The Granny Smith Gold Mine is a gold mine south of Laverton, Western Australia near Mount Weld and operated by Gold Fields.
As of 2022, it is one of four mines the company operates in Australia, the others being the Agnew, Gruyera and St Ives.
History
The Granny Smith gold deposit was discovered in 1979 by Canadian prospector Ray Lovi Smith and named after his wife Laurende.
Construction of the mine took place in the late 1980s.HISTORIC PICTURES RELEASED TO THE NATIONAL LIBRARY Thiess published: 17 November 2009, accessed: 2 January 2010
The project was originally owned by Delta Gold, which became Auriongold in February 2002. Aurion was taken over by Placer Dome in 2003, who already held a 60% interest in the mine,Placer Dome Seeks to Buy 2 Mining Concerns for $600 Million The New York Times, published: 29 November 1996, accessed: 2 January 2010 and Placer Dome in turn by Barrick Gold in March 2006.MINEDEX website - Granny Smith search result , accessed: 2 January 2010
A large amount of ore processed at Granny Smith originated from the Wallaby deposit, approximately west of the mine, and was hauled to the Granny Smith mill for processing.Wallaby infomine.com, accessed: 2 JanuaryLaverton Gold Project Crescent Gold website, accessed: 2 January Open pit mining at Wallaby ceased in September 2006, followed by a ramp up of underground mining at the location.Department of Environment and Conservation - Works approval accessed: 3 January 2010
In February 2009, Barrick signed a memorandum of understanding with Crescent Gold to purchase ore from its Laverton Gold Mine and mill it at Granny Smith.Crescent Gold signs landmark MOU with Barrick Gold over WA gold resource proactiveinvestors.com.au, published: 24 February 2009, accessed: 2 January 2010 ABC News, published: 22 June 2009, accessed: 2 January 2010 In January 2010, an agreement was signed with Range River Gold to purchase ore from the Mount Morgans Gold Mine and treat it at Granny Smith from February 2010 onwards.Mt Morgans - Ore Sale Terms agreed with Barrick River Gold published: 27 January 2010, accessed: 9 February 2010
In October 2013, Barrick finalised the sale of their Australian Yilgarn South mines, consisting of the Granny Smith, Lawlers and Darlot mines to Gold Fields. Barrick sold the mines as it considered them high-cost and required cash to compensate for the rising cost of its Pascua-Lama gold project. The three mines accounted for six percent of Barrick's annual gold output at the time. Goldfields purchased the mines for US$300 million, half of which had to be paid in cash while the other half could be issued in shares.
Environment In 1999, abandoned mining pits at Granny Smith were used for trials on breeding silver perch and barramundi in salty water.Fishing the goldfields The World Today, broadcast: 11 October 1999, accessed: 2 January 2010
Production Granny Smith Production of the mine as an individual entity:Granny Smith Gold Mine 24hgold.com, accessed: 2 January 2010The Australian Mines Handbook: 2003-2004 Edition, page 90Fourth Quarter & Year-End Mine Statistics 2007 accessed: 1 January 2010 Year Production Grade Cost per ounce 1996 312,262 ounces 1997 376,386 ounces 1998 604,806 ounces 1999 523,092 ounces 4.52 g/t A$161 2000 412,049 ounces 3.94 g/t A$340 2001 347,179 ounces 3.28 g/t A$338 2002 358,648 ounces 2003 307,341 ounces 2004 293,228 ounces 2005 278,806 ounces 2006 314,000 ounces 0.108 oz/t US$401 2007 175,000 ounces 0.056 oz/t US$651
Yilgarn South Production figures for the Yilgarn South operation, consisting of Darlot, Granny Smith and Lawlers:Fourth Quarter & Year-End Mine Statistics 2008 accessed: 1 January 2010 Year Production Grade Cost per ounce 2007 410,000 ounces 0.117 oz/ton US$486 2008 325,000 ounces 0.125 oz/ton US$749 2009 352,000 ounces US$685 2010 2011 2012 2013
Granny Smith Production of the mine as an individual operation again: Year Production Grade Cost per ounce 2014 7.17 g/t 2015 301,000 ounces 6.97 g/t US$764 2016 284,000 ounces 6.62 g/t US$834 2017 290,000 ounces 5.54 g/t US$896 2018 280,000 ounces 5.26 g/t US$925 2019 275,000 ounces A$1,325 2020 265,000 ounces A$1,415 2021 279,000 ounces 5.23 g/t A$1,545 2022 288,000 ounces 5.66 g/t A$1,691 2023 283,900 ounces 5.0 g/t A$1,800
References
Bibliography
External links
MINEDEX website: Granny Smith Database of the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation & Safety