During a site visit of the Island Gold District last month, Alamos Gold outlined the implementation of several best practices at its Magino open-pit mine that, it says, are driving improvements.
Magino, in Ontario, Canada, is a conventional shovel-truck open-pit mine that conducts drill and blast operations to support 10 m benches.
It mined some 56,532 t/d of material in the June quarter, compared with 53,208 t/d a year earlier (Alamos acquired Magino on July 12, 2024).
Blast movement has recently been improved at the mine via the use of Orica’s OREPro™ 3D, which has reduced dilution significantly by predicting this movement in three dimensions, an Alamos spokesperson told IM.
OREPro 3D optimises ore control in 3D, according to Orica. Using readily available input data, including the post-blast topography, blast design and in-situ block model, algorithms replicate movement dynamics throughout the entire blast and calculate SmartVectors™ that, the company says, accurately transform the in-situ grade control into a post-blast model.
A reduction in the powder factor to reduce blast heave, as well as a reduction in oversize ore, has further helped improve blasting practices.
The production fleet at Magino includes two Komatsu PC3000 shovels with up to 16 cu.m capacity, one PC2000 shovel with up to 13.7 cu.m capacity and one PC1250 offering up to 9.2 cu.m capacity. This loading fleet is matched to 15 Komatsu HD1500 rigid dump trucks (139-t payload), 3 HD605 rigid dump trucks (64-t paylod) and three Komatsu HM400 ADTs (40-t payload).
Three wheel loaders (one Komatsu WA900 and two Komatsu WA600s) and five dozers (three Liebherr PR 776s, one Liebherr PR 766 and one Komatsu D155) complete the fleet.
This fleet facilitates the haulage of ore to the crusher circuit for processing, with lower-grade ore transported to stockpiles for processing at the end of the mine life. Waste, meanwhile, is hauled to the Mine Rock Management Facility and also used for Tailing Management Facility construction.
This process has been improved of late with the addition of MS4M’s Control for Miners (C4M) fleet management system. An Alamos spokesperson told IM that fleet control was previously carried out by supervisors over radio, with the introduction of the FMS boosting both safety and productivity.
The loading units are also fitted with high precision GPS from MS4M, which, when combined with the geology and engineering team’s maps, ensures loading accuracy within the pit.
The 15 Komatsu HD1500s have recently benefitted from both OEM and third-party upgrades, with Komatsu, via dealer SMS Equipment, fitting the trucks with truck bed liners and sideboards.
The incoming addition of DT Hi-Load boxes on these trucks during the scheduled rebuild process is also set to improve fleet performance, with, at the time of the site visit presentation, two of the 15 units fitted with these boxes. Another two are set to be installed this year, with more to follow in 2026.
“The DT Hiload option provides a 10% increased payload as compared to the sideboard OEM units,” the spokesperson told IM.