Overview
Stage | Production |
Mine Type | Underground |
Commodities |
|
Mining Method |
- Longhole open stoping
- Bench stoping
- Dry waste backfill
|
Production Start | ...  |
Mine Life | 2024 |
The established Hera Mine is approaching the end if its economic life with the Ore Reserve expected to be depleted in FY24. The Company is therefore evaluating development options for the nearby Federation deposit that is located approximately 10 kilometres south of the existing Hera Mine.
The Federation Project has the potential to leverage the established infrastructure at Hera Mine. Given its exceptional grade tenor, Federation will be one of the most significant regional discoveries in decades.
Aurelia Metals will cease commercial production at its Hera underground mine in New South Wales towards the end of March 2023.
The decision was made after the completion of a re-optimisation of the life-of-mine plan for the operation. Hera’s surface facilities will then transition to care and maintenance before being utilised for the Federation project. |
Source:
p. 55,64
Company | Interest | Ownership |
Aurelia Metals Ltd.
|
100 %
|
Indirect
|
Hera Resources Pty Ltd
(operator)
|
100 %
|
Direct
|
Hera Mine (Hera) is an underground metalliferous mine owned by Hera Resources Pty Ltd (Hera Resources), a wholly owned subsidiary of Aurelia Metals Limited (Aurelia).
Contractors
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Deposit Type
- Breccia pipe / Stockwork
- Vein / narrow vein
Summary:
All known mineralisation in the area is epigenetic “Cobar” style. Deposits are structurally controlled quartz + sulphide matrix breccias grading to massive sulphide.
The deposits are located in high strain zones. Metal ratios are variable but there is a general tendency for separate Pb+Zn+Ag±Au±Cu and Cu+Ag±Au ore bodies. These are often in close association with the Pb+Zn lenses lying to the west of the Cu lenses. At Hera Zn is usually more abundant than Pb.
Formation temperatures are moderate to high. At Hera the presence of Fe-rich sphalerite, nonmagnetic pyrrhotite and cubanite indicates formation temperatures between 350°C and 400°C. Recognised at Hera are quartz + K-feldspar veins, scheelite, and minor skarn mineralogy which suggest a possible magmatic input. Deposit timing is enigmatic. The main mineralisation occurs as brittle sulphide matrix breccias with silicification grading to ductile massive sulphides that crosscut both bedding and cleavage. Recent age dating on micas and galena gives an age of ~385Ma for the Hera deposit.
The mineralisation at Hera, indicated by elevated gold, silver, lead, zinc and sulphur grades, appears to be structurally controlled and is associated with shearing, brecciation and quartz veining.
The twelve solid wireframes representing mineralised domains were treated as hard boundaries during estimation of all elements except arsenic. This means that blocks inside a particular domain were estima ........

Mining Methods
- Longhole open stoping
- Bench stoping
- Dry waste backfill
Summary:
Hera is an underground mine utilising bench stoping with the stopes backfilled with waste rock fill.
The Hera orebody is accessed from a decline located in the hanging wall. The decline has a gradient of 1:7 and production levels are nominally 25m apart.
Mining is undertaken using conventional bench stoping mining techniques. Stope voids are backfilled with waste rock material from concurrent underground development and, if required, additional waste rock material is transported from the WRE Area on the surface.
Sill pillars are every 100m vertically with an open stoping method adopting a yielding pillar above and between the previously filled panels. Level access is via the hangingwall (east) decline and the decline has a standoff of 50m from the ore body. The decline face is currently 620m vertically below surface and the sublevels are spaced vertically at 25m. Stopes are typically 30m long, 25m high and 8m wide. Stopes are demonstrating stable characteristics up to a hydraulic radius of 7.5m or approximately 30m along strike.
Source:
Summary:

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Reserves at June 30, 2022:
The Mineral Resource Estimate utilises A$100/t NSR cut-off mineable shapes that include internal dilution.
The Hera Ore Reserve Estimate utilises a A$80/t NSR cut-off for development and A$100/t NSR cut-off for stoping.
Category | Tonnage | Commodity | Grade |
Proven & Probable
|
590 kt
|
Gold
|
1.6 g/t
|
Proven & Probable
|
590 kt
|
Silver
|
19 g/t
|
Proven & Probable
|
590 kt
|
Lead
|
2 %
|
Proven & Probable
|
590 kt
|
Zinc
|
2.9 %
|
Measured
|
800 kt
|
Gold
|
1.7 g/t
|
Measured
|
800 kt
|
Silver
|
19 g/t
|
Measured
|
800 kt
|
Lead
|
2.1 %
|
Measured
|
800 kt
|
Zinc
|
3.1 %
|
Measured
|
800 kt
|
Copper
|
0.1 %
|
Indicated
|
500 kt
|
Gold
|
1.8 g/t
|
Indicated
|
500 kt
|
Silver
|
16 g/t
|
Indicated
|
500 kt
|
Lead
|
1.9 %
|
Indicated
|
500 kt
|
Zinc
|
2.9 %
|
Indicated
|
500 kt
|
Copper
|
0.1 %
|
Inferred
|
400 kt
|
Gold
|
0.9 g/t
|
Inferred
|
400 kt
|
Silver
|
7 g/t
|
Inferred
|
400 kt
|
Lead
|
1.5 %
|
Inferred
|
400 kt
|
Zinc
|
2 %
|
Inferred
|
400 kt
|
Copper
|
0.1 %
|
Total Resource
|
1,700 kt
|
Gold
|
1.6 g/t
|
Total Resource
|
1,700 kt
|
Silver
|
16 g/t
|
Total Resource
|
1,700 kt
|
Lead
|
1.9 %
|
Total Resource
|
1,700 kt
|
Zinc
|
2.8 %
|
Total Resource
|
1,700 kt
|
Copper
|
0.1 %
|
Corporate Filings & Presentations:
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