Round Mountain Gold Mine Explained

Round Mountain
Width:300px
Pushpin Map:Nevada
Pushpin Map Caption:Location of Round Mountain Gold Mine
Coordinates:38.71°N -117.0661°W
Place:Nye County
Subdivision Type:State
State/Province:Nevada
Country:United States
Owner:Kinross Gold Corporation
Official Website:kinross.com
Acquisition Year:2003
Financial Year:2020
Amount:324,277 oz gold[1]
Opening Year:1906

The Round Mountain Gold Mine is an open pit gold mine in Round Mountain, Nevada. The mine is operated and owned by Kinross Gold.[2]

History

Mining at Round Mountain occurred as early as 1906, using underground techniques. The mine produced 350,000 ounces of gold through underground mining over a sixty-year period, before converting to an open pit.[3] In 2003 Kinross acquired 50% of the Round Mountain mine from Echo Bay Mines through a merger. In 2016, Kinross purchased the remaining 50% from Barrick Gold Corporation.[4]

Description

The Round Mountain Gold Mine is owned and operated by Kinross Gold. Until early in 2016, it was a 50:50 joint venture between Barrick Gold and Kinross Gold, with Kinross as the operator. The mine is 55miles north of the town of Tonopah, with a workforce of approximately 750 people. In 2010, expansion of the mine was approved by the Bureau of Land Management. The expansion would include increasing the depth and width of the pit, and increasing the capacity of related mining and mineral processing infrastructure. The expansion was appealed by the non-governmental organizations Great Basin Resource Watch and the Western Shoshone Defense Project. The groups also appealed the construction of Gold Hill, a second pit near Round Mountain, that is part of the expansion.[5] [6] As of summer 2011, road construction and environmental mitigation began for the Round Hill expansion. Ore from the Gold Hill site is processed on site on a leach pad, while the pouring of gold bars takes place at the Round Mountain facility.[7]

Geological Setting

The Round Mountain Mine is a low sulfidation epithermal deposit.

See also

References

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Kinross reports 2020 fourth-quarter and full-year results . 9 July 2021. Kinross Gold Corporation . Toronto, Ontario . 10 February 2021.
  2. News: Kinross Acquires Strategic Nevada Assets. Kinross Gold. November 12, 2015. Kinross Press Release. November 12, 2015.
  3. Book: Hardrock Mining on Federal Lands. 3 December 1999. National Research Council (U.S.). 0-309-06596-8. 136.
  4. Web site: Round Mountain, USA. Kinross Gold. 27 August 2011.
  5. News: Harding. Adella. BLM OKs Round Mountain expansion. 31 August 2011. Elko Daily Free Press. 7 July 2010.
  6. News: Harding. Adella. Appeals filed against Round Mountain. 31 August 2011. Elko Daily Free Press. 22 Aug 2010.
  7. News: Harding. Adella. Gold Hill moves closer to mining satellite pit. 31 August 2011. Elko Daily Free Press - Mining Quarterly. Summer 2011. 36.