Mining Intelligence and News
Colombia

Marmato Lower Mine Expansion Project

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Overview

Mine TypeUnderground
StageConstruction
Commodities
  • Gold
  • Silver
Mining Method
  • Longhole open stoping
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SnapshotDuring Q3 2023, Aris Mining commenced construction of the new Marmato Lower Mine following receipt of environmental permits in July 2023. The Lower Mine will access wider porphyry mineralization below the Upper Mine, which is a historic narrow vein mine with small-scale, labour-intensive mining.

Lower Mine will include the construction of a second decline access, mine workings, 4,000 tpd CIP plant, dry stack tailings, and a project camp.

As at March 2024:
• The Lower Mine access road has reached the portal level. The first of the three benches of stabilization anchors for the decline development have been completed. The second phase of the contract for the decline development has been submitted to a third party review and will be awarded imminently.
• During Q1 2024, the majority of the mechanical equipment has been ordered, including the crushers, ball and SAG mills, gravity concentrators, thickeners, and filter presses.
Related AssetMarmato Upper Zone

Owners

SourceSource
CompanyInterestOwnership
Aris Mining Corp. 100 % Indirect
Marmato Mine comprises three contiguous properties: Zona Alta, Zona Baja and Echandia. Aris Mining holds a 100% interest in the Zona Alta, Zona Baja, and Echandia mining titles.

Aris Mining Marmato S.A.S., formerly Caldas Gold Marmato S.A.S., is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Aris Mining Corp.

Contractors

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Deposit type

  • Mesothermal
  • Vein / narrow vein
  • Epithermal
  • Porphyry

Summary:

Deposit types
Marmato is interpreted to be a porphyry hosted gold deposit with shallow epithermal and deeper mesothermal features and this interpretation has informed the exploration and mining plans.

Aris Mining the announced discovery of a deep mineralization trend, now referred to as the Lower Mine, 300 metres below the then known resources in the Upper Mine.

The Lower Mine is characterized by structurally localized veinlets of quartz, pyrrhotite, chalcopyrite, bismuth minerals, and free gold associated with illite-smectite and kaolinite alteration of the host rock. A transition zone approximately 200 m in vertical extent exists between the Upper Mine and Lower Mine mineralization, and is characterized by the extension of Upper Mine epithermal veins into the mesothermal style Lower Mine mineralization. These features indicate a reduced intrusion environment.

Mineralization
Marmato mainly comprises northwest and west-northwest trending veins and veinlets, with intermediate sulfidation epithermal and mesothermal mineralization styles transitioning with depth from the Upper to the Lower Mines. The veins outcrop at the surface, and within Aris Mining’s mining titles, mineralization extends vertically over 1,100 m and remains open at depth and along strike, and has a high expansion potential from future underground drilling programs.

The Lower Mine mineralization is characterized by mesothermal fine veinlet (less than 5 cm thick) mineralization including quartz, pyrrhotite, chalcopyrite, bismuth sulfide, tellurides, and free gold, hosted primarily within the P1 porphyry unit. The steeply dipping, northwest trending veins are typically rimmed by a thin sodium-calcic alteration halo and the porphyry shows weak argillic and potassic alteration. The Lower Mine mineralization interpretation for the mineral resource estimate has been undertaken using a grade indicator approach to create low grade and high grade domains. The currently defined Lower Mine mineralization covers an area of 950 m northwest-southeast x 350 m northeast-southwest, over a vertical extent of 750 m.

Reserves

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Mining Methods

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Comminution

Crushers and Mills

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Processing

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Production

CommodityUnitsLOM
Gold koz 2,112
Silver koz 1,543
All production numbers are expressed as metal in doré.

Operational metrics

Metrics
Daily ore mining rate  ....  Subscribe
Daily processing capacity  ....  Subscribe
Annual ore mining rate  ....  Subscribe
Annual processing capacity  ....  Subscribe
Tonnes processed  ....  Subscribe
Waste tonnes, LOM  ....  Subscribe
Ore tonnes mined, LOM  ....  Subscribe
Total tonnes mined, LOM  ....  Subscribe
* According to 2022 study.

Production Costs

CommodityUnitsAverage
Cash costs Gold USD  ....  Subscribe
Assumed price Silver USD  ....  Subscribe
Assumed price Gold USD  ....  Subscribe
* According to 2022 study / presentation.

Operating Costs

Currency2022
UG mining costs ($/t milled) USD  ....  Subscribe
Processing costs ($/t milled) USD  ....  Subscribe
G&A ($/t milled) USD  ....  Subscribe
Total operating costs ($/t milled) USD  ....  Subscribe
* According to 2022 study.

Project Costs

MetricsUnitsLOM Total
Expansion CapEx $M USD  ......  Subscribe
Sustaining CapEx $M USD  ......  Subscribe
OP OpEx $M USD  ......  Subscribe
Processing OpEx $M USD 389
G&A costs $M USD 199.2

Required Heavy Mobile Equipment

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Personnel

Mine Management

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jun 30, 2022
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jun 30, 2022
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jul 26, 2024
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jul 26, 2024
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jul 26, 2024
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jul 26, 2024

Total WorkforceYear
...... Subscription required 2020

Aerial view:

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