Kettle River-Buckhorn, USA

The Kettle River-Buckhorn project was radically re-designed as an underground mine, and was engineered to keep its environmental footprint as small as possible.

Quick Facts

  • Ownership: 100% Kinross
  • Location: Washington, USA
  • Mining: Underground
  • Processing: Milling, flotation, carbon-in-pulp
  • 2012 gold equivalent production: 156,092 oz.
  • 2012 cost of sales: US$482/oz.
  • 2012 Proven and probable reserves: 0.26M oz.

 

 

Awards and News

  • 2007: Awarded with the Northwest Mining Association's Platinum Award for Corporate Excellence, for Leadership in Designing and Permitting a Mine that has Minimal Impact on the Surrounding Environment
  • 2007: Received the United States MSHA National Sentinels of Safety Award in the Small Underground Mine Category
  • 2005: Recorded zero lost-time injuries (LTIs)
 
Choose an Operation:

The 100% Kinross-owned Kettle River-Buckhorn properties are located in Ferry County in the State of Washington. The properties cover approximately 3,075 hectares through patented and unpatented mining claims and fee lands. Kinross acquired Kettle River through its acquisition of Echo Bay on January 31, 2003. At the time, the mine was undergoing care and maintenance. Kinross resumed operations on the Emanuel Creek deposit in December 2003, which was completed in November 2005.

The Buckhorn Mountain Project

In August 2006, Kinross acquired the Buckhorn gold deposit, located approximately 76 kilometres by road from Kinross' Kettle River gold milling facility. Originally conceived as an open pit mine, Buckhorn was redesigned and developed as an underground mine, and the Kettle River mill was refurbished to process the ore.

The primary mining method employed is cut and fill, with a target production rate of 900 tonnes per day. The Buckhorn mine ore is trucked 75 kilometers to the Kettle River Mill, which has a 1,800 tonne per day capacity.

Mineral Reserve and Resource Summary

As at December 31, 2012

Tonnes

Grade

Ounces

Gold

( X 1,000)

(g/t)

( X 1,000)

Proven and Probable Reserves

 813

10.18

266

Measured and Indicated Resources(a)

61

11.73

23

Inferred Resources

85

9.97

27

a) Measured and Indicated Resources exclude Proven and Probable Reserves