Pajingo

The Pajingo gold mine, that began production in 1986 is located 50 kilometres south of Charters Towers in Queensland where gold was discovered in 1983 by the Battle Mountain Gold Company. Gold production got underway from open pit mining methods just three years later in 1986.

Ownership History of the Pajingo Gold Mine
In 1991 Battle Mountain Gold formed a joint venture operation with Normandy Mining Limited to facilitate mining at the Pajingo Mine, a partnership that lasted until 2001 when Newmont Mining Corporation acquired Blue Mountain Gold. The following year, 2002, Newmont took over Normandy Mining giving it 100 percent ownership of the Pajingo gold mine. In 2007 Heemskirk Consolidated and North Queensland Metals purchased the Pajingo Mine from Newmont. Conquest purchased 100 percent of the Pajingo Mine when it took over Queensland Metals and purchased Heemskirk Consolidated. In 2011 Evolution Mining Limited purchased 100 percent of the Pajingo gold mine when Catalpa Resources and Conquest Mining merged that resulted in the acquisitions of Newcrest Minings Mt Rawdon and Cracow gold mines.

Pajingo Mine Consists of Both Open pit and Underground Operations
Mining at the Pajingo Mine is carried out by both open pit and underground methods with the underground method based on long hole open stoping and modified avoca technology. The ore is trucked to the surface by means of a decline. The open pit is operated by the conventional means of blasting, loading and hauling.

Pajingo Ore is Free Milling
Gold bearing ore from the Pajingo Mine is free milling and treated on site in the usual crushing, grinding and CIP manner that delivers the final product of gold/silver dore. The treatment plant is capable of handling 650,000 tonnes of ore a year but at the present time is restricted to between 350,000 and 450,000 tonnes. Metallurgy practices are kept simple with gold and silver recoveries around 94 to 95 percent.

Mineralised Veins can Extend to 15 Metres in Width at the Pajingo Mine
Most of the ore bodies servicing the Pajingo gold mine comprise a main vein where most of the precious metals are located. There also exists splay veins that have commercially economic grades but most of these are restricted to those close to the main vein. The mineralised ore varies from being 15 metres wide to less than one metre although most of the time the width is from one to three metres.

Evolution Mining is an International Operation
Evolution Mining operates three other gold mines in Queensland besides that of the Pajingo gold and silver mine. It also has a gold mine in Western Australia and it is expected to become one of the three fastest growing Australian gold producers in 2013. It holds 100 percent interest in its projects, all of which are located in highly prospective regions. As from December 2012 Evolution Mining had global reserves of gold containing 3.6 million ounces, with resources totalling 7.7 million ounces of gold. It's world wide production of gold for the 2011/12 financial year totalled 346,979 ounces.
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