Westgold Resources has commenced stope mining at the Triton North area of the South Emu-Triton underground mine at the Meekatharra gold operations in Western Australia.
The South Emu and Triton mine sites are located on the southern end of the Reedy Shear Zone, which extends for more than eight kilometres and hosts the majority of the Reedy Mining Area’s 1.5 million ounces of gold endowment.
Independent ventilation and escapeways have now been established and is the reason the company will commence stope production from Triton North.
Previous surface diamond drilling completed by Westgold to test the down plunge continuity of the Triton North lodes returned substantial results showing the system remains very fertile at depth.
According to a company statement, Westgold’s development strategy has been to progressively bring additional underground mines online as existing mines reach steady state operations.
“Consistent with this strategy and with the commencement of stoping at Triton, Westgold now has three underground mines poised to deliver more than 100,000 ounces per annum at steady state to the 1.6-1.8 million-tonnes-per-annum Bluebird processing hub at Meekatharra,” the company stated.
“Future development targets within the Reedy mining area include Boomerang-Kurara in the north, and the Jack Ryan and Rand ore bodies to the south.
“The Rand ore bodies are dilation systems developed on the Reedy shear and sit approximately 500 metres north of Triton with lodes which appear to plunge back into the system.
“Previous mining at Rand and Rand north exploited the oxide, transitional and some of the fresh rock in ore shoots and produced (greater than) 120,000 ounces before closing in the 1990s.”
Westgold has been mining at South Emu for more than two years and in 2020 cut a new 700-metre long decline from the South Emu pit to gain access under the historic Triton mine.
Ore development commenced on two levels on the line of lode immediately north of the Triton mine where there was no historic stoping.