Overview
| Status | Care and Maintenance |
| Mine Type | Underground |
| Commodities |
|
| Mining Method |
|
| Processing |
- Gravity separation
- Calcining
- Smelting
- Centrifugal concentrator
- ACACIA reactor
- Concentrate leach
- Agitated tank (VAT) leaching
- Carbon in leach (CIL)
- Carbon adsorption-desorption-recovery (ADR)
- Elution
- Solvent Extraction & Electrowinning
- Cyanide (reagent)
|
| Production Start | 2005 |
Paulsens was recently an operating mine, currently on Care and maintenance, and all permits and closure plans are in place.
At Paulsens, FY21 efforts focused on completing regional geophysical and geochemical sampling programs and evaluating the remaining underground Ore Reserve potential. geophysical programs to refine exploration targets. |
| Latest News | Black Cat Hits High-Grade, Near Mine Gold At Paulsens July 8, 2022 |
Source:
p. 1
On June 15, 2022, Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST) completed the sale of two wholly-owned assets located in Western Australia, the Paulsens Gold Operation (Paulsens) and Western Tanami Gold Project (Western Tanami), to Black Cat Syndicate Limited (ASX: BC8; Black Cat) for a total cash, scrip and contingent cash payment
consideration of $44.5 million.
Paulsens and Western Tanami are currently on care and maintenance.
Contractors
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Deposit Type
- Vein / narrow vein
- Mesothermal
- Orogenic
Summary:
The Paulsens deposit lies within the west-northwest trending regional Wyloo anticlinal dome. Archaean Fortescue Group metasediments and metavolcanics of the Hamersley Basin are exposed in the core of the dome and form the host rocks of the Paulsens deposit. Paulsens is a mesothermal, orogenic lodestyle gold deposit with mineralisation occurring within a structurally controlled quartz vein, up to 40m thick, hosted between a structurally offset section of gabbro intrusive, within a folded, sedimentary sequence. The quartz body is found between the two halves of a large faulted Gabbro dyke. The mineralisation is cut in places by a series of steeply dipping dolerite dykes that vary from one to ten metres in thickness.
The main body of mineralisation comprises an Upper (UZ) and Lower (LZ) Zone located on the hanging wall and footwall contacts respectively.
Summary:
Standard sub level retreat mining methods are predominantly used. Historical mining and reconciliation data have been taken into consideration but without affecting wire frame interpretation. The total model has been coded to identify previously mined areas and only reports remnant mineralisation. Mine Stope Optimiser (MSO) was run at 10m by 10m blocks to identify potentially economic material. This is coarser than the manually created reserve shapes. Small reserve shapes, not picked up by the Resource MOS process, were added to the overall resource.
Source:
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Processing
- Gravity separation
- Calcining
- Smelting
- Centrifugal concentrator
- ACACIA reactor
- Concentrate leach
- Agitated tank (VAT) leaching
- Carbon in leach (CIL)
- Carbon adsorption-desorption-recovery (ADR)
- Elution
- Solvent Extraction & Electrowinning
- Cyanide (reagent)
Source:
Summary:
As previously mentioned the Paulsens processing facility is currently on care and maintenance as an intense exploration program is carried out.
The Paulsens Gold Mine utilises a combination of Acacia Intensive Leach Reactors and a Carbon in Leach (CIL) circuit for the extraction of gold.
The underflow from the hydrocyclones is split with a stream passing over a gravity screen to scalp the plus 2.4mm material before it reports to two Knelson Centrifugal Concentrators that are installed in parallel. The Knelson Concentrators collect free gold particles and particles with high density by applying a centrifugal force. Concentrate periodically passes to a pair of Acacia Reactors for gold recovery. The Acacia Reactors utilise sodium hydroxide, cyanide, and Leach Aid to leach the gold particles. Gold is recovered from the leach solution via dedicated gravity electrowinning circuits inside the gold room.
Overflow from the cyclones gravitates to a 7.0m diameter ........
Recoveries & Grades:
| Commodity | Parameter | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 |
|
Gold
|
Recovery Rate, %
| 78 | 87 | 90 | 89.3 | 90.1 |
|
Gold
|
Head Grade, g/t
| 3.8 | 4.6 | 7.2 | 5.4 | 7.4 |
Production:
| Commodity | Units | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 |
|
Gold
|
oz
| 22,436 | 55,490 | 80,742 | 74,999 | 100,041 |
All production numbers are expressed as metal in doré.
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Operational Metrics:
| Metrics | 2020 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
|
Annual processing capacity
| ...... | 450,000 t | | | 450,000 t |
|
Total tonnes mined
| ...... | 174,974 t | 352,029 t | 398,812 t | |
|
Tonnes milled
| ...... | 233,292 t | 434,246 t | 386,570 t | |
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Reserves at March 31, 2021:
Resource reporting at a grade of 3.1gpt.
| Category | Tonnage | Commodity | Grade | Contained Metal |
|
Proven
|
197 kt
|
Gold
|
4.9 g/t
|
31 koz
|
|
Probable
|
84 kt
|
Gold
|
4 g/t
|
11 koz
|
|
Proven & Probable
|
281 kt
|
Gold
|
4.6 g/t
|
42 koz
|
|
Measured
|
353 kt
|
Gold
|
5.7 g/t
|
65 koz
|
|
Indicated
|
217 kt
|
Gold
|
4.1 g/t
|
29 koz
|
|
Inferred
|
1,809 kt
|
Gold
|
2 g/t
|
115 koz
|
|
Total Resource
|
2,379 kt
|
Gold
|
2.7 g/t
|
209 koz
|
Commodity Production Costs:
| | Commodity | Units | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 |
|
All-in sustaining costs (sold)
|
Gold
|
AUD
|
1,450 / oz
|
1,455 / oz
|
1,099 / oz
|
Financials:
| | Units | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 |
|
Revenue
|
M AUD
| 40 |
93.6
|
126.7
|
|
EBITDA
|
M AUD
| 9.2 |
34.2
|
64.9
|
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