Overview
Stage | Pre-Feasibility |
Mine Type | Open Pit |
Commodities |
|
Mining Method |
|
Mine Life | 7.5 years (as of Jan 1, 2017) |
During 2021, the Company paused its active program to market the sale of the Ana Paula project, an exploration and evaluation asset included with the acquisition of Alio. The Ana Paula project no longer meets the criteria to be classified as a disposal group held for sale as at December 31, 2021 and as a discontinued operation for the year ended December 31, 2021. |
Latest News | Heliostar Drills 53.2 m Grading 11.0 g/t gold and 44.5 m Grading 11.0 g/t gold at Ana Paula Project, Mexico May 23, 2023 |
Source:
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On December 5, 2022, Heliostar entered into a share purchase agreement, as amended (the “Purchase Agreement”) with Argonaut for the sale of all of the issued and outstanding shares of Aurea Mining Inc. (“Aurea Mining”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Argonaut, which through Aurea Mining’s wholly-owned subsidiary Minera Aurea S.A. de C.V. (“Minera Aurea”), holds a 100% indirect interest in and to Ana Paula.
On March 28, 2023, Heliostar Metals Limited (TSX.V: HSTR, OTCQX: HSTXF, FRA: RGG1) (“Heliostar” or the “Company”) closed its transaction with Argonaut Gold Inc. (“Argonaut”) in which it acquired, indirectly, the Ana Paula Gold Project (the “Ana Paula Gold Project”). Heliostar now holds a 100% interest in the Ana Paula Gold deposit in Mexico (the “Transaction”).
Contractors
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Deposit Type
- Porphyry
- Skarn
- Breccia pipe / Stockwork
Summary:
The orogenic deposit model for gold mineralization in the Guerrero Gold Belt (GGB) is considered to be associated with a Pacific Rim style of mineralization as described by Corbett (1998, 2009). GGB mineralization is related to a late Cretaceous to Early Tertiary age skarn porphyry continuum emplaced during a 62 to 66 million year old intrusive event associated with Laramide Compressional Orogeny. Early stage, essentially barren calc-silicate skarn alteration associated with one or more intrusive phases is thought to have developed as a contact metamorphic aureole surrounding hydrated intrusive bodies.
Gold deposition at Ana Paula tends to occur both contemporaneous with and post intrusion, exhibiting at least two mineralizing events. The earliest consists of Au-As-(Bi-Te) disseminated mineralization characterized by progressive mineralization over time through deposition of gold in breccias, stockworks, contact skarn (both endoskarn and exoskarn) and other replacement bodies.
The second mineralization event (Au-Ag-Pb-Zn Hg-Sb) perhaps related to the epithermal style of alteration may be a later hydrothermal phase of the earliest intrusive event (a retrograde overprint?) or may be younger.
The exact timing of gold deposition and the mechanism of deposition within the GGB and at Ana Paula are not yet fully understood and appears to vary among the known deposits, where each deposit shares important characteristics and differences. Intrusions at ........

Summary:
Open pit mining was selected as the method to examine the development of the Ana Paula Project at this time. This is based on the size of the resource, tenor of the grade, grade distribution and topography.
The deposit will be a conventional, open pit, truck-and-shovel operation. A mill feed of approximately 5,000 t/d is planned over an approximate 8-year mine life. There will be pre-strip material in Year -1, with a full production rampup in year 1.
Pit phase designs were developed for Ana Paula using the three pit optimization shells selected earlier.
Equipment sizing for ramps and working benches is based on the use of 63 t rigid frame trucks. The sizing of the ramp is actually sized for the smaller capacity 56 t rigid frame units, as they are slightly wider than the 63 t rigid frame versions. The operating width used for the truck is 5.7 m. This means that single lane access is 17.8 m (2x operating width plus berm and ditch) and double lane widths are 23.5 m (3x operating width plus berm and ditch). Ramp gradients are 10% in the pit for uphill gradients and 8% downhill on the dump access roads. Working benches were designed for 35 to 40 m minimum on pushbacks.
Ana Paula is designed with three phases. The first phase is a starter phase designed to provide early higher grade material for the plant and minimize strip ratio. The second phase expands on the first targeting the larger portion of the ore body. The final phase requires ........

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Flow Sheet:
Summary:

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Projected Production:
Commodity | Product | Units | Avg. Annual | LOM |
Gold
|
Payable metal
|
koz
| 116 | 868 |
Gold
|
Metal in doré
|
koz
| | 868 |
Silver
|
Payable metal
|
koz
| ......  | ......  |
Silver
|
Metal in doré
|
koz
| ......  | |
Operational Metrics:
Metrics | |
Stripping / waste ratio
| 3.25 * |
Daily mining rate
| 24,658 t * |
Daily ore mining rate
| 5,000 t * |
Waste tonnes, LOM
| 43,739,542 t * |
Ore tonnes mined, LOM
| 13,439,891 t * |
Total tonnes mined, LOM
| 57,179,433 t * |
Tonnes milled, LOM
| 13,439,890 t * |
Plant annual capacity
| 1,825,000 t * |
Daily processing capacity
| 4,932 t * |
Mining scale, tpd
| 24,658 t |
Processing scale, tpd
| 4,932 t |
* According to 2017 study.
Reserves at December 31, 2021:
Cut-off grade for reserves is 0.67 g/t Au.
Cut-off grades for resources are 0.6 g/t Au for open-pit and 1.65 g/t Au for underground.
Category | OreType | Tonnage | Commodity | Grade | Contained Metal |
Proven
|
Total
|
6.5 Mt
|
Gold
|
2.62 g/t
|
550 koz
|
Proven
|
Total
|
6.5 Mt
|
Silver
|
5.3 g/t
|
1,115 koz
|
Probable
|
Total
|
6.9 Mt
|
Gold
|
2.12 g/t
|
471 koz
|
Probable
|
Total
|
6.9 Mt
|
Silver
|
5.1 g/t
|
1,139 koz
|
Proven & Probable
|
Total
|
13.4 Mt
|
Gold
|
2.36 g/t
|
1,021 koz
|
Proven & Probable
|
Total
|
13.4 Mt
|
Silver
|
5.2 g/t
|
2,254 koz
|
Measured & Indicated
|
In-Situ (OP)
|
18 Mt
|
Gold
|
2.06 g/t
|
1,195 koz
|
Measured & Indicated
|
In-Situ (UG)
|
3 Mt
|
Gold
|
2.8 g/t
|
267 koz
|
Measured & Indicated
|
In-Situ (OP)
|
18 Mt
|
Silver
|
4.9 g/t
|
2,865 koz
|
Measured & Indicated
|
In-Situ (UG)
|
3 Mt
|
Silver
|
4.2 g/t
|
404 koz
|
Inferred
|
In-Situ (OP)
|
0.2 Mt
|
Gold
|
1.27 g/t
|
10 koz
|
Inferred
|
In-Situ (UG)
|
0.6 Mt
|
Gold
|
2.07 g/t
|
41 koz
|
Inferred
|
In-Situ (OP)
|
0.2 Mt
|
Silver
|
8.8 g/t
|
70 koz
|
Inferred
|
In-Situ (UG)
|
0.6 Mt
|
Silver
|
3.9 g/t
|
79 koz
|
Source:
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