Westgold is on the move! Stope mining has commenced at the Triton North area of the South Emu-Triton underground mine at the Meekatharra.
The mine sites extend for more than eight kilometres and hosts most of the Reedy Mining Area’s 1.5 million ounces of gold endowment.
Westgold will commence stope production from Triton North Independent as ventilation and escape ways have now been established.
Surface diamond drilling conducted in the past returned favourable results demonstrating the system remains very fertile at depth.
According to a company statement, Westgold’s development strategy has been to progressively bring additional underground mines online. This is as existing mines reach steady state operations.
“Consistent with this strategy and with the commencement of stoping at Triton, Westgold now has three underground mines poised to deliver more than 100,000 ounces per annum at steady state to the 1.6-1.8 million-tonnes-per-annum Bluebird processing hub at Meekatharra,” the company stated.
“Future development targets within the Reedy mining area include Boomerang-Kurara in the north, and the Jack Ryan and Rand ore bodies to the south.
The Rand ore bodies are dilation systems developed on the Reedy shear. They sit approximately 500 metres north of Triton with lodes which appear to plunge back into the system.
Previous mining at Rand and Rand north exploited the oxide, transitional and some of the fresh rock in ore shoots and produced (greater than) 120,000 ounces before closing in the 1990s.
Finally in 2020, Westgold cut a new 700-metre long decline from the South Emu pit. This was used to gain access under the historic Triton mine. They have now mined at South Emu for over two years.