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Argentina

Don Nicolas Mine

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Overview

Mine TypeOpen Pit
StatusActive
Commodities
  • Gold
  • Silver
Mining Method
  • Truck & Shovel / Loader
Production Start... Lock
Mine Life... Lock
SnapshotThe Dual Stream Production Strategy will focus on processing high-grade material through the existing CIL plant and the development of heap leach facilities for processing of lower grade material that is currently treated as waste or stockpiled for future use.

The Company plans to develop two heap leach operations. The first will focus on the Las Calandrias and Escondido deposits at the northern perimeter of the property. A second heap leach operation is to be developed in the Martinetas mining region to process lower grade material.

The Calandrias Sur heap leach project is now operating. Production is set to achieve nameplate production rates from July 2024.

The Company has commenced a 43-101 Mineral Resource Update and a Preliminary Economic Assessment of the near-term heap leach at Calandrias Sur, Calandrias Norte and the development proposals for defined ore in the Martinetas area (completing an internal study for the second heap leach at Martinetas).

Owners

SourceSource
CompanyInterestOwnership
Cerrado Gold Inc. 100 % Indirect
Minera Don Nicolas S.A. (operator) 100 % Direct
Cerrado acquired 100% of Minera Don Nicolás gold mine ("MDN”) on March 16, 2020 from Minera Don Nicolás S.A via Compañia Inversora En Minas S.A. (“CIMINAS”) and Compañia Inversora Argentina Para La Exportacion S.A. (“CIAPEXSA”).

With the completion of the transaction, MDN has become a wholly owned subsidiary of Cerrado, and the Company is now the owner and operator of MDN, an open-pit gold mine in the province of Santa Cruz, Argentina.

Contractors

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Deposit type

  • Epithermal
  • Vein / narrow vein
  • Sedimentary - Volcanogenic
  • Volcanic hosted

Summary:

The gold-silver deposits of the Deseado Massif are hosted in silicic volcanic and volcano-sedimentary Jurassic rocks related to arc or back-arc settings in Andean or extra-Andean settings. The ore geology, textures, mineralogy, restricted alteration, and geochemistry of these mineralised occurrences indicate that they belong to the epithermal class of precious metal deposits. The deposits are mainly associated with quartz +/- calcite +/- adularia +/- illite alteration assemblages interpreted to represent low and intermediate sulphidation epithermal type deposits.

At La Paloma, the Sulfuro-Rocio vein system comprises narrow, arcuate, steeply dipping quartz- breccia veins. Drilling has defined four areas of interest:

• The Sulfuro vein, the principal deposit of economic interest, is represented by a single, well developed quartz vein typically 2 m to 4 m in thickness and has a primarily northwest-south southeast orientation with a steep southwestwardly dip. Associated sulphide minerals include pyrite and minor galena and sphalerite.
• The Ramal Sulfuro vein occurs at the northern end of the main Sulfuro vein and is strongly curved from a north-south orientation to east-west and is typically 2 m to 4 m in thickness.
• The Rocio vein occurs to the west of the main Sulfuro vein. The Rocio vein is typically 2 m to 5 m in thickness and dips steeply to the east. It is also arcuate in shape and sub-parallels the Sulfuro vein.
• The Esperanza vein system dips 75 degrees toward Sulfuro and has an average thickness of 0.3 m to 6 m.

A near-surface oxidised resource has been estimated for the Arco Iris vein, located towards the north of the Sulfuro vein system. It is represented by a series of narrow, structurally displaced, sub- parallel aligned, sheared quartz veins hosting erratic precious metal mineralisation.

The La Paloma veins remain open-ended at depth. Geological interpretation of the results of recent geophysical studies strongly suggests that the main Sulfuro vein is additionally open-ended towards the south.

At Martinetas, multiple mineralised structures occurring as “vein swarms” with minor intervening stockwork development occur. Five resource areas have been delineated. The main resource is at the Coyote and Cerro Oro deposits comprising a series of narrow, sub-parallel, anastomosing quartz veins varying in width from tens of centimetres to several metres, and typically averaging 1 m or less in thickness. Au/Ag mineralisation is variable within the veins with some minor stockwork mineralisation extending into the host volcanic lithology. Conceptually, near-surface oxidised stockwork precious metal mineralisation might provide a low grade, conventional, heap- leachable resource.

Other resource areas at Martinetas include the Lucia, Calafate and Armadillo deposits. Precious metal mineralisation associated with these deposits is also hosted by narrow to moderately thick, steep dipping quartz veins of variable tenor.

Reserves

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Mining Methods

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Comminution

Crushers and Mills

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Processing

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Production

Full year 2020 results only include operations of MDN for the period from acquisition, March 16, 2020 to December 31, 2020.
CommodityUnits202320222021202020192018
Gold oz  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe26,57224,882
Silver oz  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe35,75750,596
All production numbers are expressed as metal in doré. ^ Guidance / Forecast.

Operational metrics

Metrics20222021202020192018
Daily mining rate  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe
Daily milling rate  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe
Stripping / waste ratio  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe22.2 22.2
Ore tonnes mined  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe242,232 t156,651 t
Waste  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe5,387,105 t3,470,372 t
Total tonnes mined  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe
Tonnes milled  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe277,029 t286,457 t
Daily ore mining rate  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe
Daily milling capacity  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe
Plant annual capacity  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe

Production Costs

CommodityUnits202220212020
Total cash costs (sold) Gold USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe
All-in sustaining costs (sold) Gold USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe
** Net of By-Product.

Financials

Units20222021202020192018
Revenue M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe
Operating Income M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe
Pre-tax Income M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe
After-tax Income M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe -2.9   -1.6  

Heavy Mobile Equipment

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Personnel

Mine Management

Job TitleNamePhoneProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Sep 7, 2023
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Sep 26, 2023
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Sep 7, 2023
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required ........... Subscription required Subscription required Sep 7, 2023
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Aug 31, 2020
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Sep 7, 2023

EmployeesContractorsTotal WorkforceYear
...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required 2020

Aerial view:

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