Kanowna Belle Gold Mine

Kanowna Belle
Location
Kanowna Belle Gold Mine
Location in Australia
Location Kalgoorlie
State Western Australia
Country Australia
Coordinates 30°36′39″S 121°34′36″E / 30.61083°S 121.57667°E / -30.61083; 121.57667Coordinates: 30°36′39″S 121°34′36″E / 30.61083°S 121.57667°E / -30.61083; 121.57667
Production
Production 802,000 tonnes at 4.00 g/t for 103,000 ounces
Financial year 2015-2016
History
Opened 1993
Owner
Company Northern Star Resources Limited
Website http://www.nsrltd.com/ NSRL website]
Year of acquisition 2014

The Kanowna Belle Gold Mine is a gold mine 19 kilometres (12 mi) north-east of Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, near the ghost town of Kanowna.

It is operated by Northern Star Resources[1] Kanowna Belle has one viewing platform and an interpretive centre.[2][3]

History

The gold deposit was discovered in 1989 by Delta Gold NL and Geopeko Gold and construction begun in 1992, with mining in open pit operation starting in 1993.[4] The mine was officially opened by Western Australian Premier Richard Court on 19 November 1993.[5]

The project was solely owned by Delta Gold Ltd from 1999, when it purchased the remaining 50% for A$90 million. Delta later merged with fellow Australian company Goldfields Ltd to form Auriongold Ltd in February 2002.[4] Aurion was taken over by Placer Dome Inc in 2003, who already, at this stage, held a 60% interest in the mine,[6] and Placer Dome in turn by Barrick Gold in March 2006 for US$10.4 billion.[4][7]

The Kanowna Belle processing plant, as of 2008, treated ore from three underground operations, Kanowna Belle, Raleigh and Bullant.[1] In 2016 ore was sourced from Raleigh-Rubicon at Kundana, and from Kanowna Belle.[8]

In August 2009, Daniel Williams, a truck driver working 900 metres underground, fell to death at the mine.[9][10] It was the fourth fatal accident in Australian mining in 2009 and the eighth in 14 months.[11]

Gold mines in the Kalgoorlie region

Technology

The Kanowna site is underground a trial of Caterpillar’s Minegem autonomous loader technology.[12]

Production

Production figures for the mine:

Year Gold
production		 Grade Cost per ounce
2000[13] 314,363 ounces 5.68 g/t A$245
2001[13] 270,552 ounces 4.87 g/t A$306
2002 1[13] 178,582 ounces 4.63 g/t A$320
2003
2004[4] 237,291 ounces US$ 316
2005[4] 490,000 ounces
2006[14] 506,000 ounces 0.102 oz/t US$477
2007[15] 362,000 ounces 0.102 oz/t US$659
2008[15] 267,000 ounces 0.160 oz/t US$734
2009 284,000 ounces US$532
  • 1 Figures for January to September 2002.

Sources

References

  1. 1 2 Kanowna Belle Gold Mine, Northern Star Website , accessed: 30 August 2015
  2. ↑ Kanowna Belle Gold Mines australia.shopsafe.com.au, accessed: 4 January 2010
  3. ↑ Kanowna Belle Gold Mines traveldownunder.com.au, accessed: 4 January 2010
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Kanowna Belle Gold Mine, Kalgoorlie, Australia mining-technology.com, accessed: 4 January 2010
  5. ↑ Kanowna Belle. (Kanowna gold mine in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia) Mining Magazine, published: 1 December 1993, accessed: 4 January 2010
  6. ↑ Placer Dome Seeks to Buy 2 Mining Concerns for $600 Million The New York Times, published: 29 November 1996, accessed: 2 January 2010
  7. ↑ MINEDEX website - Granny Smith search result Archived 11 September 2008 at the Wayback Machine., accessed: 2 January 2010
  8. ↑ "Northern Star Resources. An Australian gold miner – for global investors" (pdf). Northern Star Resources. Subiaco, WA. 29 November 2016. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
  9. ↑ New Zealand man killed in Kalgoorlie mine accident perthnow.com.au, published: 8 August 2009, accessed: 4 January 2010
  10. ↑ "Kiwi killed in Australian gold mine". Television New Zealand. NZPA. 12 August 2009. Retrieved 8 October 2011.
  11. ↑ "NZ man dies in gold mine fall". The New Zealand Herald. NZPA. 12 August 2009. Retrieved 8 October 2011.
  12. ↑ Proceedings 11th AusIMM Underground Operators' Conference - Case Study Comparison of Teleremote and Autonomous Assist Underground Loader Technology at the Kanowna Belle Mine
  13. 1 2 3 The Australian Mines Handbook: 2003-2004 Edition, page 98
  14. ↑ Fourth Quarter & Year-End Mine Statistics 2007 Archived 22 September 2010 at the Wayback Machine. accessed: 1 January 2010
  15. 1 2 Fourth Quarter & Year-End Mine Statistics 2008 accessed: 1 January 2010

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