Mining Intelligence and News
Mexico

Topia Mine

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Overview

Mine TypeUnderground
StatusActive
Commodities
  • Silver
  • Gold
  • Lead
  • Zinc
Mining Method
  • Cut & Fill
  • Resue mining
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SnapshotThe Topia is silver-rich polymetallic mine.

The Guanajuato Silver has set its sights on modernizing and expanding the Topia plant's capacity in 2023 and 2024.

Owners

SourceSource
CompanyInterestOwnership
Minera Mexicana El Rosario, S.A. de C.V. (operator) 100 % Direct
Guanajuato Silver Company, Ltd. 100 % Indirect
Minera Mexicana Rosario S.A. de C.V., a wholly owned subsidiary of Guanajuato Silver, 100% holds and operates the Topia mine.

Contractors

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Deposit type

  • Vein / narrow vein
  • Epithermal

Summary:

Deposit Type
The mineral deposits at Topia are adularia-sericite-type, silver-rich, polymetallic epithermal veins. Silver-gold-lead-zinc mineralization is found in fissure-filling veins along sub-parallel faults cutting andesitic flows, breccias, and pyroclastic rocks. Deposits are usually characterized by multiple veins in areas measuring 10 to 15 km2 with individual veins generally less than 2 m in thickness but up to 3 to 4 km in length.

Mineralization at Topia is reported to occur within a zone spanning 100 m to 200 m in depth, which is consistent with the epithermal model. The silver to gold ratio in these deposits is generally more than 300:1, and production from these deposits averages about 400 g/t silver.

Mineralization
Mineralization at Topia is hosted in a series of dominantly northeast-trending parallel veins that have historically been mined for gold, silver, lead, and zinc. Mineralization within the veins consists mainly of massive galena, sphalerite, with lesser pyrite, arsenopyrite, and tetrahedrite in a gangue of quartz, barite, and calcite. The vein constituents often include minor adularia and sericite, and the wider fault zones contain significant proportions of clay as both gouge and alteration products.

Metallic minerals occur as cavity-filling masses, comprising millimetre-scale crystals of galena and sphalerite. Some observations on metal zoning include: i) the lower parts of the mines are reported to contain slightly higher copper and gold contents than at higher elevations; ii) high silver grades are associated with higher proportions of base metals; and iii) the mines are located over an extreme range of elevations (1,000 to 1,800 masl) on the Property and that each has vertical limits of mineralization from 100 to 200 m with the deeper seated and more southern mines tending to contain more arsenopyrite and the western mines containing more pyrite. T

he veins range in thickness from a few centimetres to two metres. They are very continuous along strike, with the main veins extending more than 4 km. The Madre vein has been mined for 3.5 km and the Cantarranas vein for 2.4 km. Many of the other veins have been mined intermittently over similar strike lengths. Vertically, the veins grade downward to barren coarse-grained quartz-rich filling and upwards to barren cherty quartz-calcite-barite vein filling. The main host rock is andesite of the lower volcanic series, which is usually competent, making for generally good ground conditions within the various mines. In wider sections, with greater clay content and/or zones of structural complexity, ground conditions are less favourable.

Reserves

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Mining Methods

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Comminution

Crushers and Mills

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Processing

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Production

CommodityUnits202320222021202020192018201720162015
Silver oz  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe938,581761,107595,721574,031677,967
Gold oz  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe1,3441,087999612614
Lead M lbs  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe4.34.32.82.32.6
Zinc M lbs  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe5.75.23.93.34.1
Silver Equivalent oz  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe1,785,4831,548,3431,086,663900,0001,100,000
All production numbers are expressed as metal in concentrate.

Operational metrics

Metrics202320222021202020192018201720162015
Daily processing rate  ....  Subscribe
Daily processing capacity  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe220 t275 t275 t
Ore tonnes mined  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe77,290 t75,729 t
Tonnes milled  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe79,257 t73,605 t53,745 t55,836 t65,387 t
Daily ore mining rate  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe

Production Costs

CommodityUnits202320212020201920182017
Cash costs (sold) Silver Equivalent USD 13.8 / oz  
Cash costs (sold) Silver USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 12.1 / oz **   6.9 / oz **   9.53 / oz **  
Total cash costs Silver Equivalent USD  ....  Subscribe
All-in sustaining costs (AISC) Silver Equivalent USD  ....  Subscribe
All-in sustaining costs (sold) Silver Equivalent USD 17 / oz  
All-in sustaining costs (sold) Silver USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 15.4 / oz **   8.5 / oz **   15 / oz **  
** Net of By-Product.

Operating Costs

Currency20232019201820172016
UG mining costs ($/t milled) USD 233.18  
Processing costs ($/t milled) USD  ....  Subscribe
Total operating costs ($/t milled) USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe

Financials

Units2023202220212020201920182017
Sustaining costs M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 1.9   0.8   2.3  
Capital expenditures M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe
Revenue M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 21.7   19.8   14.4  
Operating Income M USD  ....  Subscribe
Pre-tax Income M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe -2.8   3.9   1.8  
After-tax Income M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe -2.9   4   1.8  

Heavy Mobile Equipment

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Personnel

Mine Management

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jun 17, 2024
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required May 27, 2024
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required May 27, 2024
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required May 27, 2024
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required May 27, 2024
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Dec 31, 2023
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required May 27, 2024

EmployeesContractorsTotal WorkforceYear
...... Subscription required 2020
...... Subscription required 2019
...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required 2018
...... Subscription required 2017
...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required 2014

Aerial view:

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