Name of the Mine
Karlawinda Gold Project (KGP).

Location  
Pilbara region of Western Australia, 65 km south-east of the town of Newman.

Mine Owner/s  
Greenmount Resources, a wholly owned subsidiary of Capricorn Metals.

Brief Description  
Karlawinda encompasses 2 000 km² of prospective tenure that includes the greenstone belt hosting the 2.2-million-ounce resource and 1.2-million-ounce reserve Bibra gold deposit, and other areas considered highly probable for gold.

Owing to the location of KGP in the Pilbara – a region that has not been historically explored for gold – very little modern and meaningful gold exploration has been completed outside of the immediate Bibra deposit.

Brief History  
Construction of the KGP started in December 2019 and was completed in June 2021, with the successful commissioning of the processing plant culminating in first gold poured on June 30, 2021. The project was completed on time and on budget. Steady-state operations were reached in September 2021.

Primary Metals/Minerals  
Gold.

Secondary Metals/Minerals  
None.

Geology/Mineralisation  
The mine area is underlain by a largely unexplored and only recently recognised belt of Archaean-aged greenstone rocks that were discovered in 2005. This belt of predominantly volcanic and sedimentary rocks is located on the southern margin of the Sylvania Dome, a major structure where Archaean, predominantly granitic basement rocks, thought to be part of the Pilbara Craton, are exposed at surface within surrounding younger Proterozoic-aged sedimentary basins. Typically, the bedrock geology at the KGP is obscured by a thin cover of sandy soil up to 2 m thick.

The Bibra deposit is part of a large-scale Archaean gold mineralising system. Mineralisation is hosted within a package of deformed meta-sediments, and meta-volcanic rocks and is developed on four main parallel, shallow-dipping structures. Close to surface in the weathered rock, oxide gold mineralisation has been developed over the structures from surface to a depth of about 60 m.

Reserves  
Total proven and probable reserves as at July 27, 2023, were estimated at 49.2-million tonnes grading 0.8 g/t gold.

Resources  
Total mineral resources as at July 27, 2023, were estimated at 97.4-million tonnes grading 0.7 g/t gold.

Type of Mine
Openpit.

Mining Method  
Contract, drill-and-blast.

Major Infrastructure/Equipment
The mine includes a conventional three-million-tonne-a-year carbon-in-leach circuit, an integrated waste landform tailings storage facility, a new 31 km access road, a  borefield, a gas-fuelled power station and a second-hand accommodation camp.

Prospects  
Potential exists to increase KGP’s yearly throughput in primary ore using a larger ball mill.

Contact Details
Capricorn Metals
Tel +61 89212 4600
Email enquiries@capmet.com.au

Sources
Capricorn Metals. Website: https://capmetals.com.au
Diggers & Dealers 2023.