Processing

Ore from the open pit is delivered to the process plant by haul truck. Argyle's process plant is one of the most efficient in the world. Over time it has been upgraded and is now able to process up to 11 million tonnes of ore per annum.

Diamonds are liberated and recovered from the host lamproite ore in six stages:

1. The mined material goes through a primary crusher that reduces it to a maximum size of 150mm. Approximately 2,500 tonnes of ore are dumped into the primary crusher each hour. The secondary crusher's product is conveyed to the primary stockpile, which has a capacity of 10,000 tonnes.

2. The ore is extracted from the primary stockpile at a rate of 1,500 tonnes per hour. It is conveyed to high pressure rolls-crushers, where its maximum size is reduced to 30mm. More >