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Kışladağ is a low-grade, bulk-tonnage, open pit operation that uses heap leaching for gold recovery. Kışladağ is located in Usak Province in western Turkey and one of the largest gold mines in the country.
Kışladağ is expected to mine and place on leach over 13 million tonnes of ore at an average grade of 0.65 grams per tonne. With the commissioning of the High-Pressure Grinding Roll (“HPGR”) circuit complete, as announced in December 2021, average recoveries in 2022 are expected to be approximately 56% for the year. Consistent with mine plans, cash operating costs per ounce in 2022 are expected to be impacted by increased mining and processing costs as a result of higher throughput and lower grades. Inflationary pressures in labour rates and consumables are expected to be partially offset by the weakened Lira.
Forecast 2022 sustaining capital of $14 to $19 million is primarily related to equipment overhauls and mobile equipment purchases. Growth capital of $72 to $77 million includes the continuation of both the waste stripping campaign and the expansion of the North Leach Pad, as well as the construction of the North Rock Dump.
Kışladağ is a porphyry gold deposit that formed beneath a coeval Miocene volcanic complex in Western Anatolia, Turkey. At least four latite intrusive phases are recognized in the deposit. Alteration consists of a potassic core with K-feldspar, biotite, quartz and locally magnetite, outwardly overprinted by illite, kaolinite, quartz, and tourmaline. Remnants of a quartz-alunite lithocap are found near surface. Gold mineralization occurs within zones of quartz-pyrite stockwork and disseminations. Oxidation extends to a depth of 20 to 80 metres but there is no supergene enrichment. The mineralized intrusions at Kışladağ are enclosed within volcanic and volcaniclastic strata that overlie basement schist and gneiss of the Menderes Massif Core Complex. These strata dip outward from the deposit core, and display rapid facies changes from massive lavas and coarse poorly stratified units proximal to the porphyry centre, to finer well-stratified volcaniclastic strata that interfinger with lacustrine sedimentary rocks in surrounding sedimentary basins.
The Kışladağ deposit was an original discovery made by Eldorado in the late 1990's during a regional grassroots exploration program.