Mining Intelligence and News
United States

Fire Creek Mine

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Overview

Mine TypeUnderground
StatusCare and Maintenance
Commodities
  • Gold
  • Silver
Mining Method
  • Longhole stoping
  • Cut & Fill
  • Back stoping
  • Drift & Fill
Backfill type ... Lock
Production Start... Lock
SnapshotFire Creek was placed on care-and-maintenance in the second quarter of 2021 after processing of the remaining non-refractory ore stockpile.

Fire Creek mine was acquired by Hecla Mining in July 2018. Since that time, mine's production and financial results have been included into the Nevada Operations Segment.

Future Plans
Significant potential still exists of mineralization to be discovered throughout the district with roughly 90% still untested with detailed modern geophysics, drilling or detailed geologic work.

Exploration strategies are being developed to advance the Fire Creek district in the next phase of discovery.
Related AssetNevada Operation

Owners

SourceSource
CompanyInterestOwnership
Hecla Mining Company 100 % Indirect
Nevada Operations is 100% owned by Hecla Mining Company and was acquired on July 20, 2018 with the purchase of all of the issued and outstanding common shares of Klondex Mines Ltd. Nevada Operations containing operating or previously-operating mines: Fire Creek, Hollister and Midas.

Deposit type

  • Epithermal
  • Vein / narrow vein

Summary:

The Fire Creek deposit is considered to be a low-sulfidation, epithermal deposit.

Low-sulfidation epithermal systems are also referred to as quartz ± calcite ± adularia ± illite or adularia-sericite epithermal systems. These nomenclatures refer to the oxidation state of the ore fluid sulfur component, gangue mineralogy and hydrothermal fluid pH, respectively. Ore-fluids in a low-sulfidation hydrothermal system are reduced, have a near-neutral pH and are dominated by deeply-circulated meteoric water. These deposits form in the shallow crust, 0.5 to 1.5 miles at temperatures of greater than 300°C in subaerial volcanic settings. Steeply-dipping, open-space veins are common. Quartz is the principal gangue mineral and can be accompanied by chalcedony, adularia, illite, pyrite, calcite, and rhodochrosite. Boiling is the dominant metal deposition mechanism and commonly results in vein textures including crustiform-colloform bands and platy calcite and/or quartz-after-calcite pseudomorphs. Ore metals are usually Au-Ag, Ag-Au or Ag-Pb-Zn and, contrary to the ore-fluid source, metals in NNR-related epithermal deposits are sourced from mantle-derived basaltic magmas (Kamenov et al., 2007).

Zoned hydrothermal alteration comprises widespread and deep propylitization that grades upwards to clay, carbonate and zeolite formation. Proximal alteration comprises quartz, adularia, and pyrite. High-level advanced argillic alteration characterized by clay-carbonate-pyrite or kaolinite-alunite-opal ± pyrite alteration can be present above the ore-grade zone and is the result of steam-heated, acidic, ascending fluids generated during boiling.

Electrun is primarily present in its native state along discrete layers within veins. Native electrum can occur as large clots or bands, dendritic growths, and fine-grained disseminations. Other less common habits include encapsulations in quartz, pyrite replacements and coatings on pyrite or arsenopyrite (Thompson, 2014). Silver occurs encapsulated in quartz and locally in naumannite or ruby silver encapsulations in quartz (Thompson, 2014). Dark grey ginguro bands of an unidentified silver-bearing mineral are present along vein banding as well. The silver gold ratio is approximately one to one.

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

Fire Creek mine was acquired by Hecla Mining in July 2018. Since that time, mine's production and financial results have been included into the Nevada Operations Segment.
CommodityUnits201720162015
Silver oz 72,28380,59392,114
Gold Equivalent oz 108,126102,38378,312
All production numbers are expressed as metal in doré.

Operational metrics

Metrics201720162015
Ore tonnes mined 123,754 tons119,721 tons87,952 tons
Tonnes milled 134,152 tons120,553 tons86,574 tons
Daily milling rate 330 tons237 tons

Production Costs

CommodityUnits2017
Cash costs (sold) Gold Equivalent USD 479 / oz  
Cash costs (sold) Gold USD
** Net of By-Product.

Operating Costs

Currency2016
UG mining costs ($/t mined) USD 273.06  

Financials

Units2017
Capital expenditures M USD 26  
Revenue M USD 141.8  
Operating Income M USD 64.1  

Heavy Mobile Equipment

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Personnel

Mine Management

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Feb 29, 2024

EmployeesContractorsTotal WorkforceYear
...... Subscription required 2023
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Aerial view:

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