Overview
Stage | Production |
Mine Type | Open Pit & Underground |
Commodities |
|
Mining Method |
- Truck & Shovel / Loader
- Sub-level stoping
- Longhole open stoping
|
Processing |
- Calcining
- Smelting
- Centrifugal concentrator
- Gravity separation
- Agitated tank (VAT) leaching
- Concentrate leach
- Carbon in leach (CIL)
- Carbon in pulp (CIP)
- Carbon adsorption-desorption-recovery (ADR)
- Elution
- Solvent Extraction & Electrowinning
- Cyanide (reagent)
|
Mine Life | 2024 |
The Mount Magnet project consists of numerous open pit and underground mines plus exploration targets situated on established mining and prospecting leases. The total project area covers 225km².
The Mt Magnet is a multi pit / underground operation: four open pit (Milky Way, Stellar, Eridanus, Vegas, and four underground projects (Shannon, Water Tank Hill, Hill 60, Vivien).
The economic indicators of Mt Magnet and Vivien were merged in 2019 fiscal year. |
Latest News | MACA picks up $130m Ramelius contract extension July 22, 2020 |
Source:
p. 14
Mineral tenement and land tenure status is 100% owned by Mt Magnet Gold Pty Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of RMS.
Deposit Type
- Porphyry
- Banded iron formation hosted
Summary:
The Mt Magnet project is located within the north-south striking Meekatharra-Mt Magnet greenstone belt of the Western Australian Murchison Province. The greenstone belt lithologies comprise a succession of steeply dipping and intensely deformed plus interlayered mafic and ultramafic extrusive and intrusive rocks, felsic volcanics and banded iron formations (BIF). Granitic rocks intrude the greenstone belt stratigraphy.
Banded iron formations are the dominant host rocks for gold mineralisation in the project. Gold mineralisation is typically associated the pyrite & pyrrhotite replacement of magnetite in the banded iron. High-grade ore shoots are developed along the intersection of the BIF and a swarm of northeast trending faults, colloquially referred to as Boogardie Breaks.
Significant gold mineralisation is also found in porphyritic felsic units of the Boogardie Basin. Mineralisation generally occurs as a stockwork style of sericite-silica-pyrite veining and alteration within felsic porphyry units intruded into ultramafic flow sequences. Gold mineralisation tends to occur along felsic margins adjacent to the ultramafic contact. The Cosmos area consists of this style.
Mining Methods
- Truck & Shovel / Loader
- Sub-level stoping
- Longhole open stoping
Summary:
The Mt Magnet is a multi pit / underground operation: four open pit (Milky Way, Stellar, Eridanus, Vegas, and four underground projects (Shannon, Water Tank Hill, Hill 60, Vivien).
Galaxy, Eridanus, Morning Star and most Mt Magnet deposits are modelled as open pit deposits. Factors include potential pit depths, minimum mineralisation widths and economic cutoffs based on current contract mining equipment and milling facilities.
UG deposits, including Hill 60, Shannon, Vivien are modelled with consideration of extraction by conventional sub-level open stoping methods.
As part of the Vivien mine life extension, the mining contractor was changed to RUC Cementation Mining. Vivien Underground Extended to June 2021.
Ramelius contracts MACA for the open pits and Byrnecut Australia for the underground mines.
MACA began works on the Mount Magnet Gold Project in 2017 for Ramelius Resources. The project extension consists of open pit mining services including drilling & blasting, and loading and hauling.
Processing
- Calcining
- Smelting
- Centrifugal concentrator
- Gravity separation
- Agitated tank (VAT) leaching
- Concentrate leach
- Carbon in leach (CIL)
- Carbon in pulp (CIP)
- Carbon adsorption-desorption-recovery (ADR)
- Elution
- Solvent Extraction & Electrowinning
- Cyanide (reagent)
Source:
Summary:
The Mt Magnet processing plant is a conventional CIL/CIP gold plant with single stage crushing, primary SAG milling in closed-circuit with a pebble crusher, and secondary closed-circuit ball milling. A centrifugal style gravity gold recovery circuit operates on a portion of the secondary milling product hydrocyclone underflow. Gravity gold concentrate is intensively leached. Cyanide leaching on the classified mill product is undertaken through two large, agitated leach tanks, two large, agitated adsorption tanks and three (of six) older Pachuca style (air agitated) adsorption tanks. Leach kinetics are improved through the addition of oxygen through the first leach tank stages of the circuit. Gold is eluted from the loaded activated carbon, it is then electrowon, calcined and smelted into gold doré as is standard practice.
Recoveries & Grades:
Commodity | Parameter | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 |
Gold
|
Recovery Rate, %
| ......  | ......  | 94.3 | 91 |
Gold
|
Head Grade, g/t
| ......  | ......  | 2.23 | 1.42 |
Reserves at June 30, 2020:
Mt Magnet - open pits cut-off 0.6 g/t, selective UG cut-off 3.5 g/t, bulk UG cut-off grade 2.0 g/t.
Category | OreType | Tonnage | Commodity | Grade | Contained Metal |
Proven
|
Stockpiles
|
4,000,000 t
|
Gold
|
0.7 g/t
|
95,000 oz
|
Proven
|
In-Situ (OP)
|
91,000 t
|
Gold
|
1.1 g/t
|
3,200 oz
|
Proven
|
In-Situ (UG)
|
190,000 t
|
Gold
|
5.9 g/t
|
36,000 oz
|
Proven
|
Total
|
4,280,000 t
|
Gold
|
1 g/t
|
134,000 oz
|
Probable
|
In-Situ (OP)
|
5,700,000 t
|
Gold
|
1.5 g/t
|
270,000 oz
|
Probable
|
In-Situ (UG)
|
470,000 t
|
Gold
|
3.7 g/t
|
55,000 oz
|
Probable
|
Total
|
6,170,000 t
|
Gold
|
1.7 g/t
|
330,000 oz
|
Proven & Probable
|
Stockpiles
|
4,000,000 t
|
Gold
|
0.7 g/t
|
95,000 oz
|
Proven & Probable
|
In-Situ (OP)
|
5,790,000 t
|
Gold
|
1.5 g/t
|
273,000 oz
|
Proven & Probable
|
In-Situ (UG)
|
660,000 t
|
Gold
|
4.3 g/t
|
91,000 oz
|
Proven & Probable
|
Total
|
10,450,000 t
|
Gold
|
1.4 g/t
|
460,000 oz
|
Measured
|
Stockpiles
|
4,000,000 t
|
Gold
|
0.7 g/t
|
95,000 oz
|
Measured
|
In-Situ (OP)
|
790,000 t
|
Gold
|
1.7 g/t
|
4,300 oz
|
Measured
|
In-Situ (UG)
|
610,000 t
|
Gold
|
5.8 g/t
|
110,000 oz
|
Measured
|
Total
|
5,400,000 t
|
Gold
|
1.4 g/t
|
250,000 oz
|
Indicated
|
In-Situ (OP)
|
21,000,000 t
|
Gold
|
1.6 g/t
|
1,000,000 oz
|
Indicated
|
In-Situ (UG)
|
1,400,000 t
|
Gold
|
6.6 g/t
|
310,000 oz
|
Indicated
|
Total
|
22,400,000 t
|
Gold
|
1.9 g/t
|
1,310,000 oz
|
Inferred
|
In-Situ (OP)
|
16,000,000 t
|
Gold
|
1.3 g/t
|
700,000 oz
|
Inferred
|
In-Situ (UG)
|
2,600,000 t
|
Gold
|
3.6 g/t
|
300,000 oz
|
Inferred
|
Total
|
18,600,000 t
|
Gold
|
1.6 g/t
|
1,000,000 oz
|
Total Resource
|
Stockpiles
|
4,000,000 t
|
Gold
|
0.7 g/t
|
95,000 oz
|
Total Resource
|
In-Situ (OP)
|
38,000,000 t
|
Gold
|
1.5 g/t
|
1,743,000 oz
|
Total Resource
|
In-Situ (UG)
|
4,700,000 t
|
Gold
|
4.8 g/t
|
720,000 oz
|
Total Resource
|
Total
|
46,700,000 t
|
Gold
|
1.7 g/t
|
2,600,000 oz
|
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