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Australia

Mount Belches Centre

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Overview

Mine TypeUnderground
StatusTemporary Suspension
Commodities
  • Gold
Mining Method
  • Longhole open stoping
SnapshotThe Mount Belches Mining Centre is a part of the Mount Monger Operation. Mount Belches comprises Maxwells, Cock-eyed Bob and Santa underground mines.

The Mount Belches underground mines were suspended in early FY23. The commencement of open pit mining at Santa in January 2024.
Related AssetMount Monger Operation

Owners

SourceSource
CompanyInterestOwnership
Vault Minerals Ltd. 100 % Indirect
On June 19, 2024, Silver Lake advised that the proposed merger between Silver Lake and Red 5 Limited by way of scheme of arrangement has now been implemented. All Silver Lake shares have been transferred to Red 5.

Vault Minerals Limited has been decided as the new name of the merged Red 5 and Silver Lake.

Deposit type

  • Banded iron formation hosted

Summary:

MAXWELLS
The Maxwells deposit is hosted within the lower ‘Maxwells’ member. The Mount Belches group is located in the southern Eastern Goldfields Superterrane, Yilgarn Craton, Western Australia.

The iron formation is a silicate/oxide-facies unit with over printing sulphides, which has undergone metamorphism (upper-greenschist facies) and deformation (two generations of folds). The gold deposits are hosted in both the hinge zone and along the limbs of a regional scale, chevron folded BIF package.

Gold dominantly occurs as inclusions of native gold and/or electrum within or around pyrrhotite, magnetite, and arsenopyrite, and economic mineralisation is typically restricted to the BIF horizons.

The Maxwells resource extent consists of 2020m strike; 440m across strike; and 790m down dip and open at depth.

COCK-EYED BOB
The Cock-eyed Bob is hosted within the upper ‘Santa Clause’ member of the Banded Iron-Formation (BIF) of the Mount Belches group. The Mount Belches group is in the southern Eastern Goldfields Superterrane, Yilgarn Craton, Western Australia.

The iron formation is a silicate/oxide-facies unit with over printing sulphides and has undergone metamorphism (upper-greenschist facies) and deformation (two generations of folds). The gold deposits are hosted in both the hinge zone and along the limbs of a regional scale, chevron folded BIF package.

Gold dominantly occurs as inclusions of native gold and/or electrum within or around pyrrhotite, magnetite, and arsenopyrite, and economic mineralisation is typically restricted to the BIF horizons.

The Cock-Eyed Bob complex’s resource extent consists of 1480m strike; 416m across strike; and 660m down dip and open at depth.

SANTA
The ‘Maxwells’, CEB and ‘Flora Dora’ deposits are hosted within the lower ‘Maxwells’ member of The Mount Belches group and the ‘Santa’ deposit is hosted within the upper ‘Santa’’ member both members are located in the southern Eastern Goldfields Superterrane, Yilgarn Craton, Western Australia.

The iron formation is a silicate/oxide-facies unit with over printing sulfides and has undergone metamorphism (upper-greenschist facies) and deformation (two generations of folds). The gold deposits are hosted in both the hinge zone and along the limbs of a regional scale, chevron folded BIF package.

Gold dominantly occurs as inclusions of native gold and/or electrum within or around pyrrhotite, magnetite and arsenopyrite, and economic mineralisation is typically restricted to the BIF horizons.

The last reported Santa resource model was extended towards south and west to include nearby Flora Dora deposit. The Santa resource extent consists of about 2900m strike; 1300m across strike; and 500m down dip and open a depth.

Reserves

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Mining Methods

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Comminution

Crushers and Mills

Milling equipment has not been reported.

Processing

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Production

The Mount Belches mines were suspended in early FY23.
CommodityUnits2023202220212020201920182017
Gold koz  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe574526
All production numbers are expressed as metal in ore.

Operational metrics

Metrics202320222021202020192018
Ore tonnes mined  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe376,153 t270,176 t

Production Costs

Commodity production costs have not been reported.

Heavy Mobile Equipment

Fleet data has not been reported.

Personnel

Mine Management

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Nov 10, 2023

Aerial view:

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