Evolution Mining

pajingo gold mine

Ownership
100%
Location
50km south of Charters Towers, Queensland, Australia
Planned commencement date
1986
History
- 1983 - Pajingo field was discovered by Battle Mountain Gold Company
- 1986 - First gold production from open pit mines
- 1991 - Initial joint venture formed between Battle Mountain Gold and Normandy Mining Limited
- 2001 - Newmont acquired Battle Mountain Gold
- 2002 - Newmont Mining Corporation acquired 100% of Pajingo via its takeover of Normandy Mining
- 2007 - North Queensland Metals and Heemskirk Consolidated purchased Pajingo from Newmont
- 2010 - Conquest acquired 100% of Pajingo via its takeover of North Queensland Metals and purchase from Heemskirk Consolidated
- 2011 - Evolution acquired 100% of Pajingo via Catalpa Resources and Conquest Mining merging and the concurrent acquisition of Newcrest Mining's Cracow and Mt Rawdon gold mines
Style of mineralisation
Low-sulphidation epithermal
Contained metals
Gold

Measured, Indicated and Inferred Resources (at 30 June 2011)
5.4Mt @ 4.2g/t for 728,000oz gold
Ore Reserves (as at 30 June 2011)
864,000t @ 5.1g/t for 140,000oz gold
Mining Method
Underground and open pit
Gold Production
FY2010A 54,964 ounces
FY2011A 45,889 ounces
FY2012F 70,000 ounces
FY2013F 70,000 to 75,000 ounces
Processing Method
Conventional crush-grind-CIP to produce gold-silver dore
Nominal treatment rate
400,000tpa with capacity to 650,000tpa
Forecast mine life
5 years
Geology
The Pajingo mine's mineralisation is hosted in structurally controlled epithrmal quartz veins within an andesite host rock. In general, veining strikes grid east with tensional jogs producing high grade pods trending grid east-north-east. The main mineralised veins in the Vera Nancy corridor plunge at about 20 degrees to grid east.

Most ore bodies comprise a main vein, which carries the bulk of the precious metals, and splay veins that can contain economic grades but usually only when close to the main vein. The mineralised structures can vary from less than 1 metre to 15 metres in width, but are generally 2 metres to 3 metres wide.
Mining
Ore is mined by both underground and open pit methods. Underground mining is based on longhole open stoping, with ore hauled to surface via a decline. Evolution owns and operates the underground mining fleet. Open pit mining is carried out by a contractor and is by conventional drill and blast, load and haul method.
Processing
Ore is free milling and is treated on site by conventional crush-grind-CIP processing to produce gold-silver- dore. The processing plant has capacity to process up to 650,000 tonnes per annum and is currently operated at 350,000 to 450,000tpa. Ore production is planned to be increased to utilise the latent capacity in the processing plant. Metallurgy is simple and gold and silver recoveries are very high, typically 94 to 95%.