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United States
Castle Mountain Mine (Castle Mountain Phase 2 Expansion Project)

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 Location:
100 km S from Las Vegas, California, United States

  Regional Office:
980 American Pacific Dr. Suite 102
Henderson
Nevada, United States
89014
Phone  ...  Subscription required
WebsiteWeb
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  • Overview
  • Owners
  • Geology
  • Mining
  • Processing
  • Production
  • Reserves
  • Costs & Financials
  • Fleet
  • Personnel
  • Filings & News

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Overview

StageProduction
Mine TypeOpen Pit
Commodities
  • Gold
Mining Method
  • Truck & Shovel / Loader
Processing
  • Smelting
  • ROM/dump leach
  • Carbon in column (CIC)
  • Carbon adsorption-desorption-recovery (ADR)
  • Solvent Extraction & Electrowinning
  • Cyanide (reagent)
Mine Life19 years (as of Jan 1, 2021)
Completed construction and commissioning of Castle Mountain Phase 1 Mine with no lost-time incidents and achieved commercial production on November 21, 2020.
Latest NewsEquinox Gold Announces Positive Feasibility Study for Castle Mountain Phase 2 Expansion     March 22, 2021


Owners

Source: p. 28
CompanyInterestOwnership
Equinox Gold  Corp. 100 % Indirect
Equinox, through its indirect wholly owned subsidiary NewCastle Gold Ltd (NewCastle), has 100% of the right, title, and beneficial interest in and to Castle Mountain Venture (CMV) which owns the Castle Mountain Mine (or the Property).

Deposit Type

  • Epithermal
  • Breccia pipe / Stockwork
  • Volcanic hosted


Summary:

Castle Mountain is classified as a low-sulfidation epithermal gold deposit (Scott et al., 2018), a sub-type of the epithermal class of gold and silver deposits (Sillitoe and Hedenquist, 2003).

Mineralization
Structure and associated rock porosity-permeability characteristics are the first-order control on the distribution of gold. Flow-dome breccia margins, phreatic diatremes, fault cataclasite and fractures focused provided conduits for hydrothermal fluids and contain the highest gold grades. Unfractured coherent flow-dome facies, clay altered volcaniclastic facies, and clay altered phreatomagmatic diatremes with low or variable permeability are weakly mineralized due to lower fluid interaction. Lower permeability units that are mineralized have been cut by structures such faults, fractures, or phreatic diatremes that promoted hydrothermal fluid interactions.

Gold is focused along structures and margins of facies contacts. It is believed that sub-vertical structures acted as pathways for magma and are responsible for the emplacement of the felsic volcanic package. These same structures also acted as conduits for gold-bearing hydrothermal fluids. Intersections of the steep structures with more permeable volcanic rocks created an environment for enhanced gold precipitation from hydrothermal fluids, possibly due to processes of boiling and interaction with meteoric water.

Lithologic controls are dependent on the host rock texture. Tuff beds, auto-breccias, and hydrothermal breccias have permeable fragmental textures. Brittle rhyolite flows and intrusive equivalent rocks exhibit intense fracturing and are characterized by cooling joints, vesicular zones, spherulitic vugs, and flow foliations. Gold occurs within secondary silica in all these features. Major fault and fracture systems and intersections of fracture systems provided structural controls for mineralization. In the deposit area, north-northeast-striking, mineralized fracture zones are exposed in outcrop.

The morphology of mineralization follows two patterns. Firstly, gold is enriched along steep to vertical brecciated contacts of flow-domes and phreatomagmatic diatremes. Secondly, gold occurs in broad tabular zones that correlates with the general orientation bedding. The lateral extent of the mineralized bodies centered around fault zones are dictated by the intensity and extent of fracturing and faulting, in addition to the paleo-porosity of the host rocks.

Some faults and fracture zones are not gold-bearing since the structural regimes through the Project were active both pre- and post-mineralization. Gold seems to have precipitated during a single phase within a larger and longer-lived structural and hydrothermal event.

Silicification is commonly associated with gold occurring as pervasive silica flooding and quartz veining. Quartz veins can be vitric and “gel-like” or opaque white-gray opal. Vitric quartz veins typically occur in clusters as sheeted veins or stockwork in zones ranging from 3 to 35 ft (1 to 10 m) wide. Amorphous quartz occurs as discontinuous irregular veins and as open space filling quartz. The strongest silica alteration associated with gold is found along brecciated coherent rhyolite margins; this results in mosaic breccias where angular rhyolite clasts are within a hydrothermal-related silica matrix.

Gold on the Project occurs in oxidized fractures, faults, discontinuous veins, and breccia matrix. Gold mineralization correlates best with the deep red, red-brown and brown iron oxide that can range in color from pink to red-brown. The iron oxide intensity and appearance are commonly controlled by the volcanic facies occurring as discontinuous, fracture-controlled textures in coherent rhyolite facies, as matrix replacement in rhyolite breccias, wispy selvages and clast haloes in volcaniclastic rocks, and pervasive or matrix selective in diatremes. These iron oxide textures can be cut by fracture and vein filling iron oxide that ranges in color from brown-tan to red.

Visible gold is rarely observed in hand specimen and core. In petrographic samples collected near JSLA, visible gold is associated with iron oxide and silica and proximal to illite and adularia alteration (Cline, 2016). Gold deportment studies from Oro Belle by Chudy and Lane (2020) indicate that mineralization is roughly 79% native gold, 17% electrum and 4% silver minerals by frequency of grain count. Quartz may be intergrown with iron oxides/hydroxides, most commonly as hematite, which have formed as oxidation products of former sulfide minerals. There is a low abundance of sulfides observed on the Project. The most common sulfide mineral is pyrite, and varies from nil to 1%, which occurs within clasts and matrix.


Mining Methods

  • Truck & Shovel / Loader


Summary:

Mine design and preparation of the mining reserves was completed using conventional open-pit design practice. The designs are based on the $850/oz Lerchs-Grosmann optimal pit solution. From that initial pit design, ramp systems were designed and the pits were divided into 14 different laybacks/phases. Mining of the pits was subsequently scheduled to provide the required ore per year in the plan while balancing the waste mining to ensure proper development of the Project.

During the first two years of operations mining will be performed exclusively by a mining contractor. In years 3 and 4 the mining contractor will continue mining and will also assist with pre-stripping operations, which will be primarily undertaken by the Company’s own mining fleet. Contract mining operations will cease by year 5. Grade control will be performed by Castle Mountain personnel throughout the mine life.

It is anticipated that the mining contractor will use a fleet of 85-tonne to 100-tonne capacity rear dump trucks and equivalent class front-end- loaders. The initial owner fleet is expected to comprise 17 180-tonne capacity rear dump trucks and four 425-tonne class excavators. Mining will take place on 6.1-metre (20 foot) benches, with double benching anticipated in waste areas.

Mining costs are estimated at $1.39 per tonne mined over the current LOM.


Crushing and Grinding


Processing

  • Smelting
  • ROM/dump leach
  • Carbon in column (CIC)
  • Carbon adsorption-desorption-recovery (ADR)
  • Solvent Extraction & Electrowinning
  • Cyanide (reagent)

Flow Sheet: Subscription required

Summary:

The processing plan has been divided into two stages:

- Stage 1 (Years 1-3) considers processing 14,000 tons per day of ROM backfill material from the JSLA pit, where it was stored from the previous operation. Excavated backfill material will be loaded into 100-ton haul trucks and stacked in 50- ft lifts. Quicklime (CaO) will be added to the material in the trucks for pH control before the ore is stacked and leached in two stages using a dilute sodium cyanide solution. Pregnant solution discharging from the heap will flow by gravity to a pregnant solution tank from which it will be pumped to a Carbon-in-Column (CIC) adsorption circuit. Gold and silver values will be loaded onto activated carbon and then be periodically stripped from the carbon in a desorption circuit, electrowon and smelted to produce the final doré product.

- Stage 2 (Years 4+) will be constructed during Year 3 and includes expanding the Stage 1 leach pad, adsorption and desorption circuits, and ........

Recoveries & Grades:

CommodityParameter20212020
Gold Head Grade, g/t  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required

Production:
The Company commenced Phase 1 construction on October 30, 2019, poured first gold on October 15, 2020 and commenced commercial production on November 21, 2020.

CommodityUnits202220212020Avg. Annual (Projected)LOM (Projected)
Gold koz  ......  Subscription required ^  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required1732,798
All production numbers are expressed as metal in doré. ^ Guidance / Forecast.
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Operational Metrics:

Metrics20212020
Ore tonnes mined  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required
Waste  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required
Stripping / waste ratio  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Reserves at June 30, 2020:
Open pit Mineral Resources are reported using a cut-off grade of 0.17 g/t gold.

Mineral Reserves are reported using a cut-off grade of 0.005 opt (0.17 g/t) gold.

CategoryTonnage CommodityGradeContained Metal
Proven 84,910 kt Gold 0.55 g/t 1,498 koz
Probable 172,990 kt Gold 0.48 g/t 2,670 koz
Proven & Probable 257,900 kt Gold 0.51 g/t 4,168 koz
Measured 781 kt Gold 0.68 g/t 17 koz
Indicated 73,452 kt Gold 0.62 g/t 1,453 koz
Measured & Indicated 74,233 kt Gold 0.62 g/t 1,470 koz
Inferred 69,890 kt Gold 0.63 g/t 1,422 koz

Commodity Production Costs:

CommodityUnits20212020
Cash costs (sold) Gold USD  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required
All-in sustaining costs (sold) Gold USD  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required
^ Guidance / Forecast.
† Net of By-Product.
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Operating Costs:

Units20212020
OP mining costs ($/t mined) USD 3.152.01
Processing costs ($/t milled) USD  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required
G&A ($/t milled) USD  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Financials:

Units202220212020
Capital expenditures (planned) M USD  ......  Subscription required
Sustaining costs M USD  ......  Subscription required
Capital expenditures M USD  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required
Revenue M USD  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required
Operating Income M USD  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required
Subscription required - Subscription is required


Proposed Heavy Mobile Equipment as of February 26, 2021:
HME TypeModelSizeQuantity
Backhoe ....................... Subscription required 1.3 cu. yd ....................... Subscription required
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Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Mine Management:

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required May 25, 2022
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required May 25, 2022
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required May 25, 2022
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Staff:

EmployeesYear
Subscription required 2021
Subscription required 2020

Corporate Filings & Presentations:

DocumentYear
Fact Sheet 2022
................................... Subscription required 2021
................................... Subscription required 2021
................................... Subscription required 2021
................................... Subscription required 2021
................................... Subscription required 2021
................................... Subscription required 2020
................................... Subscription required 2020
................................... Subscription required 2019
................................... Subscription required 2019
................................... Subscription required 2019
Pre-Feasibility Study Report 2018
Press Release 2018
Technical Report 2016
Preliminary Economic Assessment 2014
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

News:

NewsDate
Equinox Gold Announces Positive Feasibility Study for Castle Mountain Phase 2 Expansion March 22, 2021
Equinox Gold Achieves Commercial Production at the Castle Mountain Gold Mine November 23, 2020
Equinox Gold Reports Third Consecutive Quarter of Record Results with 128,400 Ounces of Gold Sold and Earnings from Mine Operations of $98 Million November 9, 2020
Equinox Gold Completes Construction of Phase 1 Castle Mountain Mine September 17, 2020
Equinox Gold Commences Phase 1 Construction of the Castle Mountain Gold Mine October 30, 2019
Equinox Gold Announces Filing of Castle Mountain NI 43-101 Technical Report August 29, 2018
Equinox Gold Announces Results of Castle Mountain Prefeasibility Study July 17, 2018

Aerial view:

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