MANAGING THE SANTA-ROSA OPEN-PIT, HEAP-LEACH GOLD PROJECT

Greenstone Resources Ltd. constructed and operates the Santa Rosa open -pit, heap-leach gold mine in Veraguas, Panama, which was commissioned in 1995 at a designed capacity of 1.8 million tonnes per year. The or e exhibits a long three-year leach cycle and requires three-stage crus hing to achieve an average gold recovery of 74 percent. The crushing p lant handles a high volume of clay material, and the circuit includes a Barmac crusher. In order to control the water balance (average rainf all is more than three meters of water per year), Greenstone developed the means to successfully operate this low-grade gold deposit under d ifficult operating conditions.