Overview
| Stage | Permitting |
| Mine Type | Open Pit |
| Commodities |
|
| Mining Method |
|
| Mine Life | 15 years (as of Jan 1, 2011) |
Hochschild Mining Plc. has also recently begun to re-establish operations in Chile at its 100%-owned Volcan gold project. In 2022, the Company expects to complete a work programme to optimise the business case for this substantial gold asset. In parallel, the project is expected to be restructured into a newly established Canadian company, named Tiernan Gold. |
Source:
p. 7
The Volcan Gold Deposit was acquired as part of the Company’s acquisition of Andina Minerals Inc, announced in November 2012.
Contractors
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Deposit Type
- Hydrothermal
- Breccia pipe / Stockwork
- Porphyry
Summary:
The authors consider that Volcan has characteristics similar to other known deposits which occur within the Maricunga Gold-(Copper) Belt of Chile.
The Maricunga belt is a region of numerous gold silver-copper prospects and deposits in the high Andes of northern Chile. Zones of hydrothermally altered rocks give rise to strong colour anomalies detectable by satellite imagery and aerial photography. Several of the altered zones host significant metal concentrations including high-sulphidation epithermal gold-(silver) deposits (La Coipa, La Pepa) and porphyry gold (copper) deposits (Refugio, Aldebaran, Marte, Lobo).
Three main structural trends are present in the Maricunga belt. First, north to northeasttrending high-angle reverse faults that bound basement rocks are probably coincident with the onset of flattening of the subduction zone. A second structural trend consists of northwest-striking normal faults, dikes and veins, suggesting southwest-northeast extension. A third structural trend is defined by east-northeast satellite lineaments interpreted as dexteral shear zones that mark the southern boundary of the Altiplano Puna plateau.
The Volcan property covers the Dorado sector (Dorado Este, Central and Oeste zones, of which the latter has been sub-divided into the Oeste Norte and Oeste Sur zones) and the Ojo de Agua sector which lies to the northeast of Dorado. The following descriptions of the Dorado deposits have been excerpted from Easdon ........
Summary:
The Volcan project is planned as an open-pit gold operation processing 55,000 t/d of ore. A total of up to 75 Mt of material (ore and waste) are scheduled to be mined per year. The operation is designed to use industry-proven mining practices and equipment. Mining will be accomplished using a combination of 9.25-in and 12.25-in blasthole drills, loading units consisting of 34-m 3 shovels (PC8000 class) and 24-m 3 front-end loaders, and CAT 797- class haul trucks (320-t) as the primary mining equipment. These production units will be supported by D10 and Dl1 size dozers, 40-m 3 water trucks and CAT 16G size graders. It is assumed that management of explosives will be done by a contractor.
The block model for the pit design was with individual blocks being 10 m by 10 m by 10 m.
Pit slope angles had been determined by Vector Peru S.A.C. during earlier geotechnical studies. Inter-ramp angles varied between 42° and 52° with face slopes all at 73°. A ramp width of 32 m was used based on the selected haul trucks.
The mining operation will be based on a conventional diesel-fuelled truck and shovel equipment configuration. Pre-production stripping of 3 Mt will take place on both the Dorado West and East areas, starting in Dorado West. Over the 15-year life of the mining operation, capacity builds up from 40 Mt/y in year 1 to a peak of 75 Mt/y in year 5 and which is maintained to year 13.
Source:
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Flow Sheet:
Summary:
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Projected Production:
| Commodity | Product | Units | Avg. Annual | LOM |
|
Gold
|
Payable metal
|
oz
| | 4,315,320 |
|
Gold
|
Metal in doré
|
oz
| 282,900 | |
* According to 2011 study.
Reserves at December 31, 2019:
| Category | Tonnage | Commodity | Grade | Contained Metal |
|
Measured & Indicated
|
389,681,000 t
|
Gold
|
0.71 g/t
|
8,881 koz
|
|
Measured & Indicated
|
389,681,000 t
|
Silver Equivalent
|
57 g/t
|
719.4 M oz
|
|
Inferred
|
41,553,000 t
|
Gold
|
0.5 g/t
|
670.7 koz
|
|
Inferred
|
41,553,000 t
|
Silver Equivalent
|
41 g/t
|
54.3 M oz
|
Mine Management:
| Job Title | Name | Profile | Ref. Date |
|
.......................
|
.......................
|
|
May 11, 2022
|
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Staff:
| Employees | Year |
|
|
2011
|
Corporate Filings & Presentations:
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