Yaramoko Mine, Burkina Faso

Our highest grade gold mine

Overview

Our Yaramoko Mine is in the Houndé greenstone belt region in the Province of Balé in southwestern Burkina Faso. In 2023, Yaramoko produced 117,711 ounces of gold.

The Yaramoko Mine consists of two underground gold mines: the 55 Zone and Bagassi South. The deposits are greenstone-hosted high-grade orogenic gold deposits. The Bagassi South Zone deposit is located 1.8 kilometers south of 55 Zone and the surface definition of the veins can be traced over a strike length of 800 meters and dips to the northeast. Gold typically occurs as coarse free grains in quartz and is associated with pyrite.

Based on reserves reported as of December 31, 2023 the operation has a mine life of two years.

We recognize the role that the Yaramoko Mine plays to support sustainable development in our areas of influence around the mine. In 2023, we employed 896 direct employees and contractors.

Yaramoko Mine Video

Commodities

Gold

Ownership

90%

(State of Burkina Faso holds 10% interest)

Mill throughput

531,578

tonnes milled in 2023

Claim block area

23,000

hectares

Deposit type

Orogenic gold

Mining method

Longhole stoping with cemented rock fill

Operating highlights 202312024E1
Tonnes milled (000)532435
Gold production (koz)117.7105 – 119
AISC2,3,4 (US$/oz Au)1,4991,220 – 1,320

Location

The Yaramoko Mine is situated in the Houndé greenstone belt region in the Province of Balé in southwestern Burkina Faso. The property is located approximately 200 kilometers southwest from the capital city of Ouagadougou (Latitude: 11° 45’ 25” N, Longitude: 3° 16’ 58” W).

Our operations add value to Burkina Faso’s formal economy by providing contracts and stable jobs for local people and by helping to expand the revenue base of our host government through income taxation, national social security system contributions and the royalties we pay every time we ship gold.

Geology and mineralization

The north-northeast-trending Boni shear zone divides the Yaramoko concession between the predominantly Houndé volcanic and volcaniclastic rock to the west and the Diébougou granitoid domain composed predominantly of granitic rock with minor volcanic rock to the east. The main lithological units are mafic volcanic rocks, felsic intrusions, and late dolerite dikes.

This region is considered prospective for orogenic gold deposits, which typically exhibit a strong relationship with regional arrays of major shear zones. The largest granitic intrusion found on the Yaramoko concession is host to both the 55 Zone and Bagassi South Zone gold deposits. Both deposits are set on the eastern margin of the intrusive in the footwall of the Yaramoko shear along conjugated dextral faults located in extensional position to the regional shear zone. The bulk of the gold mineralization occurs in dilatational segments of the shear zones where quartz veins are thicker and exhibit greater continuity.

Mineral reserves

0.9 million tonnes

averaging 7.9 g/t Au containing 0.2 Moz Au

Refer to Mineral Reserves and Resources table below for full disclosure

Brownfields exploration

The Brownfields exploration program budget for 2024 at Yaramoko is $6.1 million, which includes 41,450 meters of exploration drilling, with underground drilling testing western and depth extensions to the Zone 55 deposit, surface drilling testing several anomalies along the Boni Shear, Bagassi South surface extensions, and other surface targets.

Mineral reserves and resources

   Contained Metal
PropertyClassificationTonnes (000)Au (g/t)Au (koz)
Mineral Reserves – Proven and Probable
55 Zone Underground
 Proven0
 Probable5099.56157
 Proven + Probable5099.56157
55 Zone Open Pit
 Proven   
 Probable836.4417
 Proven + Probable836.4417
109 Zone Open Pit
 Proven   
 Probable1202.048
 Proven + Probable1202.048
Bagassi South QV Prime Underground
 Proven   
 Probable1208.4433
 Proven + Probable1208.4433
Bagassi South Underground
 Proven   
 Probable104.441
 Proven + Probable104.441
Stockpiles
 Proven215.444
 Probable  0
 Proven + Probable215.444
Combined
 Proven215.444
 Probable8427.96216
 Proven + Probable8637.90219
Mineral Resources – Measured and Indicated
Z55 Underground
Measured184.332
 Indicated2253.3024
 Measured + Indicated2433.3826
Measured 0.00 
 Indicated543.676
 Measured + Indicated543.676
Z109 Open Pit
Measured 0.00 
 Indicated1021.344
 Measured + Indicated1021.344
Bagassi South QV Prime Underground
Measured 0.00 
 Indicated632.806
 Measured + Indicated632.806
Bagassi South Underground
Measured 0.00 
 Indicated82.211
 Measured + Indicated82.211
Combined
Measured184.332
 Indicated4522.8241
 Measured + Indicated4692.8743
Mineral Resources – Inferred
Z55 UndergroundInferred533.025
Z55 Open PitInferred214.033
Z109 Open PitInferred51.020
Bagassi South QV Prime UndergroundInferred563.566
Bagassi South UndergroundInferred244.634
CombinedInferred1593.5218

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