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Gold ‘mother lode’ unearthed underground in Kambalda delivers $15 million in just four days
Updated
Underground miners in outback Western Australia have unearthed rare gold specimens which geologists are calling a “once-in-a-lifetime discovery”.
Workers at the Beta Hunt mine near the small town of Kambalda, 630 kilometres east of Perth, have brought more than $15 million worth of gold specimens to the surface in just four days.
The gold-encrusted rocks were found about 500 metres below the surface in an area just three metres wide and three metres high.
The largest specimen weighs in at 90 kilograms and took three men to lift it onto the back of a ute.
The quartz rock is covered in an estimated 2,300 ounces of gold worth about $3.8 million at today’s gold price.
Another 60kg specimen is estimated to contain 1,600 ounces, or about $2.6 million in gold.
Senior geologist Zaf Thanos said in most mines around the world it is only possible to see gold through a magnifying glass.
“You might go your whole life and you’ll never see anything like it. It’s definitely a once-in-a-lifetime discovery,” he said.
“As a geologist, like I said, you get excited by a pinhead speck. But to see something on this scale is just phenomenal.
“This sort of bonanza zone is incredibly unique.”
The rich cluster of high-grade gold has so far produced more than 9,000 ounces.
‘I’ve never seen anything like this’: miner
Kambalda miner Henry Dole is credited with the discovery, describing it as hitting the “mother lode”.
Mr Dole had drilled holes into the wall of the mine and planted explosives which were fired once he was safely on the surface.
When he came back to the same area for his next shift, Mr Dole thought it was business as usual.
“Everything was covered in dust, and as I watered the dirt down there was just gold everywhere, as far as you could see,” he said.
“I’ve been an airleg miner for 16 years. Never in my life have I ever seen anything like this.
“There was chunks of gold in the face, on the ground, truly unique I reckon.
“I nearly fell over looking at it … we were picking it up for hours.”