Horseshoe Lights

Horseshoe Range Scrape and Detect is situated within the Peak Hill Mineral Field, Mid-West region of Western Australia, approximately 750 km north of Perth. The terrain is characterised by low-relief lateritic plains and ancient Archaean greenstone exposures, with shallow regolith profiles typical of the Murchison goldfields. This flat-to-undulating topography facilitates high-efficiency bulk earthmoving with minimal pre-stripping gradients, reducing dozer cycle times and enabling broad, systematic scrape passes across the mineralised surface.

The scrape-and-detect methodology demands continuous diesel consumption across a fleet typically comprising dozers, excavators, and articulated dump trucks operating in coordinated grid passes. Power dependency is localised, relying on diesel gensets rather than grid-tied substations, given the remote nature of Peak Hill MF. B2B procurement priorities include bulk fuel supply contracts, ground-engaging tools (GET), detector equipment maintenance, and consumable wear parts for earthmoving assets cycling 10–16 operational hours per day.

Scrape-and-detect operations bypass conventional comminution circuits entirely. There is no primary crushing, milling, or flotation plant on-site. Gold recovery relies on:

• Metal detector arrays (VLF/PI technology) post-scrape
• Systematic dozer blade depth control for regolith layer exposure
• Manual or semi-automated nugget retrieval protocols
• Stockpile management of barren overburden

Engineering focus centres on regolith depth modelling and geophysical targeting to maximise gold-per-hectare recovery rates.

Scrape-and-detect operations carry a comparatively low environmental footprint versus hard-rock processing, with no reagent use, no tailings dams, and minimal water consumption. ESG alignment opportunities include:

• Transitioning diesel gensets to hybrid solar-battery microgrids
• Progressive land rehabilitation post-scrape per DMIRS requirements
• Dust suppression protocols under WA environmental conditions
• Scope 1 emissions reporting for diesel fleet utilisation

Decarbonisation pathways remain nascent but structurally viable given the low-voltage power demand profile of this operation.