This operation is one of the top producing open-pit gold mines in Eastern Europe.

• The mineralisation is structural
• Ore shots are blasted in 7.5 m benches, which are then mined in a single pass

Challenges

Substantial movement of ore is not monitored or accounted for

• Misclassification of ore (i.e. high grade ore is stockpiled as low grade or low grade ore is sent to the mill as high grade)
• Ore loss, with gold being sent to the waste pile
• Dilution, with tonnes of waste being treated as ore

Results

Less dilution, less misclassification and more ore
US$294,000 additional value from one blast

Significant movement occurs within all blasts. Variation of ±50% from the mean horizontal movement is common and occurs at this mine.

• Measured horizontal movement ranged from 3.5 m to 15 m (11 to 48 ft) and vertical movement of up to 2.4 m (8 ft)

As a result of accurately accounting for blast movement, the mine:

• Reduced dilution by 15%—7,200^* tonnes of waste were diverted from the mill
• Avoided misclassification—13%, 6,200 tonnes, of ore were correctly classified
• Maximised ore yield—an additional 235 oz. of gold was recovered, valued at US$294,000^***

* Numbers are rounded
** Average grade of ore polygons
*** Calculated at a gold price of US$1,250/oz