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Australia
DeGrussa Operation

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 Location:
900 km NE from Perth, Western Australia, Australia

  Regional Office:
Level 2, 10 Kings Park Road
West Perth
Western Australia, Australia
6005
Phone  ...  Subscription required
Fax+61-8-6430-3849
WebsiteWeb
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  • Filings & News

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Overview

StageProduction
Mine TypeUnderground
Commodities
  • Copper
  • Gold
Mining Method
  • Longhole open stoping
  • Transverse open stoping
  • Longitudinal stoping
Processing
  • Flotation
Mine Life2022
The DeGrussa Operations includes both the DeGrussa and Monty Copper-Gold Mines.

DeGrussa commenced as an open-pit operation but now treats solely underground ore through concentrator that commenced commercial production in September 2012.

Production from the ultra-high-grade Monty satellite underground mine (discovered in 2015) commenced in 2019, with ore trucked 14km by road to the Concentrator for processing.
Latest NewsSandfire cements DeGrussa mine life     June 21, 2019


Owners

Source: p. 37
CompanyInterestOwnership
Sandfire Resources Ltd. 100 % Direct

Deposit Type

  • VMS


Summary:

The DeGrussa VMS deposit is high in copper and gold mineralisation with minor zinc and minor lead. There are varying amounts of the dominant iron sulphides which comprise chalcopyrite and pyrite, in abundance with minor pyrrohtite, magnetite, sphalerite and galena. There is little evidence of a pervasive stringer zone beneath the deposit although minor zones have been detected in drilling. The alteration at DeGrussa is primarily chlorite, quartz, and sericite that is more pervasive in the footwall contacts.

In the near surface parts of the DeGrussa and Conductor 1 lodes there is a zone of enriched supergene chalcocite mineralisation (containing direct shipping copper – gold ore in the DeGrussa lode) which transitions into a complex zone of copper oxide “plume” mineralisation. The oxide copper minerals noted to date include major chrysocolla, malachite, azurite, cuprite, native copper and minor tenorite, cuprous neotercite and other exotic copper oxide species.

The host rocks are a sequence of sediments, mafic volcaniclastics, dolerites, gabbros and minor local quartz carbonate breccias (mineralised), jasper beds and banded iron formation.    The setting is structurally complex and dominated by the Shiraz Fault zone which offsets the ore bodies and is a significant local structure with varying widths of highly broken material. The Merlot and Pinot faults also have a local interaction with the massive sulphide lenses though are of a lesser impact than the Shiraz Fault.

Monty Mine

The Monty orebody is a volcanogenic massive sulphide similar in composition to the nearby DeGrussa orebodies.


Mining Methods

  • Longhole open stoping
  • Transverse open stoping
  • Longitudinal stoping


Summary:

Production was sourced from all lenses at DeGrussa and Monty throughout the reporting period. The ramp-up of the Monty mine was completed during the year along with grade control drilling, defining the geometry of the deposit and underpinning an updated Ore Reserve estimate.

DeGrussa commenced as an open-pit operation but now treats solely underground ore through its 1.5 Mtpa concentrator. The concentrator plant was built in 2011 and commenced commercial production in September 2012.

An underground mine is developed comprising over 19km of lateral development and 11km of vertical development. Underground mine development (to Q3 CY2012) is estimated at $56 million. Underground extraction will be undertaken using long-hole open stoping (both transverse and longitudinal). Open stopes will be up to 75m high (mostly 50m) by 25m long by the orebody width (up to 40m, but averaging 20m), with the proposed mining sequence aiming for maximum extraction of the resource using pastefill.

Monty Mine
The mining method selected is long-hole open stoping (LHOS) with fill. Primary fill material will be Cemented Aggregate Fill (CAF) with unconsolidated rock fill (RF) used where consolidated fill is not required. This method allows for total extraction where economic and provides good extraction flexibility with variable geometry and ground conditions.

An overhand mining sequence has been selected employing multiple mining panels. CAF sill pillars will be established to create mining panels. Strategic CAF rib pillars will be used to manage local stope and mining panel ground stability. The overhand sequence provides an opportunity to complete grade control drilling prior to accessing the orebody.

The selected mining method is considered appropriate for the nature of the defined Mineral Resources and surrounding host rock. Experienced gained at the nearby DeGrussa underground mine has been adopted where applicable as extraction is expected to occur under comparable conditions.


Crushing and Grinding


Processing

  • Flotation

Flow Sheet: Subscription required

Summary:

Mill throughput for the 2020 financial year was as planned at around 1.6Mtpa, with copper recoveries in line with forecasts at 92.9% and gold recoveries at 45.9%. Mill throughput rates and recoveries were impacted slightly during the reporting period by the introduction of transitional ore from the DeGrussa crown pillar, which was successfully addressed by close management of blending strategies.

Sandfire’s DeGrussa Copper-Gold operation in West Australia is a new high grade copper sulfide mine, which includes a 1.5 Mtpa concentrator which was completed in 2013.

Early after commissioning, it was identified that the flotation capacity in the all-mechanical cleaner circuit was not sufficient. In order to improve recovery, the tail from the cleaner scavenger was sent back to feed the rougher scavengers. Test-work was done on-site to evaluate the possibility of using a flotation column as a pre-cleaner. A CavTube™ sparging system was selected, which is especially ef ........

Recoveries & Grades:

CommodityParameter2019201820172016
Copper Recovery Rate, %  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required
Copper Head Grade, % 4.64.34.64.8
Copper Concentrate Grade, %  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required
Gold Recovery Rate, %  ......  Subscription required
Gold Head Grade, g/t 1.81.71.71.8
Gold Concentrate Grade, g/t  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Production:

CommodityProductUnits2019201820172016
Copper Metal in concentrate t  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required67,08868,202
Copper Concentrate t  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required275,078278,171
Gold Metal in concentrate oz  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Operational Metrics:

Metrics2019201820172016
Ore tonnes mined  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required1,593,168 t
Tonnes milled  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required1,572,862 t
Annual processing capacity  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Reserves at December 31, 2017:

CategoryTonnage CommodityGradeContained Metal
Proven 7.5 Mt Copper 3.4 % 253,000 t
Proven 7.5 Mt Gold 1.3 g/t 317,000 oz
Probable 1 Mt Copper 3.9 % 37,000 t
Probable 1 Mt Gold 1.4 g/t 42,000 oz
Proven & Probable 8.5 Mt Copper 3.4 % 290,000 t
Proven & Probable 8.5 Mt Gold 1.3 g/t 359,000 oz
Measured 7 Mt Copper 4.2 % 295,000 t
Measured 7 Mt Gold 1.6 g/t 365,000 oz
Indicated 0.5 Mt Copper 2.2 % 11,000 t
Indicated 0.5 Mt Gold 0.8 g/t 13,000 oz
Inferred 0.1 Mt Copper 3.8 % 5,000 t
Inferred 0.1 Mt Gold 1.5 g/t 6,000 oz
Total Resource 7.6 Mt Copper 4.1 % 311,000 t
Total Resource 7.6 Mt Gold 1.6 g/t 384,000 oz

Commodity Production Costs:

CommodityUnits2019201820172016
C1 cash costs Copper USD  ......  Subscription required†  ......  Subscription required† 0.93 / lb† 0.95 / lb†
† Net of By-Product.
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Financials:

Units2019201820172016
Revenue M AUD  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required
EBIT M AUD  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required
EBITDA M AUD  ......  Subscription required
Subscription required - Subscription is required


Heavy Mobile Equipment:

Mine Management:

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Oct 18, 2020
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Oct 18, 2020
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Oct 18, 2020
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Staff:

Total WorkforceYear
Subscription required 2020

Corporate Filings & Presentations:

DocumentYear
................................... Subscription required 2020
................................... Subscription required 2020
................................... Subscription required 2020
................................... Subscription required 2020
................................... Subscription required 2019
................................... Subscription required 2019
................................... Subscription required 2018
Annual Report 2017
Feasibility Study Report 2017
Annual Report 2016
Project Description 2013
Project Description 2012
Press Release 2011
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

News:

NewsDate
Sandfire cements DeGrussa mine life June 21, 2019
Sandfire stays on course as Monty ramps up January 30, 2019

Aerial view:

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