Overview
Stage | Production |
Mine Type | Underground |
Commodities |
|
Mining Method |
|
Processing |
|
Mine Life | 7.3 years (as of Jan 1, 2021) |
Source:
p. 49,278
Company | Interest | Ownership |
Fresnillo plc.
|
100 %
|
Indirect
|
Minera Saucito S.A. de C.V.
(operator)
|
100 %
|
Direct
|
Deposit Type
- Epithermal
- Vein / narrow vein
Summary:
The Saucito project comprises a system of epithermal veins containing silver, gold, lead and zinc. The veins are polymetallic, containing gold, silver, lead, zinc and copper mineralization in sulfides.
Summary:
Saucito is an underground mine with a shaft approximately of 1000m depth. There are three types of veins Wide (> 2.5 mts), Medium (1.5-2.5 mts) and Narrow (< 1.5 mts) in Saucito. Bench & FIll and Cut & Fill methods are used for mining operations.
Flow Sheet:
Crusher / Mill Type | Model | Size | Power | Quantity |
SAG mill
|
|
|
|
|
Ball mill
|
|
|
|
|
Summary:
Crushed ore from the mine is fed into an SAG mill, where it is ground further and then passed into ball mills to further process it before passing to the flotation stage.
Flow Sheet:
Summary:
Saucito’s processing ficilities consist of Leaching plant, flotation plant( lead and zinc circuits) and Pyrites Plant.
The Pyrites plant is expected to improve overall recoveries of gold and silver, and therefore maximise production in the Fresnillo district; expected to total an average of 3.5 moz silver and 13 koz gold per year once both phases are operating at full capacity.
This project was divided into two phases, the first phase consisted of the iron flotation circuit and pyrites leaching plant at the Saucito mine, which was commissioned mid-2018.
The second phase, a flotation circuit, will treat the ongoing and historical tailings from the Fresnillo mine to produce a pyrites concentrate which will be sent to a filtration plant and then on to the leaching plant at Saucito, the final part of the process to produce the precipitates.
Recoveries & Grades:
Commodity | Parameter | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
Silver
|
Head Grade, g/t
| ......  | ......  | ......  | 257.6 | 279.8 | 302.7 | 327.5 |
Gold
|
Head Grade, g/t
| ......  | ......  | ......  | 1.25 | 1.09 | 1.39 | 1.42 |
Lead
|
Head Grade, %
| ......  | ......  | ......  | 0.94 | 0.77 | 0.93 | 1.01 |
Lead
|
Concentrate Grade, %
| ......  | ......  | ......  | 35.5 | 33.4 | 34.1 | 30 |
Zinc
|
Head Grade, %
| ......  | ......  | ......  | 1.61 | 1.21 | 1.49 | 1.7 |
Zinc
|
Concentrate Grade, %
| ......  | ......  | ......  | 48.5 | 48.7 | 46.6 | 49.3 |
Production:
Commodity | Product | Units | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
Silver
|
Metal in concentrate
|
oz
| ......  | ......  | ......  | 19,780,721 | 21,215,072 | 21,946,059 | 21,983,852 |
Gold
|
Metal in concentrate
|
oz
| ......  | ......  | ......  | ......  | ......  | ......  | ......  |
Lead
|
Metal in concentrate
|
t
| ......  | ......  | ......  | ......  | ......  | ......  | ......  |
Lead
|
Concentrate
|
kt
| ......  | ......  | ......  | ......  | ......  | ......  | ......  |
Zinc
|
Metal in concentrate
|
t
| ......  | ......  | ......  | ......  | ......  | ......  | ......  |
Zinc
|
Concentrate
|
kt
| ......  | ......  | ......  | ......  | ......  | ......  | ......  |
Silver Equivalent
|
Metal in concentrate
|
M oz
| ......  | | | | | | |
Pyrite
|
Concentrate
|
kt
| ......  | ......  | ......  | ......  | | | |
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Operational Metrics:
Metrics | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 |
Daily milling capacity
| ......  | ......  | 7,800 t | 7,800 t | 7,800 t | 7,800 t |
Annual milling capacity
| ......  | ......  | 2,600,000 t | 2,600,000 t | 2,600,000 t | 2,600,000 t |
Tonnes processed
| ......  | ......  | 2,752,638 t | 2,792,057 t | 2,753,876 t | 2,635,093 t |
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Reserves at May 31, 2021:
Mineral reserve cut-off grade is 223 g/t AgEq.
Mineral resource cut-off grade is 175 g/t AgEq.
Category | Tonnage | Commodity | Grade | Contained Metal |
Probable
|
17,721 kt
|
Silver
|
219 g/t
|
124,900 koz
|
Probable
|
17,721 kt
|
Gold
|
1.03 g/t
|
586 koz
|
Probable
|
17,721 kt
|
Lead
|
1.12 %
|
199 kt
|
Probable
|
17,721 kt
|
Zinc
|
1.96 %
|
348 kt
|
Proven & Probable
|
17,721 kt
|
Silver
|
219 g/t
|
124,900 koz
|
Proven & Probable
|
17,721 kt
|
Gold
|
1.03 g/t
|
586 koz
|
Proven & Probable
|
17,721 kt
|
Lead
|
1.12 %
|
199 kt
|
Proven & Probable
|
17,721 kt
|
Zinc
|
1.96 %
|
348 kt
|
Measured & Indicated
|
24,929 kt
|
Silver
|
257 g/t
|
206,175 koz
|
Measured & Indicated
|
24,929 kt
|
Gold
|
1.44 g/t
|
1,152 koz
|
Measured & Indicated
|
24,929 kt
|
Lead
|
1.39 %
|
346 kt
|
Measured & Indicated
|
24,929 kt
|
Zinc
|
2.45 %
|
611 kt
|
Inferred
|
33,391 kt
|
Silver
|
279 g/t
|
299,081 koz
|
Inferred
|
33,391 kt
|
Gold
|
0.96 g/t
|
1,030 koz
|
Inferred
|
33,391 kt
|
Lead
|
1.25 %
|
418 kt
|
Inferred
|
33,391 kt
|
Zinc
|
2.66 %
|
889 kt
|
Corporate Filings & Presentations:
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Aerial view:
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