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Chile
Norte Abierto (Cerro Casale) Project

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 Location:
112 km SE from Copiapo, Chile

  Project Contacts:
Av. Ricardo Lyon #222, piso 8, Providencia
Santiago
Chile
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  • Overview
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  • Geology
  • Mining
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  • Reserves
  • Costs & Financials
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  • Filings & News

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Overview

StagePermitting
Mine TypeOpen Pit
Commodities
  • Gold
  • Silver
  • Copper
Mining Method
  • Truck & Shovel / Loader
Mine Life20 years (as of Jan 1, 2010)
Norte Abierto is one of the world's largest undeveloped gold and copper deposits, located in the Atacama Region of northern Chile.

Approval of the environmental impact assessment for Cerro Casale was received in January 2013 from the Servicio de Evaluación Ambiental, the environmental authority of the Atacama region of Chile. Barrick and Newmont are evaluating ways in which the Norte Abierto deposits can be profitably developed by the joint venture.


Owners

Source: p. 117
CompanyInterestOwnership
Barrick Gold Corp. 50 % Indirect
Newmont Corp. 50 % Indirect
Compania Minera Casale SpA. (operator) 100 % Direct
On June 9, 2017, Barrick completed a transaction with Goldcorp (which was acquired by Newmont in 2019) to form a new partnership at Cerro Casale. Pursuant to the transaction, Goldcorp acquired a 25% interest in Cerro Casale from Barrick. The transaction, coupled with the concurrent purchase by Goldcorp of Kinross’s 25% interest in Cerro Casale, resulted in Barrick’s and Newmont’s current interests of 50% each in the joint operations, which was renamed Norte Abierto.

Contractors

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Deposit Type

  • Porphyry
  • Breccia pipe / Stockwork


Summary:

The Cerro Casale gold–copper deposit is located in the Aldebarán sub-district of the Maricunga Volcanic Belt in northern Chile. The Maricunga belt is made up of a series of coalescing composite, Miocene andesitic to rhyolitic volcanic centres that extend for 200 km along the western crest of the Andes. Reverse faults parallel to the axis of the Andes have uplifted hypabyssal intrusive rocks beneath the extrusive volcanics, exposing porphyry-hosted gold-copper deposits in the Aldebarán area. In addition to Cerro Casale, the Aldebarán property is host to several, less-explored, satellite deposits including Zona de Vetas, Eva, Cerro Roman, Estrella, Anfiteatro, Jotabeche, and Romancito Sur.

At Cerro Casale, gold–copper mineralization occurs in quartz–sulphide and quartz–magnetite–specularite veinlet stockworks developed in the dioritic to granodioritic intrusives and in adjacent volcanic wall rocks. Stockworks are most common in two dioritic intrusive phases, particularly where intrusive and hydrothermal breccias are developed. Mineralization has been encountered to at least 1,450 m vertically and 850 m along strike. The strike of mineralization follows west–northwest fault and fracture zones, and is open at depth along this strike. The main zone of mineralization pinches and swells from 250 m to 700 m along strike, and down dip steeply to the southwest. The highest grade mineralization is coincident with well-developed quartzsulphide stockworks in strongly pota ........


Mining Methods

  • Truck & Shovel / Loader


Summary:

Open pit mining will be carried out with haul trucks and a combination of electric shovels, hydraulic excavators, and large front-end loaders. All rock will require drilling for sampling and blasting purposes.

Mine design and production schedules were developed for a nominal mining rate of 225 Mt/a, smoothed for truck requirements. Mine production and processing facilities will operate 24 h/d, 7 d/wk, 365 d/a.

The optimized Cerro Casale final pit limit was divided into a sequence of nine pit phases of decreasing profitability in order to facilitate an efficient mining schedule and realize the highest project NPV. The last two of these phases were split into east and west sub-phases in order to defer waste mining and keep the peak mining rate as low as possible.

Considerable pre-stripping will be required to access the deeper, more profitable sulphide ore in the early stages of production. The primary crusher is located 500 m south of the ultimate pit limit, although a 2 km haul road is required out of the Stage 1 pit around the east side of Cerro Casale. Waste dumps and low-grade stockpiles are located within 500 m of the pit entrance.

All mining will be carried out on 16 m benches, with final pit wall berms at 32 m intervals. The overall wall slope angles vary from 34° to 47°. Haulage ramps are designed to a maximum grade of 10% and to a width of 40 m.

Approximately 2,231 Mt of waste will be mined over the 20 year li ........


Crushing and Grinding
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Processing

Flow Sheet: Subscription required

Summary:

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Projected Production:

CommodityUnitsLOM
Gold M oz 17
Silver M oz  ......  Subscription required
Copper M lbs  ......  Subscription required
All production numbers are expressed as payable metal.

Operational Metrics:

Metrics
Stripping / waste ratio 1.79 *
Annual mining capacity 225 Mt *
Waste tonnes, LOM 2,231 Mt *
Ore tonnes mined, LOM 1,234 Mt *
Total tonnes mined, LOM 3,444 Mt *
Daily processing capacity 260 kt *
* According to 2010 study.

Reserves at December 31, 2020:
As at December 31, 2021, the Mineral Resources and Reserves are unchanged from December 31, 2020.

CategoryTonnage CommodityGradeContained Metal
Proven & Probable 1,200 Mt Gold 0.6 g/t 24 M oz
Proven & Probable 1,200 Mt Silver 1.52 g/t 58 M oz
Proven & Probable 1,200 Mt Copper 0.22 % 5,800 M lbs
Measured 380 Mt Gold 0.63 g/t 7.8 M oz
Measured 380 Mt Silver 1.62 g/t 20 M oz
Measured 340 Mt Copper 0.21 % 1,580 M lbs
Indicated 2,200 Mt Gold 0.53 g/t 38 M oz
Indicated 2,200 Mt Silver 1.23 g/t 86 M oz
Indicated 2,200 Mt Copper 0.21 % 9,400 M lbs
Inferred 740 Mt Gold 0.4 g/t 8.8 M oz
Inferred 740 Mt Silver 1 g/t 22 M oz
Inferred 740 Mt Copper 0.2 % 2,800 M lbs

Commodity Production Costs:

CommodityUnits
Cash costs Gold USD 277 / oz *†  USD
Assumed price Copper USD 2 / lb *  USD
Assumed price Silver USD 12.5 / oz *  USD
Assumed price Gold USD 800 / oz *  USD
* According to 2010 study / presentation.
† Net of By-Product.
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Operating Costs:

Units2022
OP mining costs ($/t mined) USD 1.63 *
G&A ($/t milled) USD  ......  Subscription required
* According to 2010 study.
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2010 Study Costs and Valuation Metrics :

MetricsUnitsLOM Total
Initial CapEx $M USD  ......  Subscription required
Sustaining CapEx $M USD  ......  Subscription required
Closure costs $M USD  ......  Subscription required
Total OpEx $M USD  ......  Subscription required
After-tax Cash Flow (LOM) $M USD  ......  Subscription required
After-tax IRR, %  ......  Subscription required
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Proposed Heavy Mobile Equipment as of February 18, 2010:
HME TypeSizeQuantity
Drill (blasthole) 200 mm ....................... Subscription required
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required
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....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Mine Management:

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Sep 23, 2022
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Corporate Filings & Presentations:

DocumentYear
................................... Subscription required 2021
................................... Subscription required 2021
................................... Subscription required 2021
................................... Subscription required 2020
................................... Subscription required 2019
Quarterly Report 2018
Annual Information Form 2017
Annual Information Form 2016
Feasibility Study Report 2010
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