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Mexico
La Colorada Mine

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 Location:
0 km E from La Colorada, Sonora, Mexico

  Regional Office:
Blvd. Carlos Quintero Arce No. 24-B Residencial Puerta Grande
Hermosillo
Sonora, Mexico
83247
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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)
  • Carbon adsorption-desorption-recovery (ADR)
  • Solvent Extraction & Electrowinning
  • Cyanide (reagent)
Mine Life5 years (as of Jan 1, 2018)
Latest NewsArgonaut Gold Announces 43% Increase in Mineral Reserves to 6.8 Million Contained Gold Ounces and 26% Increase in Measured and Indicated Mineral Resources to 13.1 Million Contained Gold Ounces...     March 29, 2021


Owners

Source: p. 15
CompanyInterestOwnership
Argonaut Gold Inc. 100 % Indirect
Minera Pitalla is the owner of the Project. Minera Pitalla is 100% owned by Argonaut.

Deposit Type

  • Epithermal
  • Vein / narrow vein


Summary:

La Colorada Gold District has many of the characteristics of a low sulfidization epithermal-vein type gold-silver deposit.

The significant mineralized zones discussed in the La Colorada Technical Report include El Crestón, La Colorada/Gran Central, and Veta Madre.

El Crestón Deposit
The El Crestón and Minas Prietas veins comprise the El Crestón deposit and combined, constitute the largest vein system at the La Colorada Mine and were originally mined as separate mineralized zones. The veins generally strike east to east-north-east, dipping an average of 75° N. The veins are all fault controlled, with the faulting preceding the veining. Small post-mineral fault offsets of a few metres are common. Underground mines selectively extracted individual veins over narrow widths, whereas open pit mining is focused on larger scale stockwork and multiple vein zones over cumulative thicknesses of up to 90 metres.

Gran Central Deposit
Gran Central is geologically similar to El Crestón-Minas Prietas, and again is composed of quartz veins and stockworks localized in the Gran Central Fault complex. It is hosted in a diorite stock which contains roof pendants of siltstone and lesser calc-silicate hornfels. Fine native gold is present in the deposit and visible gold is observed.

La Colorada Deposit
Gold-bearing quartz veins and stockworks at La Colorada are contained within an east-west striking fault with a north dip averaging 45°. The mineral system is mainly hosted by rhyolite porphyry and diorite and is within and adjacent to the same dioritic stock which hosts the Gran Central Deposit. Mineralization has been traced for 500 metres along strike and for 100 metres down dip with an average thickness of around 20 metres. Mineralogy and alteration are similar to the El CrestónMinas Prietas area.

Veta Madre Zone
Veta Madre is located 1.5 km east of the El Crestón pit. Historical miners sunk three deep sub-vertical shafts, possibly for exploration but no records of extensive workings or stoping have been found for this area. Rock types include siltstone, diorite, monzonite, granite, rhyolite feldspar porphyry and dacite.


Mining Methods

  • Truck & Shovel / Loader


Summary:

The mining method employed at the La Colorada Mine consists of traditional open pit drill and blast operations followed by excavator loading of rigid body haul trucks for ore transport to a crusher and waste transport to designated dump locations.

The mine contractor Grupo Construcciones Planificadas, S.A. de C.V. (“Construplan”) drills 5.5-inch holes which are loaded with sacked ANFO. The amount of ANFO loaded is approximately 52 kg per drill hole. Argonaut pays for explosives as is common in Mexico, but the contractor is responsible for loading, priming and blasting of rock. Drill chips are sampled and sent to the local assay lab for grade control map creation by the mine engineering staff.

Loading is conducted using four Caterpillar 992 front end loaders, thirteen 100-tonne class haulage trucks (Caterpillar 777’s) and four Atlas Copco DM45 rotary drills. Waste material is sent to a main repository located south of the mine. No ARD issues are currently evident with the mining.

The El Crestón, La Colorada/Gran Central and Veta Madre pit designs combine current site access, mining width requirements and geotechnical parameters to explore the possible extraction of the resources through open pit techniques in a practical manner. For all three pits, the ramp width has been sized at 27 metres which can safely support Cat 777 (or equivalent) sized mining trucks. One way access of 15 metres has been applied at the pit bottom after stripping requirements have been met.


Crushing and Grinding


Processing

  • Heap leach
  • Carbon in column (CIC)
  • Carbon adsorption-desorption-recovery (ADR)
  • Solvent Extraction & Electrowinning
  • Cyanide (reagent)

Flow Sheet: Subscription required

Summary:

La Colorada currently processes oxide ore through a conventional heap leaching operation that includes three-stage crushing to 80% passing 3/8”, conveying and stacking to a multi-lift heap leach pad, irrigation with cyanide solution, and gold recovery through a conventional ADR plant to produce a final doré product.

The crushing plant, which has a nominal capacity of 600 t/h (12,000 t/d), consists of a 44 inch x 50 inch jaw that crushes RoM ore to -5 inches. Primary crushed ore is then scalped on a 5 ft x 16 ft scalping screen to remove the -9.5 mm fines as finished product. The screen oversize is advanced to the secondary crushing circuit which consists of two KPI K400+ standard cone crushers operated in open circuit with a 25 mm closed-side setting. The secondary crusher product is then screened at 9.5 mm and the screen oversize is advanced to the tertiary crushing circuit which consists of five (1 spare) KPI K400+ short head cone crushers that are operated in closed ci ........

Recoveries & Grades:

CommodityParameter201920182017201620152014
Gold Head Grade, g/t  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required0.540.550.470.57

Production:

CommodityUnits2019201820172016201520142013
Gold oz  ......  Subscription required45,88650,79656,49255,05640,53522,544
Silver oz  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required
Gold Equivalent oz  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required
All production numbers are expressed as metal in doré.
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Operational Metrics:

Metrics201920182017201620152014
Total tonnes mined  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required23,356 kt20,412,258 t12,260,537 t16,996,629 t
Ore tonnes mined  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required4,492 kt4,476,834 t2,380,338 t2,748,455 t
Waste  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required18,864 kt15,935,424 t9,880,199 t14,248,174 t
Stripping / waste ratio  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required4.2 3.56 4.15 5.18
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Reserves at December 31, 2018:

CategoryTonnage CommodityGradeContained Metal
Probable 18.7 Mt Gold 0.66 g/t 398 koz
Probable 14 Mt Gold 0.68 g/t 306 koz
Probable 18.7 Mt Silver 11.6 g/t 6,937 koz
Probable 14 Mt Silver 12.2 g/t 5,524 koz
Indicated 29.1 Mt Gold 0.61 g/t 568 koz
Indicated 27.2 Mt Gold 0.65 g/t 625 koz
Indicated 29.1 Mt Silver 10.3 g/t 9,655 koz
Indicated 27.2 Mt Silver 10 g/t 10,068 koz
Inferred 1.8 Mt Gold 0.79 g/t 47 koz
Inferred 1.5 Mt Gold 0.89 g/t 46 koz
Inferred 1.8 Mt Silver 10.8 g/t 641 koz
Inferred 1.5 Mt Silver 11.5 g/t 641 koz

Commodity Production Costs:

CommodityUnits201920182017201620152014
Cash costs (sold) Gold USD  ......  Subscription required† 914 / oz† 691 / oz† 704 / oz† 563 / oz† 671 / oz†
† Net of By-Product.
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Financials:

Units201920182017201620152014
Capital expenditures M USD  ......  Subscription required5.72  18.8   16.2   9.76   14  
Revenue M USD  ......  Subscription required62.4  65.3   72.8   67.8   53.2  
Gross profit M USD  ......  Subscription required7.02  12.9   17.9   19   11.6  
Operating Income M USD  ......  Subscription required28  10.9   16.5   -69.25   8.46  
Subscription required - Subscription is required


Heavy Mobile Equipment as of December 31, 2016:
HME TypeModelSizeQuantity
Drill ....................... Subscription required 7
Loader (FEL) ....................... Subscription required 4
Truck (haul) ....................... Subscription required 100 t 13
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 is required.


Corporate Filings & Presentations:

DocumentYear
................................... Subscription required 2021
................................... Subscription required 2021
................................... Subscription required 2020
................................... Subscription required 2020
................................... Subscription required 2019
................................... Subscription required 2019
................................... Subscription required 2019
Annual Information Form 2018
Financial Review 2018
Management Discussion & Analysis 2018
Press Release 2018
Technical Report 2018
Annual Information Form 2017
Financial Review 2017
Management Discussion & Analysis 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
Preliminary Economic Assessment 2011
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

News:

NewsDate
Argonaut Gold Announces 43% Increase in Mineral Reserves to 6.8 Million Contained Gold Ounces and 26% Increase in Measured and Indicated Mineral Resources to 13.1 Million Contained Gold Ounces... March 29, 2021

Aerial view:

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