Overview

Mine Type	Underground
Stage	Restarting
Commodities	Gold
Mining Method	Breast mining Scattered stoping
Mine Life	...
Snapshot	Burnstone is a shallow developmental stage gold mine and processing operation. Burnstone, which was formerly operated as a mine until placed on care and maintenance in mid-2012, comprises two established shaft complexes, carbon-in-leach gold processing plant. In the first quarter of 2021, the Sibanye-Stillwater Board approved the resumption of the Burnstone project, following completion of a revised mining study. Due to the redesign requirements on the waste conveyor, the rock handling system was approached in two phases. Phase 1 which includes the underground ore handling, shaft hoisting and truck loading on surface infrastructure was completed, and the project is now able to hoist by using Tip 1 on 40 level. The Burnstone project is now 65% complete. It progressed well during 2023, however due to the significant decline in PGM precious metal prices, the Group decided to defer the capital expenditure at Burnstone during 2024.

Deposit type

• Paleoplacer

Summary:

Burnstone lies within the Witwatersrand Basin and Archaean (2.7 billion year-old) sedimentary basin. The Basin is filled with approximately 14,000m sedimentary and subordinate volcanic rocks, which have been folded along a north east to south-west axis into an asymmetrical synclinorium. The sediments consist mainly of quartzites and shales and less prevalent, but generally economically important, gold-bearing conglomeratic zones, which occur on regional unconformities. These are commonly referred to as reefs or placers.

Burnstone is located in the South Rand Basin, a subsidiary of the main Witwatersrand Basin. The gold-bearing target UK9 Reef of the Kimberley Formation, occurs in the Central Rand Group of rocks. This reef lies between the outcrop and a depth of 1,300m below surface in the mining right area. Structurally, the project area is located on the northern limb of the arcuate South Rand Basin, which is locally deformed by a east-north-east-plunging anticline and cut by east-west and north-south normal faults, formed in response to the stress regime corresponding to the main structural feature of the region, which is the east-west striking Sugarbush Fault. This fault is a left-lateral wrench fault, which comprises the northern boundary of the South Rand Basin at this point.

Shallow gold deposit exploiting the UK9a Reef of the Kimberley Formation, Central Rand Group, Witwatersrand Supergroup.

The UK9a Reef is a thin (<1m), highly channelised, shallow dipping (<10º) orebody. The minimum mining cut includes waste to a total of 110cm.

Mining Methods

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Comminution

Crushers and Mills

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Processing

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Production

Operational metrics

Metrics
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Personnel

Job Title	Name	Profile	Ref. Date
.......................	.......................		May 3, 2024