Mining Operations
Anglo American developed a decline shaft to access the orebody.
Anglo American developed the mine to an average depth below surface of 100m along a 400m strike, with three mining levels and access through a 140m decline and a 28m vertical shaft.
Much of the existing reef drives and stopes have been left unmined, and ground conditions remain geotechnically competent, enabling rapid re-commissioning of mining operations
- Large volumes of blasted ore have been left underground and on a surface feed-to-plant stockpile, ready to be reclaimed
- The orebody varies in thickness and dip, and will be mined conventionally by employing a combination of underground hard rock mining methods
- The planned optimized techno-economic development plan will be ongoing to further improve efficiencies
- Due to existing face availability, minimum initial development will be required
Schematic Mining sequence
One of the mining methods envisaged at the mine will be the conventional down dip mining method comprising the initial development of a central raise with subsequent mining proceeding down dip. The stope faces would be developed at ±45o down-dip towards a centre ore pass to ensure the rapid evacuation of the blasted ore via the haulage. A schematic sequence showing the underhand down-dip rib extraction method proposed is depicted below.
