Name of the Mine
New Afton mine.
Location
British Columbia, Canada.
Mine Owner/s
New Gold.
Brief Description
The mine is in operation. There are three general zones at the mine – beneath and to the south-west of the historic Afton openpit – Lift 1 (B1 and B2), B3 and C-Zone.
The mine has a current projected life to 2030, based on the February 2020 life-of-mine plan and current mineral reserves.
Brief History
Diversified mining company Teck Resources operated the openpit mine from 1977 until 1997. DRC Resources Corporation, a predecessor company of New Gold, acquired an option on the property in 1999 and conducted exploration drilling on what is now the New Afton deposit. New Gold built a new mine and mill facility (New Afton) and officially started operations in July 2012.
Primary Metals/Minerals
Copper and gold.
Secondary Metals/Minerals
Silver.
Geology/Mineralisation
The bulk of the New Afton deposit occurs as a tabular, nearly vertical, south-west plunging body measuring at least 1.4 km along strike and about 100 m wide, with a down-plunge extent of more than 1.5 km. The deposit remains open to the west and at depth.
Three styles of mineralisation have been identified on the deposit:
- primary hypogene mineralisation characterised by chalcopyrite-magnetite bornite, pyrite and specularite as disseminations, stringers and matrix-fill to breccias along the edge of the monzonite intrusive.
- late hypogene mineralisation overprinting the primary hypogene in narrow and discontinuous lenses along high-angle faults, characterised by tennantite-enargite, tetrahedrite and traces of bornite and chalcocite.
- supergene native copper and lesser chalcocite, formed by the oxidation of the primary sulphides within the upper portion of the deposit and along fault zones to about 500 m below the historic Afton openpit.
Reserves
Proven and probable reserves as at December 31, 2023, were estimated at 34.09-million tonnes grading 0.67 g/t gold, 1.69 g/t silver and 0.73% copper.
Resources
Measured and indicated resources as at December 31, 2023, were estimated at 73.98-million tonnes grading 0.57 g/t gold, 2.14 g/t silver and 0.45% copper.
Type of Mine
Underground.
Mining Method
Block caving.
Major Infrastructure/Equipment
Surface infrastructure associated with the mine includes administration and operating/technical offices; security posts and a first aid room and ambulance; mine rescue equipment and facilities; a fresh water supply; a concrete batch plant and a shotcrete batch plant on surface near the mine portal; a substation and connection to the BC Hydro grid for power; a surface maintenance shop; main mine fans; a surface warehouse; a compressor building; a fuel storage facility; and a control room for automated tramming on the extraction level.
The mine infrastructure includes ore and waste passes to the haulage level; gyratory and backup jaw crushers in the mine; a conveyor system from gyratory crusher to surface; a belt plow on conveyor at surface for waste segregation; refuge stations; an Alimak elevator as emergency exit; a mine dewatering system; a mine communication system, including telephones, radio network, asset tracking system and video monitoring systems; a programmable logic controller system to monitor and control pump fans for ore pass conveyors; a control room for automated tramming on the extraction level; an electrical power distribution system; explosives magazines; an underground maintenance shop; a fuel station; and auxiliary mine ventilation fans.
Prospects
New Gold reported in March 2024 that the company’s copper production would be higher going forward, driven by increased contribution from C-Zone at New Afton.
Contact Details
New Gold
Tel +1 416 324 6000
Email info@newgold.com
Sources
New Gold. Website: https://newgold.com/
New Gold. Annual information form for the year ended December 31, 2022 (February 24, 2023).
New Gold. Mineral reserves and resources as at December 31, 2023.