Overview
Stage | Residual leach |
Mine Type | Open Pit |
Commodities |
|
Mining Method |
|
Production Start | ... |
Mine Life | 2023 |
Mining operations at El Castillo were suspended in December 2022 and the mine is now transitioning into a reclamation phase.
Residual leaching will take place at El Castillo in 2024. |
Source:
p. 40
Company | Interest | Ownership |
Argonaut Gold Inc.
|
100 %
|
Indirect
|
Minera Real del Oro S.A. de C.V.
(operator)
|
100 %
|
Direct
|
The El Castillo mine is owned and operated by Minera Real del Oro, S.A. de C.V., which is a subsidiary of Argonaut Gold Inc.
Contractors
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Deposit Type
- Porphyry
- Intrusion related
- Epithermal
Summary:
Deposit Type
El Castillo is interpreted to be a porphyry-style gold system related to Eocene granodiorite– diorite porphyries that intrude Cretaceous clastic and carbonate sediments in an extensional tectonic setting. Gold mineralization occurs throughout the magmatic-hydrothermal system in space and time and is related to sulphide mineralization spatially associated with early potassic development and genetically related to an overprint of phyllic alteration. Supergene alteration, formed as a product of acid leaching, has resulted in argillic-quartz alteration assemblages within the oxide zone of the deposit. The main gold event is believed to be associated with magmatic hydrothermal fluids corresponding to phyllic alteration.
The El Castillo gold system is similar to that found at Andacollo, Chile (Reyes, 1991 and Oyarzun, et al., 1996). Andacollo is a Cretaceous diorite to granodiorite porphyry copper-gold system with central porphyry copper-gold mineralization related to a classic porphyry alteration assemblage and a distal sediment-hosted (manto) low sulphidation and epithermal-level gold satellite system. Fluid inclusion work by Oyarzun et al. (1996) indicates that the manto epithermal gold deposits may in fact be related to another intrusive that has not been recognized at the surface due to high temperature fluid inclusions (about 365ºC) that are found about 5 km from the porphyry centre.
Supergene oxidation of shallow (<200 m) pyrite-gold m ........
Summary:
In the fourth quarter of 2022, the El Castillo mine ceased mining operations and is now in residual leaching.
Flow Sheet:
Summary:
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Source:
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Production:
Commodity | Units | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 |
Gold Equivalent
|
koz
| ...... ^ | ...... | ...... | ...... | ...... | 48 | 60 |
Gold
|
oz
| | ...... | ...... | ...... | ...... | ...... | ...... |
All production numbers are expressed as metal in doré.
^ Guidance / Forecast.
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Operational Metrics:
Metrics | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 |
Stripping / waste ratio
| ...... | ...... | ...... | 1.49 | 1.4 | 1.28 |
Ore tonnes mined
| ...... | ...... | ...... | 8,914 kt | 8,801 kt | 8,140 kt |
Waste
| ...... | ...... | ...... | 13,293 kt | 12,303 kt | 10,407 kt |
Total tonnes mined
| ...... | ...... | ...... | 22,207 kt | 21,104 kt | 18,547 kt |
Tonnes processed
| ...... | ...... | ...... | 8,867 kt | 8,840 kt | 8,164 kt |
Daily mining rate
| ...... | ...... | ...... | | | |
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Reserves at December 31, 2022:
Category | Tonnage | Commodity | Grade | Contained Metal |
Indicated
|
23.5 Mt
|
Gold
|
0.31 g/t
|
232 koz
|
Inferred
|
2.5 Mt
|
Gold
|
0.33 g/t
|
26 koz
|
Corporate Filings & Presentations:
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