Name of the Mine
Prominent Hill mine.
Location
Gawler Craton, South Australia.
Mine Owner/s
OZ Minerals.
Brief Description
Prominent Hill is a well-established underground copper, gold and silver mine.
It produces one of the highest grades of copper concentrate traded on the open market.
It comprises the Malu openpit mine, which ceased operations in 2018, and an underground mine comprising the Ankata and Malu mine areas.
Brief History
The Prominent Hill mine started operations in 2009 as an openpit and now operates as an underground mine following the closure of the openpit in 2018.
Primary Metals/Minerals
Copper.
Secondary Metals/Minerals
Gold and silver.
Geology/Mineralisation
Copper/gold/silver mineralisation at Prominent Hill is mostly hosted within hematite-matrix breccia. Copper mineralisation occurs as disseminations of chalcocite, bornite and chalcopyrite in the matrix of the breccia.
Reserves
Total proven and probable reserves as at March 31, 2021, were estimated at 62-million tonnes grading 1.3% copper equivalent, 0.9% coppr, 0.6 g/t gold and 2.5 g/t silver.
Resources
Total measured, indicated and inferred mineral resources as at March 31, 2021, were estimated at 150-million tonnes grading 1.4% copper equivalent, 0.9% copper, 0.8 g/t gold and 2 g/t silver.
Mining Method
Underground – sublevel open stoping with paste backfill.
Major Infrastructure and Equipment
Ore is processed using a conventional crushing, grinding and flotation processing plant.
Prospects
OZ Minerals approved the construction of a hoisting shaft at the Prominent Hill mine in August 2021, which will extend the life-of-mine to 2036 at six-million tonnes a year.
Contact Details
OZ Minerals
Tel +61 8 8229 6600
Email info@ozminerals.com
Website https://www.ozminerals.com/
Sources
OZ Minerals. Website: https://www.ozminerals.com/ (accessed October 2021).
OZ Minerals. Prominent Hills: Mineral resource and ore reserve – statement and explanatory notes (March 31, 2021).