Granny Smith Gold Mine
Encyclopedia
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 Mine
.
Construction of the mine took place in the late 1980s.
The project was originally owned by Delta Gold Ltd, which became Auriongold Ltd in February 2002. Aurion was taken over by Placer Dome Inc
in 2003, who already held a 60% interesst in the mine, and Placer Dome in turn by Barrick Gold in March 2006.
A large amount of ore processed at Granny Smith originated from the Wallaby deposit, approximately 10 km west of the mine, and was hauled to the Granny Smith mill for processing. Open pit mining at Wallaby ceased in September 2006, followed by a ramp up of underground mining at the location.
In February 2009, Barrick signed a Memorandum of understanding
with Crescent Gold to purchase ore from their Laverton Gold Mine
and mill it at Granny Smith. In January 2010, an agreement was signed with Range River Gold to purchase ore from the Mount Morgans Gold Mine
and treat it at Granny Smith from February 2010 onwards.
and Barramundi
in salty water.
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 20 km south 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...
near Mount Weld
Mount Weld
Mount Weld is a mountain and a mine site in Western Australia, located about 30 km south of Laverton and 120 km east of Leonora. It ranks as one of the richest major rare earth deposits in the world....
.
It is operated by 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...
and, since the beginning of 2008, part of its Yilgarn South operation, which consists of Granny Smith, the Lawlers Gold Mine
Lawlers Gold Mine
The Lawlers Gold Mine is a gold mine located 23 km south west of Leinster, Western Australia.It is operated by Barrick Gold and, since the beginning of 2008, part of its Yilgarn South operation, which consists of Lawlers, the Darlot-Centenary Gold Mine and the Granny Smith Gold Mine...
and the Darlot-Centenary Gold Mine
Darlot-Centenary Gold Mine
The Darlot-Centenary Gold Mine is a gold mine located 58 km east of Leinster, Western Australia.It is operated by Barrick Gold and, since the beginning of 2008, part of its Yilgarn South operation, which consists of Darlot, the Lawlers Gold Mine and the Granny Smith Gold Mine...
.
History
The Granny Smith gold deposit was discovered in 1979.Construction of the mine took place in the late 1980s.
The project was originally owned by Delta Gold Ltd, which became Auriongold Ltd in February 2002. Aurion was taken over by Placer Dome Inc
Placer Dome
Placer Dome Inc. was a large mining company specializing in gold and other precious metals, with corporate headquarters in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada....
in 2003, who already held a 60% interesst in the mine, and Placer Dome in turn by Barrick Gold in March 2006.
A large amount of ore processed at Granny Smith originated from the Wallaby deposit, approximately 10 km west of the mine, and was hauled to the Granny Smith mill for processing. Open pit mining at Wallaby ceased in September 2006, followed by a ramp up of underground mining at the location.
In February 2009, Barrick signed a Memorandum of understanding
Memorandum of understanding
A memorandum of understanding is a document describing a bilateral or multilateral agreement between parties. It expresses a convergence of will between the parties, indicating an intended common line of action. It is often used in cases where parties either do not imply a legal commitment or in...
with Crescent Gold to purchase ore from their Laverton Gold Mine
Laverton Gold Mine
The Laverton Gold Mine is a gold mine 9 km east of Laverton, Western Australia. It is currently owned by Crescent Gold Limited and has recommenced mining in August 2009, after having been shut for just over one year...
and mill it at Granny Smith. In January 2010, an agreement was signed with Range River Gold to purchase ore from the Mount Morgans Gold Mine
Mount Morgans Gold Mine
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...
and treat it at Granny Smith from February 2010 onwards.
Environment
In 1999, abandoned mining pits at Granny Smith were used for trials on breeding Silver PerchSilver Perch
Silver perch is a medium sized freshwater fish endemic to the Murray-Darling river system in south-eastern Australia. The scientific name comes from an aboriginal name for the species recorded by Major Mitchell on his 1832 expedition. It is not a perch, being a grunter in the family Terapontidae...
and Barramundi
Barramundi
The Barramundi , also known as Asian Seabass, is a species of catadromous fish in family Latidae of order Perciformes. The native species is widely distributed in the Indo-West Pacific region from the Persian Gulf, through Southeast Asia to Papua New Guinea and Northern Australia. Known in Thai...
in salty water.
Granny Smith
Production of the mine as an individual entity:| Year | Gold production |
Grade | Cost per ounce |
| 1996 | 312,262 ounces | ||
| 1997 | 376,386 ounces | ||
| 1998 | 604,806 ounces | ||
| 1999 | 523,092 ounces | 4.52 g/t | A$ 161 |
| 2000 | 412,049 ounces | 3.94 g/t | A$ 340 |
| 2001 | 347,179 ounces | 3.28 g/t | A$ 338 |
| 2002 | 358,648 ounces | ||
| 2003 | 307,341 ounces | ||
| 2004 | 293,228 ounces | ||
| 2005 | 278,806 ounces | ||
| 2006 | 314,000 ounces | 0.108 oz/t | US$ United States dollar The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies.... 401 |
| 2007 | 175,000 ounces | 0.056 oz/t | US$ 651 |
Yilgarn South
Production figures for the Yilgarn South operation, consisting of Darlot, Granny Smith and Lawlers.| Year | Gold production |
Grade oz/ton |
Cost per ounce (US$ United States dollar The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies.... /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... ) |
| 2007 | 410,000 ounces | 0.117 | 486 |
| 2008 | 325,000 ounces | 0.125 | 749 |
| 2009 | 352,000 ounces | 685 |
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