Round Mountain Gold Mine

The Round Mountain Gold Mine is an open pit gold mine in Round Mountain, Nevada. The mine is operated and owned by Kinross Gold.[2]

Round Mountain
Aerial photo of Round Mountain open pit in 2008
Location
Round Mountain is located in Nevada
Round Mountain
Round Mountain
Location of Round Mountain Gold Mine
LocationNye County
StateNevada
CountryUnited States
Coordinates38°42′36″N 117°03′58″W / 38.71000°N 117.06611°W / 38.71000; -117.06611
Production
Production324,277 oz gold[1]
Financial year2020
History
Opened1906
Owner
CompanyKinross Gold Corporation
Websitekinross.com
Year of acquisition2003

History

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Mining at Round Mountain occurred as early as 1906, using underground techniques. The mine produced 350,000 ounces of gold through underground mining over a sixty-year period, before converting to an open pit.[3] In 2003 Kinross acquired 50% of the Round Mountain mine from Echo Bay Mines through a merger. In 2016, Kinross purchased the remaining 50% from Barrick Gold Corporation.[4]

Description

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The Round Mountain Gold Mine is owned and operated by Kinross Gold. Until early in 2016, it was a 50:50 joint venture between Barrick Gold and Kinross Gold, with Kinross as the operator. The mine is 55 miles (89 km) north of the town of Tonopah, with a workforce of approximately 750 people. In 2010, expansion of the mine was approved by the Bureau of Land Management. The expansion would include increasing the depth and width of the pit, and increasing the capacity of related mining and mineral processing infrastructure. The expansion was appealed by the non-governmental organizations Great Basin Resource Watch and the Western Shoshone Defense Project. The groups also appealed the construction of Gold Hill, a second pit near Round Mountain, that is part of the expansion.[5][6] As of summer 2011, road construction and environmental mitigation began for the Round Hill expansion. Ore from the Gold Hill site is processed on site on a leach pad, while the pouring of gold bars takes place at the Round Mountain facility.[7]

Geological Setting

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The Round Mountain Mine is a low sulfidation epithermal deposit.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Kinross reports 2020 fourth-quarter and full-year results" (PDF). Toronto, Ontario: Kinross Gold Corporation. 10 February 2021. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  2. ^ Kinross Gold (November 12, 2015). "Kinross Acquires Strategic Nevada Assets". Kinross Press Release. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
  3. ^ Hardrock Mining on Federal Lands. National Research Council (U.S.). 3 December 1999. p. 136. ISBN 0-309-06596-8.
  4. ^ "Round Mountain, USA". Kinross Gold. Retrieved 27 August 2011.
  5. ^ Harding, Adella (7 July 2010). "BLM OKs Round Mountain expansion". Elko Daily Free Press. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
  6. ^ Harding, Adella (22 Aug 2010). "Appeals filed against Round Mountain". Elko Daily Free Press. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
  7. ^ Harding, Adella (Summer 2011). "Gold Hill moves closer to mining satellite pit". Elko Daily Free Press - Mining Quarterly. p. 36. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
 
Gold specimen from Round Mountain, size 2.0 x 1.8 x 0.7 cm.