Jundee Gold Mine (Jundee-Nimary), Jundee Goldfield, Wiluna Shire, Western Australia, Australiai

Regional Level Types
Jundee Gold Mine (Jundee-Nimary)	Mine
Jundee Goldfield	Ore Field
Wiluna Shire	Shire
Western Australia	State
Australia	Country

Located 50 kilometres north-east of Wiluna. Mining started in 1995 from eventually ten open pits and underground mining started in 1997. Open pit mining closed the same year. The Nimary Mindat locality has remained separate as this mine was initial developed independent of Jundee before being combined in 1997.

Mark Creasy discovered the deposits in the late 1980's and early 1990's. It was then owned by Great Central Mines, Normandy Mining, Newmont, and Northern Star Resources purchased the mine in 2014.

The mines are located in the west dipping Yandal Greenstone Belt of lower banded iron formations and mafic/ultramafic rocks, overlain by tholeiitic and high Mg basalt, diorite and minor sediments. This upper unit holds the gold mineralisation. Younger felsic and intermediate porphyries and dolerite dykes intrude the host sequence. It is bounded on the west by felsic to intermediate volcanics with minor chert, basalt and shale. On the east it is bounded by mafic packages with decreasing gold grades as it becomes higher in magnesium and ultramafics.

About 70% of the gold is found in dolerite sills named, Lyons, Westside, Barton, and Hughes. These sills are intrusions that are layered parallel with a thin sequence of sedimentary rocks. The remaining 30% of gold is found in basalt. Ore lodes are many, with visible gold abundant and extensive. However the quartz and carbonate veins are often thin, sometimes no more than the width of a pencil, which increases ore haulage costs.

The field has undergone multi phase folds, thrusts, strikes and oblique slip faults. Open pit mining ceased with Newmont in 2007. Since all the ore has come from underground operations, accessed via three portals called Gateway, Invicta and Barton at the base of the superpit. Major ore bodies strike for 3 kilometres and include Gringotts, Gateway, Nexus, Moneyline, Nim 3, Wilson, Invicta, Cardassian.

The complex contains ten open pits, ranging from small to super pit size. From the south these include Kestrel, Nim 4, Fischer, Main then adjoining this to the north Barton and Throssell, the main superpit with sections called Nim 3, Deakin, Nim 6, North-West, Nim 1 and Nim 2, separate pits north of this being Reid, Cook, Keating and Menzies. The plant is directly east of the complex, with the mining camp 4 kilometres south-east.

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References