Mount Morgans Gold Mine
Encyclopedia
The Mount Morgans Gold Mine is a gold mine
located 37 km west-south-west of Laverton, Western Australia
.
It is operated by Range River Gold, who purchased the mine from Barrick Gold
in May 2009. The mine, having closed in 1998, reopened in December 2009.
The mine should not be confused with the Mount Morgan Gold Mine at Mount Morgan, Queensland
.
, later to become Premier of Western Australia
for just 32 days, was responsible for the development of the Mount Morgans mineral field.
In a second activities period, from 1988 to 1997, the mine produced 917,000 ounces at 3.2 g/t, now mostly from open pit operations
. Mining at Mount Morgans ceased in 1998. The processing plant of the mine was later removed.
The current site, was originally owned by Plutonic Resources, a major Australian gold mining and exploration company. Homestake Mining Company
purchased Plutonic in April 1998 for more than $1.0 billion, and, in turn, Homestake was acquiered by Barrick Gold at the end of 2001. Barrick then sold the mine to Range River Gold in May 2009.
After the purchase of the mine, Range River concentrated its efforts at the The Craic deposit, which it hopes to recover 19,000 ounces of gold at 17.7 g/t. On 14 December 2009, Range River announced that mining at re-commenced at Mount Morgans at The Craic open pit. The company plans to also mine the Transvaal deposit nearby, as an underground operation. An annual production of 40,000 ounces of gold is forecast. An agreement was signed with Barrick in January 2010 to purchase Mount Morgans ore and treat it at Barrick's Granny Smith Gold Mine
from February 2010 onwards.
Gold mining
Gold mining is the removal of gold from the ground. There are several techniques and processes by which gold may be extracted from the earth.-History:...
located 37 km west-south-west of Laverton, Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
.
It is operated by Range River Gold, who purchased the mine from Barrick Gold
Barrick Gold
Barrick Gold Corporation is the largest pure gold mining company in the world, with its headquarters in Toronto, Ontario, Canada; and four regional business units located in Australia, Africa, North America and South America...
in May 2009. The mine, having closed in 1998, reopened in December 2009.
The mine should not be confused with the Mount Morgan Gold Mine at Mount Morgan, Queensland
Mount Morgan, Queensland
Mount Morgan is a town located in central Queensland, Australia. It is situated on the Dee River, 38 kilometres south of the city of Rockhampton, and is 680 kilometres north of the state capital, Brisbane. The Burnett Highway passes through the town...
.
History
Gold was discovered at Mount Morgans in 1896 and, up until 1952, 328,000 ounces of gold at 15 g/t of were produced, mostly in underground mining at the Westralia deposit. Alf MorgansAlf Morgans
Alfred Edward Morgans was Premier of Western Australia for just 32 days, from 21 November to 23 December 1901.-Early life and career:...
, later to become Premier of Western Australia
Premier of Western Australia
The Premier of Western Australia is the head of the executive government in the Australian State of Western Australia. The Premier has similar functions in Western Australia to those performed by the Prime Minister of Australia at the national level, subject to the different Constitutions...
for just 32 days, was responsible for the development of the Mount Morgans mineral field.
In a second activities period, from 1988 to 1997, the mine produced 917,000 ounces at 3.2 g/t, now mostly from open pit operations
Open-pit mining
Open-pit mining or opencast mining refers to a method of extracting rock or minerals from the earth by their removal from an open pit or borrow....
. Mining at Mount Morgans ceased in 1998. The processing plant of the mine was later removed.
The current site, was originally owned by Plutonic Resources, a major Australian gold mining and exploration company. Homestake Mining Company
Homestake Mining Company
The Homestake Mining Company was one of the largest gold mining businesses in the United States from the 19th century through the beginning of the 21st...
purchased Plutonic in April 1998 for more than $1.0 billion, and, in turn, Homestake was acquiered by Barrick Gold at the end of 2001. Barrick then sold the mine to Range River Gold in May 2009.
After the purchase of the mine, Range River concentrated its efforts at the The Craic deposit, which it hopes to recover 19,000 ounces of gold at 17.7 g/t. On 14 December 2009, Range River announced that mining at re-commenced at Mount Morgans at The Craic open pit. The company plans to also mine the Transvaal deposit nearby, as an underground operation. An annual production of 40,000 ounces of gold is forecast. An agreement was signed with Barrick in January 2010 to purchase Mount Morgans ore and treat it at Barrick's Granny Smith Gold Mine
Granny Smith Gold Mine
The Granny Smith Gold Mine is a gold mine located 20 km south of Laverton, Western Australia near Mount Weld.It is operated by Barrick Gold and, since the beginning of 2008, part of its Yilgarn South operation, which consists of Granny Smith, the Lawlers Gold Mine and the Darlot-Centenary Gold...
from February 2010 onwards.
Production
Production figures for the mine:| Year | Gold production | Grade | Cost per ounce (A$ Australian dollar The Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu... /oz Troy ounce The troy ounce is a unit of imperial measure. In the present day it is most commonly used to gauge the weight of precious metals. One troy ounce is nowadays defined as exactly 0.0311034768 kg = 31.1034768 g. There are approximately 32.1507466 troy oz in 1 kg... ) |
| 2008-09 | inactive | ||
| 2009-10 | 6,088 ounces | 4.7 g/t | |
Sources
- The Australian Mines Handbook: 2003-2004 Edition, Louthean Media Pty Ltd, Editor: Ross Louthean
- Western Australian Mineral and Petroleum Statistics Digest 2008 Page 34: Principal Mineral and Petroleum Producers - Gold