Overview

Mine Type	Underground
Status	Active
Commodities	Copper Gold Silver
Mining Method	Sub-level open stoping (SLOS)
Backfill type	...
Production Start	...
Mine Life	...
Snapshot	The Ankata/Malu underground mines are the part of Prominent Hill Operation. The Prominent Hill Operations Expansion to extend mine life and increase copper production continues works to construct and commission the 6.5 Mtpa ore capacity Wira Shaft. As of 2024, shaft works advanced and the shaft sink is approximately 35% complete at a depth of approximately 450 metres. The Wira Shaft will enable the electrification of the ore haulage system and is one of the ways Prominent Hill will achieve the decarbonisation commitments set out in Decarbonisation Roadmap.

Deposit type

• Breccia pipe / Stockwork
• IOCG

Summary:

The Prominent Hill iron oxide copper gold (IOCG) deposit is located in the northeastern portion of the Archaean to Mesoproterozoic Gawler Craton, South Australia. Copper-gold-silver mineralisation at Prominent Hill is mostly hosted within hematitematrix breccia containing fragments of sandstone, siltstone, dolostone, and mafic to intermediate volcanic rocks. Copper mineralisation occurs as disseminations of chalcocite, bornite and chalcopyrite in the matrix of the breccia.

Mineralisation generally has a tabular geometry. Most but not all copper mineralisation is hosted in hematite breccia. Gold mineralisation is commonly coincident with copper mineralisation, but some zones of gold-only mineralisation do exist. Copper grades generally show better spatial continuity within hematite breccia than within other rock types. Barren dykes cross cut the mineralisation. Barren covering sediments overlie the mineralised basement rocks.

The current maximum extent of the reported Mineral Resource is 2,600m (east-west) by 1,400m (vertical). Multiple lenses exist within a mineralised zone having a plan width (across strike) of approximately 300-400m. Only a subset of this mineralised zone has sufficient continuity of grade to have been reported as a Mineral Resource. The upper and lower limits of the reported Mineral Resource are 100m and 1,462m respectively below the pre-mining topographic surface.

Mining Methods

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Comminution

Crushers and Mills

Processing

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Production

Commodity	Units	2020	2019	2018	2017
Copper	kt	....	53	51	45
Gold	koz	....	48	55	34
Silver	M oz	....	0.3	0.3	0.3

Operational metrics

Metrics	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
Tonnes processed	....	2.7 Mt	2.8 Mt	2.1 Mt	2 Mt	1.6 Mt
Ore tonnes mined	....				2.1 Mt	1.9 Mt

Personnel

Job Title	Name	Profile	Ref. Date
.......................	.......................		Sep 2, 2024
.......................	.......................		Sep 3, 2024
.......................	.......................		Sep 2, 2024
.......................	.......................		Sep 2, 2024
.......................	.......................		Sep 3, 2024