INVENTORIES (Details) (USD $)	9 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2012 oz	Dec. 31, 2011 oz
Inventory, Net [Abstract]
Stockpiled ore	$ 28,993,000	$ 16,773,000
In-process	13,122,000	8,912,000
Materials and supplies	46,782,000	48,612,000
Finished goods	2,979,000	0
Total	91,876,000	74,297,000
Recoverable ounces of gold	54,000	48,000
Unsold ounces of gold	2,461
Material and supplies inventory written off	600,000	1,400,000
Net realizable value adjustments recorded at Bogoso	$ 100,000	$ 1,700,000