Overview
Stage | Production |
Mine Type | Underground |
Commodities |
|
Mining Method |
- Longhole stoping
- Cemented backfill
- Dry waste backfill
- Hydraulic backfill
|
Production Start | ...  |
Mine Life | 2024 |
Dargues Mine is a gold-mining and milling operation. The facility includes an underground mine, processing plant and associated surface facilities.
In December 2022, the New South Wales Department of Planning and Environment approved application to lift processing rates 15% from 355 thousand tonnes per annum (ktpa) to 415ktpa. This allowed increased throughput rates and improved cash flows in the second half of the year 2023. |
Source:
p. 85,102
Company | Interest | Ownership |
Aurelia Metals Ltd.
|
100 %
|
Indirect
|
Big Island Mining Pty Ltd.
(operator)
|
100 %
|
Direct
|
Big Island Mining Pty Ltd (a wholly owned subsidiary of Aurelia Metals Ltd) own and operate the Dargues Gold Mine.
Contractors
- Subscription is required.
Deposit Type
- Vein / narrow vein
- Greisen hosted
Summary:
The Braidwood Granodiorite and adjacent Long Flat Volcanics host the primary gold mineralisation in the Dargues Reef–Majors Creek area.
Three major mineralisation styles are present: auriferous, pyrite-rich greisenous zones such as those at Dargues Reef, Exeter Farm and Scotsmans Gully; gold–base metal-rich veins/lodes, including those adjacent to the Majors Creek village; and those deposits which have both greisen- and vein-type mineralisation, including those in the Snobs mine area, which takes in Snobs Reef (Snobs Lode–Stewart & Mertons–United Miners zone) and The Creek prospect.
Mineralisation at Dargues occurs as a number of discrete, fracture-controlled sulphide lodes situated within intense zones of phyllic alteration (silica-chlorite and lesser epidote and sericite). The lodes are steeply dipping (80 - 90 degrees) and have a variable strike from E-W to ENE-WSW. The main zones of mineralisation (commonly referred to as the Big Blow and Main Lode) occur on the northern side of a parallel diorite dyke with some minor mineralisation sporadically developed on the southern margin. The mineralisation and dyke are synonymous with the dominant fault orientations of the region, an E-W striking vertical set and a ENE-WSW set, dipping steeply to the SSE.
The sulphide lodes are generally 0.5 m to 10 m wide (true width) and up to 200 m long and display a distinctive zonal alteration assemblage. The lodes are generally comprised of potassium felspar ........

Mining Methods
- Longhole stoping
- Cemented backfill
- Dry waste backfill
- Hydraulic backfill
Summary:
Ore is mined using conventional bottom-up longhole stoping and trucked from the underground mine to a surface stockpile adjacent to the process plant. Stope voids are backfilled with cemented hydraulic fill or waste rock. Mine access is via a boxcut and decline from the surface.
Mine Design and Assumptions
Detailed stope design has been completed for the LOM Plan with these shapes used preferentially. Mining dilution and recovery estimates for the various stoping types were applied, based on the stoping method. These include remnant stoping (30% mining dilution, 70% recovery), longitudinal stoping (20% mining dilution, 95% recovery), transverse stoping (10% mining dilution, 95% recovery) and narrow stoping (25% mining dilution, 95% recovery).
In addition, the geology model was assessed by creating stope shapes using Deswik’s SO software. Parameters included 0.5m hangingwall and footwall dilution allowances, with stope strike length of 20m and a minimum mining width of 2m. These shapes are used where new drilling and modelling updates weren’t captured by the LOM planning process. Mining dilution and recovery factors applied to these shapes includes downhole stopes (2% mining dilution with 95% recovery), uphole stopes (2% mining dilution with 90% recovery), and sill pillar mining (10% mining dilution with 85% recovery).
Development designs have 15% mining dilution applied with 100% recovery.
Source:
Source:

- subscription is required.
Flow Sheet:
Summary:

- subscription is required.
Reserves at June 30, 2023:
The Dargues Ore Reserve Estimate utilises A$80/t NSR cut-off for development and A$120/t NSR cut-off for stoping.
The Mineral Resource utilises A$120/t NSR cut-off mineable shapes that include internal dilution.
Category | Tonnage | Commodity | Grade | Contained Metal |
Proven
|
290 kt
|
Gold
|
3.8 g/t
|
35 koz
|
Probable
|
66 kt
|
Gold
|
2.3 g/t
|
5 koz
|
Proven & Probable
|
360 kt
|
Gold
|
3.5 g/t
|
40 koz
|
Measured
|
350 kt
|
Gold
|
5 g/t
|
57 koz
|
Indicated
|
360 kt
|
Gold
|
3 g/t
|
34 koz
|
Inferred
|
140 kt
|
Gold
|
3.4 g/t
|
15 koz
|
Total Resource
|
850 kt
|
Gold
|
3.9 g/t
|
106 koz
|
Source:

- subscription is required.
Corporate Filings & Presentations:
- Subscription is required.
- Subscription is required.