# Red Lake Mine is Canada's largest gold mine and one of the world's richest



## alshangiti (4 أكتوبر 2007)

Overview - Keywords Canada gold underground Red Lake Mine is Canada's largest gold mine and one of the world's richest and lowest cost gold producing operations. The mine, located in Northern Ontario, produces in excess of 550,000 ounces of gold annually at costs under $100/oz. A new shaft, to be ready in 2007, will increase hoisting capacity, reduce time to access the workplaces, and provide significant cost savings and by 2008 production is expected to increase to more than 700,000 oz. Red Lake Mine is Canada's largest gold mine and one of the world's richest ... Mining is carried out using underground cut and fill techniques allowing maximum ore extraction and minimal dilution. The high-grade, narrow vein system is being mined at the rate of 700 tons per day with an average grade of over 2 ounces per ton (60 grams/ tonne). The high-grade mineralization and complex geometry of the ore body require operating under unique circumstances. Various mining cut and fill methods are currently in use. The implementation of innovative mining techniques, as well as improvements and refinements to other areas of the operation, have been key to the success of the mine in the last four years.Ownership Summary Name: Goldcorp Inc. Interest: 100% Note: public companGoldcorp has implemented the use of new Virtual Reality (VR) technology for mine design and planning purposes, and has recently built a state-of-the-art VR studio on site. Goldcorp is spending $132 million on a new 7,150 ft. deep shaft currently under construction. Location - The Red Lake Mine, is located in the 'Sunset Country' region of Northwestern Ontario, Canada. It is 175 kilometres north of the Trans Canada Highway. The Red Lake Municipality is comprised of five towns, Madsen and McKenzie Island (outlying communities), Red Lake, Cochenour, and Balmertown, the home of the Red Lake Mine. The Municipality of Red Lake has a population of 5,000.The area is accessible by Highway 105, which joins the Trans Canada Highway at Vermilion Bay, east of Kenora. Commercial air services from Thunder Bay and Winnipeg are available with several flights daily to each community. Location SummaryNearest Landmark: RED LAKEDistance from Landmark: 0kmDirection from Landmark: Latitude: 51 deg 3 min NLongitude: 93 deg 43 min WSatellite Image: The terrain in the vicinity of the mine at Red Lake is gently rolling with various forms of glacial cover. The Red Lake Area provides some of the best fishing and hunting in the province. Thousands of lakes, beaches, lush rolling forests and abundant wildlife enhance the area. Much of the region is still untouched and is accessible only by air or canoe. The weather is generally fair with warm summers and cold winters. The temperature in July is +25 Celsius, with 62 mm of precipitation. In January it is -20 Celsius, with an average snow accumulation of 35 cm. The days are short in winter, but long and pleasant in the summer months. Property - The property covers 2,348 acres, (58 patented mineral claims) located in Red Lake, Ontario, Canada. Mine operations originally started in 1948. Goldcorp also holds mineral claims covering 56,125 additional acres of prospective mineral ground in the Red Lake area. Gold in greenstone belt hosted shear zones and veins. The mine lies in the eastern part of the Red Lake Precambrian Greenstone Belt. This belt is made up of an older assemblage of ultramafic, mafic and felsic volcanic rocks with a sedimentary sequence. These rocks are cut by a number of felsic and mafic dykes. Gold mineralization is primarily located within, or adjacent to, major deformation zones. These zones may have occurred late in the deformation period which, in turn, is thought to be related to the nearby granitic intrusive. Two major types of gold mineralization have been identified. A high grade quartz carbonate sulphide mineralization (with a reported grade of approximately 70 g/t gold - Apr/04) and the lower grade sulphide zone (with a reported grade of approximately 13 g/t gold - Apr/04). To reflect that variation, the zones have been grouped into two categories, the sulphide zones (the "Sulphide Zone") and the high grade zones (the "High Grade Zone"). Reserves SummaryName: Red LakeCommodity: gold--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Class: Proven + Probable ReservesTonnage: 3,419,000 tonsGrade: 1.46 oz/tonNote: contained gold of 4,997,000 oz--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Reference: 31 Dec 2004 Deposit SummaryDeposit Type: gold in shear zones and veinsPrimary Commodity: gold Operation - Red Lake is one of the deepest mines in Canada ... a new shaft will take mining to a depth of over 2000m ... The Red Lake mine is serviced by two shafts. The No. 1 shaft services 23 levels and No. 2 shaft services operations below 1000 m to approx 1,700 m. The existing mill at the Red Lake Mine was replaced by a modern 600 ton per day facility. Commercial production at the modern mill began in Jan/01. The old facility, the majority of which was built in 1948, was dismantled in early 2000. Mining is carried Mine Production Summary Mine - Red Lake Capacity: unknown Rate: 700 tons/day------------------------------------------------------------------------- out using underground cut and fill techniques allowing maximum ore extraction and minimal dilution. The high-grade, narrow vein system is being mined at the rate of 700 tons per day with an average grade of over 2 ounces per ton (60 grams/ tonne). The high-grade mineralization and complex geometry of the ore body require operating under unique circumstances. Various mining cut and fill methods are currently in use. Process - The new mill was commissioned in mid 2000 to treat the new high grade ore. The processing facilities consist of three separate plants: the Crushing Plant, Processing Plant, and Pastefill Plant. The Crushing Plant consists of a two stage process which reduces underground ore size from approximately 12 inches to 3/8 inch. The ore is fed to the Jaw Crusher and then the sizing screen. Screen oversize is crushed in the Cone Crusher which reports back to the screen, and screen undersize is conveyed to the Processing Plant for gold extraction. Separate operations in the Processing Plant consist of grinding, gravity concentrating, leaching, carbon-in-pulp (CIP), carbon elution and reactivation, electrowinning, bullion smelting/refining, cyanide destruction, flotation, and concentrate handling. Gold extraction is based on gravity separation, cyanide leaching, carbon-in-pulp and flotation ... After exiting the CIP tanks, all remaining cyanide in solution is destroyed. This is accomplished using the INCO SO2 treatment process which oxidizes the cyanide component of the slurry and precipitates heavy metals. After the cyanide is destroyed, the slurry flows to the flotation circuit where a concentrate of sulphides, which encapsulates the remaining recoverable gold, is separated from the rest of the slurry stream. In the flotation circuit, chemicals are added to help the gold bearing sulphide minerals adhere to tiny bubbles of air that are added in small agitated tanks. Processing Summary Facility - Red Lake Capacity: unknown Rate: 224,000 tons/year Product Commodity: gold Quantity: 551,900 oz/year Cost: 100 US$/oz------------------------------------------------------------------------- The bubbles rise to the surface and collect in a froth layer which is removed from the surface with paddles. The concentrate is collected and excess water is removed with a thickener and then a drum vacuum filter. The gold-bearing concentrate is trucked from site for treatment in an autoclave, either at Placer Dome's Campbell Mine, also in Balmertown, or at Barrick's Goldstrike Mine in Nevada. In 2004, the autoclave concentrate recovered 7.5% of the gold fed to the Processing Plant. The tailings from the flotation circuit are directed to the Pastefill Plant from where the slurry is either discharged to the Tailings Management Area or mixed and sent underground for use as backfill. Slurry sent underground is first filtered before adding cement and water to form a paste. Once the proper consistency is achieved, the paste is discharged underground to flow by gravity to the mined out areas Environment and Community - The tailings management facility is currently undergoing modifications to address current mill and mine effluent to ensure discharge water continues to meet all provincial and federal regulations. With the mine production expansion plans in the near future, planning has begun for an additional treatment area which will incorporate the best mine waste management practices available today. In addition, development of innovative technologies, such as bio-treatment, has been undertaken in the Red Lake Gold Camp and other industries are eager to examine the promising results. Red Lake Mine has developed a working relationship with several universities, research consultants and government agencies to develop and examine rehabilitation techniques and environmental monitoring programs. Goldcorp provides employment for over 550 employees and contractors, of which more than half live in the Red Lake Area. The mine actively supports schools, hospitals, libraries and community activities in the area. Top


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