BrightStar Gold Mine
| Location | |
|---|---|
  BrightStar Gold Mine Location in Australia | |
| Location | Laverton |
| State | Western Australia |
| Country | Australia |
| Coordinates | 28°43′24″S 122°43′26″E / 28.72333°S 122.72389°ECoordinates: 28°43′24″S 122°43′26″E / 28.72333°S 122.72389°E |
| Production | |
| Production | 14,287 |
| Financial year | 2010-11 |
| History | |
| Opened | 2010 |
| Active | 2010–present |
| Owner | |
| Company | Stone Resources Australia Limited |
| Website | |
The BrightStar Gold Mine is a gold mine located 35 km south-east of Laverton, Western Australia. Operations at Brightstar are suspended with the processing plant under care and maintenance.[1]
It is owned and operated by Stone Resources Australia Limited, having commenced production in December 2009.[2][3]
The mine is located within an area subject to the Wongatha native title claim. The Wongatha group is a shareholder of Stone Resources. In exchange for the consent of the Wongatha people to any current or future mining tenements, Stone Resources agreed to protect all aboriginal sites, offer training and employment and issue shares in the value of $220,000 to the Wongatha.[4] A similar agreement between the Wongatha and the owners of the Laverton Gold Mine later took place in 2005.[5]
History
Stone Resources Australia, as A1 Minerals, was formed in May 2002 and listed on the Australian Securities Exchange in December 2003.[6] A1 Minerals Limited changed its name to Stone Resources Australia Limited on 30 November 2012. The BrightStar gold project was an asset of the company at the time of listing on the ASX.[7]
Stone Resources expanded BrightStar by acquiring the Mikado Gold Mine (28°50'25.71"S 122°38'38.45"E) in July 2005 from Deep Yellow Limited, which had previously mined the deposit in 2004. Historically, the deposit had also been mined from 1900 to 1911, when 9,916 ounces of gold had been recovered.[8][9]
In July 2008, Stone Resources announced it had purchased a second-hand gold processing plant, which it would relocate from Kalgoorlie to the Mikado mine site.[10]
In May 2009, Stone Resources signed a contract for the refurbishment of its existing plant, worth $1.7 million, with CPC Engineering.[11] In July 2009, the company received the necessary approvals from the Western Australian authorities for its project.[12]
The BrightStar project includes a number of proposed and existing open pits, some of them having been mined in the past. Stone Resources planned to mine the Alpha (Brightstar) and Beta (Mikado) pits, producing 30,000 ounces of gold per annum. The other pits, Gamma, Delta, Epsilon, Zeta, Eta and Theta are future mining prospects.[13]
Mining commenced in May 2010[14] with 2,700 ounces of gold produced for the second quarter of 2010.[15]
The mine continuously underperformed after start up, staying below the targeted production of 2,500 ounces of gold per month, with a low point of just 702 ounces produced in April 2011. Stone Resources was forced to go into a lengthy trading halt in July 2011 in an attempt to secure more funding.[16]
Production
Production figures for the mine:
| Year | Gold production |
Grade | Cost per ounce |
| 2008-09 | inactive | ||
| 2009-10 | 2,700 ounces | ||
| 2010-11 [16] | 14,287 ounces | ||
Sources
- The Australian Mines Handbook: 2003-2004 Edition, Louthean Media Pty Ltd, Editor: Ross Louthean
- Western Australian Mineral and Petroleum Statistics Digest 2008 Page 34: Principal Mineral and Petroleum Producers - Gold
References
- ↑ Han, Yong (28 January 2015). "December Quarter Activity Report" (pdf). ASX. Cloverdale WA: Stone Resources Australia Limited. p. 2. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
- ↑ BrightStar update A1 minerals ASX announcement, published: 23 December 2009, accessed: 11 January 2010
- ↑ New Western Australian gold mine due by Christmas mineweb.com, accessed: 11 January 2010
- ↑ A1 reaches agreement with Native title Claimants A1 minerals ASX announcement, published: 22 July 2004, accessed: 11 January 2010
- ↑ Native Title - Historic Agreement Crescent ASX announcement, published: 2 March 2005, accessed: 28 January 2010
- ↑ INVEST IN THE FUNDAMENTALS A1 website, accessed: 11 January 2010
- ↑ Update on Progress at BrightStar Gold Project A1 minerals ASX announcement, published: 19 December 2003, accessed: 11 January 2010
- ↑ A1 Acquires Mikdao Gold Mine A1 minerals ASX announcement, published: 18 July 2005, accessed: 11 January 2010
- ↑ MINEDEX website - Brightstar - Mikado search result Archived September 11, 2008, at the Wayback Machine. accessed: 11 January 2010
- ↑ A1 Secures Gold Processing Plant A1 minerals ASX announcement, published: 17 July 2008, accessed: 11 January 2010
- ↑ A1 signs Plant Construction and Refurbishment Contract A1 minerals ASX announcement, published: 11 May 2009, accessed: 11 January 2010
- ↑ Key Treatment Plant and Environmental approvals obtained A1 website, accessed: 30 July 2010
- ↑ BrightStar Gold Project A1 website, accessed: 11 January 2010
- ↑ Gold Production Begins A1 minerals ASX announcement, published: 24 May 2010, accessed: 29 July 2010
- ↑ June 2010 Quarterly Activities Report A1 minerals ASX announcement, published: 28 July 2010, accessed: 29 July 2010
- 1 2 June 2011 Quarterly Activities A1 ASX announcement, published: 29 July 2011, accessed: 5 August 2011