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Mexico
La Parrilla Complex (La Rosa-Rosarios-La Blanca Mine, Quebradillas Mine, San Marcos Mine, Vacas Mine)

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 Location:
1 km SE from San José de la Parrilla, Durango, Mexico

  Regional Office:
Fanny Anitúa No 2700
Durango
Durango, Mexico
34076
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Fax01-(618)-827-9070
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  • Overview
  • Owners
  • Geology
  • Mining
  • Processing
  • Production
  • Reserves
  • Costs & Financials
  • Fleet
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  • Filings & News

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Overview

StatusTemporary Suspension
Mine TypeUnderground
Commodities
  • Silver
  • Lead
  • Zinc
  • Gold
Mining Method
  • Mechanized Cut & Fill
  • Longhole open stoping
Processing
  • Filter press plant
  • Flotation
  • Agitated tank (VAT) leaching
  • Counter current decantation (CCD)
  • Merrill–Crowe
  • Cyanide (reagent)
The La Parrilla Silver Mine is a complex of underground operations consisting of the Rosarios, La Blanca and San Marcos mines which are interconnected through underground workings, and the Vacas and Quebradillas mines which are connected via above-ground gravel roads.

The La Parrilla operation was placed on temporary suspension on September 2, 2019. Exploration for new deposits continues with an emphasis on brownfield and greenfield targets within the property mineral concessions.


Owners

Source: p. 93, 210
CompanyInterestOwnership
First Majestic Silver Corp. 100 % Indirect
First Majestic Plata, S.A. de C.V. (operator) 100 % Direct
La Parrilla mine is owned and operated by First Majestic Plata, S.A. de C.V. (FMPlata) a wholly-owned subsidiary of FMS through its Mexican holding company, Corporación First Majestic, S.A. de C.V. (CFM).

Deposit Type

  • Vein / narrow vein
  • Carbonate replacement
  • Intrusion related
  • Mesothermal
  • Breccia pipe / Stockwork


Summary:

Two mineral deposit models are proposed for La Parrilla: intrusion-related carbonate replacement deposits and mesothermal fault veins.

The mineralization at La Parrilla occurs in veins, breccias, stockworks and replacements that are hosted by the Cretaceous limestones and shales of the Indidura Formation and by the granodiorite–quartz monzonite intrusion. Contact metamorphism and metasomatism resulted in the development of marble, hornfels, skarnoid, and skarn at the intrusive contact. Because the mineralization is related to the intrusive contact and skarn development, the deposits are proposed to be of the intrusionrelated hydrothermal type, and may represent mesothermal to epithermal environments.

Veins at La Parrilla are of two types: open space filling veins and fault-veins. The open space filling veins can consist of massive sulphides veins; quartz-calcite veins containing pyrite, sphalerite, and galena; and breccia veins cemented by quartz-calcite. Fault-veins consists of matrix-supported breccias or gouge containing disseminated sulphides and oxides. Open space filling veins can transition along strike into fault-veins and vice versa, and the presence of stockwork is common at the contacts of the vein with the host rock. Thus, it is interpreted that most veins were open or partially open faults and fractures, that they were flooded with hydrothermal fluids, and that some of these were reactivated by later faulting. Replacement deposits, on the other hand, occur as oblique or perpendicular splays to veins and faults, and as larger replacement deposits concordant with sedimentary bedding. Replacement deposits generally have limited strike extent and have irregular shape and thickness.

The La Parrilla deposits contain primary sulphides such as galena, sphalerite, pyrite, pyrrhotite, arsenopyrite, chalcopyrite, covellite, acanthite, native silver, and silver sulphosalts (tetrahedrite–freibergite solid solution). Due to supergene oxidation, the primary sulphides in the upper parts of some deposits have been altered to cerussite, anglesite, hemimorphite, hydrozincite, jarosite, goethite, hematite, cervantite, malachite, chrysocolla, chalcanthite, and native silver. The main nonmetallic gangue minerals present in the deposits are calcite, quartz, fluorite, and siderite. The main clay minerals associated with the deposits and alteration halos are smectite, illite-smectite, and kaolinite.


Mining Methods

  • Mechanized Cut & Fill
  • Longhole open stoping


Summary:

The La Parrilla Silver Mine is a complex of producing underground operations consisting of the Rosarios, La Blanca and San Marcos mines which are interconnected through underground workings, and the Vacas and Quebradillas mines which are connected via above-ground gravel roads.

Both the Quebradillas open pit and Vacas were mined out in 2016.

The underground mining operations currently use the Mechanized Cut and Fill (MCF) mining method. This is the mechanized version of a classic method for mining narrow orebodies and involves extracting the ore in small slices, 2 to 4 m high, working from the bottom of the mining block upwards. As each cut is extracted, the void is filled with waste rock from development to stabilize the walls and create a working platform for the next lift.

MCF mining for a new mining block begins by driving a 4 x 4m ramp on the footwall side of the ore body and establishing sub-levels at regular vertical intervals. A typical mining block at La Parrilla will have the main haulage levels every 50 m with three sub-levels at 12 m intervals. The main haulage levels will include any ventilation infrastructure, a remuck for storing broken ore, a truck loading area, electrical substations and sumps.

To access the ore body, an initial access drift or attack ramp is driven from the lower main level to near the middle of the bottom elevation of the MCF stope. Typical development methods are then used to drive sill drifts in ore to each extent of the ore body. Sill drifts are typically driven 3.5 to 4 m high to accommodate the production drilling.

At La Parrilla, production drilling is carried out by hydraulic jumbo drills where the veins are wider, and by handheld pneumatic jackleg drill in narrower sections. Blast holes are generally drilled as inclined up holes in the back of the stope. When drilling inclined up holes with jumbos (48 mm diameter x 3.6 m long drillholes), each lift of the MCF stope is nominally 2.8 m high, and when drilling with jackleg drills (32 mm diameter x 2.4 m long drillholes), each lift is nominally 2 m high.

The MCF cuts are mined by drilling and blasting inclined up holes with a jumbo in 15–30 m long sections starting at the extents of the ore body and retreating to the access. This drill, blast, muck cycles continues until the whole cut has been mined. With the stope now two cuts high, the stope is backfilled with waste rock from development to the required height to facilitate production drilling of the next cut, and the back of the access drift or attack ramp is drilled and blasted to allow access on top of the backfill.

First Majestic Silver (FMS) also employs MCF with resuing when the vein width is narrower than the minimum mining width required by the mobile equipment. All areas where resuing is used are drilled by handheld pneumatic drills. The only real difference between MCF and MCF with resuing is that waste rock is blasted in the stope to create enough room for the LHD (load-haul-dump machine) to operate, which creates some or all of the rockfill required for the cut.

In 2016, one longhole open stope was excavated at San Marcos as a trial. FMS plans to continue implementing the longhole mining method as there are many areas that are suited to the application of longhole open stope mining methods. One such area is the La Blanca area of the Rosarios mine where ground conditions are excellent, and the steeply dipping vein is 3 m wide or more. For purposes of this report and the mineral reserves reported herein, the underground mining method has been assumed as MCF.

A portion of the mineral reserves are in areas that are already developed, and represent stopes currently in production, or extension and remnants of past stopes. The following underground areas will be mined in the LOM plan:
• Rosarios deposit (including the La Blanca and San José zones): the oldest of the operating mines located at La Parrilla, with development down to around 470m depth at 14 Level; projected that the remaining sulphide ore will be mined at a rate of 120 ktpa.
• Intermedia deposit: an extension of the Rosarios deposit, connected to the San Marcos deposit; projected that the remaining mineral reserves will be mined out by the end of 2017.
• San Marcos deposit: an older mine, established prior to FMS’s property acquisition. Connected to the Intermedia and Rosarios deposits on 9 Level; projected that the remaining oxide material will be mined at rates that will vary between 30 and 78 ktpa over a four-year period.
• Quebradillas and adjacent San Nicolas deposits: San Nicolas is included with Quebradillas as it is accessed from the existing Quebradillas ramp system. The Quebradillas 550 vein will be mined at about 30 ktpa for a three-year period. The Quebradillas 460 vein, Quebradillas Tiro (shaft) vein, Quebradillas N-S vein and the original Quebradillas vein zones will be mined at a combined rate of up to 180 ktpa over a three year period.


Crushing and Grinding
Flow Sheet: Source
Crusher / Mill TypeModelSizePowerQuantity
Jaw crusher ....................... Subscription required 32" x 40" 150 HP 1
Cone crusher ....................... Subscription required 200 HP 2
Ball mill ....................... Subscription required 8.5' x 12' 350 HP 2
Ball mill 10.5' x 14' 1
Ball mill 14' x 10' 1

Summary:

The single crushing plant batches sulphide ore and oxide ore to provide ore to the two parallel circuits. The crushing plant is a conventional three-stage crushing operation. The primary crusher operates in open circuit, the secondary crusher operates in open circuit with preclassification using a vibrating screen, and the tertiary crushing stage operates in closed circuit with a vibrating screen.


Processing

  • Filter press plant
  • Flotation
  • Agitated tank (VAT) leaching
  • Counter current decantation (CCD)
  • Merrill–Crowe
  • Cyanide (reagent)

Flow Sheet: Subscription required

Summary:

La Parrilla operates two parallel processing circuits that recover metals from the two types of ore. The two ore types are oxide ores and sulphide ores; both types are polymetallic, containing silver, lead, zinc, and gold.

The flotation plant receives sulphide ores and produces a silver-rich lead concentrate and a zinc concentrate as saleable products. Precious metals are preferably deported to the lead concentrate with both concentrates showing payable values of silver.

The leaching plant receives oxide ores and produces doré bars as a saleable product.

The processing plants were originally designed to process 1,000 tonnes per day (tpd) per circuit for a combined throughput of 2,000 tpd. Total throughput was generally maintained at 2,000 tpd until mid-2015 when production from the Quebradillas open pit neared completion. After this time, the mining operations have been unable to provide 1,000 tpd of oxide ore from the remaining underground sources. FM ........

Recoveries & Grades:

CommodityParameter201920182017201620152014
Silver Recovery Rate, %  ......  Subscription required7676817879
Silver Head Grade, g/t  ......  Subscription required108130140145158
Lead Recovery Rate, %  ......  Subscription required73
Lead Head Grade, %  ......  Subscription required1.4
Zinc Recovery Rate, %  ......  Subscription required55
Zinc Head Grade, %  ......  Subscription required1.6
Gold Recovery Rate, %  ......  Subscription required81
Gold Head Grade,  ......  Subscription required0.14

Production:

CommodityProductUnits201920182017201620152014
Silver Payable metal oz  ......  Subscription required1,270,3271,645,8312,063,3922,231,4432,788,779
Silver Metal in conc./ doré oz  ......  Subscription required1,340,3851,730,3832,220,8742,434,0952,876,452
Lead Metal in concentrate lbs  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required
Zinc Metal in concentrate lbs  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required
Gold Metal in doré oz  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required
Silver Equivalent Metal in conc./ doré oz  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Operational Metrics:

Metrics201920182017201620152014
Ore tonnes mined 167,535 t
Tonnes milled 167,535 t491,637 t543,985 t610,509 t667,702 t711,915 t
Daily processing capacity 2,000 t2,000 t2,000 t2,000 t2,000 t
Daily milling rate 1,500 t

Reserves at December 31, 2021:

CategoryOreTypeTonnage CommodityGradeContained Metal
Measured & Indicated Total 1,119 kt Silver 198 g/t 7,120 koz
Measured & Indicated Total 1,119 kt Lead 1.65 % 40.7 M lbs
Measured & Indicated Total 1,119 kt Zinc 1.5 % 37 M lbs
Measured & Indicated Total 1,119 kt Gold 0.07 g/t 3 koz
Measured & Indicated Total 1,119 kt Silver Equivalent 277 g/t 9,960 koz
Inferred Total 1,421 kt Silver 211 g/t 9,620 koz
Inferred Total 1,421 kt Lead 1.13 g/t 35.4 M lbs
Inferred Total 1,421 kt Zinc 1.38 % 43.3 M lbs
Inferred Total 1,421 kt Gold 0.09 g/t 4 koz
Inferred Total 1,421 kt Silver Equivalent 274 g/t 12,500 koz

Commodity Production Costs:

CommodityUnits201920182017201620152014
Credits (by-product) Silver USD -7.19 / oz -8.84 / oz -10.11 / oz -10.57 / oz
Cash costs Silver USD 15.4 / oz 11.5 / oz 12.7 / oz 11.1 / oz
Total cash costs Silver USD  ......  Subscription required 23.1 / oz 18.3 / oz 16.4 / oz 19.1 / oz 16.9 / oz
Total cash costs Silver USD  ......  Subscription required† 12.8 / oz† 11.1 / oz† 7.58 / oz† 8.95 / oz† 6.3 / oz†
All-in sustaining costs (AISC) Silver USD  ......  Subscription required† 19.6 / oz† 16.2 / oz† 10.5 / oz† 12.9 / oz† 11.5 / oz†
† Net of By-Product.
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Operating Costs:

Units201920182017201620152014
Combined mining costs ($/t milled) USD 18.516.616.515.8
Processing costs ($/t milled) USD  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required
Total operating costs ($/t milled) USD  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Financials:

Units20192018201720162015
Sustaining costs M USD  ......  Subscription required8   7.7  
Capital expenditures M USD  ......  Subscription required14.2   15.3   11.1   14  
Revenue M USD  ......  Subscription required29.9   36.3   44.9   43.3  
Operating Income M USD  ......  Subscription required21.8   -9.8   0.4   -4.4  


Heavy Mobile Equipment as of December 31, 2016:
HME TypeModelSizeQuantity
Concrete sprayer ....................... Subscription required
Jumbo ....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required
Jumbo ....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required
Scoop Tram ....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required
Scoop Tram ....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required
Truck (dump) 20 t ....................... Subscription required
Truck (underground) 15 t ....................... Subscription required
Truck (underground) 20 t ....................... Subscription required
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Mine Management:

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Apr 15, 2022
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Apr 15, 2022
Subscription required - Subscription is required.


Corporate Filings & Presentations:

DocumentYear
................................... Subscription required 2021
................................... Subscription required 2021
................................... Subscription required 2019
................................... Subscription required 2019
................................... Subscription required 2019
Annual Information Form 2018
Annual Report 2018
Corporate Presentation 2018
Press Release 2018
Corporate Presentation 2017
Form 40-F 2017
Annual Report 2016
Financial Review 2016
Form 40-F 2016
Technical Report 2016
Form 40-F 2015
Technical Report 2011
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Aerial view:

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