Mining Intelligence and News
Peru

Yauricocha Mine

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Overview

Mine TypeUnderground
StatusActive
Commodities
  • Silver
  • Lead
  • Zinc
  • Copper
  • Gold
Mining Method
  • Sub-level caving
  • Overhand Cut & Fill
Backfill type ... Lock
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SnapshotThroughput from the Yauricocha mine was severely impacted in Q4 2022 by the mudslide incident that occurred at the end of Q3 2022 followed by a road blockade by the local communities.

The Yauricocha mine is expected to gradually and safely ramp up production throughout 2023 at the current depth. Meanwhile, Yauricocha’s focus will remain on obtaining the necessary permits to access the deeper, high-grade ore bodies.
Related AssetYauricocha Expansion Project

Owners

SourceSource
CompanyInterestOwnership
Sierra Metals Inc. 81.84 % Indirect
Sociedad Minera Corona, SA (operator) 100 % Direct
Ownership Tree
Sierra Metals Inc. owns 81.84% of Minera Corona, which in turn owns 100% of the Yauricocha Mine.

Contractors

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Deposit type

  • Manto
  • Hydrothermal
  • Vein / narrow vein

Summary:

The Yauricocha Mine features several mineralized bodies, which have been emplaced along structural trends, with the mineralization itself related to replacement of limestones by hydrothermal fluids related to nearby intrusions. The mineralization varies widely in morphology, from large, relatively wide, tabular manto-style deposits to narrow, sub-vertical chimneys. The mineralization features economic grades of Ag, Cu, Pb and Zn, with local Au to a lesser degree. The majority of the deposits are related to the regional high-angle NW-trending Yauricocha fault or the NE-trending and less well-defined Cachi-Cachi structural trend. The mineralization generally presents as polymetallic sulfides but is locally oxidized to significant depths or related to more Cu-rich bodies. Goyllarisquizga Formation The oldest rocks exposed in the area are the lower Cretaceous Goyllarisquizga arenites. This formation is approximately 300 m thick and comprises thick gray and white arenites, locally banded with carbonaceous lutites as well as small mantos of low-quality coal beds and clay. In the vicinity of Chaucha, these arenites have near their base interbedded, red lutite. The arenites crop out in the cores of the anticlines southwest of Yauricocha, as beds dispersed along the Chacras uplift, and isolated outcrops in the Éxito zone. Jumasha Formation The mid-Cretaceous Jumasha Formation consists of massive gray limestone, averages 700 m thick, and concordantly overlies the Goyllarisquizga Formation. Intercalations of carbonaceous lutites occur at its base near the contact with the arenites. These layers are succeeded by discontinuous lenses of maroon and grey limestone, occasionally with horizons of lutite and chert about 6 m thick. Also present are pseudo-breccias of probable sedimentary origin and a basaltic sill. Celendín Formation The Celendín Formation concordantly overlies the Jumasha Formation and contains finely stratified silicic lutites with intercalations of recrystallized limestone of Santoniana age as well as the France Chert. The average thickness in the Yauricocha area is 400 m. Casapalca Red Beds The Casapalca red beds lay concordantly on the Celendín Formation with a gradational contact. It has been assigned an age between upper Cretaceous and lower Tertiary, but because of the absence of fossils its age cannot be precisely determined. It is composed primarily of calcareous red lutites, pure limestones, and reddish arenaceous limestone. Lava flows and tuffaceous beds have been occasionally reported. Mineralization at the Yauricocha Mine is represented by variably oxidized portions of a multiplephase polymetallic system with at least two stages of mineralization, demonstrated by sulfide veins cutting brecciated polymetallic sulfide mineralized bodies. The mineralized bodies and quartzsulfide veins appear to be intimately related and form a very important structural/mineralogical assemblage in the Yauricocha mineral deposit. Comments made herein regarding the characteristics of the Yauricocha district apply directly to the Yauricocha Mine. Mineralization in the Yauricocha district is spatially and genetically related to the Yauricocha stock, a composite intrusive body of granodioritic to quartz monzonitic composition that has been radiometrically dated at late Miocene (approximately 7.5 million years old) (Giletti and Day, 1968). The stock intrudes tightly folded beds of the late Cretaceous Jumasha and Celendín Formations and the overlying Casapalca Formation (latest Cretaceous and Paleocene?). Mineralized bodies are dominantly high-temperature polymetallic sulfide bodies that replaced limestone. Metal-bearing solutions of the Yauricocha magmatic-hydrothermal system were highly reactive and intensely attacked the carbonate wall rock of the Jumasha and Celendín Formations, producing the channels in which sulfides were deposited.

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

Lower production numbers in 2022 due to the suspension of operations at the Yauricocha Mine during September.
CommodityProductUnits202320222021202020192018201720162015
Copper Equivalent Metal in concentrate k lbs  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe78,24250,90344,094
Silver Metal in concentrate koz  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe1,7991,5631,6531,8411,791
Lead Concentrate kt  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe272122
Lead Metal in concentrate M lbs  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe3527283639
Zinc Concentrate kt  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe726966
Zinc Metal in concentrate M lbs  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe8177755542
Copper Metal in concentrate M lbs  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe2017126.35.6
Copper Concentrate kt  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe312820
Gold Metal in concentrate oz  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe4,1653,4032,8944,6645,018
Copper Equivalent Payable metal k lbs  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe67,975
Silver Equivalent Metal in concentrate koz 7,6566,614
^ Guidance / Forecast.

Operational metrics

Metrics20222021202020192018201720162015
Daily processing rate  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe3,191 t3,162 t2,924 t2,563 t2,378 t
Daily processing capacity  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe3,150 t3,150 t3,000 t2,800 t2,500 t
Ore tonnes mined  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe1,127,480 dmt1,074,475 dmt1,009,635 dmt847,467 dmt
Tonnes processed  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe1,116,919 t1,106,649 t1,023,491 t897,169 t832,225 t
Waste  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe

Production Costs

CommodityUnits2023202220212020201920182017
Cash costs (sold) Copper Equivalent USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 1.12 / lb   1.18 / lb   1.07 / lb  
Cash costs (sold) Zinc Equivalent USD  ....  Subscribe 0.46 / lb   0.52 / oz   0.5 / lb  
Cash costs (sold) Silver Equivalent USD  ....  Subscribe 6.73 / oz   6.22 / oz   6.51 / oz  
All-in sustaining costs (sold) Copper Equivalent USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 1.91 / lb   1.66 / lb   1.66 / lb  
All-in sustaining costs (sold) Zinc Equivalent USD  ....  Subscribe 0.79 / lb   0.73 / lb   0.78 / lb  
All-in sustaining costs (sold) Silver Equivalent USD  ....  Subscribe 11.5 / oz   8.77 / oz   10.1 / oz  
^ Guidance / Forecast.

Operating Costs

Currency2022202120202019201820172016
Total operating costs ($/t milled) USD 72.1  61.5  57.6  70.9  63.2  62.4  55.8  

Financials

Units2023202220212020201920182017
Capital expenditures (planned) M USD  ....  Subscribe
Sustaining costs M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 12.9   7.2   11.6  
Capital expenditures M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 28   25.2   18.7  
Revenue M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 156   168.7   154.2  
Gross profit M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 55.7   76.1   42.4  
After-tax Income M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 20.2   34.9   18  
EBITDA M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 60.2   79.5   74.8  

Heavy Mobile Equipment

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Personnel

Mine Management

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jun 2, 2023
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....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jun 2, 2023
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jun 2, 2023
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jun 2, 2023

EmployeesContractorsTotal WorkforceYear
...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required 2022
...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required 2021
...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required 2020
...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required 2019
...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required 2018
...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required 2017
...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required 2016
...... Subscription required 2015

Aerial view:

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