Mining Intelligence and News
Mexico

Vacas Mine

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Overview

Mine TypeUnderground
StageRestarting
Commodities
  • Silver
  • Lead
  • Zinc
  • Gold
Mining Method
  • Mechanized Cut & Fill
SnapshotThe Vacas Underground mine is a part of the La Parrilla Silver Mine Complex, which was placed on care and maintenance in September 2019.

Technical studies and a mine plan are expected to be completed in Q4 2024 to support the future restart of mining and processing activities at the La Parrilla Silver Mine Complex.
Related AssetLa Parrilla Complex

Owners

SourceSource
CompanyInterestOwnership
Silver Storm Mining Ltd. 100 % Indirect
The Silver Storm Mining holds a 100% interest in the La Parrilla Silver Mine Complex.

Contractors

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Deposit type

  • Vein / narrow vein
  • Replacement
  • Hydrothermal

Summary:

The mineralization at La Parrilla occurs in veins, breccias, stockworks and replacements that are hosted by the Cretaceous limestones and shales of the Indidura Formation and by the granodiorite–quartz monzonite intrusion. Contact metamorphism and metasomatism resulted in the development of marble, hornfels, skarnoid, and skarn at the intrusive contact. Because the mineralization is related to the intrusive contact and skarn development, the deposits are proposed to be of the intrusionrelated hydrothermal type, and may represent mesothermal to epithermal environments.

Veins at La Parrilla are of two types: open space filling veins and fault-veins. The open space filling veins can consist of massive sulphides veins; quartz-calcite veins containing pyrite, sphalerite, and galena; and breccia veins cemented by quartz-calcite. Fault-veins consists of matrix-supported breccias or gouge containing disseminated sulphides and oxides. Open space filling veins can transition along strike into fault-veins and vice versa, and the presence of stockwork is common at the contacts of the vein with the host rock. Thus, it is interpreted that most veins were open or partially open faults and fractures, that they were flooded with hydrothermal fluids, and that some of these were reactivated by later faulting. Replacement deposits, on the other hand, occur as oblique or perpendicular splays to veins and faults, and as larger replacement deposits concordant with sedimentary bedding. Replacement deposits generally have limited strike extent and have irregular shape and thickness.

The La Parrilla deposits contain primary sulphides such as galena, sphalerite, pyrite, pyrrhotite, arsenopyrite, chalcopyrite, covellite, acanthite, native silver, and silver sulphosalts (tetrahedrite–freibergite solid solution). Due to supergene oxidation, the primary sulphides in the upper parts of some deposits have been altered to cerussite, anglesite, hemimorphite, hydrozincite, jarosite, goethite, hematite, cervantite, malachite, chrysocolla, chalcanthite, and native silver. The main nonmetallic gangue minerals present in the deposits are calcite, quartz, fluorite, and siderite. The main clay minerals associated with the deposits and alteration halos are smectite, illite-smectite, and kaolinite.

The Vacas replacement vein strikes N17°W on average, dips at 58° to the northeast (343°/58°), and has a known strike length of 200 metres. The zone is mineralized for a vertical extent of 400 metres, and its thickness varies from 0.2 to 18.0 metres. The replacement body is hosted by the Indidura Formation and is concordant with a fault zone running along bedding planes. This is thought to be a favourable structural setting for replacement mineralization. This fault structure is also locally occupied by later andesite dikes. The mineralogy of the replacement vein consists of galena, sphalerite, acanthite, freibergite, jamesonite, native silver, pyrite, pyrrhotite, arsenopyrite, quartz, calcite, and fluorite.

Mining Methods

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Comminution

Crushers and Mills

Milling equipment has not been reported.

Processing

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Production

Combined production numbers are reported under La Parrilla Complex

Production Costs

Commodity production costs have not been reported.

Heavy Mobile Equipment

Fleet data has not been reported.

Personnel

Mine Management

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jun 17, 2024
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jun 17, 2024
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jun 17, 2024

Aerial view:

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