Conventional open pit mining methods are employed at the Mine, including drilling, blasting, loading, and hauling. Waste mining is performed by a contractor, while ore mining is conducted using an owner’s fleet.
The operation’s strip ratio is relatively high, at approximately 6.9:1 (waste:ore). The mining rate will be relatively constant throughout the life-of-mine (LOM); total daily waste material movement is estimated at 70,000 t/d and ore mining at 7,890 t/d (2.88 Mt/a).
Current pit bottom elevations of the north and south ends of the open pit are approximately 717 and 705 masl, respectively, and the crusher elevation is 865 masl. Surface rights cover a sufficient area to locate all the mining infrastructure required for the LOM, including waste management facilities (WMF), TSF, WSF, and processing plant.
Pit dewatering is carried out using in-pit sumps and perimeters wells.
The mine design bench height is 12 m; however, mining occurs on 4 m lifts in waste and 3 m lifts in ore.
The final pit design is approximately 1,750 m long and 750 m wide, with elevations that range from 600 to 900 masl. Final pit exits for the south and north ramps are at approximately 860 masl. The crusher dump pocket is less than 500 m horizontal distance from the pit exit. Adequate buffers exist around the open pit for possible future expansion, for example if the gold price increases. Some condemnation holes have been drilled in the infrastruc ........
