Pressure Oxidation at FirstMiss Gold’s Getchell Mine

Pressure oxidation of refractory gold ores is becoming more popular in what has become an environmentally sensitive society. This article discusses some specific process problems and solutions involved with starting up and operating an autoclave circuit. The Getchell gold deposit is located about 72 km (45 miles) northeast of Winnemucca, NV. The deposit was discovered in 1934 and first production came about in 1938. The oxide portion of the ore body was mined and milled from about 1936 through 1950. Refractory arsenic-bearing sulfide ores had long been known to exist in the Getchell deposit. These ores had been mined concurrently with the oxides since 1938.