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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

  Regional Office:
Plaza San Pedro No. 113
Real de Prado
Victoria de Durango
Durango, Mexico
34080
Phone  ...  Subscription required
Fax01(677) 866 0733
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  • Overview
  • Owners
  • Geology
  • Mining
  • Processing
  • Production
  • Reserves
  • Costs & Financials
  • Fleet
  • Personnel
  • Filings & News

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Overview

StageProduction
Mine TypeOpen Pit
Commodities
  • Gold
  • Silver
Mining Method
  • Truck & Shovel / Loader
Processing
  • Heap leach
  • Carbon in column (CIC)
  • Solvent Extraction & Electrowinning
  • Cyanide (reagent)
Mine Life2021
Latest NewsArgonaut Gold Announces Record Quarterly Production of 56,986 Gold Equivalent Ounces and Annual Production of 203,483 Gold Equivalent Ounces...     January 19, 2021


Owners

Source: p. 5
CompanyInterestOwnership
Argonaut Gold Inc. 100 % Indirect

Deposit Type

  • Porphyry
  • Breccia pipe / Stockwork


Summary:

At El Castillo, gold is mainly associated with pyrite occurring as fracture fillings or stockworks and also occurring within areas of hydrothermal brecciation. Pyrite with gold also occurs as disseminations especially within intrusive rocks. Within the mine the host environment for gold mineralization is dominated by an alternating pattern of sediments and parallel intrusive sills that strike to the northwest and dip steeply to the northeast. The sedimentary units generally vary from 20 to 40 metres wide as do the intrusive sills. Many of the sills appear to have intruded along bedding planes by splitting the tabular sedimentary blocks into their present positions. This geologic event resulted in the unique alternating pattern of sediments and intrusive sills/breccias that are observed throughout the mine area. Extensive fracturing of the sedimentary blocks created favorable secondary permeability for the deposition of gold mineralization predominately associated with pyrite. As a result of this ground preparation, the northwest striking sediments can be better mineralized than the surrounding intrusive rocks.

There is typically a transition zone of partially oxidized mineralization that lies between the fully oxidized material and lower non-oxidized, sulphide material. The transition zone varies from 5 to 50 metres thick and is generally influenced by degree of fracturing and level of erosion.

The sulphide zone is generally identified by the presence of pyrite mineralization. The presence of sulphides, either fracturerelated or disseminated, is a good indicator of gold mineralization. The sulphide veinlets are most commonly 0.5 to 4.0 centimetres (“cm”) wide.

There are two main controls to mineralization. The more important of these is a close association between gold and sedimentary stratigraphy that generally strikes northwest and dips to the northeast. The favored permeability and chemistry of these rocks strongly influenced the distribution and geometry of mineralization. The second control to mineralization is related to a northeast structural fabric that provided the main conduits to the mineral system. The combination of these geologic controls resulted in a northeast elongated gold zone that measures approximately 1,600 metres by 1,300 metres.


Mining Methods

  • Truck & Shovel / Loader


Summary:

The mining method employed at the El Castillo Mine consists of traditional open pit drill and blast operations followed by excavator loading of rigid body haul trucks for ore transport to heap leach pad or crusher with waste transported to designated dump locations.

The mine drills, which include two Atlas Copco DM45's and two Atlas Copco DM30's, produce a combination of 4.5-inch to 5.5-inch holes on 3 metres x 3 metres to 4.8 metres x 6.5 metres patterns that are loaded with sacked ammonium nitrate/fuel oil (ANFO). The amount of ammonium nitrate/fuel oil (ANFO) ranges from 21 to 52 kilograms ("kg") per drill hole. Drill chips are sampled and sent to the local assay laboratory for grade control map creation by the mine engineering staff.

Loading is done with one Caterpillar 993K and four Caterpillar 992 frontend loaders to fill 19 100- tonne class haulage trucks (four Caterpillar 777 haulage trucks, and 15 Terex TR100 haulage trucks). Waste material is sent to either of three waste dumps, one located to the north of the mine, one located to the south of the mine and one located within the mined out area of the existing pit (in-pit dump). No acid rock drainage (ARD) issues are currently evident with the mining of oxide material and testing to date shows no acid rock drainage (non-ARD) in the sulphide mineralization but as the pit deepens this will need to be further evaluated.


Crushing and Grinding


Processing

  • Heap leach
  • Carbon in column (CIC)
  • Solvent Extraction & Electrowinning
  • Cyanide (reagent)

Flow Sheet: Subscription required

Summary:

The El Castillo Mine currently processes oxide and transition gold ore through a conventional heap leaching operation that includes single-stage and two-stage crushing , truck and portable conveyor transport to multi-lift heap leach pads, irrigation with cyanide solution, and gold recovery through Carbon-in-Column (“CIC”) gold recovery circuits. Loaded carbon is transported to the Corporation’s La Colorada Mine facilities for further processing to a final doré.

The current cut-off grade is 0.15 g/t gold. Softer ore with grades from 0.15 g/t gold and higher grade and harder ore from 0.15 g/t to 0.25 g/t gold are classified as single-stage crushed ore and are delivered to the West Crusher and crushed to -6 inches. Harder ore with grades greater than 0.25 g/t gold is classified as higher grade ore and transition ore with grades greater than 0.21 g/t gold are two-stage crushed at the East Crusher to -1 inches before being delivered to the leach pad by a portable conveyor system ........

Recoveries & Grades:

CommodityParameter20192018201720162015201420132012
Gold Head Grade, g/t 0.410.370.360.340.30.330.350.39

Production:

CommodityUnits2019201820172016201520142013
Gold oz  ......  Subscription required47,85759,00062,23579,75192,50094,804
All production numbers are expressed as metal in doré.
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Operational Metrics:

Metrics201920182017201620152014
Total tonnes mined  ......  Subscription required21,104 kt18,547 kt27,588,847 t27,293,975 t31,210,209 t
Ore tonnes mined  ......  Subscription required8,801 kt8,140 kt11,138,942 t10,787,049 t14,975,838 t
Waste  ......  Subscription required12,303 kt10,407 kt16,449,905 t16,506,926 t16,234,371 t
Stripping / waste ratio  ......  Subscription required1.4 1.28 1.48 1.53 1.08
Daily mining rate  ......  Subscription required75 kt75 kt
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Reserves at December 31, 2018:

CategoryTonnage CommodityGradeContained Metal
Proven 3.3 Mt Gold 0.57 g/t 62 koz
Proven 2.9 Mt Gold 0.58 g/t 54 koz
Probable 33.7 Mt Gold 0.39 g/t 419 koz
Probable 25.3 Mt Gold 0.39 g/t 314 koz
Measured 4.1 Mt Gold 0.54 g/t 70 koz
Measured 3.4 Mt Gold 0.55 g/t 61 koz
Indicated 54.3 Mt Gold 0.36 g/t 625 koz
Indicated 41.8 Mt Gold 0.37 g/t 490 koz
Inferred 0.9 Mt Gold 0.36 g/t 10 koz

Commodity Production Costs:

CommodityUnits201920182017201620152014
Cash costs (sold) Gold USD  ......  Subscription required† 1,016 / oz† 918 / oz† 884 / oz† 892 / oz† 817 / oz†
† Net of By-Product.
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Financials:

Units201920182017201620152014
Capital expenditures M USD  ......  Subscription required16.7  35.3   14.2   18.3   15.4  
Revenue M USD 72   90.7   113.07  
Operating Income M USD 12.1   -138.15   7.51  
Gross profit M USD 12.8   -32.81   11.1  
Subscription required - Subscription is required


Heavy Mobile Equipment as of December 31, 2016:
HME TypeModelSizeQuantity
Drill ....................... Subscription required 2
Drill ....................... Subscription required 2
Loader (FEL) ....................... Subscription required 1
Loader (FEL) ....................... Subscription required 4
Truck (haul) ....................... Subscription required 100 t 4
Truck (haul) ....................... Subscription required 100 t 15
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Mine Management:

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Mar 3, 2021
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Mar 3, 2021
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Mar 3, 2021
Subscription required - Subscription is required.


Corporate Filings & Presentations:

DocumentYear
................................... Subscription required 2021
................................... Subscription required 2021
................................... Subscription required 2020
................................... 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.

News:

NewsDate
Argonaut Gold Announces Record Quarterly Production of 56,986 Gold Equivalent Ounces and Annual Production of 203,483 Gold Equivalent Ounces... January 19, 2021
Argonaut Gold Announces Resumption of Full Operations at All Mines June 1, 2020

Aerial view:

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