Yatela Mine
Encyclopedia
The Yatela Mine is an open-pit
gold mine situated near Yatela, 25 km north of Sadiola
, in the Kayes Region
of Mali
. It is a single-pit operation. Commencing operation in 2001, heap leaching
together with carbon-loading is carried out at a rate of approximately 2.9 million tonnes per year. The final step of eluting carbon and smelting the gold in the gold recovery process
is completed at the Sadiola Gold Mine
.
Apart from Yatela and Sadiola, AngloGold Ashanti's also operates the Morila Gold Mine
in Mali. The production of its mines in Mali contruibuted 8% to the company's overall production in 2008.
and IAMGOLD
each have an effective holding of 50%. The Government of Mali owns the remaining 20%.
In late 1997, IAMGOLD and Anglo American purchased the rights to the mining concession. In 1998 and 1999, a feasibility study was carried out. Anglo American eventually transferred its rights to AngloGold
, which, in 2004, became AngloGold Ashanti. Development of the mine begun in 2000 and it opened in 2001. While the mine is owned jointly by AngloGold Ashanti, IAMGOLD and the Gouvernment of Mali, AngloGold Ashanti is the operator of the mine.
In 2009, the mine employed just over 800 people.
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....
gold mine situated near Yatela, 25 km north of Sadiola
Sadiola
Sadiola is a town and commune in western Mali, south of Kayes. It is home to the largest gold mine in West Africa, the Sadiola Gold Mine, operated by Anglogold-Ashanti. As of 1998 the commune had a population of 16,678....
, in the Kayes Region
Kayes Region
Kayes Region is one of eight first level national subdivisions, called Regions in Mali. It is the first administrative area of Mali and covers an area of 120,760 km²...
of Mali
Mali
Mali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...
. It is a single-pit operation. Commencing operation in 2001, heap leaching
Heap leaching
Heap leaching is an industrial mining process to extract precious metals, copper, uranium, and other compounds from ore.The process has ancient origins; one of the classical methods for the manufacture of copperas was to heap up iron pyrite and collect the leachate from the heap, which was then...
together with carbon-loading is carried out at a rate of approximately 2.9 million tonnes per year. The final step of eluting carbon and smelting the gold in the gold recovery process
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:...
is completed at the Sadiola Gold Mine
Sadiola Gold Mine
The Sadiola Gold Mine is an open-pit gold mine situated near Sadiola, in the Kayes Region of Mali. The operation is jointly owned by AngloGold Ashanti and Iamgold, who each have an effective holding of 41%, while the Government of Mali owns the remaining 18%...
.
Apart from Yatela and Sadiola, AngloGold Ashanti's also operates the Morila Gold Mine
Morila Gold Mine
The Morila Gold Mine is an open-pit gold mine situated 180 km south of Bamako, near the community of Sanso, in the Sikasso Region of Mali. The operation is jointly owned by AngloGold Ashanti and Randgold Resources, who each have an effective holding of 40% through jointly-owned Morila Limited,...
in Mali. The production of its mines in Mali contruibuted 8% to the company's overall production in 2008.
Ownership
The operation is 80% owned by the Sadiola Exploration Company Limited, a joint venture in which AngloGold AshantiAngloGold Ashanti
AngloGold Ashanti Limited is a global gold mining company. It was formed in 2004 by the merger of AngloGold and the Ashanti Goldfields Corporation.AngloGold Ashanti Limited is now a global gold producer with 21 operations on four continents...
and IAMGOLD
IAMGOLD
Iamgold Corporation is a Toronto based international gold producer. The company is engaged in the exploration, development, and production of mineral resource properties throughout the world.-Operations:...
each have an effective holding of 50%. The Government of Mali owns the remaining 20%.
History
Mining in this region of Mali, according to old workings, dates back at least 1,000 years and written records confirm that small scale mining was carried out there for most of the past 300 years. From 1987 onwards, the Gouvernment of Mali carried out exploration activities in the area.In late 1997, IAMGOLD and Anglo American purchased the rights to the mining concession. In 1998 and 1999, a feasibility study was carried out. Anglo American eventually transferred its rights to AngloGold
AngloGold
AngloGold was a gold mining company based in South Africa and majority-owned by the Anglo American group. In 2004 it merged with the Ashanti Goldfields Corporation to create the world's second-largest gold producer, AngloGold Ashanti. It's a big company....
, which, in 2004, became AngloGold Ashanti. Development of the mine begun in 2000 and it opened in 2001. While the mine is owned jointly by AngloGold Ashanti, IAMGOLD and the Gouvernment of Mali, AngloGold Ashanti is the operator of the mine.
In 2009, the mine employed just over 800 people.
Production
Production figures of the recent past were:| Year | Production | Grade | Cost per ounce |
| 2003 | 218,000 ounces | 2.84 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.... 235 |
| 2004 | 242,000 ounces | 3.41 g/t | US$ 255 |
| 2005 | 246,000 ounces | 2.99 g/t | US$ 263 |
| 2006 | 352,000 ounces | 4.12 g/t | US$ 228 |
| 2007 | 165,000 ounces | 3.46 g/t | US$ 322 |
| 2008 | 301,000 ounces | 2.66 g/t | US$ 572 |
| 2009 | 222,000 ounces | 3.62 g/t | US$ 368 |
| 2010 |
External links
- AngloGold Ashanti website
- IAMGOLD website
- Yatela mine (MLI-00036) Secretariat of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States website