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Mexico

Arista Mine

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Overview

Mine TypeUnderground
StatusActive
Commodities
  • Gold
  • Silver
  • Copper
  • Zinc
  • Lead
Mining Method
  • Overhand Cut & Fill
  • Longhole open stoping
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SnapshotArista Mine is a part of Don David Operation.

The exploration program at the Arista Project during 2022 continued to focus on expanding known mineralization on the Arista, Switchback, and the Three Sisters vein systems at the Arista underground mine. Exploration and development of these vein systems remain the highest exploration priority.
Related AssetDon David Operation

Owners

SourceSource
CompanyInterestOwnership
Gold Resource Corp. 100 % Indirect
Gold Resource operations in Oaxaca are conducted through a Mexican subsidiary, Don David Gold Mexico S.A. de C.V. (“DDGM”).

At Don David Gold Mine, the Company currently has 100% interest in six properties, including two Production Stage Properties and four Exploration Stage Properties, located in Oaxaca, Mexico, along the San Jose structural corridor.

Contractors

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Deposit type

  • Vein / narrow vein
  • Epithermal

Summary:

Mineral Deposit Types
The San Jose de Gracia and Alta Gracia gold-silver sub-districts of the Don David Mine are characterized by classic, high grade silver-gold, epithermal vein deposits with low to intermediate-sulfidation mineralization quartz-adularia-sericite alteration. The veins are typical of most epithermal silver-gold vein deposits in Mexico with respect to the volcanic or sedimentary host rocks and the paragenesis and tenor of mineralization. The Alta Gracia mineralization is typical of a low sulfidation deposit. The Arista mine vein systems are intermediate-sulfidation in nature and standard of many Mexican deposits, characterized by Camprubí & Albinson, 2007, and described as Polymetallic Ag-Au by Corbett.

Description of Mineralized Zones
The Don David Mine mineralization occurs as structurally controlled epithermal deposits in veins and stockwork zones consisting of concentrations of sulfides containing gold, silver, lead, copper, and zinc, associated with gangue minerals such as quartz calcite and other minor minerals. The economic mineralization at the Arista Mine is gold, silver, copper, lead, and zinc. Structurally controlled epithermal veins and stockwork zones at Alta Gracia Project (Mirador Mine) contain mainly silver-gold bearing sulfides. The economic mineralization currently exploited at the Alta Gracia Project is only gold and silver.

Primary sulfide mineralization within the mineralized structures contains pyrite, galena, sphalerite, argentite, chalcopyrite, and other silver sulfosalts associated with quartz and calcite as gangue minerals, which are found at depth.

Arista Mine
Arista Vein
The Arista vein consists of multiple parallel veins and splays of varying lengths and widths associated with the predominant fault bounded structure. The vein is partially enclosed in strongly silicified rhyolite breccia, including stockwork zones related to the vein. The veining is also associated with the structural contact between hypabyssal adesitic rocks and Cretaceous sediments (Black Breccia). Mineralization is multi-phase (related to discrete structural and leaching events within the bounding fault), and restricted mineralogy is associated with variable grades and textures from fault contacts inward. Mineralization occurs within a range/mix of breccia, colloform banded quartz, crustiform quartz, and multi-phase banded sulfides with coarsegrained quartz intergrowths. Base-metal sulfides include massive galena, sphalerite, and chalcopyrite; +/-disseminated remnants of pyrite; +/- trace rhodochrosite; later quartz veins cut through sulfides; other trace sulfides include euhedral arsenopyrite overgrowths on dendritic native silver, magnetite, pyrrhotite, pyrite, acanthite, bornite, and tetrahedrite-tennanite. Areas of secondary sericite, clay, and microcrystalline quartz are often observed in petrographic analysis with complex intermixtures of hydrothermal, metasomatic, and retrograde minerals, including cordierite diopside, albite, calcite, epidote, adularia, chlorite, and clay. EM-EDX analyses confirmed the presence of argentite and freibergite associated with the leaching of base metals. Gold and silver are suggested as occurring late in the paragenetic sequence (after base metal sulfides and after a leaching/fracturing event). Gold occurs as micron-size “inclusions” in “recrystallized” arsenopyrite around vugs; antimony also appears related to gold based on petrographic evidence (Hansley, 2012).

Baja Vein
The Baja vein was discovered during an exploration drilling program on the Arista vein and generally hosts high-grade silver mineralization. The Baja vein occurs as a 1.0 m to 1.5+ m wide mineralized structure with mineralization hosted within fractures and associated with crustiform features filling opened spaces. The vein comprises several splays and parallel veins of varying lengths and widths, including Splay 66. The general orientation is 310°-320°, dipping 70°SW to vertical, and has been developed, to date, by underground workings in the Arista mine between 460-800 masl elevations. It has a strike length (defined through drilling) of at least 500 m. The vein typically consists of multi-phase vuggy textured, crustiform banded, coarse-grained quartz, with some quartz replacement of carbonate; in addition, adularia replaced by carbonate has also been noted. Sulfides include fine to very fine-grained and banded occurrences, often disseminated at vein contacts. These are characteristics: bladed galena (possibly replacing carbonate), massive sphalerite, coarse stibnite, fine-grained and disseminated chalcopyrite, and pyrite. Other significant sulfides include proustite (Ag3AsS3), pyrargyrite (Ag3SbS3), and other silver minerals. Petrography has identified sub microscopic gold and argentite (after base metal sulfides), antimony associated with gold, and trace amounts of kyanite, corundum, and garnet.

Aire Vein
The Aire vein is located at about 100 m west of the Arista vein and is oriented 345°, dipping 70°SW to vertical. It is hosted mainly by andesite, with some rhyolite occurring to the east of the vein. The Aire vein has been traced for over 400 m along the strike. Mineralization styles are similar to those veins previously described with abundant vuggy, replacement (after carbonate), coarse and cruciform quartz (locally recrystallized); sulfides often occur as massive masses including sphalerite, galena, proustite (microveinlets in sphalerite), disseminated arsenopyrite, and native silver; accessory minerals include abundant corundum (inclusions in quartz), adularia (as microveinlets) replaced by alunite, rhodochrosite rhombs (suggested as late-stage or post-event), calcite, sillimanite and kaolinite, fine-grained K-spar and rounded zircon. While not economically significant, its exploration led to the discovery of the Arista mine.

Soledad Vein (Switchback Vein System)
Surface mapping in the ‘’Switchback’’ Hill area, approximately 500 meters northeast of the Arista underground mine, indicated the presence of an NNW-SSE trending porphyritic felsic dike with associated intense sulfate (gypsum) alteration and minor quartz-amethyst veining, sub-parallel to the Arista vein system. Geochemical rock chip samples taken by DDGM geologists from this altered zone returned base metal anomalies with weakly elevated silver values. Subsequent holes drilled from the Arista mine underground workings along strike to the south of this area intercepted multiple zones of well-mineralized vein material, associated with a strongly porphyritic felsic dike.

Reserves

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Mining Methods

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Comminution

Crushers and Mills

Milling equipment has not been reported.

Processing

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Production

CommodityProductUnits20222021202020162015
Gold Metal in conc./ doré oz  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe
Silver Metal in conc./ doré oz  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe
Copper Metal in concentrate M lbs  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe2.32.9
Zinc Metal in concentrate M lbs  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe3231
Lead Metal in concentrate M lbs  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe8.99.2
Silver Metal in concentrate oz 1,857,6582,506,337
Gold Equivalent Metal in concentrate oz 53,02363,963

Operational metrics

Metrics20222021202020192018201720162015
Tonnes milled  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe629,868 t560,191 t400,748 t450,221 t413,626 t
Daily milling rate  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe1,301 t1,295 t1,220 t
Daily milling capacity  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe

Production Costs

Commodity production costs have not been reported.

Heavy Mobile Equipment

Fleet data has not been reported.

Personnel

Mine Management

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