Current production at Cusi comes from the Promontorio and Santa Rosa de Lima mineralized zones.
Each mine area is accessed from a spiral ramp (4 meters square), as well as a single shaft in each area. Minimal development is needed to exploit mineralized zones, and contract miners are developing ramps at both mines to exploit ores at depth.
Mineralized material is currently hauled to the surface using one of several adits or declines accessing the mineralized zones, and is then dumped onto small pads outside of the portals.
The mining sequence through this method is of a descending type, that is, the upper levels are mined, while in the lower ones the necessary preparations are made to start mining once the mineralized material has been extracted from the upper stopes. Within a sublevel, mining is carried out in retreat, starting at the ends of the stope and retreating towards the entrance.
Bench and Fill
In veins less than 3 m wide, sublevels are vertically spaced 16 m, and the access drift is 4 m x 4 m. Blastholes are vertically drilled 8.5 m thus leaving a sill pillar of 3.5 m under the overlying stope.
In veins wider than 3 m but less than 5, sublevels are vertically spaced 16 m, and the access drift is 4 m x 4 m. Blastholes are vertically drilled 8.5 m thus leaving a sill pillar of 3.5 m under the overlying stope.
Room and Pillars
Where veins are wider than 5 m, levels are spaced every 16 m and ........
