Extraction
Golden Grove consists of two underground mines, Scuddles and Gossan Hill.
The ore is mined using an underground mechanised method called sublevel open stoping. The underground mines consist of tunnels, called declines or ramps, that provide access from the surface to areas below.
illustration of underground mining at Golden Grove
Connected to these ramps are horizontal drives or levels from which to access the ore body.
Underground drill rigs called development jumbos are used to drill horizontal holes into the rock face. These holes are usually up to 3.5 metres in length and once drilled are charged with explosives and blasted to loosen the rock. The blasted rock is then removed by a loader. To ensure the walls and ceiling of these tunnels are stable, the development jumbos install a mixture of rock bolts and mesh, cable bolts and shotcrete to provide safe access. This cycle of drilling, blasting, excavating and stabilising is repeated to develop the tunnels.
Development jumbo at Golden Grove
Production drill rigs then drill 30-40 metre long holes from one level to another which are loaded with explosives and blasted. The blasted ore is removed by trucks called loaders, leaving an empty space called a stope.
The ore is then hauled by trucks to the surface where it is crushed and processed.
Decline entrance/exit at Golden Grove.
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Haul truck at Golden Grove.
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The stopes are then filled with waste material to prevent cave-ins using either rock or mill tailings (waste material from the processed ore) mixed with cement.
Find out about how the ore is processed on the Golden Grove processing page.