The Cortez Complex consists of both open pit and underground mines. Open pit mines consist of Pipeline, Crossroads, and Cortez pits, while underground operations consist of Cortez Hills Underground (Middle Zone, Lower Zone, and Deep South), and Goldrush Underground operations (Red Hill, Crow’s Nest, 3 ½, Ranch, Meadow).
Open pit mining is conducted using conventional open pit techniques and equipment.
Cortez Hills Underground is a mechanized decline access underground mine based upon the mining of up to 4,700 t/d of ore and waste. The Middle Zone is being exploited using cut-and-fill mining methods and minor amounts of longhole stoping; while the Lower and Deep South Zones are planned to be mined by longhole stoping.
Goldrush underground is a mechanized decline access underground mine with intensive lateral development required to open up the orebody. The primary mining method will be longhole stoping with minor amounts of cut-and-fill where the orebody geometry does not allow for longhole stopes.
OPEN PITS
Open pit ore is mined by a conventional shovel-truck process at the rate of approximately 12.4 Mt/a with a LOM stripping ratio of 6.5:1 (waste to ore ratio). Mining occurs in two separate areas approximately 19 km apart, at the Cortez Pits, and the Pipeline/Crossroads open pits.
Mining at Cortez Hills (CHOP) was completed in May 2019, and the ramp between the Pediment open pit and Cortez Hills remains to ensure ........