Overview
| Stage | Preliminary Economic Assessment |
| Mine Type | Open Pit |
| Commodities |
|
| Mining Method |
|
| Mine Life | 19.5 years (as of Jan 1, 2022) |
Source:
p. 17
The Project covers an area of 161 square kilometres, of which 1) 46 km2 are covered by 19 exploitation concessions that are the subject of an option agreement between an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of World Copper, TriMetals Mining Chile SCM (“TMI Chile”), and a third- party vendor for a 100% interest in and to the concessions (the “Escalones Option”) and 2) 115 km2 are covered by 40 exploration concessions, owned by TMI Chile.
Contractors
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Summary:
The Escalones Property lies within the Miocene to Pliocene age Pelambres-El Teniente Porphyry copper belt, which hosts the world’s largest underground copper mine at El Teniente, as well as other large copper deposits at Los Bronces-Andina, Pelambres (Katsura, 2006) and Bajo La Alumbrera in Argentina. Copper mineralization at Escalones occurs in two forms: (1) as skarn and lithologically controlled mineralization hosted by altered sandstone/shale and intrusive dikes and sills and (2) as porphyry-style disseminated and stockwork mineralization hosted by an underlying intrusive granodiorite-diorite stock. Rock geochemistry from surface and drill core shows anomalous levels of gold, silver, and molybdenum that are spatially associated with the copper mineralization. This spatial relationship may also be due to separate pulses of mineralization or zoning within a much larger porphyry system.
Porphyry mineralization is associated with moderate to intense potassic alteration (as secondary biotite) in the granodiorite and adjacent hornfelsed sandstone. The metasomatic replacement or skarn-type mineralization is hosted by calcareous, feldspathic sediments, which form an open, upright, north-trending fold cored by the intrusive porphyry system. High-grade copper was historically mined (15 tonnes at 12% copper (Cu) (Katsura, 2006) at Escalones from exposures of magnetite-chalcopyrite skarn at Escalones Alto and prospects along Escalones Bajo. Previous drilling has demonstrat ........
Summary:
The Escalones Copper Project will employ conventional open mining techniques using front end loaders, hydraulic shovels, and rear dump rigid frame haul trucks. The mineralized material would be treated using heap leach. The mine plan is designed to deliver an average of 50,000 tonnes of heap leach material per day. The average daily waste production rate over the life of the mine would be 54,000 tonnes per day. Waste rock would be placed in a waste rock storage facility.
Pit Design
Ms. Lane of GRE used a triple bench format consisting of triple 10-metre vertical benches with a horizontal 13-metre catch bench every three vertical benches.
Pit Design Parameters:
- Max Inter-ramp Angle Hard Rock - 50 degrees;
- Max Bench Face Angle - 68 degrees.
Haul roads were designed with a minimum width of 34 metres and a maximum gradient of 10%. Haul ramps and roads have been designed to accommodate two-way traffic using 227-tonne haul trucks, water diversion ditches, and safety berms. Minor sections were narrowed to a single lane of 17 metres and a maximum slope of 15%.
Drilling Blasting
The process material and waste rock material would be drilled and blasted using a rotary crawl driller and ammonium nitrate fuel oil (ANFO). The till waste material would not require drilling and blasting.
Loading and Hauling
The blasted rock and till would be loaded with 20-cubic metre capacity front end loaders and hydraulic ........
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Flow Sheet:
Summary:
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Reserves at June 25, 2021:
Mineral resources are reported at a 0.13% Cu cutoff.
| Category | Tonnage | Commodity | Grade | Contained Metal |
|
Inferred
|
426,198 kt
|
Copper
|
0.367 %
|
3,447 M lbs
|
| Type | Material | Diameter | Length | Description |
Corporate Filings & Presentations:
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