Mining Intelligence and News
Australia

Meekatharra Gold (MGO) Operation

Click for more information
Australia

Meekatharra Gold (MGO) Operation

Location: 1 km E from Meekatharra, Western Australia, Australia

Address:

Level 6
197 St Georges Terrace
Perth
Western Australia, Australia
6000

Contacts:

Additional Resources for Suppliers & Investors

Categories

Overview

Mine TypeUnderground
StatusActive
Commodities
  • Gold
Mining Method
  • Sub-level caving
  • Bench stoping
  • Sub-level open stoping (SLOS)
  • Longhole stoping
Backfill type ... Lock
Production Start... Lock
Mine Life... Lock
SnapshotMeekatharra Gold Operations (MGO) includes the historic gold mining centres of Meekatharra North, Paddy’s Flat, Yaloginda, Nannine and Reedy’s.

The MGO processing hub incorporates the 1.6-1.8 Mtpa Bluebird processing plant. The Bluebird processing hub treats ore from the Paddy’s Flat and Bluebird underground mines, surplus ore from Big Bell underground (Cue Gold Operations) and various surface stockpiles in the region.

The Bluebird underground mine has been expanding rapidly since recommencement of mining in mid FY22. With the expansion of Bluebird underground, at the end of FY22 Westgold paused operations at South Emu - Triton in the Reedy’s area to reassess its economics.

An operational pause will now be implemented at Paddy’s Flat to allow the mine to transition to an exploration phase, targeting a restart of the mine once a 3-4 year mine plan is defined. Paddy’s Flat personnel and equipment will be redeployed during Q3, FY24.
Related Asset

Owners

SourceSource
CompanyInterestOwnershipInvestor's Info
Westgold Resources Ltd. 100 % Indirect
The Central Murchison Gold Project (CMGP or Murchison Operations) incorporates the Meekatharra Gold Operations (MGO) and Cue Gold Operations (CGO).

The CMGP tenements are held by the Big Bell Gold Operations (BBGO) of which Westgold has 100% ownership.

Contractors

Lock

- subscription is required.

SourceSource

Deposit type

  • Sedimentary - Volcanogenic
  • Banded iron formation hosted
  • Vein / narrow vein
  • Breccia pipe / Stockwork

Summary:

The Meekatharra Gold Operations (MGO) is located in the Achaean Murchison Province, a granite-greenstone terrane in the northwest of the Yilgarn Craton. Greenstone belts trending north-northeast are separated by granite-gneiss domes, with smaller granite plutons also present within or on the margins of the belts.

The Paddy’s Flat area is located on the western limb of a regional fold, the Polelle Syncline, within a sequence of mafic to ultramafic volcanics with minor interflow sediments and banded iron-formation. The sequence has also been intruded by felsic porphyry dykes prior to mineralisation. Mineralisation is located along four sub-parallel trends at Paddy’s Flat which can be summarized as containing three dominant mineralisation styles:
• Sulphide replacement BIF hosted gold. Quartz vein hosted shear-related gold.
• Quartz-carbonate-sulphide stockwork vein and alteration related gold.

The Yaloginda area is a gold-bearing Archaean greenstone belt situated ~15km south of Meekatharra. The deposits in the area are hosted in a strained and metamorphosed volcanic sequence that consists primarily of ultramafic and high-magnesium basalt with minor komatiite, peridotite, gabbro, tholeiitic basalt and interflow sediments. The sequence was intruded by a variety of felsic porphyry and intermediate sills and dykes.

The Reedy’s mining district is located approximately 15 km to the south-east to Meekatharra and to the south of Lake Annean. The Reedy gold deposits occur with- in a north-south trending greenstone belt, two to five kilometres wide, composed of volcano-sedimentary sequences and separated multiphase syn- and post-tectonic granitoid complexes.

The Paddy’s Flat Trend is mineralised a strike length of >3,900m, a lateral extent of up +230m and a depth of over 500m.

Bluebird is mineralised a strike length of >1,800m, a lateral extent of up +50m and a depth of over 500m.

Triton – South Emu is mineralised a strike length of >1,100m, a lateral extent of several meters and a depth of over 500m.

Reserves

Lock

- subscription is required.

Mining Methods

Lock

- subscription is required.

Comminution

Crushers and Mills

Lock

- subscription is required.

Processing

Lock

- subscription is required.

Production

CommodityUnits20232022202120202019201820172016
Gold oz  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe94,280112,430101,33937,182
All production numbers are expressed as metal in doré.

Operational metrics

Metrics20232022202120202019201820172016
Ore tonnes mined  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe1,121,935 t1,628,282 t1,550,040 t1,096,663 t
Tonnes processed  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe1,310,499 t1,627,141 t1,516,658 t925,069 t
Annual processing capacity  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe1.6 Mt1.8 Mt

Production Costs

CommodityUnits20212020201920182017
All-in sustaining costs (AISC) Gold AUD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 1,451 / oz **   1,492 / oz **   1,303 / oz **  
C1 cash costs Gold AUD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 1,264 / oz **   1,260 / oz **   1,133 / oz **  
All-in costs Gold AUD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 1,783 / oz **   2,131 / oz **   1,842 / oz **  
C2 total cash costs Gold AUD  ....  Subscribe
** Net of By-Product.

Financials

Units20212020201920182017
Capital expenditures M AUD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 53   92.4   78  
Revenue M AUD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 168   181.3   167.6  
Gross profit M AUD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe -20.4  

Heavy Mobile Equipment

Lock

- subscription is required.


AV - Autonomous

Personnel

Mine Management

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Nov 27, 2023
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Nov 27, 2023
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Nov 27, 2023
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Nov 27, 2023
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Feb 21, 2024
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Nov 27, 2023

Total WorkforceYear
...... Subscription required 2023
...... Subscription required 2022
...... Subscription required 2021

Aerial view:

Lock

- subscription is required.