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The Sunrise Dam Gold Mine is located 55 km south of
AngloGold Ashanti website, accessed: 13 February 2017
The gold deposit was originally co-owned by the Granny Smith Joint Venture ( Placer Pacific Ltd and Delta Gold NL), which called its eastern portion "Sunrise", and by Acacia Resources Ltd, which called its western portion "Cleo".Sunrise Dam gold deposit
accessed: 15 February 2017 The Sunrise portion was found in August 1988, after a 500m by 500m BLEG survey. The Sunrise mine commenced operations in May 1995. The Cleo portion was first indicated by tenement-wide rotary air blast and aircore
Government of Western Australia website, accessed: 15 February 2017 In 1999, AngloGold acquired the mine through a takeover of Acacia Resources Ltd, a move that also gained it a 33% stake in the Boddington project, which it sold in early 2009 for $1.5 billion. Acacia, originally formed and listed in 1994 whenACACIA RESOURCES LIMITED (AAA)
Delisted.com.au, retrieved 3 September 2009 An upgrade to the processing plant took place in 2001, the expansion initially designed for 2.5Mtpa, however by year-end plant throughput had been further increased to 3Mtpa. As a result, gold production increased by 31% in 2001, to 295,000oz. A major cutback in the Cleo pit was completed during the year, whilst the corporate office was restructured and relocated from
Morningstar Document Library website, accessed: 15 February 2017 Following the capital expansions undertaken the previous year, gold production increased by 30% in 2002 to 382,000oz, as plant throughput rose by 41% to an annual rate of 3.4Mtpa. After completion of a major cutback at the end of 2001, mining in the Mega Pit reached full capacity in the first half of 2002. A smaller cutback, in the Watu section of the pit, was approved during the year.
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission website, accessed: 15 February 2017 In December 2002 AngloGold purchased the Sunrise lease from
AngloGold Ashanti website, accessed: 15 February 2017 During the first half of 2004 an underground scoping study was completed. Deep drilling indicated the sub-vertical, high-grade zones, that had been a feature of open-cut mining at Sunrise Dam, continued at depth. Underground mining commenced later that year, initially as a three-year feasibility project incorporating two declines in the vicinity of defined underground reserves. The primary decline was named the Daniel Decline, after prominent local indigenous businessman Daniel Tucker. Abnormally heavy rainfall limited access to high-grade ore in the pit early in 2004. As a result, mining moved into the higher-grade Watu section of the orebody, with production increasing by 15% to 410,000 ounces. First gold produced from the underground mine was in the fourth quarter of 2004. In 2005, open cut mining continued in the high-grade areas in the first half of the year, then onto the lower grade northern section of the pit from the third quarter. Open pit ore was supplemented in the processing plant by higher grade underground ore. Gold production increased by 11% to 455,000 ounces.Annual Report 2005
AngloGold Ashanti website, accessed: 11 July 2010 Production increased slightly in 2006 to 465,000 ounces. Mining concentrated on the high-grade GQ lode in the open pit. Mining from the known underground reserves increased significantly, especially in the Sunrise and Western Shear zones. Gold production from the underground mine was 67,000 ounces. Record throughput of 3.9Mtpa was achieved in the process plant as a result of additional crushing and grinding circuit optimization.Annual Report 2006
AngloGold Ashanti website, accessed: 11 July 2010 In 2006,
AngloGold Ashanti website, accessed: 15 February 2017 2007 saw production increase by 29% to a record 600,000 ounces. The GQ zone in the open pit provided the anticipated large volumes of high grade ore. Approximately 79,000 ounces of gold production was sourced from the underground mine. Progress was made in developing access to the Cosmo, Dolly and Watu lodes. A cutback of the north wall of the open pit began (North Wall Cutback), while the underground life of mine study was completed.Annual Report 2007
AngloGold Ashanti website, accessed: 15 February 2017 Production decreased by 28% in 2008 to 433,000 ounces, as mining of the high-grade ore in the base of the Mega Pit was completed, with the pit reaching a depth of 440 metres. Mill feed comprised stockpiled ore and approximately 73,000 ounces of gold production was sourced from the underground mine. Open pit mining continued in the North Wall Cutback throughout 2009, whilst underground tonnage increased by 15%, yielding approximately 111,000oz. Overall production for 2009 decreased by 7%, to 401,000oz, equivalent to 9% of group gold production. A paste fill plant was constructed to enable larger stopes to be extracted.Annual Report 2009
AngloGold Ashanti website, accessed: 15 February 2017 396,000oz was produced in 2010, with the North Wall Cutback providing over 80% of production. Ore continued to be sourced from a combination of underground and open pit operations, with the use of lower-grade stockpiles to supplement the ore feed to the plant. The transition to underground ore continued during 2010.Annual Review 2010
AngloGold Ashanti website, accessed: 13 February 2017 There were two significant events during 2011 that negatively impacted production, with production falling to 246,000oz. A major flood occurred in February, when 220mm of rain fell in two storms, less than five days apart. This was the highest rainfall recorded in the 129 years of records for the Laverton district. In April, a wall failed in the south-eastern portion of the open pit, which prevented access to the open pit working areas. A new access ramp was constructed, which took approximately six months. The flood event impacted underground production for approximately four months. No injuries were sustained in either event, or in the work required to re-establish production.Annual Report 2011
AngloGold Ashanti website, accessed: 13 February 2017 A study was undertaken during 2011 to test the potential for a bulk-cave operation to more efficiently extract underground ore over an extended life of mine. The study demonstrated that substantial tonnage could be mined via more productive and cost effective long hole open stoping methods. Production rose by 5% to 258,000oz in 2012, as Sunrise Dam recovered from flood-related disruptions the previous year, together with improved grades from the North Wall Cutback area of the pit. An insurance payout of A$30 million related to the 2011 pit wall failure was offset against cash costs.Annual Report 2012
AngloGold Ashanti website, accessed: 13 February 2017 After more than 17 years of operation, the open pit was completed in 2013 to a depth of 490m below surface. Production increased to 276,000oz as higher grade ore from the Crown Pillar in the base of the open pit was processed. During the year studies were undertaken into the feasibility and advantages of piping natural gas for power generation, as an alternative to diesel.Annual Report 2013
AngloGold Ashanti website, accessed: 13 February 2017 The underground mine transitioned to become the primary source of mill feed in 2014, delivering 2.43Mt of ore to the mill for the year. Stockpiled intermediate grade ore (average 1.45g/t) was blended with the underground ore to meet the processing plant capacity. In July 2014,
AngloGold Ashanti website, accessed: 13 February 2017 Production was 46,000oz lower in 2015 due to lower mined grades, with underground mining primarily on the periphery of the main ore bodies. The mine began transitioning to the Vogue ore body. A study commenced to assess the viability of an underground crusher and conveyor system for haulage via a new decline at the northern end of the operation. Completion of the Eastern Goldfields Pipeline in December 2015 delivered natural gas ahead of schedule to Sunrise Dam and
Government of Western Australia website, accessed: 15 February 2017
File:Sunrisegoldmine.jpg, Sunrise Dam Gold Mine, 2009 NASA satellite image.
File:Sunrise Dam Gold Mine open pit 06.jpg, Sunrise Dam open pit operations.
MINEDEX website: Sunrise Dam
Database of the
Laverton, Western Australia
Laverton, originally known as British Flag, is a town in the Goldfields region of Western Australia, and the centre of administration for the Shire of Laverton. The town of Laverton is located at the western edge of the Great Victoria Desert, no ...
, on the eastern margin of Lake Carey
Lake Carey is a salt lake located in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia. It was named in 1869 by surveyor John Forrest in company with Tommy Windich, after Thomas Campbell Carey, the government surveyor to whom Forrest had ...
. It is fully owned by AngloGold 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. It is now a global gold producer with 21 operations on four continents. The company is listed ...
and comprises a large-scale mechanized underground mine with a conventional gravity and leach process plant. In 2015 the mine accounted for 5% of the company's production.Annual Report 2015AngloGold Ashanti website, accessed: 13 February 2017
History
The gold deposit was originally co-owned by the Granny Smith Joint Venture ( Placer Pacific Ltd and Delta Gold NL), which called its eastern portion "Sunrise", and by Acacia Resources Ltd, which called its western portion "Cleo".Sunrise Dam gold depositaccessed: 15 February 2017 The Sunrise portion was found in August 1988, after a 500m by 500m BLEG survey. The Sunrise mine commenced operations in May 1995. The Cleo portion was first indicated by tenement-wide rotary air blast and aircore
drilling
Drilling is a cutting process where a drill bit is spun to cut a hole of circular cross-section in solid materials. The drill bit is usually a rotary cutting tool, often multi-point. The bit is pressed against the work-piece and rotated at ra ...
in 1991. Acacia Resources commenced production in February 1997, with the first gold pour in March that year. The Sunrise Dam gold mine was officially opened by Premier of Western Australia
The premier of Western Australia is the head of government of the state of Western Australia. The role of premier at a state level is similar to the role of the prime minister of Australia at a federal level. The premier leads the executive bra ...
Richard Court
Richard Fairfax Court (born 27 September 1947) is a former Australian politician and diplomat. He served as Premier of Western Australia from 1993 to 2001 and as Australian Ambassador to Japan from 2017 to 2020. A member of the Liberal Party, ...
on 6 August 1997.Official opening of Sunrise Dam Gold Mines near LavertonGovernment of Western Australia website, accessed: 15 February 2017 In 1999, AngloGold acquired the mine through a takeover of Acacia Resources Ltd, a move that also gained it a 33% stake in the Boddington project, which it sold in early 2009 for $1.5 billion. Acacia, originally formed and listed in 1994 when
Shell Australia
Shell Australia is the Australian subsidiary of Shell. Shell has operated in Australia since 1901, initially delivering bulk fuel into Australia, then establishing storage and distribution terminals, oil refineries, and a network of service stat ...
divested its gold and base metal activities, was delisted from the Australian Stock Exchange
Australian Securities Exchange Ltd or ASX, is an Australian public company that operates Australia's primary securities exchange, the Australian Securities Exchange (sometimes referred to outside of Australia as, or confused within Australia as, ...
on 11 January 2000.Delisted.com.au, retrieved 3 September 2009 An upgrade to the processing plant took place in 2001, the expansion initially designed for 2.5Mtpa, however by year-end plant throughput had been further increased to 3Mtpa. As a result, gold production increased by 31% in 2001, to 295,000oz. A major cutback in the Cleo pit was completed during the year, whilst the corporate office was restructured and relocated from
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
to Perth
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...
.Annual Report 2001Morningstar Document Library website, accessed: 15 February 2017 Following the capital expansions undertaken the previous year, gold production increased by 30% in 2002 to 382,000oz, as plant throughput rose by 41% to an annual rate of 3.4Mtpa. After completion of a major cutback at the end of 2001, mining in the Mega Pit reached full capacity in the first half of 2002. A smaller cutback, in the Watu section of the pit, was approved during the year.
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission website, accessed: 15 February 2017 In December 2002 AngloGold purchased the Sunrise lease from
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 August 2005, the company had interests in 16 gold mining operations in 7 countries ...
, obtaining control of the entire mineralised system at Sunrise Dam.Annual Report 2004AngloGold Ashanti website, accessed: 15 February 2017 During the first half of 2004 an underground scoping study was completed. Deep drilling indicated the sub-vertical, high-grade zones, that had been a feature of open-cut mining at Sunrise Dam, continued at depth. Underground mining commenced later that year, initially as a three-year feasibility project incorporating two declines in the vicinity of defined underground reserves. The primary decline was named the Daniel Decline, after prominent local indigenous businessman Daniel Tucker. Abnormally heavy rainfall limited access to high-grade ore in the pit early in 2004. As a result, mining moved into the higher-grade Watu section of the orebody, with production increasing by 15% to 410,000 ounces. First gold produced from the underground mine was in the fourth quarter of 2004. In 2005, open cut mining continued in the high-grade areas in the first half of the year, then onto the lower grade northern section of the pit from the third quarter. Open pit ore was supplemented in the processing plant by higher grade underground ore. Gold production increased by 11% to 455,000 ounces.Annual Report 2005
AngloGold Ashanti website, accessed: 11 July 2010 Production increased slightly in 2006 to 465,000 ounces. Mining concentrated on the high-grade GQ lode in the open pit. Mining from the known underground reserves increased significantly, especially in the Sunrise and Western Shear zones. Gold production from the underground mine was 67,000 ounces. Record throughput of 3.9Mtpa was achieved in the process plant as a result of additional crushing and grinding circuit optimization.Annual Report 2006
AngloGold Ashanti website, accessed: 11 July 2010 In 2006,
AngloGold 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. It is now a global gold producer with 21 operations on four continents. The company is listed ...
signed a contract for conversion of its diesel power generators to liquefied natural gas
Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is natural gas (predominantly methane, CH4, with some mixture of ethane, C2H6) that has been cooled down to liquid form for ease and safety of non-pressurized storage or transport. It takes up about 1/600th the volu ...
(LNG) as a cost-saving measure as well as to protect the environment. The conversion was delayed by an explosion at the Varanus Island
Varanus Island is the largest of the Lowendal Islands, an archipelago off the north west coast of Western Australia, near Karratha in the Pilbara region. The island is approximately from the mainland coast. It is located at .Gazetteer of Austral ...
gas production installation and subsequent 2008 Western Australian gas crisis
The Western Australian gas crisis was a major disruption to natural gas supply in Western Australia, caused by the rupture of a corroded pipeline and subsequent explosion at a processing plant on Varanus Island, off the state's north west coas ...
. The LNG-powered facility at Sunrise Dam began operation in the first quarter of 2009.Annual Report 2008AngloGold Ashanti website, accessed: 15 February 2017 2007 saw production increase by 29% to a record 600,000 ounces. The GQ zone in the open pit provided the anticipated large volumes of high grade ore. Approximately 79,000 ounces of gold production was sourced from the underground mine. Progress was made in developing access to the Cosmo, Dolly and Watu lodes. A cutback of the north wall of the open pit began (North Wall Cutback), while the underground life of mine study was completed.Annual Report 2007
AngloGold Ashanti website, accessed: 15 February 2017 Production decreased by 28% in 2008 to 433,000 ounces, as mining of the high-grade ore in the base of the Mega Pit was completed, with the pit reaching a depth of 440 metres. Mill feed comprised stockpiled ore and approximately 73,000 ounces of gold production was sourced from the underground mine. Open pit mining continued in the North Wall Cutback throughout 2009, whilst underground tonnage increased by 15%, yielding approximately 111,000oz. Overall production for 2009 decreased by 7%, to 401,000oz, equivalent to 9% of group gold production. A paste fill plant was constructed to enable larger stopes to be extracted.Annual Report 2009
AngloGold Ashanti website, accessed: 15 February 2017 396,000oz was produced in 2010, with the North Wall Cutback providing over 80% of production. Ore continued to be sourced from a combination of underground and open pit operations, with the use of lower-grade stockpiles to supplement the ore feed to the plant. The transition to underground ore continued during 2010.Annual Review 2010
AngloGold Ashanti website, accessed: 13 February 2017 There were two significant events during 2011 that negatively impacted production, with production falling to 246,000oz. A major flood occurred in February, when 220mm of rain fell in two storms, less than five days apart. This was the highest rainfall recorded in the 129 years of records for the Laverton district. In April, a wall failed in the south-eastern portion of the open pit, which prevented access to the open pit working areas. A new access ramp was constructed, which took approximately six months. The flood event impacted underground production for approximately four months. No injuries were sustained in either event, or in the work required to re-establish production.Annual Report 2011
AngloGold Ashanti website, accessed: 13 February 2017 A study was undertaken during 2011 to test the potential for a bulk-cave operation to more efficiently extract underground ore over an extended life of mine. The study demonstrated that substantial tonnage could be mined via more productive and cost effective long hole open stoping methods. Production rose by 5% to 258,000oz in 2012, as Sunrise Dam recovered from flood-related disruptions the previous year, together with improved grades from the North Wall Cutback area of the pit. An insurance payout of A$30 million related to the 2011 pit wall failure was offset against cash costs.Annual Report 2012
AngloGold Ashanti website, accessed: 13 February 2017 After more than 17 years of operation, the open pit was completed in 2013 to a depth of 490m below surface. Production increased to 276,000oz as higher grade ore from the Crown Pillar in the base of the open pit was processed. During the year studies were undertaken into the feasibility and advantages of piping natural gas for power generation, as an alternative to diesel.Annual Report 2013
AngloGold Ashanti website, accessed: 13 February 2017 The underground mine transitioned to become the primary source of mill feed in 2014, delivering 2.43Mt of ore to the mill for the year. Stockpiled intermediate grade ore (average 1.45g/t) was blended with the underground ore to meet the processing plant capacity. In July 2014,
AngloGold 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. It is now a global gold producer with 21 operations on four continents. The company is listed ...
signed agreements with a natural gas infrastructure company for the transportation of natural gas to Sunrise Dam and Tropicana Gold Mine
The Tropicana Gold Mine is located 330 km northeast of Kalgoorlie, Western Australia.
.Annual Report 2014AngloGold Ashanti website, accessed: 13 February 2017 Production was 46,000oz lower in 2015 due to lower mined grades, with underground mining primarily on the periphery of the main ore bodies. The mine began transitioning to the Vogue ore body. A study commenced to assess the viability of an underground crusher and conveyor system for haulage via a new decline at the northern end of the operation. Completion of the Eastern Goldfields Pipeline in December 2015 delivered natural gas ahead of schedule to Sunrise Dam and
Tropicana Gold Mine
The Tropicana Gold Mine is located 330 km northeast of Kalgoorlie, Western Australia.
. The switch to natural gas at Sunrise Dam involved the installation of two new gas generation sets. The pipeline was officially opened by the Western Australian Minister for Mines and Petroleum, the Honourable Bill Marmion
William Richard Marmion (born 22 May 1954) is an Australian politician who was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia between 2008 and 2021, representing the seat of Nedlands. He served as a minister in the government of Col ...
, in February 2016.Gas to energise new Eastern Goldfields projectsGovernment of Western Australia website, accessed: 15 February 2017
Present day
Mining is carried out by contractors and ore is treated in a conventional gravity and leach process plant, which is owner-managed. The majority of the mine workers are on afly-in fly-out
Fly-in fly-out is a method of employing people in remote areas by flying them temporarily to the work site instead of relocating employees and their families permanently. It is often abbreviated to FIFO when referring to employment status. This is ...
roster, with National Jet Express
National Jet Express (formerly ''Cobham Aviation Services Australia - Regional Services'') is an Australian charter airline and aviation services provider with its headquarters in Perth, Western Australia.
History
National Jet Express Pty L ...
providing a charter service twice-daily from Monday to Friday.
Sunrise Dam supports the Laverton community through its involvement with the Laverton Mining Liaison Committee and representation on the Laverton Leonora Cross Cultural Association. Sunrise Dam also supports and encourages the development of a number of local businesses, including Carey Mining, an indigenous-owned mining contractor.
Sunrise Dam continues to maintain certification to OHSAS 18001
OHSAS 18001, Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series, was an international standard for occupational health and safety management systems that was subsequently adopted as a British Standard. Compliance with it enabled organizations to dem ...
, ISO 14001
ISO 14000 is a family of standards related to environmental management that exists to help organizations (a) minimize how their operations (processes, etc.) negatively affect the environment (i.e. cause adverse changes to air, water, or land); (b ...
and the International Cyanide Management Code
The International Cyanide Management Code for the Manufacture, Transport and Use of Cyanide in the Production of Gold, commonly referred to as the Cyanide Code, is a voluntary program designed to assist the global gold and silver mining industries ...
. A mine closure
Mine closure is the period of time when the ore-extracting activities of a mine have ceased, and final decommissioning and mine reclamation are being completed. It is generally associated with reduced employment levels, which can have a significant ...
plan is in place, with waste dumps and paddock tailings dam
A tailings dam is typically an earth-fill embankment dam used to store byproducts of mining operations after separating the ore from the gangue. Tailings can be liquid, solid, or a slurry of fine particles, and are usually highly toxic and potent ...
s progressively rehabilitated in line with this plan.
Geology
Gold ore at Sunrise Dam is structurally and lithologically controlled within gently dipping high strain shear zones (for example, the Sunrise Shear) and steeply dipping brittle-ductile low strain shear zones (for example, the Western Shear). Host rocks include andesitic volcanic rocks, volcanogenic sediments and magnetic shales.Production
Past production figures were:Notes
* Figures for Acacia/AngloGold portion of the deposit onlyReferences
Bibliography
*External links
*MINEDEX website: Sunrise Dam
Database of the
Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety
The Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety is a department of the Government of Western Australia. The department was formed on 1 July 2017, out of the former Department of Mines and Petroleum and Department of Commerce.
A restr ...
{{AngloGold Ashanti
AngloGold Ashanti
Gold mines in Western Australia
Open-pit mines
Shire of Laverton
Surface mines in Australia
Underground mines in Australia