The deposits that currently make up the Lamaque property include:
- Upper Triangle (zones C1 to C5);
- Lower Triangle (zones C6 to C10);
- Parallel;
- Ormaque;
- Plug No 4.
The primary mining method that is currently used at Lamaque is mechanized longhole stoping. The existing mobile equipment fleet of conventional equipment, mine infrastructure, and services, as well as workforce skillsets are based on longhole, and this method will continue to be used. Ore is transferred to surface using 45-tonne rated underground haulage trucks in the newly developed Sigma Ramp to the surface ore pad near the Sigma mill facility.
The current longhole stoping mining method will be maintained in the proposed mining of the Lower Triangle deposit.
In the proposed mining of the Ormaque deposit, drift and fill (DAF) mining methods will be employed due to the shallowly-dipping orientation of the mineralized zones, allowing for near-complete recovery of mineralization and providing better selectivity while allowing low grade material to be left in the stopes. New low-profile mining equipment will be required to reduce mining heights to 2.4m and reduce external dilution.
The mine operation is currently using cemented rockfill (CRF) and unconsolidated rockfill as backfill. In the proposed Lower Triangle and Ormaque mine plans, addition of a paste fill plant is included in the growth capital to provide cemented paste fill. Minera ........
