A mill capable of processing 8,000 tons per day of non-oxidized and high-clay ores is being considered for the Round Mountain gold mine in Nevada, Echo Bay Mines (TSE) reports.
The company owns half of Round Mountain which is the largest heap-leaching gold mine in the world. Its partners, each with a 25% stake, are Homestake Mining (NYSE) and Case, Pomeroy & Co.
Round Mountain processes about 45,000 tons of material per day. The mill would be used for the high-grade material. There would be no increase in the mining rate, but more gold would be recovered from the same amount of ore processed, the company says.
The orebody contains large quantities of non-oxidized ore. Heap-leaching recovery rates can run considerably lower than 50% on non-oxidized material, depending on type of ore, clay content and amount of coarse ore present. A mill could recover more than 85% of the contained gold in non-oxidized material, Echo Bay says.
In the second quarter, a narrow, high-grade vein of coarse gold within the pit yielded 23,766 oz. through the use of a gravity-recovery pilot plant. In the same quarter, Round Mountain produced 94,838 oz. gold at a cash cost of US$205 per oz.
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