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Suriname

Rosebel Mine

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Overview

Mine TypeOpen Pit
StatusActive
Commodities
  • Gold
Mining Method
  • Truck & Shovel / Loader
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SnapshotRosebel is one of South America’s largest open-pit gold projects. Both pits of the project - the Rosebel mine and the Saramacca mine - are in production.

Efforts are underway to fully ramp up Saramacca. The main orebody remains open for further resource expansion.

After upgrade and expansion project (the concentrator debottlenecking program) completes construction and reaches the designated production capacity, the Rosebel Gold Mine is expected to form a production capacity of 10 tonnes of mineproduced gold per annum.

Owners

SourceSource
CompanyInterestOwnership
Zijin Mining Group Co., Ltd 95 % Indirect
Zijin Mining Group Co. Ltd. owns 95% of Rosebel Gold Mines N.V. The remaining 5% interest in Rosebel will continue to be held by the Government of Suriname.

Contractors

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Deposit type

  • Orogenic
  • Vein / narrow vein

Summary:

Gold mineralization within the Rosebel deposit is structurally controlled and exhibits similar geological, structural, and metallogenic characteristics to orogenic greenstonehosted gold deposits. Mineralization over the Rosebel property consists of quartz-carbonate tension and shear vein association. Rosebel hosts seven main deposits and several smaller gold occurrences in three mineralized domains.

The North domain is formed by two sub-parallel mineralized trends striking WNW-ESE: the southern trend comprises the PC and EPC deposits (and ETR exploration area), while the northern trend includes the KHJZ deposits (and MK exploration area). The mineralized trends are found on both flanks of an anticline exposing the volcanic rock and plunging 35° to the WNW. The volcanic rocks are overlain by the Rosebel Formation to the south, and by the Armina Formation to the North. A regional dextral strike-slip fault exhibiting late normal movement marks the southern limit of the North domain and is closely associated with the mineralization.

The South domain includes the MA, RM, and RH deposits. The local geology is characterized by the presence of a volcanic basement overlain by detrital sedimentary rocks of the Rosebel Formation. The MA, RM, and RH deposits are all hosted in the footwall of a major reverse fault striking E-W and which is closely related to the onset of mineralization. The sequence is folded into relatively open and slightly dipping (0 to 15°) east or west folds. Mineralization is associated with the major and/or subsidiary shear zones and in the hinges of anticlines.

The RB deposit is hosted in a sedimentary sequence of siltstone and arenite of the Rosebel Formation. RB is the only deposit not located along a volcano-sedimentary contact. The southern portion of the RB pit exposes one interval of conglomerate interbedded within a coarse grained, quartz rich arenite. This sequence evolves to finer grained arenites and siltstones suggesting a general northward younging direction. The sequence strikes 100° and is sub-vertical to steeply dipping to the north. The sedimentary sequence and the mineralization are intruded by three post-mineralization, sub-vertical, north-south diabase dykes.

Mineralization
Three mineralized/structural domains are observed at Rosebel: the North, Central, and South domains. The North domain includes the KH-JZ and PC deposits located along two trends following a WNW-ESE orientation. The Central domain includes the RB deposit, which strikes EW. The South domain is also E-W striking and hosts the MA, Roma (RM), and RH deposits.

Mineralization within the Rosebel deposits is structurally controlled and gold is hosted in both shear and tension veins which are tightly associated in space and time. Relations between veining and folding demonstrate that veining occurred after folding and has commonly borrowed pre-existent structures, such as extensional fractures, or along rock heterogeneities. As a result, elements such as an anticline hinges, lithological contacts and conglomeritic beds have provided structural traps for mineralized fluids. As the veins exhibit no significant signs of deformation, the mineralization is interpreted as being emplaced during the latest stage of the Transamazonian orogeny event.

The general vein mineralogy consists of a quartz - carbonate – tourmaline – plagioclase – pyrite/pyrrhotite assemblage. However, the proportion of the main minerals and the nature of the secondary and trace minerals vary between the different domains. In the South domain, the characteristic vein mineralogical assemblage is quartz + carbonate (calcite) + tourmaline ± chlorite ± sericite ± pyrrhotite ± pyrite, where accessory minerals comprise sphalerite, plagioclase, and magnetite. Alteration aureoles are defined by the presence of chlorite, carbonate (mostly calcite), sericite, pyrrhotite and locally tourmaline and pyrite. In the North domain, the vein mineralogy consists of in an assemblage of quartz + carbonate (calcite – ankerite) + plagioclase + hematite + chlorite ± sericite ± pyrite ± tourmaline. A zonation of vein mineralogy occurs at the deposit scale, with plagioclase and hematite constrained to the main shear zone, while all other minerals are distributed throughout the Rosebel deposits. In the Central domain, the characteristic vein mineralogical assemblage is quartz + carbonate (calcite + ankerite) ± chlorite ± sericite ± pyrite. Ankerite alteration halo is typical of the Central domain and is associated to the highest grade zones.

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

CommodityUnits2024202320222021202020192018201720162015
Gold koz  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe264 302 318 312 302 
All production numbers are expressed as metal in doré. ^ Guidance / Forecast.

Operational metrics

Metrics20222021202020192018201720162015
Plant annual capacity  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe12.5 kt12.5 Mt
Ore tonnes mined  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe12,277 kt16,098 kt15,028 kt14,735 kt14,080 kt
Waste  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe41,049 kt48,076 kt47,802 kt49,394 kt49,432 kt
Total tonnes mined  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe53,326 kt64,174 kt62,830 kt64,129 kt63,512 kt
Tonnes milled  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe12,166 kt12,209 kt12,832 kt12,604 kt12,291 kt
Stripping / waste ratio  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe3.3 3 3.2 3.4 3.5

Production Costs

CommodityUnits202220212020201920182017
Cash costs Gold USD  ....  Subscribe 877 / oz **   760 / oz **   647 / oz **  
Total cash costs (sold) Gold USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 959 / oz  
Total cash costs Gold USD  ....  Subscribe 958 / oz **   831 / oz **   716 / oz **  
All-in sustaining costs (sold) Gold USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 1,165 / oz **   1,006 / oz **   931 / oz **  
** Net of By-Product.

Financials

Units2023202220212020201920182017
Sustaining costs M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 42.7   43.7   51.2  
Capital expenditures M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 83.7   64.7   59.4  
Revenue M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 352.5   386   385.6  
Operating Income M  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 18.5  USD 36.4  USD 179.1  USD
After-tax Income M  ....  Subscribe
Operating Cash Flow M  ....  Subscribe

Heavy Mobile Equipment

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Personnel

Mine Management

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Aerial view:

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