Kingston Resources halts mining following pit wall failure
Kingston Resources (ASX:KSN) announced the permanent cessation of mining activities at its Pearse South open pit, following a wall failure identified on June 1.
The geotechnical incident, marked by progressive tension cracks and the vertical slumping of the main access ramp, forced an immediate suspension of operations to ensure personnel safety and equipment retrieval.
Because the pit relies entirely on this single access ramp, the instability has rendered the area completely unsafe for ongoing use.
This marks the second major geotechnical disruption at the site, following an initial incident in late 2025.
External geotechnical experts have attributed the latest failure to soft graphitic shale uncovered at the base of the pit, which interacted poorly with existing geological structures and was severely exacerbated by recent rainfall.
Furthermore, this graphitic shale has compromised metallurgical recoveries over the quarter.
With only four months of planned mining and roughly 100,000 tonnes of ore remaining before scheduled closure, Kingston’s management determined that the extensive costs and safety risks of remediation and ramp redesign heavily outweigh the economic benefits.
Redesigning the ramp would also effectively sterilise a material amount of the remaining resource.
In response to the lost cashflow from Pearse South, the Kingston Board has executed a strategic pivot for the broader Mineral Hill operation. The company will pause underground development and delay underground production.
