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Mexico

Santa Elena Operation

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Overview

Mine TypeUnderground
StatusActive
Commodities
  • Silver
  • Gold
Mining Method
  • Longhole stoping
  • Avoca
  • Mechanized Cut & Fill
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SnapshotThe Santa Elena Mine operation consists of the Santa Elena and Ermitaño underground mines. In December 2022 active mining operations at the Santa Elena mine were temporarily suspended and all mining was concentrated on the Ermitano mine for 2023 as exploration activities continued in both mines.

During 2023, the new filter plant reached commercial production. The new tailing filter press combined with additional leaching and settling capacity allowed the plant to reduce the grind size, thus liberating more gold and increasing recoveries.

The expanded power generation plant has an installed capacity of 24MW, supporting the Ermitaño Mine and the new tailings filter-press plant, replacing the diesel generation at the property, significantly reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and reducing energy costs.
Related AssetErmitaño (Ermitano) Expansion Mine

Owners

SourceSource
CompanyInterestOwnership
First Majestic Silver Corp. 100 % Indirect
Nusantara de Mexico, S.A. de C.V. (operator) 100 % Direct
The mining complex owned and operated by the First Majestic's wholly owned indirect subsidiary, Nusantara de México, S.A. de C.V.

Contractors

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Deposit type

  • Vein / narrow vein
  • Epithermal

Summary:

Deposit Type
The Santa Elena and Ermitaño deposits are examples of epithermal low to intermediate sulphidation gold– silver vein deposits.

The Santa Elena mine and Ermitaño project gold and silver depositsform as prominent east–west-trending veins and associated breccias in sub-aerial felsic volcanic rocks. The Santa Elena Main Vein is delineated by drilling along a 1,950 m strike length and 750 m down dip. The Ermitaño Vein is delineated by drilling along an 1,850 m strike length and vertically over 550 m, starting at surface.

Mineralization Santa Elena
Silver and gold mineralization at the Santa Elena mine is hosted in quartz veins and stockworks displaying typical epithermal textures, including banded quartz, vuggy quartz, and brown–black bladed calcite (pseudomorph to quartz) with many of these textures intermixed with hydrothermal breccia.

Other gangue minerals include calcite, adularia, chlorite, and fluorite. Rhodonite has been noted at approximately 530 m vertical depth.

Bonanza ore shoots appear to be locally present but have not been delineated in detail. A trend of higher grades and thicker veining is apparent with a plunge of approximately 25° to the east. Up to 200 m of a pyrite and calcite matrix breccia in the hanging wall andesite proximal to the Main Vein has been intersected.

Sulphide abundance is generally low within the veins but can be as much as 5–30%. The sulphides are dominantly pyrite and pyrrhotite with minor galena, sphalerite, and chalcopyrite. Gold occurs typically as native gold, electrum, and silver occurs as electrum, minor acanthite, and rare native silver.

Alteration within the Santa Elena mine deposit is widespread. The volcanic units in the immediate vicinity of the veins exhibit pervasive propylitic to silicic alteration. Widespread argillic alteration and silicification proximal to quartz veining is common. Chloritic alteration increases away from the mineralized zones.

The permeable nature of the fractured zones has allowed partial oxidation to occur to depths of 400 m below the surface in selective fractured zones. Limonite within the oxide zone is brick-red in colour and is associated with brown goethite and local yellow jarosite. Manganese occurs locally as pyrolusite and minor psilomelane near the surface. Kaolin and alunite occur primarily along deeply weathered and oxidized structures and along the fractured contacts.

Mineralization Ermitaño
Mineralizing fluids are interpreted to have used the Ermitaño Fault as a conduit to form the Ermitaño Vein and sub-parallel tertiary veins which drilling has delineated over 1,800 m along strike and 550 m down dip. The vein is best developed where the structure cuts the older brittle volcanic rocks, where the older volcanic rocks are juxtaposed with younger brittle volcanic rocks, and where the structure shows deflection.

A four-stage vein paragenesis is observed for the Ermitaño Vein. Stage 1 consists of grey quartz, normally cementing breccias, well banded white quartz + pyrite, and calcite pseudomorphs. Stage 2 is dominantly banded and crustiform textured green veins and typically hosts the highest grades of gold and silver. Stage 3 consists of several hydrothermal/tectonic breccia facies with some calcite pseudomorphs, tensile veins, and crack and seal textures. Stage 4 is dominated by white quartz fragments in a hematite + silica cement. The vein assemblage also includes minor adularia, and rarely fluorite and barite.

Sulphide abundance within the Ermitaño Vein, stockwork, and surrounding veins is typically <1–2%, dominated by pyrite with minor galena, sphalerite, pyrrhotite, and chalcopyrite. Gold occurs as native gold or electrum, and silver occurs as electrum, acanthite, and argentite.

Sericite is common in host rocks immediately surrounding the Ermitaño Vein and stockwork veins. Carbonate veins are present but are typically minor and late.

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

CommodityProductUnits202420232022202120202019201820172016
Silver Metal in doré koz  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe2,4362,2232,2822,599
Gold Metal in doré koz  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe45474949
Silver Equivalent Metal in doré koz  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe6,3166,0155,9276,186
Silver Equivalent Payable metal koz  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe
^ Guidance / Forecast.

Operational metrics

Metrics202420232022202120202019201820172016
Daily milling rate  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe
Daily milling capacity  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe3,000 t2,750 t2,750 t3,000 t
Ore tonnes mined  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe875,435 t899,370 t927,737 t
Tonnes milled  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe875,435 t899,370 t927,737 t988,060 t
Waste  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe162,078 t
^ Guidance / Forecast.

Production Costs

CommodityUnits20242023202220212020201920182017
Credits (by-product) Silver USD -23.6 / oz  
Cash costs Silver USD 21.4 / oz  
Total cash costs Silver Equivalent USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 10.3 / oz  
Total cash costs Silver USD  ....  Subscribe 22.2 / oz   23.7 / oz   22.1 / oz  
Total cash costs Silver USD  ....  Subscribe -0.51 / oz **   0.5 / oz **   -1.54 / oz **  
All-in sustaining costs (AISC) Silver Equivalent USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 12.5 / oz  
All-in sustaining costs (AISC) Silver USD  ....  Subscribe 3.02 / oz **   4.54 / oz **   2.22 / oz **  
^ Guidance / Forecast.
** Net of By-Product.

Operating Costs

Currency20232022202120202019201820172016
Combined mining costs ($/t milled) USD 19.3  15.1  
Processing costs ($/t milled) USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe
Total operating costs ($/t milled) USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe

Financials

Units2023202220212020201920182017
Sustaining costs M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 7.8   8.4   8  
Capital expenditures M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 23   18.9   18  
Revenue M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 94.4   83.1   92.5  
Operating Income M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 28.6   18.6   25.2  

Heavy Mobile Equipment

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Personnel

Mine Management

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
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EmployeesContractorsTotal WorkforceYear
...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required 2021
...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required 2019

Aerial view:

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