This technical report describes the mineral processing and recovery methods at the Veladero gold mine in San Juan Province, Argentina, as of March 2018.
Report context
This technical report on the Veladero Gold Mine, San Juan Province, Argentina, was prepared for Barrick Gold Corporation and issued on March 19, 2018. The document serves as a National Instrument 43-101 technical report covering mineral processing and metallurgical testing, mineral resource and reserve estimates, mining methods, and recovery methods.
Processing route
Metallurgical Testwork
Metallurgical testwork has been conducted at the Veladero mine to characterize ore response to the proposed processing route. The testwork program established metallurgical domains that inform the process design and resource estimation. These domains are used to define gold recovery behavior and processing characteristics for different ore types encountered at the deposit.
Crushing Plant
The processing route begins at the crushing plant, where run-of-mine ore is reduced in size prior to placement on the leach pad. The design of the crushing circuit is based on the results of metallurgical testwork to achieve appropriate particle size distribution for efficient gold extraction.
Valley-Leach Facility
Crushed ore is transported to the valley-leach facility, a valley-fill type heap leach pad. The leach facility design incorporates the site's topography and geological conditions. Dilute cyanide solution is applied to the ore heap to dissolve gold from the crushed material.
Merrill-Crowe Process Plant
Pregnant solution from the valley-leach facility is collected and processed through a Merrill-Crowe process plant. This plant uses zinc precipitation to recover gold and silver from the cyanide solution. The design of the Merrill-Crowe plant is based on the expected solution grades and flow rates derived from metallurgical testwork.
Key reported parameters
| Parameter | Unit | Value / Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Metallurgical testwork | , | Completed; used to define metallurgical domains |
| Crushing plant | , | Design stage; part of recovery method |
| Valley-leach facility | , | Existing operation; valley-fill heap leach |
| Merrill-Crowe process plant | , | Existing operation; zinc precipitation recovery |
| Processing manpower | , | Reported as part of process plant operations |
Technical qualifications
The report specifically addresses mineral processing and metallurgical testing in Section 13. The recovery methods described in Section 17 include the crushing plant, valley-leach facility, and Merrill-Crowe process plant. The report does not provide detailed flowsheet diagrams, mass balances, or plant performance data. Mineral resource and reserve estimates are covered in separate sections (14 and 15) and are not detailed in the processing or recovery sections of the report.
Source: Barrick Gold Corporation, Technical Report on the Veladero Mine, San Juan Province, Argentina, March 19, 2018. Sections 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17.
