Mining Intelligence and News
Australia

Thalanga Operation

Click for more information

Categories

Overview

Mine TypeOpen Pit & Underground
StatusCare and Maintenance
Commodities
  • Copper
  • Lead
  • Zinc
  • Gold
  • Silver
Mining Method
  • Truck & Shovel / Loader
  • Longhole stoping
Backfill type ... Lock
Production Start... Lock
SnapshotThalanga Operations consists of a 650ktpa capacity processing plant. Thalanga Operations commenced production from the West 45 deposit in 2017. Ore for the Thalanga Operation is being sourced from the Far West underground mine, with plans to develop the Liontown deposit to extend the operational life of Thalanga.

Due to ongoing operational performance at Thalanga during October with reduced mining and mill production Red River’s subsidiary, Cromarty Resources Pty Ltd, was placed into Voluntary Administration on 28 October 2022. Post their appointment, the Administrators have determined to place the Thalanga operations on care and maintenance.

A reconvened second meeting of creditors of Red River was held on 23 August 2023, at which the creditors of Red River voted for it to be wound up.

Owners

SourceSource
CompanyInterestOwnership
Red River Resources Ltd. 100 % Indirect
Red River Resources Limited announced that Michael Ryan, David McGrath and Kathryn Warwick of FTI Consulting (Australia) Pty Ltd (FTI) have been appointed administrators, joint and several, of Cromarty Resources Pty Ltd (Cromarty) a wholly owned subsidiary and owner and operator of the Thalanga Mine.

Deposit type

  • VMS

Summary:

The Thalanga Operation is located in the highly prospective Cambro-Ordovician Mt Windsor Volcanic Belt which contains a number of known polymetallic (copper-lead-zinc +/- gold-silver) volcanic hosted massive sulphide (VHMS) deposits and gold deposits.

The West 45 deposit is located 1.7km west of the Thalanga Plant and it is ~1.4km by unsealed road from the portal to the run of mine (ROM) ore pad.

The Far West deposit is located ~500m from the ROM pad at the Plant, to the west of and directly adjacent to the historically mined Thalanga West deposit. Far West sits within existing mining leases. Much like West 45, Far West is a VHMS deposit which is of polymetallic nature and contains zinc, lead, copper, gold and silver.

The Waterloo deposit is located approximately 40km to the SSW of Charters Towers and ~50km east from the Thalanga mine. As with the West 45 and Far West deposits, Waterloo is a VHMS deposit which contains zinc, lead, copper, gold and silver. Red River intends to mine Waterloo and truck the ore to the Thalanga Plant for processing.

The Liontown polymetallic volcanogenic hosted massive sulphide deposit is located 40km southwest of Charters Towers in North Queensland. It is accessed by the Flinders Highway and the Gregory Developmental Road. Red River acquired the Liontown Project in 2014 with the acquisition of the Thalanga Base Metal Operations.

Mineralisation in the Liontown Horizon is developed in the basal siltstone unit of the hangingwall sequence, with the most consistent mineralisation lying immediately above the pumice breccia. Mineralisation is developed as multiple zones of stratiform, laminated, semi-massive and rarely massive sulphide. The Liontown host rocks comprise a footwall sequence of dacitic pyroclastics termed pumice breccia, which has been strongly silicified and chlorite altered.

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

During the quarter 2020, approximately 13,000 tonnes of historic gold tailings were reclaimed from the Liontown Project site, trucked to Thalanga Operations and processed through the mill to produce 475 DMT tonnes of gold concentrate grading 62.3 g/t Au, 197 g/t Ag and 12.8% Cu.
CommodityProductUnits20222021202020192018
Copper Concentrate kt  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe4.61.5
Lead Concentrate kt  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe136.9
Zinc Payable metal M lbs  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe
Zinc Concentrate kt  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe3317
Gold Concentrate kt  ....  Subscribe

Operational metrics

Metrics20222021202020192018
Annual processing capacity  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe650 kt650 kt
Ore tonnes mined  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe383 kt248 kt
Tonnes processed  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe407 kt228 kt

Production Costs

CommodityUnits20222021202020192018
C1 cash costs Zinc USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 0.41 / lb **   0.55 / lb **  
C2 total cash costs Zinc USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 0.67 / lb **   0.99 / lb **  
C3 fully allocated costs Zinc USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 0.87 / lb **   1.23 / lb **  
** Net of By-Product.

Financials

Units20222021202020192018
Revenue M AUD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 97.6   51.1  
EBITDA M AUD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 23.1   11.8  

Heavy Mobile Equipment

Lock

- subscription is required.

Personnel

Mine Management

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Nov 8, 2024

EmployeesContractorsTotal WorkforceYear
...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required 2022
...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required 2021
...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required 2020

Aerial view:

Lock

- subscription is required.