Frog's Leg Gold Mine
| Location | |
|---|---|
  Frog's Leg Gold Mine Location in Australia | |
| Location | Kalgoorlie |
| State | Western Australia |
| Country | Australia |
| Coordinates | 30°59′S 121°27′E / 30.983°S 121.450°ECoordinates: 30°59′S 121°27′E / 30.983°S 121.450°E |
| Production | |
| Production | 85,600 |
| Financial year | 2008–09 [1] |
| History | |
| Opened | 2004 |
| Owner | |
| Company |
La Mancha Resources (51%) Avoca Resources Limited (49%) |
| Website |
La Mancha website Avoca website |
The Frog's Leg Gold Mine is a gold mine located 19 km west of Kalgoorlie, Western Australia.
It is jointly owned by La Mancha Resources (51% - operator) and Avoca Resources Limited (49%).[2]
History
The gold deposit at Frog's Leg was discovered in 1999 and mining originally occurred in an open pit operation from April 2004 to October 2005, when operations ceased again.[3] To the frustration of Dioro, Mines and Resources Australia Pty Ltd, a subsidiary of the French company Areva,[4] delayed the development of an underground mine at the location, an impasse only solved by the sale of its 51% stake.[5]
In September 2006, La Mancha Resources announced the takeover of Mines and Resources Australia's 51% share of the project and began a major drilling program to define potential resources. With this transaction, La Mancha also acquired the White Foil Gold Mine.[6] In mid-2007, the company began to develop an underground operation. In May 2008, the first gold was poured at the mine and, on 1 January 2009, commercial production was achieved.[3]
Dioro's ore from the Frog's Leg mine is processed at the Dioro-owned Jubilee Mill, located at the South Kalgoorlie Gold Mine, which was commissioned in 1987.[7][8]
Dioro's 49% stake in the Frog's Leg mine, together with the South Kal operation were part of a takeover war between Avoca Resources and Ramelius Resources. Avoca, owner of the Higginsville Gold Mine and Ramelius, owner of the Wattle Dam Gold Mine, both in the area south of Kalgoorlie, were both interested in acquiring Dioro to combine their existing operations with Dioro's.[9][10] After a failed bit by Avoca in August 2009 and a subsequent extension to the bit by Ramelius, Avoca made a new offer for Dioro on 29 December 2009, despite having earlier declared that its August bit was final.[11] Avoca eventually succeeded in its bit for Dioro and, on 21 April 2010, Dioro was delisted from the ASX.[12]
Production
Production figures for the mine, split into individual owners.
La Mancha
La Mancha's financial year runs from 1 January to 31 December:
| Year 1 | Gold production |
Grade | Cost per ounce |
| 2008 [13] | 15,375 ounces | ||
| 2009 |
Dioro
Dioro's financial year runs from 1 September to 31 August:
| Year 1 | Gold production |
Grade | Cost per ounce |
| 2007–08 [14] | 10,814 ounces | 3.98 g/t | |
| 2008–09 [7] | 41,946 ounces | 5.24 g/t | US$ 472 |
Sources
- The Australian Mines Handbook: 2003–2004 Edition, Louthean Media Pty Ltd, Editor: Ross Louthean
- Western Australian Mineral and Petroleum Statistics Digest 2008 Page 34: Principal Mineral and Petroleum Producers - Gold
References
- ↑ Calculated on Dioro's figures for the companies financial year.
- ↑ MINEDEX website - Mungari East search result accessed: 6 January 2010
- 1 2 Frog's Leg Mine La Mancha website, accessed: 6 January 2010
- ↑ Historique AREVA NC accessed: 7 January 2010
- ↑ Frog's Leg may give Dioro the hop it needs to crack open some vintage Penfold The Age, published: 21 May 2007, accessed: 7 January 2010
- ↑ La Mancha Closes Transaction La Mancha website, published: 28 September 2006, accessed: 6 January 2010
- 1 2 Annual report 2008–09 Dioro ASX announcement, published: 27 November 2009, accessed: 6 January 2010
- ↑ Quarterly Report for the period ending 31 August Dioro ASX announcement, published: 31 September 2009, accessed: 6 January 2010
- ↑ Dioro out of touch, says Avoca Resources The Australian, published: 17 June 2009, accessed: 6 January 2010
- ↑ Avoca opens offer for gold miner Dioro The Sydney Morning Herald, published: 19 May 2009, accessed: 6 January 2010
- ↑ Avoca increase bid for Dioro Exploration ninemsn.com.au, published: 29 December 2009, accessed: 6 January 2010
- ↑ Removal from Official List Dioro ASX announcement, published: 21 April 2010, accessed: 7 May 2010
- ↑ LA MANCHA'S 2008 YEAR END PRODUCTION INCREASES 33% TO 71,550 OUNCES La Mancha website, published: 22 January 2009, accessed: 7 January 2010
- ↑ Annual report 2007–08 Dioro ASX announcement, published: 28 November 2008, accessed: 6 January 2010