1. Mineral Resources
  2. Online Spatial Data
  3. Mineral Resource Data System (MRDS)

Big Bell Mine

Producer in Western Australia, Australia with commodities Gold, Silver
Map
XML
JSON
KML
A
Sections on this page
  1. Identification information
  2. Geographic coordinates
  3. Site location context
  4. Geographic areas
  5. Commodities
  6. Materials information
  7. Alteration
  8. Mineral occurrence model information
  9. Host and associated rocks
  10. Nearby scientific data
  11. Geologic structures
  12. Ore body information
  13. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  14. Mining district
  15. Ownership information
  16. Production statistics
  17. Reserves and resources
  18. Links to other databases
  19. Bibliographic references
  20. General comments
  21. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10056347
MRDS ID TC00004
Record type Site
Current site name Big Bell Mine
Alternate or previous names Super Pit, Big Bell Gold Deposit

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: 117.6521, -27.31846 (WGS84)
Relative position 30 KM WNW OF THE TOWNSHIP OF CUE. 680 KM BY ROAD NORTHEAST OF PERTH.

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Western Australia(province)

Australia(country)

Australia(continent)

Land(continent)

Geographic areas

Country State
Australia Western Australia

Comments on the location information

  • LAT/LONG FROM MIKE FARNSWORTH, PLACER-DOME, VANCOUVER, BC., FROM MINE FEASIBILITY STUDY

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Gold Primary
Silver Secondary

Comments on the commodity information

  • GOLD IS VERY FINE-GRAINED AND ASSOCIATED WITH THE SULFIDES. VISIBLE FREE GOLD IS EXTREMELY RARE.

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Bornite Ore
Chalcopyrite Ore
Electrum Ore
Gold Ore
Marcasite Ore
Molybdenite Ore
Pyrite Ore
Pyrrhotite Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Stibnite Ore
Tetrahedrite Ore
Andalusite Gangue
Biotite Gangue
Feldspar Gangue
Muscovite Gangue
Quartz Gangue

Alteration

  • (Local) Extensive Hydrothermal, Sulphidisation

Analytical data

Result GOLD:SILVER IS ABOUT 1.3:1.0

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 276
USGS model code 36b
Deposit model name Homestake Au
Mark3 model number 1

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Volcanic Rock (Aphanitic) > Mafic Volcanic Rock
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Schist
    Rock unit name Big Bell Lode Formation
    Rock description Big Bell Lode Formation
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Schist > Greenschist

Nearby scientific data

(1) 117.6521, -27.31846
ListMap

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Acid Volcanic Sequences, Mineralized Sequence Is In The Overturned Western Limb Of A Regional Anticline That Plunges Nne.

Ore body information

  • General form BEDDED
    Width 37M
    Depth to bottom 1400M

Comments on the geologic information

  • GOLD MINERALIZATION IS STRATABOUND WITHIN SCHISTS. SCHIST CONTAINS UP TO 12% SULFIDES. THE MINERALIZED SCHISTS ARE INTERBEDDED BETWEEN TWO MAFIC VOLCANIC SEQUENCES AND ARE UNIQUE TO THE SEQUENCE. THEY ARE ENCLOSED BY DISTINCTIVE QUARTZ-BIOTITE-CORDIERITE-GARNET SCHISTS. GEOCHEMICAL EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT ALL THESE LITHOLOGIES SHARE A COMMON BASALTIC PROTOLITH. GRANITE ROCKS BOUND THE GREENSTONE BELT TO THE EAST AND THE WEST. NEAR THE MINE THE GREENSTONE UNITS DIP 75 TO 80 DEGREE TO THE EAST. GOLD IS IN BOTH SULFIDES AND SILICATE MINERALS.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Large
Significant No
Discovery year 1904
Discoverer Harry Paton
Year of first production 1916
Production years 1916-1923, 1937-1955, 1989-

Mining district

District name Murchison Mineral Field

Ownership information

  • Type Owner
    Owner Placer Pacific Ltd. (37.9%, Sub. Of Placer Dome) And Australian Consolidated Minerals Ltd.

Production statistics

  • Year 1921
    Period 1916-1921
    Material ORE
    Accuracy Estimate
    Description Cp_Grade: ^4.6 G Au/ Mt
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Ore Gold Gold 5g/mt
  • Year 1923
    Period 1922-1923
    Material ORE
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Cp_Grade: ^4 G Au/Mt (Recovery Grade)
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Ore Gold Gold 4g/mt
  • Year 1950
    Period Pre 1950'S
    Material AG
    Accuracy Estimate
    Description Cp_Grade: ^About 5.4 G Au/Mt
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Gold Gold 5g/mt

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1989
    Total resources 2900000000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Gold Au 2.09 g/mt Gold Major 1989
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1983
    Total resources 1000000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Gold Au 5.1 g/mt Gold Major 1983

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • OPEN PIT RESERVES ARE SUFFICIENT FOR SIX YEARS OF OPERATION.
  • THE RESOURCE FIGURE INCLUDES MINEABLE PROVEN AND PROBABLE RESERVES OF 11.90 MILLION METRIC TONS OPEN PIT ORE AT 3.07 G AU/MT AND 8.00 MILLION METRIC TONS OF UNDERGROUND ORE AT 3.54 G AU/MT.

Comments on the workings information

  • OPEN PIT & UNDERGROUND. WORKED IN THE EARLY TO MID 1950'S , BUT DECLINING GRADES OF PRODUCTION AND DEPRESSED GOLD PRICES CAUSED THE MINE TO BE ABANDONED. NEW GOLD RECOVERY TECHNOLOGIES HAVE KINDLED INTEREST IN THE MINE. CONVENTIONAL SHOVEL AND TRUCK EQUIPMENT ARE CURRENTLY USED. THE FINAL PIT WILL BE 2KM LONG, 550 METERS WIDE AND 315 METERS DEEP. WASTE DISPOSAL IS EXPECTED TO BE 145,000,000 TONNES. THE UNDERGROUND ACCESS WILL BE VIA A 4.5M X 5.0M DECLINE. THE PROCESSING PLANT CONSISTS OF CONVENTIONAL TECHNOLOGY INCLUDING CRUSHERS, CYANIDE LEACHING, CARBON-IN-PULPAND CARBON REACTIVATION.

Comments on development

  • ACM ACQUIRED BIG BELL DEPOSIT IN 1969 AND CARRIED OUT EXPLORATION, EXPENDING $13 MILLION ON ACQUISTION, EXPLORATION & ENGINEERING STUDIES BEFORE JOINING WITH PLACER PACIFIC IN 1984. ; ECON.COM: CONSTRUCTION BEGAN 1988 & PRODUCTION BEGAN 1989. ANNUAL PRODUCTION IS EXPECTED TO EVENTUALLY EQUAL 160,000 OZS. PER ANNUM. THE ESTIMATED INITIAL CAPITAL COST OF THE OPEN PIT IS $145,000,000. DEVELOPMENT OF THE UNDERGROUND MINE IS EXPECTED TO COST A FURTHER $70,000,000 AND WILL BE FUNDED FROM CASH FLOW. (PLACER DOME, 1988) GOLD PRODUCTION IS TARGETED TO EVERAGE 115,000 OZS. GOLD/YEAR OVER THE PERIOD JAN 1991 TO FEB. 1994 (PLACER DOME 1990 ANNUAL REPORT). THE ORE IS FREE MILLING.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    MINING ENGINEERING, MARCH 1989, P. 151.

  • Deposit

    PLACER DOME INC., 1988, INTERNATIONAL ANALYSTS TOUR REPORT.

  • Deposit

    DODSON, RICHARD, 1989, OF THE AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF MINERAL RESOURCES AS REPORTED TO THE U.S. DEPT OF STATE ECONOMIC AND BUSNESS AFFAIRS.

  • Deposit

    PLACER DOME, INC., 1990, ANNUAL REPORT.

  • Deposit

    ENGINEERING AND MINING JOURNAL, NOVEMBER, 1983, P. 111-112.

  • Deposit

    ENGINEERING AND MINING JOURNAL, JUNE, 1988, P. 42-46.

  • Deposit

    HANDLEY, G.A., AND CARY, R., 1990, BIG BELL GOLD DEPOSIT, IN HUGHES, F.E., ED., GEOLOGY OF THE MINERAL DEPOSITS OF AUSTRALIA AND PAPUA NEW GUINEA, VOLUME 1: AUSTRALASIAN INSTITUTE OF MINING AND METALLURGY MONOGRAPH 14, P. 211-216.

  • Production

    PLACER DOME, 1988; HANDLEY AND CARY, 1990.

  • Reserve-Resource

    HANDLEY AND CARY, 1990.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit CONTAINS UP TO 10% DISSEMINATED SULFIDE, LARGELY PYRITE WITH LESSER PYRRHOTITE. NARROW LENSES OF PYRITE, QUARTZ, FELDSPAR & MUSCOVITE OCCUR SEMI-PARALLEL TO BEDDING. MAXIMUM ORE DEVELPMENT OCCURS AT A DEPTH OF ABOUT 100 M WHERE CONTINUOUS MINERALIZATION IS PRESENT OVER A STRIKE LENGTH OF 680 M AND A WIDTH OF 50 M.
Deposit THE MINE IS A COMMUTER OPERATION. ALL EMPLOYEES FLY IN AND OUT. THE MINE RUNS 24 HOURS A DAY, 7 DAYS A WEEK. THE COMPANY EMPLOYS APPROXIMATELY 230 PEOPLE. ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-DEC-1988 Marcus, Sue U.S. Geological Survey }}CORRECTED LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE
Updater 01-OCT-1991 Moyer, Lorre A. (Marcus, S.M.) U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-APR-1994 Orris, Greta J. U.S. Geological Survey
Updater 01-MAY-1994 Preston, W. U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

Supplemental information added by qvyshift.com. Not part of the original USGS MRDS record.

Maps centered on this site