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Mexico
El Castillo Mine (El Castillo Complex)

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 Location:
8 km W from José María Patoni, Durango, Mexico

  Address:
Carr. San Juan Coneto de Comonfort Km. 12
San Juan del Río
Durango, Mexico
34480
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  • Overview
  • Owners
  • Geology
  • Mining
  • Processing
  • Production
  • Reserves
  • Costs & Financials
  • Fleet
  • Personnel
  • Filings & News

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Overview

StageResidual leach
Mine TypeOpen Pit
Commodities
  • Gold
Mining Method
  • Truck & Shovel / Loader
Production Start...
Mine Life2023
In the fourth quarter of 2022, the El Castillo mine ceased mining operations and is now in residual leaching.


Owners

Source: p. 16
CompanyInterestOwnership
Argonaut Gold Inc. 100 % Indirect
Minera Real del Oro S.A. de C.V. (operator) 100 % Direct
The El Castillo mine is owned and operated by Minera Real del Oro, S.A. de C.V., which is a subsidiary of Argonaut Gold Inc.

Contractors

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Deposit Type

  • Porphyry
  • Intrusion related
  • Magmatic
  • Hydrothermal


Summary:

Deposit Type
El Castillo is interpreted to be a porphyry-style gold system related to Eocene granodiorite– diorite porphyries that intrude Cretaceous clastic and carbonate sediments in an extensional tectonic setting. Gold mineralization occurs throughout the magmatic-hydrothermal system in space and time and is related to sulphide mineralization spatially associated with early potassic development and genetically related to an overprint of phyllic alteration. Supergene alteration, formed as a product of acid leaching, has resulted in argillic-quartz alteration assemblages within the oxide zone of the deposit. The main gold event is believed to be associated with magmatic hydrothermal fluids corresponding to phyllic alteration.

The El Castillo gold system is similar to that found at Andacollo, Chile (Reyes, 1991 and Oyarzun, et al., 1996). Andacollo is a Cretaceous diorite to granodiorite porphyry copper-gold system with central porphyry copper-gold mineralization related to a classic porphyry alteration assemblage and a distal sediment-hosted (manto) low sulphidation and epithermal-level gold satellite system. Fluid inclusion work by Oyarzun et al. (1996) indicates that the manto epithermal gold deposits may in fact be related to another intrusive that has not been recognized at the surface due to high temperature fluid inclusions (about 365ºC) that are found about 5 km from the porphyry centre.

Supergene oxidation of shallow (<200 m) pyrite-gold m ........


Mining Methods

  • Truck & Shovel / Loader


Summary:

El Castillo is an Owner-operated mine using conventional equipment and conventional mining methods.

The El Castillo mine is a relatively low-grade gold deposit that benefits from a low strip ratio and disseminated mineralization that is amenable to bulk mining activities and good heap leach recoveries. The operation is situated in a semi-arid environment surrounded by moderate topography.

There are three mine phases remaining in the LOM plan:
• The Phase 10.2 design is approximately 300 m long by 100 m wide with 36 m depth. Total Mineral Reserves contained in this phase are 1.1 Mt at an average grade of 0.25 g/t Au with a strip ratio of 0.21;
• The Phase LB design is approximately 700 m long by 250 m wide with 170 m depth. Phase LB contains 3.8 Mt of Mineral Reserves grading 0.27 g/t Au and a strip ratio of 1.39;
• The Phase WP design is approximately 700 m long by 400 m wide with 150 m remaining depth. Phase WP contains 6.6 Mt of Mineral Reserves grading 0.44 g/t Au with a strip ratio of 0.61.

The mining method consists of traditional drill-and-blast operations followed by excavator loading of rigid-body haul trucks for ore transport to the crusher and waste transportation to designated WRSF locations.

Pit Design
Pit designs include a ramp width of 25 m (truck factor of 3.5), which can safely support Cat 777 (or equivalent) sized mining trucks. One-way access of 15 m was applied at the pit bottom after strippin ........


Crushing and Grinding


Processing

Flow Sheet: Subscription required

Summary:

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Production:

CommodityUnits2022202120202019201820172016
Gold Equivalent koz  ......  Subscription required ^  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required4860
Gold oz  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required
All production numbers are expressed as metal in doré. ^ Guidance / Forecast.
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Operational Metrics:

Metrics202120202019201820172016
Total tonnes mined  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required22,207 kt21,104 kt18,547 kt27,589 kt
Ore tonnes mined  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required8,914 kt8,801 kt8,140 kt11,139 kt
Waste  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required13,293 kt12,303 kt10,407 kt16,450 kt
Stripping / waste ratio  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required1.49 1.4 1.28 1.48
Tonnes processed  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required8,867 kt8,840 kt8,164 kt
Daily mining rate  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required75 kt
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Reserves at December 31, 2021:
Cut-off grades for reserves range from 0.1 g/t Au to 0.24 g/t Au depending on ore type.
Cut-off grades for resources range from 0.07 g/t Au to 0.48 g/t AuEQ depending on ore type.

CategoryTonnage CommodityGradeContained Metal
Proven 0.3 Mt Gold 0.49 g/t 4 koz
Probable 8.9 Mt Gold 0.4 g/t 114 koz
Measured & Indicated 31.4 Mt Gold 0.36 g/t 355 koz
Inferred 1.8 Mt Gold 0.35 g/t 20 koz

Commodity Production Costs:

CommodityUnits202220212020201920182017
Cash costs (sold) Gold USD  ......  Subscription required ^†  ......  Subscription required†  ......  Subscription required†  ......  Subscription required† 1,016 / oz†   918 / oz†  
^ Guidance / Forecast.
† Net of By-Product.
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Financials:

Units202120202019201820172016
Capital expenditures M USD  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required 16.7   35.3   14.2  
Revenue M USD 72  
Operating Income M USD 12.1  
Gross profit M USD 12.7  
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Heavy Mobile Equipment as of October 1, 2021:
HME TypeModelSizeQuantity
Drill ....................... Subscription required
Loader (FEL) ....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required
Truck (haul) 100 t ....................... Subscription required
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Mine Management:

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Apr 10, 2022
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Apr 10, 2022
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Staff:

EmployeesYear
Subscription required 2021
Subscription required 2020

Corporate Filings & Presentations:

DocumentYear
Corporate Presentation 2022
Financial Review 2022
Management Discussion & Analysis 2022
................................... Subscription required 2021
................................... Subscription required 2021
................................... Subscription required 2021
................................... Subscription required 2021
................................... Subscription required 2021
................................... Subscription required 2021
................................... Subscription required 2020
................................... Subscription required 2020
................................... Subscription required 2020
................................... Subscription required 2020
................................... Subscription required 2019
................................... Subscription required 2019
Annual Information Form 2018
Management Discussion & Analysis 2018
Press Release 2018
Technical Report 2018
Annual Information Form 2017
Management Discussion & Analysis 2017
Press Release 2017
Press Release 2017
Annual Information Form 2016
Financial Review 2016
Management Discussion & Analysis 2016
Annual Information Form 2015
Financial Review 2015
Management Discussion & Analysis 2015
Annual Information Form 2014
Financial Review 2014
Management Discussion & Analysis 2013
Technical Report 2011
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

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