A Summary of Major Mineral Resources, Mines and Projects, 2nd Edition |
2005
ZINIFEX LIMITED
BR 7692
ZINIFEX LIMITED ANNUAL REPORT 2005
ZINIFEX LIMITED
Major Mining Related Events |
Operating Mine Life: 2000 to 2016 Mine officially opened 4th April 2000 ten years to the day after exploration drilling |
intersected the mineralisation. 11 year mine life from June 2005. |
OPEN CUT MINING
As at June 2000 pit was 1km long by 1km wide by 120m deep. |
There are seven stages to the pit design. |
ML
90045
ZINIFEX CENTURY LIMITED
100.00%
ML
90058
ZINIFEX CENTURY LIMITED
100.00%
Host Rock/Cover Sequences |
LAWN HILL SUBPROVINCE
Lawn Hill Formation / PALAEOPROTEROZOIC to |
MESOPROTEROZOIC |
GENERAL ORE BODY MODEL
SEDIMENT-HOSTED DEPOSIT
DETAILED ORE BODY MODEL
SEDIMENT-HOSTED PB-ZN (SED.EX. ZN-PB, |
SHALE-HOSTED ZN-PB) |
ORE
U-Pb zircon age = 1595+/-6Ma (Sun, Page & Carr |
1994) |
PALAEOPROTEROZOIC to |
MESOPROTEROZOIC |
Planned annual production is 5Mt of ore for 780000t of Zn-Ag concentrate & 70000t of Pb concentrate. Concentrate will be piped to the |
port of Karumba via a slurry pipeline. Pre-stripping commenced in 1998. |
The deposit is developed within shale and siltstone of the Lawn Hill Formation and differs from many of the other deposits in the region |
in that it is hosted by siliciclastic rather than carbonate-rich sediment. |
Economic grade mineralisation consists of fine grained sphalerite, galena and minor pyrite which occur as delicate, bedding parallel |
lamellae in carbonaceous shale units. Smelters in Australia, Japan, Korea and Europe purchase concentrate from this mine. |
Century has a mine life of 15 years, with production finishing in 2018, at a planned production rate of 5 Mt ore/year.