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Location: 47 km SW from Cusco, Peru
Av. Pardo y Aliaga 699, Oficina 901B San IsidroLimaPeru
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The North Pit and South Pit zones, previously known as Ccalla and Azulccacca, respectively, comprise the Cotabambas deposit and are considered to be examples of porphyry copper gold deposits. The two host porphyries cover an area of about 2.5 km long and 1.8 km wide. The deposit is hosted in the Andahuaylas–Yauri belt, which is dominated by the Andahuaylas–Yauri batholith which is exposed for approximately 300 km between the towns of Yauri in the southeast and Andahuaylas in the northwest, and Mesozoic to Early Cenozoic clastic and marine sediment sequences. Mineralization occurs in hypogene, supergene enrichment and oxide zones within the host porphyries and surrounding diorites. A well-developed leached cap hosts the oxide mineralization. Sulphide mineralization occurs below the base of the leached cap. Hypogene mineralization in the Project area has been intersected at depths from approximately 20 m from surface to depths of over 500 m from surface. Mineralization occurs as disseminated chalcopyrite and pyrite, pyrite-chalcopyrite stringers or veinlets and quartz–chalcopyrite–pyrite veinlets. Chalcopyrite mineralization intensity decreases and disseminated pyrite mineralization increases distal to the higher-grade parts of the hypogene zone. Sulphide mineralization consists of chalcopyrite and pyrite and gold grades are strongly correlated to copper grades in the hypogene zone. Some occurrences of bornite have been noted in deeper portions of the hypogene zones. Silver grades are not as strongly correlated to copper grades as they are to gold grades but are generally elevated where copper–gold mineralization is present. Zones of high-grade chalcocite mineralization with lesser covellite and chalcopyrite occur at the top of the hypogene sulphide mineralization, and at the base of the leached cap. This type of mineralization is interpreted to be a zone of supergene enrichment. Supergene zones occur at North Pit and South Pit are characterized by high chalcocite content, correspondingly high cyanide-soluble copper assay grades and total copper grades that are generally >1%. Oxide mineralization occurs in the leached cap of the North Pit and South Pit zones. Iron oxides and oxy-hydroxides replace pyrite, and oxide copper–gold mineralization occurs as patches of green copper oxides, typically chrysoscolla, malachite and broncanthite. Copper oxides occur as coatings on disseminated chalcopyrite grains and as fill in fractures and veinlets. Oxide gold mineralization has been defined in a lens in the South Pit area, but has also been intersected in short, isolated 1 m to 5 m intervals in other parts of the leached cap of the deposit.
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