Mining Intelligence and News
Mexico

Mulatos Mine

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Categories

Overview

Mine TypeOpen Pit
StageResidual leach
Commodities
  • Gold
Mining Method
  • Truck & Shovel / Loader
Production Start... Lock
Mine Life... Lock
SnapshotThe Mulatos mine is a part of the Mulatos Operation. The mine includes a number of open pit mines, two crushing facilities, two heap leaching facilities, a high-grade mill, gold processing facilities, and related infrastructure.

Stacking of remaining stockpiles was completed in the fourth quarter and residual leaching commenced in December 2023. The operation is expected to benefit from ongoing gold production at decreasing rates in 2024 through residual leaching of the leach pad. Residual leaching of the Mulatos heap leach is expected to continue into 2025.
Related AssetMulatos Operation

Owners

SourceSource
CompanyInterestOwnership
Alamos Gold Inc. 100 % Indirect
Minas de Oro Nacional S.A. de C.V. (operator) 100 % Direct
The Mulatos group of concessions covers the Mulatos deposit and satellite gold systems known as Cerro Pelon, La Yaqui, El Carricito, El Halcon, Las Carboneras, El Jaspe, Puebla, Los Bajios, and La Dura. Mineral rights for all concessions comprising the Mulatos Group of Concessions are controlled by Minas de Oro Nacional, the Mexican subsidiary of Alamos.

Contractors

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Deposit type

  • Epithermal
  • Breccia pipe / Stockwork

Summary:

The Mulatos mineral deposits are large epithermal, high-sulfidation, disseminated gold deposits. Gold mineralization is closely associated with silicic alteration within extensive areas of argillic and advanced argillic alteration. The Mulatos deposit proper is composed of the contiguous Estrella, El Salto, Mina Vieja, and Puerto del Aire Mineral Resource areas. The Escondida deposit is the faulted extension of the Mina Vieja and El Salto sub-deposits and is believed to be continuous to the northeast with the Gap, El Victor, and San Carlos mineralized areas. Although zones are often bounded by post-mineral faults, together they form a trend of 2.7 km of gold mineralization starting at the north end of the Estrella pit to the San Carlos deposit.

Within the larger Mulatos Group of Concessions, and generally within 20 km from the Mulatos deposit, geologically similar high sulfidation gold deposits, occurrences, or prospects are known.

Gold deposits of the Mulatos district are considered to be high sulphidation-state epithermal systems. Epithermal precious metal systems may be classified as high, intermediate, and low sulphidation styles. They are characterized by the sulphidation state of the hypogene sulphide mineral assemblage, and show general relations in volcano-tectonic setting, precious and base metal content, igneous rock association, proximal hypogene alteration, and sulphide abundance. Ore in all occurrences is of the type formed under epizonal conditions, that is, generally within 2 km of the paleo-surface.

Precious metal mineralization at Mulatos is associated with intense silicic alteration (mostly vuggy silica), advanced argillic alteration, and the presence of hydrothermal breccias. The original protolith (dacite porphyry flow/tuff, coarse-grained volcaniclastic rocks, breccias), as indicated by surface mapping and core drilling, may have contained in the order of 2-3% sulphide as pyrite with various amounts of enargite and tetrahedrite. The principal gold-bearing host rock is interpreted as favoured for mineralization due to relatively high primary porosity and its intense fracturing.

Gold mineralization within the Mulatos deposit occurs primarily within areas of pervasive silicic alteration of the volcanic host rocks, and to a lesser extent, within advanced argillic alteration assemblages proximal to silicic alteration. The gold-bearing advanced argillic zones are dominated by pyrophyllite or dickite alteration. Silicic rocks host approximately 80% of the contained gold within the deposit. There are three main mineralization assemblages. From oldest to youngest they are: 1) quartz + pyrite + pyrophyllite + gold; 2) quartz + pyrite + kaolinite + gold + enargite; 3) kaolinite + barite + gold. Free gold is commonly found in hematite-filled fractures. Gold also occurs in pyrite, as gold/silver telluride minerals, and possibly as a solid solution in some copper sulphide minerals. Supergene oxidation and perhaps remobilization and secondary enrichment of gold have been ongoing since the post-mineral volcanic cover was removed (in those specific deposits where it has been removed).

Reserves

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Mining Methods

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Comminution

Crushers and Mills

Milling equipment has not been reported.

Processing

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Production

During 2019-2021 the production data for Mulatos mine includes Cerro Pelon satellite gold system. Production data for previous years see in Mulatos Operation.
CommodityUnits20232022202120202019
Gold oz  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe142,000
All production numbers are expressed as metal in doré.

Operational metrics

Metrics20232022202120202019
Daily processing rate  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe20,000 t
Daily processing capacity  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe
Stripping / waste ratio  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe0.73
Ore tonnes mined  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe7,166,679 t
Waste  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe7,095,650 t
Total tonnes mined  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe14,262,329 t
Tonnes processed  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe7,289,811 t

Production Costs

Commodity production costs have not been reported.

Heavy Mobile Equipment

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Personnel

Mine Management

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jul 18, 2024
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jul 18, 2024
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jul 18, 2024
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jul 18, 2024

Aerial view:

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