Overview
| Stage | Production |
| Mine Type | Open Pit |
| Commodities |
- Copper
- Molybdenum
- Gold
- Silver
|
| Mining Method |
|
| Production Start | ...  |
| Mine Life | 22 years (as of Jan 1, 2021) |
Source:
p. 140
On 22 February 2022 the transaction was concluded for sale of the 45% share in the company Sierra Gorda S.C.M. by Sumitomo Metal Mining Co., Ltd. and Sumitomo Corporation to South32.
KGHM Polska Miedz S.A. hold 55% of the company Sierra Gorda S.C.M.
Contractors
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Summary:
Deposit Geology
The Sierra Gorda is controlled by a block of continuous concessions that cover an area of approximately 7.5 km by 5 km. The SGP is located within the Sierra Gorda mining district (about 15 km by 10 km extension) where numerous mineral occurrences have been identified in hydrothermal alteration zones with copper, molybdenum, and gold.
The Sierra Gorda Mining District is hosted by rocks of Early Cretaceous age consisting of a sequence of andesites. These rocks outcrop around the project’s district except to the west. These rocks occur as coarse-to-fine- grained porphyritic andesites and andesite flows with intercalated agglomerates, tuffs, sandstones, and siltstones. These rocks have been correlated to the Quebrada Seca Formation, which was dated as 111 ± 3 million years old.
The Sierra Gorda Mining District also encloses Paleocene intrusives represented by plutonic rocks of variable composition from monzodiorite, granodiorite to granite which are apparently related to the underlying Batholith.
Late stage intrusives also occur in the Sierra Gorda Mining District; these are represented by irregular stocks, dikes and small plugs intruding both, the batholith and the andesites.
Numerous breccia zones occur within the Sierra Gorda Mining District. The main Sierra Gorda mineral deposits are associated with breccia zones, such as the Catalina or Santiaguina, Salvadora, Olvidada, Copucha, and the newly discovered 28 ........
Summary:
Since the SGP deposit is near surface, open pit mining has been selected and large scale equipment has been chosen to increase performance.
The mine is a conventional open-pit operation which is carried out through drilling and blasting, loading shovels, and land transport using heavy haul trucks that take the ore to the crushing area and the tailings to the dumps.
The Sierra Gorda sulfide deposit is a large, deep, multi-metallic deposit including copper as main product, molybdenum and gold as by-products.
Design Parameters:
- Bench Height - 16m
- Minimum Mining Width - 100m
- Ramp Width - 35-38m
- Maximum Grade - 10%.
The final pit will have a length of 2,700 m by 2,500 m width and a depth of 800 m from its original surface.
The waste dumps are located to the north, east and south of the pit and are set back approximately 500 meters from the pit rim to allow for pit expansion in the event metals prices increase. The dumps include an area to hold the oxide material for possible future processing.
Source:
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Flow Sheet:
Summary:
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Reserves at October 31, 2014:
| Category | Tonnage | Commodity | Grade | Contained Metal |
|
Proven
|
343,882 kt
|
Copper
|
0.41 %
|
1,409,916 t
|
|
Proven
|
343,882 kt
|
Molybdenum
|
0.03 %
|
103,165 t
|
|
Proven
|
343,882 kt
|
Gold
|
0.07 g/t
|
24,071 kg
|
|
Probable
|
1,110,307 kt
|
Copper
|
0.4 %
|
4,441,225 t
|
|
Probable
|
1,110,307 kt
|
Molybdenum
|
0.02 %
|
222,061 t
|
|
Probable
|
1,110,307 kt
|
Gold
|
0.06 g/t
|
66,618 kg
|
|
Proven & Probable
|
1,454,189 kt
|
Copper
|
0.4 %
|
5,851,141 t
|
|
Proven & Probable
|
1,454,189 kt
|
Molybdenum
|
0.02 %
|
325,227 t
|
|
Proven & Probable
|
1,454,189 kt
|
Gold
|
0.06 g/t
|
90,689 kg
|
|
Measured
|
364,551 kt
|
Copper
|
0.41 %
|
1,487,369 t
|
|
Measured
|
364,551 kt
|
Molybdenum
|
0.03 %
|
105,720 t
|
|
Measured
|
364,551 kt
|
Gold
|
0.07 g/t
|
25,154 kg
|
|
Indicated
|
1,242,064 kt
|
Copper
|
0.4 %
|
4,930,991 t
|
|
Indicated
|
1,242,064 kt
|
Molybdenum
|
0.02 %
|
235,993 t
|
|
Indicated
|
1,242,064 kt
|
Gold
|
0.06 g/t
|
73,282 kg
|
|
Measured & Indicated
|
1,606,615 kt
|
Copper
|
0.4 %
|
6,418,360 t
|
|
Measured & Indicated
|
1,606,615 kt
|
Molybdenum
|
0.02 %
|
341,713 t
|
|
Measured & Indicated
|
1,606,615 kt
|
Gold
|
0.06 g/t
|
98,436 kg
|
|
Inferred
|
83,702 kt
|
Copper
|
0.35 %
|
292,958 t
|
|
Inferred
|
83,702 kt
|
Molybdenum
|
0.01 %
|
5,022 t
|
|
Inferred
|
83,702 kt
|
Gold
|
0.04 g/t
|
3,180 kg
|
| HME Type | Model | Size | Quantity | Leased or
Contractor | Ref. Date |
|
Drill
|
.......................
|
16 inch
|
.......................
|
|
Aug 4, 2014
|
|
Drill
|
.......................
|
16 inch
|
.......................
|
|
Aug 4, 2014
|
|
Loader
|
.......................
|
40.5 cu. m
|
.......................
|
|
Aug 4, 2014
|
|
Shovel
|
.......................
|
|
.......................
|
|
Dec 31, 2021
|
|
Shovel
|
.......................
|
90 t
|
.......................
|
|
Aug 4, 2014
|
|
Truck (haul)
|
.......................
|
|
.......................
|
|
Feb 17, 2023
|
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