Conference Proceedings
International Mining Geology Conference Proceedings 2026
Conference Proceedings
International Mining Geology Conference Proceedings 2026
The application of mine geology to improve geological model confidence at the Invincible Mine, St Ives Gold Mine
Since its discovery in 2012 to the end of 2024, the Invincible orebody produced 2.6 Moz of gold from open pit and underground mining. Mining operations commenced in 2015, and current production rates are around 225 000 ounces per annum. At the end of 2024 the Proven and Probable Mineral Reserve for Invincible was 22 Mt at 3.81 grams per tonne for 2.7 Moz and a combined pre-mined orebody total of 5.3 Moz (production + Mineral Reserve). Gold Fields expects that continued exploration and the improved geological understanding will extend the life-of-mine into the 2040s and beyond (Gold Fields Limited, 2025). The Invincible Mine is part of the St Ives Gold Mine where 16 Moz has been mined with 45 years of continuous operation from over 65 separate deposits (Oxenburgh et al, 2017). Historically, significant economic mineralisation at the Invincible Mine was thought to be only constrained within quartz carbonate shear vein arrays, hosted within a mudstone sequence. Exploration drilling at Invincible south testing the mudstone sequence intersected significant mineralisation in the footwall, consisting of sub-horizontal extensiona veins arrays hosted within coarse sedimentary units controlled by discrete shear zones which was verified by subsequent underground development. The style of this mineralisation and the size potential required a full reassessment of orebody modelling and mine geology practices. This resulted in a shift towards bulk mining methods in these zones, delivering significant productivity gains and reduced unit costs. Over this time the geological story of Invincible has continued to evolve through application of disciplined exploration and mine geology practices.
Contributor(s):
S Marwick, K Stinson, M Fitzgerald, C Muchechetere and M Ngara
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- Published: 2026
- Pages: 4
- PDF Size: 0.29 Mb.
- Unique ID: P-05240-K5W7C9