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| Mining method in Otjikoto gold mine Namibia with Conventional open pit operations. |
Otjikoto Mining Licence ML-169 which covers and area of 6933.968 ha, and the Otjikoto license is valid for a term of 20 years with expiry of December 4, 2032. The Otjikoto mine project is located within the Neoproterozoic Damara Mobile Belt, which forms part of the Pan–African Mobile Belt system.
The Company began construction soon after and the Otjikoto Gold Mine poured first gold on December 11, 2014, one week ahead of schedule. Otjikoto Gold Project declared commercial production at February 28, 2015 after Company met commercial production criteria of 30 consecutive days of mill through put of 65% of faceplate capacity
Mineral Deposit In Otjikoto mine Namibia
The Mineral deposit in Otjikoto mining was discovered by Avdale Namibia (Pty) Ltd. (“Avdale”) in 1999 as the result of a base metal exploration program initiated by Anglovaal Mining Ltd (“Anglovaal”) in 1995. The deposit falls under the general classification of an orogenic gold deposit, similar in stratigraphic position as the Navachab gold deposit The deposit is hosted within amphibolite grade metasediments of the Okanguarri Formation.
Gold in the main Otjikoto deposit is hosted by a north-northeast (NNE) striking sheeted sulphide magnetite , quartz and carbonate vein system. The gold ore occurs in a series of thin (commonly less than 10 centimetres) sheeted veins in the schist and granofels of the Upper and Middle Okonguarri Formation.
Three major gold deposit lithology at Otjikoto mine consists of :
The OTC albitite-hornfels unit hosts most of the mineralized vein system and is underlain by the 6 metres to 10 metres thick un-mineralized OTB calcitic marble.
The albitized OTA fels (~30 metres thick), which hosts minor bedding-parallel veins with irregularly distributed gold values, occurs between the OTB marble and the footwall marble (~20 metres thick).
The OTA fels and the OTB marble are part of the Middle Okonguarri Formation and the OTC is the basal unit of the Upper Okonguarri Formation. Gold occurs associated with pyrite-calcite-magnetite veins and replacement zones.
Gold ore occurs within the vein system as coarse native gold with a size variation from 5 microns to 400 microns, with the median at about 100 microns and within sulphides, along fractures, adjacent to and within garnets, within magnetite, on the edges of amphiboles and chlorite, and as free gold in quartz and carbonate.
Mining Operations And Gold Processing In Otjikoto Mine Namibia
Mining method in Otjikoto gold mine Namibia with Conventional open pit operations. Standard truck and shovel mining techniques are employed in the open pit mine in Otjikoto with 90t trucks and backhoe excavators to transport the mineral rocks from open pit mine.
Processing facilities at the mine also includes Ultimate pit wiith dimensions: 2km x 600m x 250m. Total Pit Project to date production is 2.5 million BCM Fleet Production Capacity. Total fleet capacity (2 excavators, 1 FEL, 10 90t trucks) is 75,000tpd
Mineral ore processing in Otjikoto mine use gravity circuits and leach/CIP processes to recover 95.5% of the Au. Dump trucks haul the rock and transported from the open pit to the primary crushers. The primary crushers operates to break rock from a large size to a smaller size.
The larger particles from this mill are returned to the S.A.G. mill for more grinding. The finer particles receive more grinding in a ball mill, Such a fine particle size is required for gold liberation – the size required for the cyanide to be able to 'see' the gold in the leaching process.
The slurry of ground ore moves into a series of leach tanks and where a sodium cyanide solution is added. The tanks provide sufficient retention time to allow the gold and silver to be dissolved by the cyanide solution in the process CIP ( Carbon In Pulp )
Gold Production At Otjikoto Mine Namibia
On February 28, 2015, the new Otjikoto Mine in Namibia achieved commercial production, one month ahead of schedule, after a strong start-up following its first gold pour on December 11, 2014. Otjikoto Mine in Namibia achieved pre- commercial production 18,815 ounces
Otjikoto mill expansion from 2.5 million tonnes per year to 3.0 million tonnes per year remains on schedule, expecting to increase gold production starting in September 2015
The B2Gold Company expects that annual gold production from the main Otjikoto Pit will increase significantly to approximately 200,000 ounces in 2016 and 2017.
Gold production at Otjikoto mine is also expected to be enhanced by the development of its Wolfshag zone, adjacent to the main Otjikoto Pit. The Company expects to complete an updated mine plan by the end of 2015 which will incorporate open pit and underground mining from the Wolfshag zone into the Otjikoto Mine Plan.
Gold in the main Otjikoto deposit is hosted by a north-northeast (NNE) striking sheeted sulphide magnetite , quartz and carbonate vein system. The gold ore occurs in a series of thin (commonly less than 10 centimetres) sheeted veins in the schist and granofels of the Upper and Middle Okonguarri Formation.
Three major gold deposit lithology at Otjikoto mine consists of :
The OTC albitite-hornfels unit hosts most of the mineralized vein system and is underlain by the 6 metres to 10 metres thick un-mineralized OTB calcitic marble.
The albitized OTA fels (~30 metres thick), which hosts minor bedding-parallel veins with irregularly distributed gold values, occurs between the OTB marble and the footwall marble (~20 metres thick).
The OTA fels and the OTB marble are part of the Middle Okonguarri Formation and the OTC is the basal unit of the Upper Okonguarri Formation. Gold occurs associated with pyrite-calcite-magnetite veins and replacement zones.
Gold ore occurs within the vein system as coarse native gold with a size variation from 5 microns to 400 microns, with the median at about 100 microns and within sulphides, along fractures, adjacent to and within garnets, within magnetite, on the edges of amphiboles and chlorite, and as free gold in quartz and carbonate.
Mining Operations And Gold Processing In Otjikoto Mine Namibia
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| Processing facilities at the Otjikoto gold mine Namibia |
Processing facilities at the mine also includes Ultimate pit wiith dimensions: 2km x 600m x 250m. Total Pit Project to date production is 2.5 million BCM Fleet Production Capacity. Total fleet capacity (2 excavators, 1 FEL, 10 90t trucks) is 75,000tpd
Mineral ore processing in Otjikoto mine use gravity circuits and leach/CIP processes to recover 95.5% of the Au. Dump trucks haul the rock and transported from the open pit to the primary crushers. The primary crushers operates to break rock from a large size to a smaller size.
The larger particles from this mill are returned to the S.A.G. mill for more grinding. The finer particles receive more grinding in a ball mill, Such a fine particle size is required for gold liberation – the size required for the cyanide to be able to 'see' the gold in the leaching process.
The slurry of ground ore moves into a series of leach tanks and where a sodium cyanide solution is added. The tanks provide sufficient retention time to allow the gold and silver to be dissolved by the cyanide solution in the process CIP ( Carbon In Pulp )
Gold Production At Otjikoto Mine Namibia
On February 28, 2015, the new Otjikoto Mine in Namibia achieved commercial production, one month ahead of schedule, after a strong start-up following its first gold pour on December 11, 2014. Otjikoto Mine in Namibia achieved pre- commercial production 18,815 ounces
Otjikoto mill expansion from 2.5 million tonnes per year to 3.0 million tonnes per year remains on schedule, expecting to increase gold production starting in September 2015
The B2Gold Company expects that annual gold production from the main Otjikoto Pit will increase significantly to approximately 200,000 ounces in 2016 and 2017.
Gold production at Otjikoto mine is also expected to be enhanced by the development of its Wolfshag zone, adjacent to the main Otjikoto Pit. The Company expects to complete an updated mine plan by the end of 2015 which will incorporate open pit and underground mining from the Wolfshag zone into the Otjikoto Mine Plan.
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