After a 2-year delay due to enviromental restrictions and bureaucratic red tape, the first gold bar was poured recently from Sonora Gold Corp.’s Jamestown Mine in California.
Expected to produce around 130,000 oz of gold per year at a cost of $200(US) per oz, the mine is now in the final stages of commissioning.
According to President Mauro Berretta, open-pit blasting and mining operations are being optimized and crushing systems modified to improve compatibility to the Harvard ore and to increase throughput.
During the comissioning process, low, grade, near surface oxide ore, which is expected to be depleted during 1987, is being blended with the higher grade sulphide ore in order to maximize gold recovery. Milling of higher grade sulphide ore will follow.
Jamestown Mine has gradually been increasing its average throughput to the present level of about 3,600 tons per day. However, a press release says full capacity throughput of nearly 6,000 tons per day was achieved on a number of occasions.
Of the 8,900 oz of gold produced in gold concentrate so far, 4,000 oz have been recovered at the leach plant and the remainder is in process.
A total of 6,400 oz of dore, comprised of about 60% gold and 40% silver, have been shipped to the refinery.
As the 70% owner, Sonora expects the mine to be producing at a rate of 6,000 tons per day by the end of the commissioning period.
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