For some context below is a description of the Cadia East porphyry
from https://www.mining-technology.com/projects/cadia/
Geology and reserves at Newcrest Mining’s deposit
The Cadia East project is based on a porphyry zone of gold-copper mineralisation adjacent to the eastern edge of the Cadia Hill ore-body and extending to up to 2.5km east.
“Cadia East underground is the first Australian panel cave and Australia’s largest underground mine with world-class ore reserves.”Cadia East is a mineralised system located on the eastern edge of the Cadia Hill ore-body, within the Cadia mineralised corridor. The deposit is a porphyry zone of gold-copper mineralisation extending up to 2.5km east of Cadia Hill. The system is up to 600m-wide and extends to 1.9km below the surface.
Estimates for the Cadia East Underground project were revised in 2009 up to 2,347Mt, including 33.2Moz of gold and 6.59Mt of copper.
By 2009, the mineral resources of Cadia East increased by 5.2Moz of gold and 1.02Mt of copper. The ore reserves are 18.7Moz of gold and 31.6Mt of copper.
The exploration activities resulted in increase of about 2.4 million ounces of gold and 0.40Mt of copper reserves. The total mineral resources as of 2009 were 2,347Mt (including measured, indicated and inferred) graded at 0.44g/t Au and 0.28% copper.
The underground component of the Cadia East indicated resource was upgraded to probable reserves. This was updated to indicate an increase of 101Mt of ore containing around 1.7Moz of gold and 0.30Mt of copper. The Cadia East deposit contains some molybdenum.
As of December 2015, the total mineral resources were estimated at 2,800Mt graded at 0.40g/t Au and 0.26% Cu.
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