Tag Archives: AuStar Gold

AuStar Gold hopes Gekko’s ILR can cope with Morning Star middlings

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AuStar Gold has announced the re-commencement of gold processing at its Morning Star process plant in Victoria, Australia, and, at the same time, signed an agreement with Gekko Systems to acquire a custom-made intense leach reactor for the processing of residual sulphide/gold concentrate.

The agreement with Gekko, which should enable increased overall gold recoveries from the process plant, was the last remaining processing hurdle for AuStar, given the small component of non-free milling gold present in its ore, to maximise commercial gold recoveries, it said.

The AuStar Gold process plant at the Morning Star mine site uses standard gravity methods (enhanced by recent investment in a high-speed centrifugal concentrator to recover gold from the Morning Star and Rose of Denmark ores.

“Through the gravity process, the gold room captures approximately 65% to 75% of the gold directly to bullion, with an additional 15% of fine free gold residing in the middlings as concentrate and up to 10% of fine free gold in the gold room table rejects,” AuStar said.

The material containing the fine free gold (concentrate) not captured directly into bullion at the Morning Star plant is to be treated by Gekko Systems offsite, with expected recoveries in these two fractions of approximately 95% of the contained gold, the company said. This is expected to lift total gold recovered and sold from ore supplied to the mill to better than 90%, AuStar added.

Meanwhile, a high-speed centrifugal concentrator has been purchased to replace the smaller, hired unit presently located in the process plant which produces concentrate to be provided to Gekko. This larger unit is being installed in March.

A custom-made intense leach reactor is under construction at Gekko’s Ballarat facility, designed to suit Morning Star concentrate, and will be operational in early April, the company concluded.

Just last month, AuStar confirmed it would re-start mining activity at the historic Morning Star and Rose of Denmark mines in February, with processing at the Morning Star gravity processing plant expected before the end of that month.

Morning Star is a proven past operator, with 830,000 oz of gold at 26.5 g/t Au previously produced.

AuStar Gold about to start operations at Morning Star and Rose of Denmark mines

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ASX-listed AuStar Gold has confirmed it will re-start mining activity at the historic Morning Star and Rose of Denmark mines in Victoria, Australia, this month.

The company, in December, said it was looking to reach the mining milestone at both projects this quarter. AuStar said it had now gained a “requisite level of confidence in its minerals inventory estimation and mine planning to start production”.

AuStar Gold CEO Tom de Vries said the decision to commence production reflected the progress that had been achieved with recent exploration activity.

de Vries said: “We have repeatedly witnessed diamond drill core with visible gold and accompanying outstanding high-grade assay results, which gives us confidence that mining can be undertaken successfully.

“Our process plant is proven, the infrastructure is all well tested, and our exploration work gives us confidence that we have high-grade material available for mining. We have conducted extensive work internally to assess potential production rates and costs and the board and management are confident the decision to commence production will generate positive results for shareholders. While initial throughput rates will be modest, further exploration success will enable increased production over time,” he said.

AuStar Gold’s mine development plan will initially focus on exposing the reef at McNally’s and thereafter develop along the structure then targeting the stoping on the highest-grade drill holes.

Following an initial pre-development stage, a similar approach will be taken to the selective mining of Stone’s Reef, targeting zones where high-grade gold drill holes proliferated.

Development is expected to begin in the first week of February with logistics and procurement activity already underway. Processing at the Morning Star gravity processing plant is expected to start before the end of February.

The company said it has identified an initial gold mineral inventory to sustain production over the next six months, with the objective of continuing to replace and add to the current mineral inventory via ongoing exploration. The plant will initially operate at around 85,000 t/d throughput on a week on/week off basis, which is expected to increase in the next six months.

AuStar Gold said Morning Star is a proven past producer, with 830,000 oz at 26.5 g/t Au. It also comes with significant shaft access infrastructure in place and multiple high-grade zones identified and untested high grade intercepts.

The Rose of Denmark mine, meanwhile, has a long predictable dyke zone, vastly unexplored, with a fully refurbished circa-3 m wide adit suitable for mechanised mining and ore capable of processing through the fully recommissioned processing plant, AuStar said.