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Australia

Fortnum Gold (FGO) Operation

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Overview

Mine TypeUnderground
StatusActive
Commodities
  • Gold
Mining Method
  • Bench stoping
  • Sub-level open stoping (SLOS)
  • Longhole open stoping
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SnapshotFortnum Gold Operations (Bryah Operations) comprises the historic mining centres of Fortnum, Horseshoe - Cassidy, Peak Hill Mineral Fields and the underground mining operation at Starlight, an accommodation village and the Fortnum Mill. Mining output is currently dominated by the Starlight underground mine.

A new hybrid (gas, battery, solar) power facility at the Fortnum was commissioned in October 2023.

FGO has a number of exploration targets which should underwrite sustainable gold production at the operations beyond existing targets, including:
– Extensions to the Starlight underground mine;
– Expansion of the Starlight underground mine to include the development of the Nightfall lode;
– Open pit mining from the historic Yarlarweelor, Nathans and Labouchere mines;
– The Regent and Messiah deposits; and
– New targets within the proximate Peak Hill tenements.
Latest NewsWestgold Files Updated Technical Reports     December 18, 2024

Owners

SourceSource
CompanyInterestOwnershipInvestor's Info
Westgold Resources Ltd. 100 % Indirect
The Fortnum Gold Operations (FGO) are owned by Aragon Resources Pty Ltd, a 100% owned subsidiary of Westgold Resources Ltd.

Contractors

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Deposit type

  • Vein / narrow vein
  • Breccia pipe / Stockwork

Summary:

The Fortnum Gold Operations can be subdivided into three major geological domains:
• Fortnum;
• Horseshoe - Cassidy;
• Peak Hill.

Fortnum
The project sits within the Fortnum Wedge, which hosts the Fortnum mining centre, and surrounding areas in the northwestern corner of the Bryah Basin. The Fortnum Wedge is a fault-bounded package of volcaniclastic rocks of the Narracoota Formation, bounded to the north by the Fortnum Fault and to the east and west by the Ravelstone Formation immediately around the Fortnum mining centre. To the north and west, mineral prospects are hosted by Labouchere Formation units.

There are two main styles of gold mineralisation identified within the Fortnum Project, and particularly the Fortnum Wedge; mafic-jasperoid associated deposits (Yarlarweelor and Tom’s), and structurally controlled vein stockworks associated with tuffaceous sediments and siltstone units bound by competent crystal tuff units (Starlight Group, Callie’s and Eldorado).

Other major deposits that occur in the project area outside of the Wedge share similar structural controls though host lithologies are different. Chert hosted mineralisation at Labouchere shares many features with the jasperoid associated style, and the vein stockworks hosted in siltstones, and bounded by sandstone-conglomerate units at Nathan’s are broadly similar to the Starlight Groups style.

Horseshoe – Cassidy
The Horseshoe group of deposits share several geological features with the Fortnum Wedge: mineralisation is hosted within a fault bounded package of mafic volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks of the Narracoota Formation, bounded by the Ravelstone Formation.

The main zone of mineralisation at Horseshoe – Cassidy is developed within a horizon of extremely silica altered magnesian basalt. The silicification appears to predate mineralisation, and represents a broad zone of brecciation that has undergone intense silica flooding. Core from the margins of this zone show relict, partly replaced breccia fragments, cross-cut by mineralisation associated veining. Later potassic alteration related to gold mineralisation is spatially associated with strong vein stock-works that are confined to the altered mafic. Alteration consists of two types; stockwork proximal silica-carbonate-fuchsite-haematite-pyrite and distal silica-haematite-carbonate+/- chlorite.

Peak Hill
The Peak Hill covers a marginal part of a Protozoic orogenic belt (Capricorn Oregon) that developed around the northern edge of the Yilgarn craton. Rocks of the Capricorn Orogen separate the Archean rocks of the Yilgarn Craton to the south from the Pilbara Craton to the north.

The Peak Hill district represents remnants of a Proterozoic fold belt comprising completely deformed trough and shelf sediments and mafic / ultramafic volcanics, which in part are moderately metamorphosed.

The Peak Hill area is dominated by the Early Proterozoic Peak Hill Schist, a highly deformed and metamorphosed sequence of uncertain origin. The Peak Hill Schist is locally broken down into three stratigraphic units comprising:
• The Intermediate/Footwall Sequence;
• The Mine Sequence;
• The Hangingwall Sequence.

Deposit Types
The gold deposits at FGO are consistent with the Proterozoic (copper) gold deposit model.

There are three main styles of gold mineralisation identified within the Fortnum Project, and particularly the Fortnum Wedge; mafic-jasperoid associated deposits (Yarlarweelor and Tom’s), structurally controlled vein stockworks associated with tuffaceous sediments and siltstone units bound by competent crystal tuff units (Starlight Group, Callie’s, Eldorado, Horseshoe – Cassidy – Pod and Fiveways), and secondary gold mineralisation found in lateritic profiles developed over bedrock mineralisation.

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

CommodityUnits20242023202220212020201920182017
Gold oz  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe58,30841,8202,061
All production numbers are expressed as metal in doré.

Operational metrics

Metrics20242023202220212020201920182017
Annual processing capacity  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe
Ore tonnes mined  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe868,145 t606,449 t47,931 t
Tonnes processed  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe849,853 t845,180 t70,505 t

Production Costs

CommodityUnits20242023202220212020201920182017
All-in sustaining costs (AISC) Gold AUD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 1,224 / oz **   1,387 / oz **   60 / oz **  
C1 cash costs Gold AUD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 1,064 / oz **   1,266 / oz **   60 / oz **  
All-in costs Gold AUD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 1,408 / oz **   2,087 / oz **   14,952 / oz **  
C2 total cash costs Gold AUD  ....  Subscribe
** Net of By-Product.

Financials

Units20242023202220212020201920182017
Capital expenditures M AUD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 21.7   32.1   31.8  
Revenue M AUD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 104   69.8  

Heavy Mobile Equipment

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Personnel

Mine Management

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Aerial view:

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