Summary:
Cerro Lindo is a Kuroko-style VMS deposit with economic grades of Zn, Cu, Pb, and Ag.
The Cerro Lindo deposit is 1,500 meters long, 1,000 meters wide, and has a current (2023) vertical development of 470 meters below the surface. Mineralization consists of at least 10 discrete mineralized zones. The Cerro Lindo deposit comprises lens-shaped massive bodies, composed of pyrite (50.0% to 90.0%), yellow sphalerite, brown sphalerite, chalcopyrite, and minor galena. Significant barite is present mainly in the upper portions of the deposit. A secondary-enrichment zone, composed of chalcocite and covellite, has formed near the surface where massive sulfides have oxidized. Silver-rich powdery barite remains at the surface as a relic of sulfide oxidation and leaching.
In 2024, mineral exploration in Cerro Lindo focused on extending known orebodies, particularly OB-8B and OB-8C, located southeast of the mine, and investigating potential new mineralized zones. Exploration efforts also targeted the Patahuasi Millay geophysical anomaly, which was the main focus of exploratory drilling in 2024 and resulted in its transition to an early-stage greenfield target. Drill holes at the Pucasalla target and its extensions indicated the presence of sulfide zones but without significant results.
Mineralization is hosted by a pyroclastic unit composed of ash and lapilli-type polymictic tuffs with subrounded, well classified fragments. Some lapilli have centimetre-scale, pencil-like shapes, due to development of an incipient schistosity.
Eight styles of mineralization were identified at the Cerro Lindo deposit:
1. Pyritic, homogeneous, primary massive sulphide (SPP): This unit includes almost exclusively pyrite, less than 10% barite, and minor interstitial chalcopyrite. Its structure is equigranular, generally coarse grained (3 mm to 6 mm), but with fine-grained areas (0.4 mm to 2 mm)
2. Copper-rich, baritic homogeneous primary sulphides (Cu-SPB): This unit contains more than 50% total sulphides (including barite), and more than 10% barite. Barite is associated with sulphides because it was deposited from the same solution at the same time as the sulphides. Its structure is homogeneous, and it is composed of barite, pyrite, pyrrhotite, chalcopyrite, and brown sphalerite. Sulphides typically occur as intergrowths and patches, and brown sphalerite is included in chalcopyrite grains. There is less pyrite than in the Zn-SPB unit (described below). The Cu-SPB is generally found within or near the contact with Zn-SPB and SPP.
3. Zinc-rich, banded, baritic primary sulphides (Zn-SPB): This unit comprises more than 50% of total sulphides (including barite), and more than 10% barite. The Zn-SPB unit contains variable proportions of pyrite, barite, yellow sphalerite, and galena. It is typically banded and has a coarse grain size (3 mm to 6 mm).
4. Semi-massive sulphides (SSM): This unit contains between 20% and 50% sulphides, which are mostly represented by barren pyrite as disseminations, patches, stringers, and stockworks. This mineralization is generally fine grained as compared to massive sulphides. SSM forms a variable envelope, 20 m to 80 m thick, around the massive sulphide bodies. The sulphide proportion decreases outward. It is better developed in the footwall.
5. Pyritic oxidized sulphides (SOP): This unit comprises bornite and covellite, and is mostly located in the OB2 mining production area.
6. Baritic oxidized sulphides (SOB): This unit comprises bornite, covellite, and oxidized zinc, and it is also located in the OB2 mining production area.
7. Leached massive sulphides (SLB) and leached semi-massive sulphides (SSL): These units are located near surface in the OB2 mining production area.
8. Mineralized volcanic rocks (VM): This unit contains rhyolite and dacite rocks with some chalcopyrite and sphalerite disseminated in veinlets or patches, located on the edge of the mineralized zones.
Cerro Lindo contains 19 mining production areas within the mineralization domains. The mineralized lenses exhibit an irregular elongated geometry. Their longest axis (nearly 500 m) has a northwest-southeast horizontal trend (azimuth 135°). The mineralized bodies are approximately 300 m thick (occurring between 1,600 MASL and 1,980 MASL) and 100 m wide. They are the largest near the edge of the Topará Ravine, beyond which they diminish in size toward the southeast. The mineralized bodies generally dip to the southwest at 65° on average.
The majority of these bodies show three types of mineralization. The upper part features the massive mineralization of barite, sphalerite, galena, and pyrite (SPB). The lower part includes massive pyrite (SPP), with two different general grain sizes, one fine grained with a higher chalcopyrite content and the other coarse grained and largely barren. In the lateral portions, mineralization is semi-massive, contains 20% to 50% sulphides, and occurs as disseminations, patches, and stockworks. The base of the system exhibits a cluster of small veins of pyrite, pyrrhotite, and to a lesser extent, chalcopyrite. The mineralization at Cerro Lindo is generally coarse grained, which may be related to recrystallization due to the contact metamorphism, and this improves metallurgical recovery.
The massive sulphide frequently presents a marked banding, which may be related to tectonic deformation. In the contact with the adjacent batholiths, there is a noticeable predominance of remobilized sulphides elongated in banding that runs parallel to the volcanic contact with the intrusives. The rigidity of the batholiths likely fostered the generation of areas of greater sulphide deformation and mobilization.
Recently, a new domain termed mineralized volcanic (VM) has been identified, which differs from the other lithologies because it does not contain massive sulphides. The mineralization is scattered or occurs as patches in the volcanic rock and consists of mainly tetrahedrite, freibergite, sphalerite, and galena. Typical metal concentrations in VM are up to 15% Fe; 1% Zn, and greater than 0.25% Cu, 0.50% Pb, and 30 ppm Ag.
Significant barite is present mainly in the upper portions of the deposit. A secondary enrichment zone, composed of chalcocite and covellite, formed near surface. Silver-rich powdery barite remains at surface as a relic from sulphide oxidation and leaching.
The lead content is usually low and is mainly associated with high grade zinc zones, and locally with late quartz veins or small volcanic enclaves. These enclaves represent approximately 2% to 3% of the deposit volume, and commonly measure 0.5 m to 10 m in diameter. Silver grades correlate well with copper and lead.
As is typical of Kuroko-style VMS deposits, Cerro Lindo is characterized by a distinct mineralization zonation.