The Orcopampa mine consists of an epithermal gold telluride deposit, hosted into lava flows and domes of Sarpane complex (calc-alkaline to high potassium), of early Miocene to Holocene, which forms part of the tertiary metallogenic belt of Southern Peru (Au-Ag).

Mineralization is found in tellurides, native gold, electrum, and sulfosalts, among others, in veins of quartz and anhydrite. Chipmo Mine is the current operating area with vein systems running NE-SW: Nazareno, Prometida, Pucará, etc. The Calera and Chipmo veins, from which more than 90% of Orcopampa´s production come from, were discovered by our geologists.

The mining method in Orcopampa’s underground mine is conventional and mechanized cut and fill (Breasting), this method is used to mine ore veins thickness from 0.8 to 5m. Mining is made done by us and a service provider. The equipment used for development and exploration includes single-arm jumbos, bolters, scaler and scoop loaders (4yd3). The equipment used for conventional production are jacklegs, micro-electrical scoops (0.5-2yd3) and for mechanized are single-arm jumbso and diesel scoops loaders (2-4yd3). Ore haulage to surface is done with 20 and 35 m3 tipper trucks and 40m3 loading pocket in Nazareno’s and Prometida’s Shaft. Ore is taken to the process plant with 35 m3 tipper trucks.

There are two areas currently under exploitation: Nazareno and Prometida, whose mineral production is extracted via shafts of the same name. The exploitation method used is mechanized overhand cut and fill, with low profile equipment. At the exploitation levels, ore is transported by locomotives and mining cars to the shafts, in order to then be extracted to the surface, from where the ore is transported to the concentrating plant, located 7 km away, using trucks with a 20 m3 capacity. Access to mining areas is mainly gained via three ramps. The barren material is recirculated as backfill to the pits, and the excess material is transported to the barren material deposit. For the ventilation of the works, there are three main fans with a capacity of 350,000 cfm each, and secondary fans for the explorations and developments. There are water pumping stations for drainage, with a total capacity of 420 l/s.

Mine ore is processed by the carbon-in-leach method in a plant located in Orcopampa.

The final products of the Orcopampa processing plant are doré bars and bulk concentrate. Operations include crushing, milling/sorting, gravimetry, cyanidation, thickening, CIP, flotation, cyanidation with gravimetric concentrates, desorption/electrowinning, Merrill-Crowe, smelting, carbon acid washing, carbon regeneration, cyanide destruction, and tailings disposal.

Current Treatment Capacity: 1,500 MTD.