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Australia

Blue Spec Project

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Overview

Mine TypeUnderground
StatusInactive / Suspended
Commodities
  • Gold
Mining Method
  • Cut & Fill
  • Sub-level open stoping (SLOS)
Backfill type ... Lock
Mine Life... Lock
SnapshotBlue Spec is one of several Calidus expansion plans for Warrawoona mine.

Blue Spec is a steeply dipping vertical/sub-vertical narrow vein deposit. There are two separate mining areas located ~1.2 km apart along strike, named Blue Spec and Gold Spec. The Sulphide Plant would be constructed at Warrawoona with Blue Spec and Copenhagen ore trucked to Warrawoona for processing.

Blue Spec numbers are based on the feasibility study released 29 September 2022 and inflated 5%.

On 11 September 2023, Calidus Resources announced the final approval had been received to commence mining the Blue Spec project.

Hayden White and Daniel Woodhouse of FTI Consulting were appointed as Deed Administrators of Calidus Resources Limited (Receivers and Managers Appointed) (Subject to Deed of Company Arrangement) and its subsidiaries on 9 October 2024.

Owners

SourceSource
CompanyInterestOwnership
Calidus Resources Ltd. 100 % Indirect
In September 2020, Calidus Resources Ltd. acquired high-grade Blue Spec Gold/Antimony Project from Novo Resources. Blue Spec is one of several Calidus expansion plans for Warrawoona mine.

Calidus Resources owns 100% of the operating 1.4Moz Warrawoona Gold Project.

On 28 June 2024, Administrators were appointed of the Calidus Resources Limited and its subsidiaries.

Contractors

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Deposit type

  • Orogenic
  • Vein / narrow vein

Summary:

The Blue Spec gold project lies within the Mosquito Creek Formation, a thick sequence of siliciclastic metasediments comprising dominantly quartz-rich arenites and shales that has undergone multiple periods of deformation. The Mosquito Creek Formation is located within the extensive rhombic Mosquito Creek Basin in the southeastern extent of the Pilbara granite-greenstone terrane (Easterday et al., 2008). The Mosquito Creek Formation is interpreted to be Mesoarchaean in age (Bagas et al., 2008).

Stratigraphy within the basin generally trends east–northeast, with both northwest and north–south trending regional fault orientations exerting major influences on the basin architecture. Intrusive dykes comprising dolerite and hornblende-bearing tonalities are also observed within the basin, while gabbroic sills are a prominent feature along the northern and southern margins of the basin. The Blue Spec line is a clearly defined and mapped, major fault structure that nucleated during north–south oriented regional shortening, upright folding and thrusting along a major anticlinal hinge position. It has undergone multiple periods of deformation (Easterday et al., 2008).

The Blue Spec Shear gold-antimony deposits are interpreted to be epizonal orogenic gold deposits. Gold mineralisation is associated with the Blue Spec Shear Zone that was emplaced during two deformation events. The first event produced a laminated quartz-carbonate vein with minor pyrite, gold and arsenic. The second event overprinted the first with brecciated and recrystallised quartz-carbonate veins containing pyrite, gold and localised concentrations of massive stibnite.

The Blue Spec Shear Zone runs east–west, and can reach 30 m in true thickness. Localised narrow shear splays have been observed bifurcating from the main zone in historically mined void models. Mineralised lodes are steeply dipping, with primary mineralisation located in dilatant jogs in the shear zone.

Dimensions
Mineralisation domains in Blue Spec (seven domains in total, five with low-grade halo sub-domains) extend over a 350 m strike length. Lode widths are highly variable and range from 0.5 m to 4 m. The Mineral Resource extends 885 m from the surface (365 mRL) to a lower limit of -520 mRL.

The mineralisation domain in Gold Spec (one domain with a low-grade halo sub-domain) extends over a 480 m strike length. Lode widths are highly variable and range from 0.3 m to 11 m. The Mineral Resource extends 450 m from the surface (370 mRL) to a lower limit of -80 mRL.

Mineralisation within the model which did not satisfy the classification criteria for Mineral Resources remained unclassified.

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

CommodityUnitsLOM
Gold oz 154,644
All production numbers are expressed as payable metal.

Operational metrics

Metrics
Annual processing rate  ....  Subscribe
* According to 2022 study.

Production Costs

CommodityUnitsAverage
All-in sustaining costs (AISC) Gold AUD  ....  Subscribe
Assumed price Gold AUD  ....  Subscribe
* According to 2022 study / presentation.
** Net of By-Product.

Project Costs

MetricsUnitsLOM Total
Pre-Production capital costs $M AUD  ......  Subscribe
UG OpEx $M AUD  ......  Subscribe
Processing OpEx $M AUD 23
Transportation (haulage) costs $M AUD 7
Total OpEx $M AUD  ......  Subscribe
Royalty payments $M AUD  ......  Subscribe
Gross revenue (LOM) $M AUD  ......  Subscribe
Pre-tax Cash Flow (LOM) $M AUD  ......  Subscribe
Pre-tax NPV @ 5% $M AUD  ......  Subscribe
Pre-tax IRR, %  ......  Subscribe

Required Heavy Mobile Equipment

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Personnel

Mine Management

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Oct 15, 2024

Aerial view:

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