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Australia

Cracow Operation

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Categories

Overview

Mine TypeUnderground
StatusActive
Commodities
  • Gold
  • Silver
Mining Method
  • Avoca
  • Bench stoping
  • Transverse stoping
  • Uppers Retreat
  • Open stoping
Backfill type ... Lock
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SnapshotCracow Gold Operations is an established underground gold operation. The Cracow gold mine ore is treated at the existing Cracow ore processing plant located close to the mine portal. Gold and silver metal are recovered to a doré bar by cyanide leach methods.

Cracow will be investing significant growth capital on a tailings dam lift in the first half of FY24 to add an additional 3 years capacity.
Related Asset

Owners

SourceSource
CompanyInterestOwnership
Aeris Resources Ltd. 100 % Indirect
Lion Mining Pty Ltd. (operator) 100 % Direct
On 1 July 2020, Aeris Resources Limited, through its wholly owned subsidiary Aeris Regional Holdings Pty Ltd, acquired 100% of the issued shares in Lion Mining Pty Ltd, owner and operator of the Cracow Gold Operations (Cracow).

Deposit type

  • Vein / narrow vein
  • Epithermal
  • Breccia pipe / Stockwork

Summary:

Gold mineralisation within the Cracow field forms along various broadly north-south striking corridors. Historical gold mining focused on the Golden Plateau deposit which yielded over 850 thousand ounces of gold between 1932 to 1992. Current underground mining, referred to as the Western Vein Field, is located immediately west of Golden Plateau.

The Cracow project area gold deposits are in the Lower Permian Camboon Andesite on the south-eastern flank of the Bowen Basin. The regional strike is north-northwest and the dip 20° west-southwest. The Camboon Andesite consists of andesitic and basaltic lava, with agglomerate, tuff and some inter bedded trachytic volcanics. The andesitic lavas are typically porphyritic, with phenocrysts of plagioclase feldspar (oligoclase or andesine) and less commonly augite. To the west, the Camboon Andesite is overlain with an interpreted disconformity by fossiliferous limestone of the Buffel Formation. It is unconformably underlain to the east by the Torsdale Beds, which consist of rhyolitic and dacitic lavas and pyroclastics with inter-bedded trachytic and andesitic volcanics, sandstone, siltstone, and conglomerate.

Gold mineralisation at the Cracow Operation is hosted in the Lower Permian Camboon Volcanics (intermediate volcanics) on the south-eastern flank of the Bowen Basin. The Camboon Volcanics consists of andesitic and basaltic lava, with agglomerate, tuff and inter-bedded trachytic volcanics. Gold mineralisation is hosted in steeply dipping low sulphidation epithermal veins. These veins are found as both discrete structures and as stockwork. They are composed of quartz, carbonate, and adularia, with varying percentages of each mineral. Vein textures vary widely and include banding (coliform, crustiform, cockade, moss), breccia channels and massive quartz. The differing textures indicate depth within the epithermal system. Sulphide percentage in the veins are generally low (<3%) primarily composed of pyrite, with minor occurrences of hessite, sphalerite and galena. Rare chalcopyrite, arsenopyrite and bornite can also be found.

Domaining of the Cracow mineralised lodes is based on a combination of lithological, quartz vein percent and gold grade information. Both discrete “vein/lode” domains, mineralised halo or stockwork domains and waste domains were interpreted. Locally varying anisotropy is used for any non-planar domains to account for orientation changes and improve search and estimation parameters.

Alteration of the country rock can be extensive and zone from the central veined structure. This alteration consists of silicification, phyllic alteration (silica, sericite and other clay minerals) and argillic alteration in the inner zone, grading outwards to potassic (adularia) then an outer propylitic zone. Gold is very fined grained and found predominantly as electrum but less common within clots of pyrite.

Reserves

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Mining Methods

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Comminution

Crushers and Mills

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Processing

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Production

In 2023, Mined ore tonnes of 575,382 were supplemented with stockpiles, for a total ore tonnes milled of 666,978.
CommodityUnits202420232022202120202019201820172016
Gold koz  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe81 90 89 91 
Silver oz  ....  Subscribe38,04339,65238,91550,531
All production numbers are expressed as payable metal. ^ Guidance / Forecast.

Operational metrics

Metrics20232022202120202019201820172016
Annual processing capacity  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe550 kt550 kt550 kt550 kt
Ore tonnes mined  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe560 kt537 kt529 kt499 kt
Tonnes processed  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe573 kt529 kt540 kt511 kt

Production Costs

CommodityUnits2023202220212020201920182017
Credits (by-product) Gold AUD  ....  Subscribe -10 / oz   -9 / oz   -10 / oz  
Cash costs Gold AUD  ....  Subscribe 900 / oz **   762 / oz **   746 / oz **  
Cash costs (sold) Gold AUD  ....  Subscribe 888 / oz **   769 / oz **   751 / oz **  
All-in sustaining costs (sold) Gold AUD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 1,272 / oz **   1,181 / oz **   1,123 / oz **  
All-in costs Gold AUD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 1,355 / oz **   1,269 / oz **   1,208 / oz **  
** Net of By-Product.

Financials

Units20242023202220212020201920182017
Capital expenditures (planned) M AUD  ....  Subscribe
Growth Capital M AUD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe
Sustaining costs M AUD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 15.2   19.6   17.5  
Capital expenditures M AUD  ....  Subscribe 27.2   34.1   14.2  
Revenue M AUD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 144.5   147.7   146.1  
EBITDA M AUD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 62.1   70.2   71.6  
Operating Cash Flow M AUD  ....  Subscribe 63.3   70.8  

Heavy Mobile Equipment

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Personnel

Mine Management

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Nov 27, 2023
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Nov 27, 2023
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Total WorkforceYear
...... Subscription required 2020
...... Subscription required 2019
...... Subscription required 2017
...... Subscription required 2016

Aerial view:

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