Jabil Sayid is located in the prospective Neo-Proterozoic Arabian Shield. The shield continues west of the Red Sea into Egypt and Sudan as the Nubian shield. The rocks are 600 to 1,000 million years old, and contain two major structurally controlled mineralised zones; the Samran Shayban Mineral Belt, which extends from Sudan, north-east past Mahd Adh Dhahad, and a second, parallel north-east trending Wadi Kamal Mineralised zone, which extend from the Nile valley, in Egypt, into northern Saudi Arabia.

The shield has similarities to many mineralised Proterozoic shields around the world. The Arabian Shield hosts a wide variety of mineral systems including porphyry copper-gold, epithermal gold and volcanic hosted massive sulphide (VHMS) deposits, many of which are gold rich, and Ultramafic hosted nickel-copper deposits.

Jabal Sayid is a volcanic hosted massive sulphide (“VHMS”) system, lying within the Asir volcanic arc. The area is arid and mountainous. Two layers of volcanic rocks form the top of the structure with local deformation resulting in large folds filled with granite complexes. Mineralisation is hosted by felsic volcanic rocks associated with a local paleovolcanic centre and crosscut by intrusions. Three styles of mineralisation have been identified at Jabal Sayid: stockwork zones, massive sulphides and sulphide breccia. Four separate mineralised lodes (Lodes 1, 2, 3 and 4) located within a northeast-trending corridor 1.2 kilometre long and between 200 and 700 metres wide have been identified. The lodes are believed to be restricted to the western flank of a southwest plunging fold.

Lodes 2 and 4 are dominated by chalcopyrite (copper- iron sulphide) rich stockwork mineralisation. Lode 1 mineralisation is predominantly a chalcopyrite stockwork overprint on a massive sulphide, predominantly pyrite, but with significant sphalerite (zinc sulphide).

The mineralisation generally dips steeply west and plunges steeply to the south.

In Lodes 2 and 4, the highest grade mineralisation occurs in extensive copper stockwork domains, which may include some massive sulphide mineralisation from later massive sulphide horizons.

Lode 1 is a steeply plunging massive sulphide body hosted by rhyolitic volcanics and volcaniclastics. It comprises a tabular body of pyrite with strong zinc, elevated gold values and modest copper values. The body is also overprinted by copper stockwork mineralisation.

Underground Mining:
– Long Hole Open Stoping method of mining utilizing paste backfilling;
– Average Stope Dimensions 50m x 30m x 30m;
– Ore and waste hauled to surface via a twin decline.

Byrnecut’s scope of works includes decline, vertical and lateral development, paste-fill, production drilling, blasting, and haulage. Using large-scale longhole open stoping methods, with a combination of cemented rock fill and paste fill.

Byrnecut also manages all fleet maintenance.

The design includes the following processes:

- Primary crushing of ore.
- Wet grinding of ore in a semi-autogenous (SAG) mill and pebble crusher.
- Milling to a P80 of 150 µm in a ball mill.

Sulphide flotation, with regrinding of the bulk rougher concentrate to provide a cleaner flotation feed with a P80 of 38 µm.
- Dewatering of the sulphide flotation concentrate, using a thickener followed by pressure filtration of the thickened concentrate to produce a concentrate moisture level suitable for shipment.
- Classification of the flotation rougher tailings to produce a coarse fraction, as feed to a sand fill plant and a fines fraction for separate disposal.
- Dewatering of the fine flotation tailings component, using a thickener, followed by filtration using three horizontal filter presses, to generate a dewatered tailing product with a target moisture of 15% water, suitable for ‘dry’ stacking.
- A sand fill plant, to produce a coarse sand fraction suitable for hydraulic backfill.

At Jabal Sayid, the Ma’aden Barrick Copper Company uses a Barrick-patented method to process copper concentrate. Unlike most conventional flotation methods, the proce ........