Yanacocha is an epithermal type deposit of high sulfidation hosted in volcanic rock formations. Gold is associated with ironoxides and pyrite.

The Yanacocha property consists of the following open pit mines: the La Quinua Complex, Cerro Yanacocha, the Carachugo Complex and Maqui Maqui.

The Yanacocha gold district is a 10x4km zone of altered rocks within a belt of tertiary volcanics that extends the whole length of Peru. Andesitic domes and dome complexes have been silicified and leached by epithermal gold-bearing solutions in at least nine distinct deposits. The mineralised sequences, which can also contain significant amounts of silver, are flanked by extensive argillitic alteration, and subsequent events have created siliceous breccia pipes with localised high gold grades.

The Yanacocha property began production in 1993 and consists of the following open pit mines: the La Quinua Complex, the Yanacocha Complex, the Carachugo Complex.

The La Quinua Complex mined material from the La Quinua Sur and the Tapado Oeste Layback and finished mining operations in 2021.

The Yanacocha Complex mines material from the Yanacocha Layback and Yanacocha Pinos, which has had limited mining operations in recent years and will finish mining operations in 2022.

The Carachugo leach pad processes oxide material from the Quecher Main project.

Yanacocha’s available mining fleet consists of two shovels, four excavators, one loader and 31 haul trucks, each with 233-tonne payload.

Yanacocha has three processing concessions from Peru’s Ministry of Energy and Mines for its processing facilities: Cerro Yanacocha (La Quinua and Yanacocha leach pads, La Quinua and Yanacocha Norte gold recovery plants and Yanacocha Gold Mill), Yanacocha (Carachugo and Maqui Maqui leach pads and Pampa Larga gold recovery plant) and China Linda (non-metallic processing concessions). Yanacocha’s gold processing plants are located adjacent to the solution storage ponds and are used to process goldbearing solutions from Yanacocha’s leach pads through a network of solution-pumping facilities. The Yanacocha Gold Mill ceased current operations in February 2021 and has been placed into care and maintenance.

LEACHING PROCESS
The heap leach facilities at Yanacocha are all constructed with similar components including the fully lined geomembrane heap leach pads, operational ponds for collection of pregnant leach solution (PLS), and minor event ponds to collect and store storm wate ........