Mining Intelligence and News
Peru

Orcopampa (Chipmo) Mine

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Overview

Mine TypeUnderground
StatusActive
Commodities
  • Gold
  • Silver
Mining Method
  • Mechanized Cut & Fill
  • Bench & Fill
  • Overhand Cut & Fill
  • Sub-level stoping
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SnapshotOrcopampa operates two mining zones: Nazareno and Prometida, whose minerals are mined through mines of the same name.

2024 Guidance: guidance reflects a year-on-year decrease in gold production with lower gold grades expected to be mined during 2024, as an increased percentage of ore will be mined from lower-grade secondary stopes near the previously mined adjacent primary stopes.

The Orcopampa plant includes two main processing lines: one that recovers free gold and a second processing line that leaches the finely ground ore and recovers precious metals.

During 2023, pilot tests of the new process were completed at battery-grade manganese sulfate pilot plant.

Owners

SourceSource
CompanyInterestOwnership
Compania de Minas Buenaventura S.A.A. (operator) 100 % Indirect
The Orcopampa mine is wholly-owned and operated by Compania de Minas Buenaventura S.A.A.

Contractors

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Deposit type

  • Epithermal
  • Vein / narrow vein

Summary:

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).

Deposit Types
The Chipmo mineralization is of hydrothermal type with quartz infill. This deposit can be classified as epithermal Au-Ag veins associated with tellurides, with intermediate and low sulfidation. These structures are located in calc-alkaline rocks that are rich in potassium (Sarpane Volcanic). Veinhosting faults appear to be deep and crustal (Villon, 2011)The major recognized structures are the Prometida, Nazareno and Pucara Sur veins and correspond to the N60°E system.

Mineralization
In general terms, mineralization in the area of Orcopampa is associated to calderas with subvolcanic intrusives, dikes in Miocene tuffs (Swanson, 1998); in the Ocoruro-Jaspe area, mineralized structures are related to the Sarpane complex, faults, and possibly to subvolcanic bodies with more than one event or pulses of mineralization.

Mineralization in Chipmo deposit is dominated by the occurrence of gold tellurides, mainly calaverite in high levels; petzite and hessite and native gold can be found in the central part. Copper sulfosalts and other gold-silver and bismuth tellurides occur subordinately. In general, mineralization is characterized by high Au/Ag ratios (>3) and low base metal concentrations, which are evident in the deep levels to the east. Its mineralogy is mainly composed of quartz in breccia, banded and replacement textures; there are also sulfides such as pyrite (leached), barite, gypsum, anhydrite and calcite. Alteration minerals include alunite, dickite, pyrophyllite, diaspore, kaolin, illite, smectite, chlorite, pyrite, etc.

Types of Mineralization
Mineralization in veins (Fracture Filling)
The fractures originated through tectonism and movements of regional and local faults; they have been filled by hydrothermal solutions of rosary-type with irregular shapes and mineralogical filling, most of which is composed of sulfides, silicates in some sections of the veins, strands and tension fractures. Additionally, cavities (geodes) or open fractures are present, which allowed the percolation of meteoric waters that oxidized part of the mineralization. Mineralization is also found in shoots of different lengths and widths at the interception of veins or strands (sigmoids). Veins are persistent in trend and reach decametric to kilometric lengths. In some cases, outcrops are not continuous; they narrow to centimeters (rosary-type) and are also covered by Quaternary material. Structures are oriented and controlled by three main structural systems:

E-W system, Lola, Florencia, Fresia structures (Jaspe Oeste Zone); Jaspe, Jaspe Sur structures (Jaspe Zone); Vanesa, Amparo, Ana 1, Paula, Irene, Aydé structures (Emilia Zone); Belinda, Blanca structures (San Jose Zone).

NE system, the following structures belong to this system (anti-Andean): Ana, Olenka, Valeria 1 (Emilia Zone); Claudia, Carmín, Jossie structures, (Jasper Este Zone); Liliana structure (Huaylla Zone); Valeria, Vania, Escondida, Señal Chipmo structures (San Jose Zone); Estrella, Ada, Dorita, Sophia structures, Úrsula, Elizabeth, Paty, Esperanza, Prometida Norte, Prometida structures (Prometida Zone).

NW system, part of the Andean system and belong to the strands of Jaspe vein (Jaspe Zone); Amelia, Alicia, Amparo structures (Jaspe Este Zone); Ocoruro Body with veinlets (Ocoruro Zone); Lorena Structure, (Chaqui Norte Zone); Karol, Dolly structures (Huaylla Zone).

Mineralization in veinlets
In the main structures, we have observed veinlets parallel to the main structures; others bifurcate from the main structure to the hanging wall and footwall; in the sigmoids there is evidence of tension veinlets between strands and between two main veins with a tendency to join; therefore, there are multidirectional stockwork-type veinlets filled with manganese oxides, calcite and in some cases, iron oxides.

Mineralization in veinlets
These are millimetric structures filled with gray quartz and calcite; they represent another stage of mineralization and may be related to gold mineralization.

Mineralization in breccia bodies
The mapped area shows evidence of breccia bodies formed by rounded or angular fragments from the same host rock (monomictic) or from foreign rocks, cemented with iron and manganese oxides with remnants of leached pyrite, quartz veinlets and presence of iron oxides (hematite).

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

CommodityProductUnits2024202320222021202020192018201720162015
Gold Metal in conc./ doré koz  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe42116191191205
Silver Metal in conc./ doré oz  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe18,791312,250528,449692,318562,795
Gold-Silver Concentrate kt  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe0.8
^ Guidance / Forecast.

Operational metrics

Metrics202320222021202020192018201720162015
Daily milling capacity  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe1,500 t
Tonnes milled  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe127,079 t353,891 t500,580 t464,366 t458,222 t
Daily mining capacity  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe
Ore tonnes mined  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe127,079 t353,891 t500,580 t464,366 t458,222 t

Production Costs

CommodityUnits2023202220212020201920182017
Cash costs (sold) Silver USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 18 / oz   12.7 / oz   10 / oz  
Cash costs (sold) Gold USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 1,489 / oz   1,020 / oz   743 / oz  

Financials

Units2023202220212020201920182017
Capital expenditures M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 1.3   6.2   12.7  
Revenue M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 58.9   153  
Operating Income M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe -31.2   -15.4  
Gross profit M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe -17.7   4   71.3  
Pre-tax Income M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe -31.9   -15.6   50.9  
After-tax Income M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe -31.9   -16.2  
Book Value M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe

Heavy Mobile Equipment

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EV - Electric

Personnel

Mine Management

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EmployeesContractorsTotal WorkforceYear
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Aerial view:

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