172016201520142013
Gold Recovery Rate, %  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required
Gold Head Grade, g/t 1.31.371.782.172.192.282.011.97
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Production:
2020 production numbers reflect production for seven months period from December 2019 to June 2020. Saracen acquired 50% stake in the KCGM JV in late of November 2019.

CommodityUnits2021202020192018201720162015
Gold koz  ......  Subscription required ^  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required628736752640
All production numbers are expressed as metal in doré. ^ Guidance / Forecast.
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Operational Metrics:

Metrics202020192018201720162015
Ore tonnes mined  ......  Subscription required
Tonnes processed  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required13,158 kt12,832 kt12,958 kt11,550 kt
Annual processing capacity  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required
Total tonnes mined  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required29,054 kt53,362 kt64,004 kt73,978 kt
Waste  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required19,594 kt38,190 kt
Stripping / waste ratio  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required2.29 2.7
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Reserves at June 30, 2020:
The Fimiston Mineral resources and reserves: Open pit Mineral Resources use a 0.5g/t cut-off grade. Underground Mineral Resources use a 1.5g/t Au cut-off grade. The Ore Reserve Estimation is based on a cut-off of 0.50gpt and accounts for mining dilution.

The Mt Charlotte Mineral resources and reserves: Underground Mineral Resources use a 1.4g/t Au cut-off grade.

CategoryTonnage CommodityGradeContained Metal
Proven 130,000 kt Gold 0.7 g/t 3,100 koz
Probable 110,000 kt Gold 1.8 g/t 6,600 koz
Proven & Probable 240,000 kt Gold 1.3 g/t 9,700 koz
Measured 130,000 kt Gold 0.7 g/t 3,100 koz
Indicated 180,000 kt Gold 1.9 g/t 11,000 koz
Inferred 74,000 kt Gold 2.1 g/t 5,000 koz
Total Resource 380,000 kt Gold 1.6 g/t 19,000 koz

Commodity Production Costs:

CommodityUnits2021202020192018201720162015
Cash costs Gold AUD  ......  Subscription required 615 / oz 738 / oz
Cash costs Gold USD 627 / oz† 752 / oz†
Total cash costs Gold USD  ......  Subscription required 737 / oz 647 / oz
Total cash costs Gold USD  ......  Subscription required† 732 / oz† 642 / oz†
All-in sustaining costs (sold) Gold AUD  ......  Subscription required ^  ......  Subscription required
All-in sustaining costs (AISC) Gold AUD  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required 862 / oz 734 / oz 694 / oz 872 / oz
All-in sustaining costs (AISC) Gold USD  ......  Subscription required† 857 / oz† 729 / oz† 706 / oz† 886 / oz†
All-in costs Gold USD  ......  Subscription required 862 / oz 734 / oz 694 / oz 872 / oz
All-in costs Gold USD  ......  Subscription required† 857 / oz† 729 / oz† 706 / oz† 886 / oz†
^ Guidance / Forecast.
† Net of By-Product.
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Operating Costs:

Units201920182017
OP mining costs ($/t mined) USD 4.255.363.57
UG mining costs ($/t mined) USD  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required
Processing costs ($/t milled) USD  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required
G&A ($/t milled) USD  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Financials:

Units202120202019201820172016
Capital expenditures (planned) M AUD  ......  Subscription required
Growth Capital M AUD  ......  Subscription required
Capital expenditures M  ......  Subscription required48  USD41  USD 41  USD
Operating Cash Flow M  ......  Subscription required
Subscription required - Subscription is required


Heavy Mobile Equipment:
HME TypeModelSizeQuantityStatusLeased or
Contractor
Ref. Date
Dozer ....................... Subscription required 4 Existing Jan 1, 2015
Dozer ....................... Subscription required 2 Existing Jan 1, 2015
Drill 11 Existing Leased Dec 12, 2020
Excavator 300 t 1 Existing Leased Dec 12, 2020
Excavator ....................... Subscription required 1 Existing Jan 5, 2019
Excavator ....................... Subscription required 2 Existing Jan 1, 2015
Grader ....................... Subscription required 2 Existing Jan 1, 2015
Loader ....................... Subscription required 1 Existing Jan 5, 2019
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required 1 Proposed Leased Aug 18, 2020
Shovel ....................... Subscription required 3 Existing Jan 5, 2019
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required 4 Proposed Leased Aug 18, 2020
Truck (haul) ....................... Subscription required 21 Existing Jan 5, 2019
Truck (haul) ....................... Subscription required 4 Existing Jan 5, 2019
Truck (service) 2 Existing Leased Dec 12, 2020
Truck (water) ....................... Subscription required 2 Existing Jan 1, 2015
Truck (water) ....................... Subscription required 2 Existing Jan 1, 2015
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Mine Management:

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Dec 21, 2020
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Dec 21, 2020
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Dec 21, 2020
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Dec 21, 2020
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Dec 21, 2020
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Dec 21, 2020
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Dec 21, 2020
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Staff:

EmployeesContractorsTotal WorkforceYear
Subscription required 2020
Subscription required Subscription required Subscription required 2019

Corporate Filings & Presentations:

DocumentYear
................................... Subscription required 2020
................................... Subscription required 2020
................................... Subscription required 2020
................................... Subscription required 2020
................................... Subscription required 2020
................................... Subscription required 2020
................................... Subscription required 2020
................................... Subscription required 2020
................................... Subscription required 2020
................................... Subscription required 2019
................................... Subscription required 2019
................................... Subscription required 2019
................................... Subscription required 2019
................................... Subscription required 2019
................................... Subscription required 2019
................................... Subscription required 2019
................................... Subscription required 2019
................................... Subscription required 2019
................................... Subscription required 2019
................................... Subscription required 2019
Form 10-K 2018
Other 2018
Quarterly Report 2018
Annual Report 2017
Other 2017
Other 2017
Other 2017
Press Release 2017
Quarterly Report 2017
Annual Report 2016
Management Discussion & Analysis 2016
Environmental Assessment 2015
Other 2015
Press Release 2015
Annual Report 2014
Form 10-K 2014
Press Release 2014
Other 2006
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

News:

NewsDate
Merger of Northern Star and Saracen implemented February 12, 2021
Kalgoorlie Consolidated Gold Mines Pty Ltd.: Super Pit future secured by major extension August 18, 2020
Northern Star becomes Super Pit joint owner January 6, 2020
Newmont Completes Sale of Interests in KCGM and Updates 2020 Guidance and Long-term Outlook January 2, 2020
Northern Star locks in funding for Super Pit buy December 19, 2019
Northern Star joins Saracen at Super Pit with Newmont buy December 17, 2019
Saracen finalises Super Pit takeover December 2, 2019
Barrick Completes Divestiture of its Interest in Kalgoorlie Consolidated Gold Mines November 28, 2019
Saracen to complete Super Pit acquisition this week November 25, 2019
Saracen cashed up for Super Pit buy November 21, 2019
Saracen swoops on Barrick stake in Super Pit for $1.1bn November 18, 2019
Barrick Gold CEO Eyes Massive Retrofit Through M&A, Partnerships August 12, 2019
KCGM starts work at Kalgoorlie Super Pit extension November 27, 2018
Kalgoorlie Super Pit rock falls lead to more job casualties October 19, 2018

Aerial view:

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