Plutonic Gold Mine
Encyclopedia
The Plutonic Gold Mine is a gold mine
located 82 km east north east of Peak Hill
, Western Australia
.
It is operated by Barrick Gold
and located at the Plutonic Well Greenstone Belt
.
discovered the deposit which was to become Plutonic, which the company sold for A$50 million.
The site was then 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 acquired by Barrick Gold at the end of 2001.
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 82 km east north east of Peak Hill
Peak Hill, Western Australia
Peak Hill is the name of a goldfield, locality and the site of a gold mining ghost town in the Murchison Region of Western Australia. The gold mine covers 2,162 hectares and consists of four open-cut mines, titled Main, Jubilee, Fiveways and Harmony....
, 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 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 located at the Plutonic Well Greenstone Belt
Greenstone belt
Greenstone belts are zones of variably metamorphosed mafic to ultramafic volcanic sequences with associated sedimentary rocks that occur within Archaean and Proterozoic cratons between granite and gneiss bodies....
.
History
In 1988, Great Central MinesGreat Central Mines
Great Central Mines was an Australian gold mining company.The company lost its independence in 1999, when it was taken over by Normandy Mining, and was renamed Normandy Yandal Operations Limited in 2000. The company's takeover however led to lengthy court proceedings, initiated by the Australian...
discovered the deposit which was to become Plutonic, which the company sold for A$50 million.
The site was then 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 $1.0 billion, and, in turn, Homestake was acquired by Barrick Gold at the end of 2001.
Production
Production figures for the mine:| Year | Gold production |
Grade | Cost per ounce |
| 2000 | 253,623 ounces | 2.91 g/t | A$ 197 |
| 2001 | 288,000 ounces | 3.35 g/t | A$ 313 |
| 2002 | 307,377 ounces | 2.74 g/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.... 184 |
| 2003 | 333,947 ounces | US$ 193 | |
| 2004 | 304,468 ounces | US$ 223 | |
| 2005 | 251,000 ounces | 0.140 oz/t | US$ 302 |
| 2006 | 237,000 ounces | 0.141 oz/t | US$ 363 |
| 2007 | 208,000 ounces | 0.113 oz/t | US$ 541 |
| 2008 | 127,000 ounces | 0.115 oz/t | US$ 873 |
| 2009 | 144,000 ounces | US$ 652 |
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