Three Phases Of The New Haile Gold Mine Operation
Operations at Haile consist of three phases of development and operation over a 13-year mine life with a possible 10+ year expansion.
Phase 1. Pre-production and construction.
Developing a modern mine in the right way with the utmost care for the environment, operations, employees and the community is a long process. We spent many years exploring, evaluating, planning and working with regulatory agencies and environmental organizations before the first shovel of dirt was moved.
Now, more than 12 years since we first came the historic Haile site, OceanaGold has invested nearly $800 million in capital costs to create this modern-day mine operation.
Construction of the mining facilities began in the fall of 2015 and we celebrated our first gold pour in 2017. View our Mine Operations page for more information.
Phase 2. Active mining for 13 years with a possible 10+ year expansion.
How do we mine the gold? Well, early miners were fortunate to be able to pan for gold in this area. But today, the gold that is left is found in underground ore bodies and can be extracted only using modern mining techniques.
Simply put, we bring up the ore from large open pits and then crush and concentrate the rock so the gold can be extracted through various processes. Then the gold is smelted into doré bars, which are a semi-pure alloy of gold that will be refined further into pure gold.
Phase 3. Site reclamation. Once mining is concluded, we wont just walk away.
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Mining At The Haile Gold Deposit
Conventional open-pit mining methods, involving drilling and blasting, will be applied at the Haile gold mine. The initial mining fleet is expected to comprise 12 Cat777F haul trucks, two front-end loaders, one hydraulic front shovel, and other support equipment.
The mine is expected to produce 2.55Mt of ore a year, which will be delivered to the 7,000t / d processing plant.
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Historic Gold Discoveries In South Carolina
In 1856, a lump of gold was found within in Abbeville County. The discovery afforded the strongest evidence of an valuable vein around the vicinity. More exploration confirmed the richness of this area.
The area around Lowndsville will also produce placer gold in many of the surrounding waters. The main waterways here include the Savannah River and Rocky River. Many small tributaries in this part of South Carolina will also produce some good gold with a gold pan or sluice box.
There have been some nice-sized gold nuggets unearthed in South Carolina. There are many historic mines throughout both North Carolina and South Carolina.
Brewer MineTanyard Pit
Placer gold yield from these two mines was double that of the lode mines in the surrounding area. near Smyrna is also pretty notable and its biggest claim to fame was the sizable gold nuggets found in the mine. In 1856, two large gold nuggets weighing 9.5 ounces and 17 ounces were found at the Martin mine.
The Henderson Prospect and other gold mines in the towns of Honea Path and Williamston in Anderson County have produced placer gold. Mines in Honea Path relied upon minor gold finds in Chinquola Mill Creek, and placers were also worked around Williamston on Camp Creek and many surrounding drainage.
There were rich lode and placer mines in Greenville County. The most noteworthy were the Briggs and Wildcat Mines that produced lode gold and the McBee Placer and Westmoreland Placer Mines which had rich placer gold.
Striking Gold In The East: South Carolina
Amanda Ellis 2018-05-04 02:19:05
Youve read about North Carolina, Americas first golden state, and the gold rush that followedbut theres an important state missing from the story: its neighbor, South Carolina. South Carolina shared much of the same success as North Carolina in the mid-1800s and experienced a historic mining revitalization in the 1990s. In fact, South Carolinas Haile Gold Mine is noted for producing more gold than any other mine in this part of the country. South Carolina is rich in mining history but lacking in museums and preserved historic sites. Its necessary to think about visiting South Carolina for gold mining as embarking on an exploratory expeditiononly the seriously adventurous need apply.
A Golden Past
The Carolina Slate Belt runs from Georgia up to Virginia slicing through the state of South Carolina and serving as the center-point of the states gold mining history. Gold was first dis-covered in North Carolina in 1799 and became a significant resource in South Carolina a short time later. Gold can be found in meta-volcanic and meta-sedimentary compounds throughout the Carolina Slate Belt, including free particles found as placer deposits in streams lodes in-grained into host rock, which is primarily quartz in the Carolinas and disseminated mineral deposits. While South Carolina came second in terms of gold discovery in the area, the state is responsible for extensive technical developments and ore processing advancements.
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Billions Of Dollars At Stake As Huge Gold Mine Moves Ahead With South Carolina Expansion
Buried deep in the Lancaster County dirt are billions of dollars in gold that a mining company has been furiously digging for during the past six years.
OceanaGolds effort has drawn praise locally for the hundreds of jobs it created, but the company also has sparked criticism over its failure to follow environmental laws, as well as the massive impact the mine has had on the landscape.
Now, however, the company has struck a deal with environmentalists that could make it easier for OceanaGold to expand from about 4,500 acres to nearly 5,400 acres.
Environmental groups agreed this month not to oppose Hailes proposed expansion after the company pledged to put more cash in the bank to pay for pollution cleanups when the mine closes.
The deal requires the Haile Gold Mines owners to sock away an extra $10 million for cleanups. The deal could ultimately mean the cash trust fund would, with interest, grow to several hundred million dollars over time, say conservationists who agreed to the deal.
In return, environmental groups gave up their right to fight state and federal environmental permits the gold mine is seeking to expand operations in rural Lancaster County.
Chris DeScherer, an attorney for the Southern Environmental Law Center, said hes satisfied with the agreement his organization brokered with OceanaGold. Opposing the permits in court could have been messier and more time-consuming than signing an agreement this month with OceanaGold, he said.
Rich History New Beginning
Located in Lancaster County, South Carolina, the historic Haile Gold Mine was one of the first operating gold mines in the United States. Established long before the gold rush of California, gold was discovered in 1827 by Benjamin Haile and the mine has been in production on and off for nearly 200 years. In fact, in the late 19th century, Haile was the most productive and profitable gold mine east of the Mississippi River.
Today, Haile is owned by OceanaGold, a global gold mining company with a strong presence in the Philippines, New Zealand and United States. OceanaGold has extensive experience in the industry and is devoted to the environment and the communities in which we operate. OceanaGold also is committed to leaving a positive, long-lasting legacy well beyond the mine life cycle.
The primary construction of the new mine operating facilities at Haile is complete. After many years of planning, exploration, construction and regulatory preparation, we celebrated reaching the milestone of our very first gold pour on January 19th, 2017.
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The Haile gold mine an open-pit operation located along the eastern coast US coast. The mine currently employs more than 600 people within the region and is considered the largest gold mining operation on the Atlantic coast.
The Haile operation has strict protocols and controls in place to maintain a high standard of health and safety, the company said. For the past three weeks, the Haile operation has only permitted entry to essential employees and contractors, while all administrative staff have been working offsite where possible.
All employees and contractors entering the site undergo a health screening process, and each shift has been split into smaller groups of less than three, with physical distancing implemented within these smaller groups, allowing the company to isolate smaller teams if any member of the team exhibits symptoms or tests positive for covid-19.
Last month, OceanaGold temporarily suspended operations at its Waihi gold mine, located on the North Island of New Zealand, in response to the covid-19 measures put in place by the New Zealand government.
Go Gold And Gem Mining In The State Where It Began
North Carolina has a glittering mining history, and today were still known for our gold, ruby, sapphire and emerald mines.
In the early 1800s, you could hardly cross North Carolina without falling into a gold mine. During our gold rush the nations first many industrious men made fortunes in North Carolina.
Today, you can visit the gold mine where it all began, and go to gem mines that give you hands-on experience with our states mineral resources and history.
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Youll Never Forget A Trip Through This Old Gold Mine In South Carolina
The Palmetto State is full of secret little attractions that few people know about. For instance, theres an historic gold mine hiding in South Carolina. In fact, its so well hidden that trying to find an address for it on the Internet is a bit like panning for gold itself. But we scored the address and some photos. Check it out below.
Haile Gold Mine Lancaster County South Carolina
Producer of
Lancaster County, South Carolina, US
Reserves
Romarco is developing the Haile open-pit gold mine in Lancaster County, South Carolina, US. Feasibility study of the gold mining project was completed in February 2011. Construction was started in May 2015 and first gold is expected to be poured in the fourth quarter of 2016. The project is expected to generate approximately 500 construction and 300 production jobs.
The mine is expected to have a mill throughput of 7,000t / d during its mine life of more than 13 years. It is estimated to produce 172,000oz of gold in the first year and an average of 150,000oz a year during the first five years.
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Ore Processing At Haile
The run-of-mine ore will be initially crushed in a primary jaw crusher and stockpiled before being conveyed to the semi-autogenous grind mill.
The SAG mill will operate in closed-circuit with a vibrating discharge screen and a pebble return circuit, while the ball mill will operate in closed-circuit with hydrocyclones to produce the desired grinding product size of 80%.
A portion of the load circulating in the grinding circuit will be treated in a flash flotation cell, while the concentrate will go to a regrind circuit and the remaining portion will be sent to the flotation circuit that uses rougher flotation. The flash and rougher flotation concentrate will be combined to achieve a grinding product size of 80% passing 13 microns.
The reground concentrate will be thickened prior to cyanide leaching in agitated leach tanks. The concentrate leach discharge will be processed in a carbon-in-leach circuit to dissolve gold and silver contained in the slurry and adsorb the dissolved metals from the solution onto activated carbon.
Tailings from the flotation circuit will be thickened in order to recycle water to the grinding circuit. The thickened tails will be combined with the leached concentrate and processed in a CIL circuit to dissolve gold and silver.
Youll Love Panning For Gold At The Unique Heritage Gold Mine Park In South Carolina
South Carolina is home to a park that features an 1850s gold mine that recovered a million dollars worth of gold in a period of less than 10 years in the 1850s. Heritage Gold Mine Park in McCormick is both a living testament to the gold rush era and the dreams of one man, Billy Dorn, who struck the mine in 1852.
Heritage Gold Mine Park is open seasonally from May to October on the first and third Saturdays of the month from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Pan for gold and keep what you find! Learn more from the official website for the park.
Have you ever panned for gold? Will you be adding this gold mine in South Carolina to your bucket list? Let us know in the comments!
Want to make a weekend of it? Spend the night in McCormick at This River Cabin Resort In South Carolina Is The Ultimate Spot For A Getaway.
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Museum Of North Carolina Minerals
This scenic museum is located on the Blue Ridge Parkway at Gillespie Gap, an important stop for Revolutionary War fighters on their way to the Battle of Kings Mountain. It features interactive displays about the minerals and gems found in the region and the historical importance of the mining industry to the local economy. The museum also hosts a visitors center for the Mitchell County Chamber of Commerce.
Operating A Modern Mine In Modern Times
Mining in the todays world is vastly different than in the old days of mining. Careful planning, execution and state-of-the-art techniques and technology are used not only to maximize mining potential, but to ensure the safety and well-being of employees, the environment and the communities around us.
Have you ever wondered what a modern gold mine looks like? Take a look
Key Mine Operations Terms:
Interested in mine operations? The following are key terms that will help you understand mine operations and the information found below.
Pit ActivitiesGetting to the Gold Ore Body
So how do we get to the gold? The gold that is left at Haile, after nearly 200 years of mining, is found in the ore body below the ground.
During this phase of our operations, we are using open pit mining, which is what it sounds likewe make open pits in the ground and haul the ore out to be processed and the gold removed.
Mine pits are being opened to various depths in a process that involves mechanically removing the softer overlying soil and blasting, loading, and hauling away the overlying rock to reach the gold ore. A series of pits will be opened, mined and reclaimed in sequence.
Why are the mine pits so big?
It takes a lot of rock to get a little gold. First, the pit walls must be sloped back for the safety of the workers. Then there are wide roads to get very large equipment in and out safely. Once we reach the ore, it takes 20 tons of rock to produce one ounce of gold. Yes, 20 tons.
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Haile Gold Mine Location History Geology And Mineralisation
Betze-Post Gold Mine, Nevada, United States of America
Betze-Post gold mine, in Nevada, US, is the eighth deepest open-pit mine in the world.
The mine was discovered in 1827 by Benjamin Haile and operated for approximately 200 years. The north central portion of South Carolina is geologically situated in the Carolina superterrane or Carolinia.
The Haile gold mine is located within the Carolina terrane, which was formerly known as the Carolina slate belt, a unique geologic feature trending from Georgia to Virginia. The gold mineralisation occurs along a trend of moderately-to-steeply dipping ore bodies within a regional corridor running from the west-southwest to the east-northeast .
Most of the gold mineralisation is disseminated and occurs in silica-rich, pyrite-pyrrhotite-bearing metasediments. Quartz is dominant, pyrite is subordinate and sericite is variable within the mineralised zones. Quartz and pyrite are abundantly available at the centre of the mineralised zones, whereas sericite is minimal.
Modern Mining Historic Mine
Discovered in 1827 by Benjamin Haile, The Haile Gold Mine was one of the first and most profitable operating gold mines in the U.S. Now, utilizing the most advanced technology and mining techniques, the Haile Gold Mine is one of the most modern gold mine operations in the world.
The Haile Gold Mine is located 3 miles northeast of the town of Kershaw in Lancaster County, South Carolina. Hailes mining operations includes approximately 4,552 acres of land that over nearly two centuries has had multiple waves of mining activity. There is still evidence of these past mining practices from placer miners, underground mining, chlorination processing, or heap leaching.
Todays Haile Gold Mine is a whole new operation, with new facilities and equipment, constructed to make use of state-of-the-art technology and mining practices. Further, were employing the highest standards for mitigation and remediation of environmental impact.
Its a new day at Haile Gold Mine, and the future is bright!
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South Carolina Mine Sparks Mini
5 Min Read
CHARLESTON, South Carolina – A Canadian mining company and a tiny South Carolina town are leading what could be a modern gold rush to the southeastern United States.
Romarco Minerals Inc. reopened the historic Haile Gold Mine near Kershaw, S.C., this year and expects to pour its first gold bar there in early 2014, Chief Executive Diane Garrett told Reuters this week.
Once environmental impact studies and permits are complete, Haile will be the only modern gold mine east of the Mississippi River, Garrett said, and the first since the Kennecott Minerals mine closed in Ridgeway, S.C., in 1999.
Based on the proven gold reserves found in samples, the Toronto company estimates it has 3.1 million ounces of gold at Haile. The mine will produce an average of 150,000 ounces of gold a year for five years, according to its website.
It sits on one of the most significant trends of gold in the United States, Garrett said. A lot of people had forgotten just how significant the gold production was in this area.
Romarcos success at finding the gold left at Haile has sparked renewed industry interest in the southeastern United States.
The gold is embedded in microscopic flecks in volcanic rock along what geologists call the Carolina Slate Belt, which winds from northern Georgia through the Carolinas and into Virginia.
Erin Ventures Inc., another Canadian company, also is prospecting for gold in North Carolina, according to its website.
