Commitments And Contingencies	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2011
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Commitments And Contingencies	COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES Our commitments and contingencies include the following items: ENVIRONMENTAL BONDING IN GHANA In July 2011, we increased a letter of credit for Wassa/HBB's environmental bonding from $2.85 million to $7.8 million. This brought the total bonded amount, including $0.15 million of cash, from $3.0 million to $7.95 million. In early 2012, Ghana Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA) raised Wassa/HBB's reclamation bonding requirement to approximately $10.6 million, reflecting increases in on-going mining disturbances. We expect that this $2.6 million increase in bonding will be met with a combination of letters of credit and cash. We have also bonded $9.0 million to cover rehabilitation and closure obligations at Bogoso/Prestea. These bonding requirements have been met by an $8.1 million letter of credit from a commercial bank and a $0.9 million cash deposit held by the EPA. The cash deposits are recorded as Restricted Cash on our Consolidated Balance Sheets. In 2008, Bogoso/Prestea resubmitted an updated draft of the Environmental Management Plan (“EMP”) to the EPA that included an updated estimate of the reclamation and closure costs prepared by a third party consultant. A consultant was commissioned to prepare the reclamation and closure cost estimate and the final EMP was submitted to the EPA in February 2009. Bogoso/Prestea has completed all the legal requirements and is waiting for the environmental certificate. In the mean time and in compliance with the legal time line for the previous EMP, Bogoso/Prestea prepared a new EMP and submitted it to the EPA in the fourth quarter of 2011. This EMP included a more current estimate of the reclamation and closure costs for Bogoso/Prestea and could result in a need for additional bonding later in 2012. In March 2011, we provided $12 million of reclamation bonding to the EPA to cover backfilling of the Plant North pit at Prestea, which we mined from 2003 to 2006. The bonding requirements were met by a $1.2 million cash deposit and a $10.8 million letter of credit from a commercial bank. Provisions of the bond allow the bonded amount to be reduced as cash is spent on the progress of the backfill project. The bonded amount was reduced by $2.7 million in June and then a further $4.7 million in August, reflecting the effort and success achieved in backfilling the Plant North Pit. In November 2011, the $1.2 million cash deposit was refunded to us upon completion of the backfilling project and the bonding requirements expired at that time. GOVERNMENT OF GHANA'S RIGHTS TO INCREASE ITS PARTICIPATION Under Act 703, the Government of Ghana has the right to acquire a special share or “golden share” in our Ghanaian subsidiaries at any time for no consideration or such consideration as the Government of Ghana and such subsidiaries might agree, and a pre-emptive right to purchase all gold and other minerals produced by such subsidiaries. A “golden share” carries no voting rights and does not participate in dividends, profits or assets. To date, the Government of Ghana has not sought to exercise any of these rights at our properties. ROYALTIES Dunkwa Properties As part of the acquisition of the Dunkwa properties in 2003, we agreed to pay the seller a net smelter return royalty on future gold production from the Mansiso and Asikuma properties. As per the acquisition agreement, there will be no royalty due on the first 200,000 ounces produced from Mampon which is located on the Asikuma property. The amount of the royalty is based on a sliding scale which ranges from 2% of net smelter return at gold prices at or below $300 per ounce and progressively increases to 3.5% for gold prices in excess of $400 per ounce. Government of Ghana The Ghana Government receives a royalty equal to 5% of mineral revenues, effective as of March 31, 2011. Prior to March 31, 2011, the royalty rate was 3% of mineral revenues. Benso Benso has paid a $1.00 per ounce gold production royalty to former owners, but with mining ending at Benso in February 2012, there will be no further royalty payments after this time. Hwini-Butre As part of the agreement for the purchase of the Hwini-Butre properties, Golden Star agreed to pay B.D. Goldfields Ltd, Hwini-Butre’s former owner, an additional $1.0 million in cash if at least one million ounces of gold are produced and recovered in the first five years of production from the area covered by the Hwini-Butre prospecting license. Gold production was initiated at Hwini-Butre in May 2009. It is not possible at this time to know if future exploration work will increase Hwini-Butre’s reserves sufficiently to yield production of one million ounces prior to May 2014. EXPLORATION AGREEMENTS Obuom In October 2007, we entered into an agreement with AMI Resources Inc. (“AMI”), which gives AMI the right to earn our 54% ownership position in the Obuom property in Ghana. Should AMI eventually obtain full rights to our position on the property and develop a gold mining operation at Obuom, we would receive from AMI a 2% net smelter return royalty on 54% of the property’s gold production. Goulagou and Rounga In October 2007, we entered into an option agreement with Riverstone Resources Inc. (“Riverstone”) whereby Riverstone had the right to acquire our 90% interest in the Goulagou and Rounga properties in Burkina Faso. To exercise the option, Riverstone was required to spend Cdn$4 million on exploration programs on the Goulagou and Rounga properties over a four-year period ended in February 2012, and could then purchase our interest for $18.6 million in cash and Riverstone common shares. We were also entitled to receive up to two million shares of Riverstone over the term of the option, all of which were received as of March 31, 2011. In addition, we received a one-time distribution of two million Riverstone common share purchase warrants during 2008. The Riverstone purchase warrants had an exercise price of Cdn$0.45 and were exercised in January 2012. In December 2011, Riverstone notified us of their intent to exercise their option to acquire Goulagou and Rounga in February 2012. The sale of exploration projects was completed in February 2012 upon receipt of $6.6 million of cash and 21.7 million Riverstone common shares. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS On July 19, 2011, B.D. Goldfields, Ltd. (“plaintiff”), a Ghanaian registered company, filed suit in the Superior Court of Judicature, the High Court of Justice, Commercial Division, in Accra, Ghana, against Golden Star Resources Ltd. and our subsidiary St. Jude Resources (Ghana) Ltd. The plaintiff is challenging the validity of the concession contracts and settlements related to our acquisition of the Hwini-Butre gold property in Ghana in 2006. More specifically the plaintiff is taking the position that the original sales agreement covered only a small section of the Hwini-Butre concession and is now seeking $24 million plus a royalty for the remaining portion of the concession. The plaintiff is also seeking an interim court injunction which would halt mining on the concession until all legal issues are resolved. In 2008, the plaintiff filed two similar suits in the United States, challenging our ownership of the Hwini-Butre concession and these claims were dismissed by the courts. Based on the earlier dismissed claims brought by the same plaintiff, and on comprehensive court-approved settlements that were reached among the plaintiff and our wholly-owned subsidiary St Jude Resources Ltd. and other related parties before the Ghanaian Court of Appeal in February 2006 with respect to title to the Hwini-Butre gold property, we believe this present action, as commenced before a lower court in the Ghana court hierarchy, and within the same Ghanaian jurisdiction is without merit and will not be successful. During the third quarter of 2011, we prepared a defense to this claim and filed it with the Ghana court on October 5, 2011, and we continue to wait for the court's initial consideration of this case. We have not accrued a provision for this action.

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

Our commitments and contingencies include the following items:

ENVIRONMENTAL BONDING IN GHANA

In July 2011, we increased a letter of credit for Wassa/HBB's environmental bonding from $2.85 million to $7.8 million. This brought the total bonded amount, including $0.15 million of cash, from $3.0 million to $7.95 million. In early 2012, Ghana Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA) raised Wassa/HBB's reclamation bonding requirement to approximately $10.6 million, reflecting increases in on-going mining disturbances. We expect that this $2.6 million increase in bonding will be met with a combination of letters of credit and cash.

We have also bonded $9.0 million to cover rehabilitation and closure obligations at Bogoso/Prestea. These bonding requirements have been met by an $8.1 million letter of credit from a commercial bank and a $0.9 million cash deposit held by the EPA. The cash deposits are recorded as Restricted Cash on our Consolidated Balance Sheets.

In 2008, Bogoso/Prestea resubmitted an updated draft of the Environmental Management Plan (“EMP”) to the EPA that included an updated estimate of the reclamation and closure costs prepared by a third party consultant. A consultant was commissioned to prepare the reclamation and closure cost estimate and the final EMP was submitted to the EPA in February 2009. Bogoso/Prestea has completed all the legal requirements and is waiting for the environmental certificate. In the mean time and in compliance with the legal time line for the previous EMP, Bogoso/Prestea prepared a new EMP and submitted it to the EPA in the fourth quarter of 2011. This EMP included a more current estimate of the reclamation and closure costs for Bogoso/Prestea and could result in a need for additional bonding later in 2012.

In March 2011, we provided $12 million of reclamation bonding to the EPA to cover backfilling of the Plant North pit at Prestea, which we mined from 2003 to 2006. The bonding requirements were met by a $1.2 million cash deposit and a $10.8 million letter of credit from a commercial bank. Provisions of the bond allow the bonded amount to be reduced as cash is spent on the progress of the backfill project. The bonded amount was reduced by $2.7 million in June and then a further $4.7 million in August, reflecting the effort and success achieved in backfilling the Plant North Pit. In November 2011, the $1.2 million cash deposit was refunded to us upon completion of the backfilling project and the bonding requirements expired at that time.

GOVERNMENT OF GHANA'S RIGHTS TO INCREASE ITS PARTICIPATION

Under Act 703, the Government of Ghana has the right to acquire a special share or “golden share” in our Ghanaian subsidiaries at any time for no consideration or such consideration as the Government of Ghana and such subsidiaries might agree, and a pre-emptive right to purchase all gold and other minerals produced by such subsidiaries. A “golden share” carries no voting rights and does not participate in dividends, profits or assets. To date, the Government of Ghana has not sought to exercise any of these rights at our properties.

ROYALTIES

Dunkwa Properties

As part of the acquisition of the Dunkwa properties in 2003, we agreed to pay the seller a net smelter return royalty on future gold production from the Mansiso and Asikuma properties. As per the acquisition agreement, there will be no royalty due on the first 200,000 ounces produced from Mampon which is located on the Asikuma property. The amount of the royalty is based on a sliding scale which ranges from 2% of net smelter return at gold prices at or below $300 per ounce and progressively increases to 3.5% for gold prices in excess of $400 per ounce.

Government of Ghana

The Ghana Government receives a royalty equal to 5% of mineral revenues, effective as of March 31, 2011. Prior to March 31, 2011, the royalty rate was 3% of mineral revenues.

Benso

Benso has paid a $1.00 per ounce gold production royalty to former owners, but with mining ending at Benso in February 2012, there will be no further royalty payments after this time.

Hwini-Butre

As part of the agreement for the purchase of the Hwini-Butre properties, Golden Star agreed to pay B.D. Goldfields Ltd, Hwini-Butre’s former owner, an additional $1.0 million in cash if at least one million ounces of gold are produced and recovered in the first five years of production from the area covered by the Hwini-Butre prospecting license. Gold production was initiated at Hwini-Butre in May 2009. It is not possible at this time to know if future exploration work will increase Hwini-Butre’s reserves sufficiently to yield production of one million ounces prior to May 2014.

EXPLORATION AGREEMENTS

Obuom

In October 2007, we entered into an agreement with AMI Resources Inc. (“AMI”), which gives AMI the right to earn our 54% ownership position in the Obuom property in Ghana. Should AMI eventually obtain full rights to our position on the property and develop a gold mining operation at Obuom, we would receive from AMI a 2% net smelter return royalty on 54% of the property’s gold production.

Goulagou and Rounga

In October 2007, we entered into an option agreement with Riverstone Resources Inc. (“Riverstone”) whereby Riverstone had the right to acquire our 90% interest in the Goulagou and Rounga properties in Burkina Faso. To exercise the option, Riverstone was required to spend Cdn$4 million on exploration programs on the Goulagou and Rounga properties over a four-year period ended in February 2012, and could then purchase our interest for $18.6 million in cash and Riverstone common shares. We were also entitled to receive up to two million shares of Riverstone over the term of the option, all of which were received as of March 31, 2011. In addition, we received a one-time distribution of two million Riverstone common share purchase warrants during 2008. The Riverstone purchase warrants had an exercise price of Cdn$0.45 and were exercised in January 2012. In December 2011, Riverstone notified us of their intent to exercise their option to acquire Goulagou and Rounga in February 2012. The sale of exploration projects was completed in February 2012 upon receipt of $6.6 million of cash and 21.7 million Riverstone common shares.

LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

On July 19, 2011, B.D. Goldfields, Ltd. (“plaintiff”), a Ghanaian registered company, filed suit in the Superior Court of Judicature, the High Court of Justice, Commercial Division, in Accra, Ghana, against Golden Star Resources Ltd. and our subsidiary St. Jude Resources (Ghana) Ltd. The plaintiff is challenging the validity of the concession contracts and settlements related to our acquisition of the Hwini-Butre gold property in Ghana in 2006. More specifically the plaintiff is taking the position that the original sales agreement covered only a small section of the Hwini-Butre concession and is now seeking $24 million plus a royalty for the remaining portion of the concession. The plaintiff is also seeking an interim court injunction which would halt mining on the concession until all legal issues are resolved.

In 2008, the plaintiff filed two similar suits in the United States, challenging our ownership of the Hwini-Butre concession and these claims were dismissed by the courts. Based on the earlier dismissed claims brought by the same plaintiff, and on comprehensive court-approved settlements that were reached among the plaintiff and our wholly-owned subsidiary St Jude Resources Ltd. and other related parties before the Ghanaian Court of Appeal in February 2006 with respect to title to the Hwini-Butre gold property, we believe this present action, as commenced before a lower court in the Ghana court hierarchy, and within the same Ghanaian jurisdiction is without merit and will not be successful. During the third quarter of 2011, we prepared a defense to this claim and filed it with the Ghana court on October 5, 2011, and we continue to wait for the court's initial consideration of this case. We have not accrued a provision for this action.