Final Reports
Project G15 - Sunrise Dam Gold Mine - AngloGold
The 10 Moz Sunrise Dam Gold mine in the well-endowed Eastern Goldfields province of the Yilgarn Craton has recently started underground gold production. A variety of lodes in different orientations are mined or in resources and there is unexplored potential at depth. However, understanding the structural framework of the lodes requires further work. Current limitations in knowledge may inhibit efficient mining and successful exploration if not resolved rapidly. With the new underground access and deepening of the open pit, there is a wealth of new data available, which can be synthesised to produce an integrated structural and mineralization chronology in order to provide a detailed appreciation of the structural characteristics of the major lodes.
This study will apply advanced methods of modern structural geology to the accessible workings and planned areas of development to derive a robust geological understanding of the structural controls on mineralization. These will be used as inputs to numerical models, which will examine stress partitioning, predicted sites of failure, and fluid flow regimes. It is anticipated that these models will have great predictive power for mineralization at the mine to tenement scale. Additionally, the fluid systems giving rise to mineralization will be analysed, allowing the development of a genetic model for the deposit, with exploration implications at all scales. It is planned that the outcomes of this work will be in some parts complimentary to the efforts of the Y4 pmd*CRC (regional) and the data from this project will eventually be made available to assist their efforts in determining and constraining the geological and mineralisation controls within the broader Laverton region, in particular between Wallaby and Sunrise Dam gold mines and further allow comparisons between other gold deposits within the Eastern Goldfields.
An essential component of the project is continuing professional development of Sunrise Dam geoscientists through short courses/lectures delivered on site, which will be combined with information sharing sessions from visiting experts. The visionary goal of this project is to increase exploration efficiency, reduce mining risk and generate additional high-grade underground.
G15 Final Report 
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