Overview
Stage | Production |
Mine Type | Open Pit |
Commodities |
|
Mining Method |
|
Processing |
|
Source:
p. 60
The Colquijirca (also known as Tajo Norte) and Marcapunta Norte mines are wholly-owned by El Brocal. Compania de Minas Buenaventura S.A.A aggregate direct and indirect equity interest in El Brocal was 61.43% at December 31, 2018.
Summary:
The Colquijirca deposit (Tajo Norte) is structurally located within asymmetric synclines and anticlines, whose flanks are Principal-Mercedes-Chocayoc-La Llave-La Pampa; and stratigraphically located in the Calera Formation (Lower Tertiary-Eocene), middle and upper members. The base metal zone (Zn + Pb-Ag) is the outermost halo of mineralization (cordillera-type) and, by volume, the zone of greatest economic importance. Its mineralogy consists of sphalerite and galena as vein ores, which occur as fracture filling and cavities, disseminations, and massive replacements. The gangue consists of pyrite, specular hematite, magnetite, kaolin, barite, siderite, ankerite-dolomite, and fluorite, less commonly. All of them occur as fracture filling and cavities. Native silver as filigree in cavities, and in association with siderite, has been observed near the transition zone. It is also possible to observe the occurrence of chalcopyrite-galena-dickite as filling in fractures and replacement zones.
Summary:
The Colquijirca (also known as Tajo Norte) and Marcapunta Norte mines are wholly-owned by El Brocal.
Tajo Norte is an open pit operation that exploits zinc-lead-silver ores.
The drills make boreholes measuring 6.5 m deep and 6.74 m in diameter, in a 5 x 5 m grid. Once the terrain has been drilled, the explosives are placed, carrying out the blasting process to stir up the rock. An excavator allows for better selectivity of the ore to be transported to the concentrating plant, 8 km away, using dump trucks with a 35-MT payload. For loading, a power shovel with a bucket capacity of 10 m3 is used. The barren material is transported to the waste or waste ore deposit located 1.8 km away, using trucks with a 50-MT payload.
Source:
Summary:
The ore from Tajo Norte is treated at Plant 2, which uses the selective flotation process to achieve the concentration of the economic mineralization. It includes the crushing, washing, sorting, milling, conditioning, flotation, and filtering processes, as well as the respective tailings storage yards. Given the equipment characteristics and layout, the plant has the ability to beneficiate silver, lead, and zinc ores. It has direct access to a railway, which it uses to transport the concentrates to the port of El Callao.
Treatment capacity: The El Brocal processing plant has a total capacity of 20,000 MTD, which is shared by the ore from Marcapunta and Tajo Norte.
Recoveries & Grades:
Commodity | Parameter | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
Silver
|
Recovery Rate, %
| ......  | ......  | ......  | ......  | ......  |
Silver
|
Head Grade, %
| 1.38 | 1.13 | 1.32 | 0.88 | 1.34 |
Zinc
|
Recovery Rate, %
| ......  | ......  | ......  | ......  | ......  |
Zinc
|
Head Grade, %
| 2.42 | 2.74 | 2.74 | 2.67 | 2.77 |
Lead
|
Recovery Rate, %
| ......  | ......  | ......  | ......  | ......  |
Lead
|
Head Grade, %
| 1.26 | 1.13 | 1.13 | 0.77 | 1.03 |
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Production:
Commodity | Units | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
Silver
|
oz
| ......  | 2,518,333 | 3,031,796 | 1,835,242 | 2,811,391 |
Zinc
|
t
| ......  | ......  | ......  | ......  | ......  |
Lead
|
t
| ......  | ......  | ......  | ......  | ......  |
All production numbers are expressed as metal in concentrate.
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Operational Metrics:
Metrics | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
Ore tonnes mined
| ......  | 3,429,618 t | 3,169,908 t | 3,513,959 t | 3,101,851 t |
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Reserves at December 31, 2019:
Category | Tonnage | Commodity | Grade | Contained Metal |
Proven & Probable
|
42,216 kt
|
Silver
|
1.08 oz/t
|
45,581 koz
|
Proven & Probable
|
14,756 kt
|
Zinc
|
2.52 %
|
371 kt
|
Proven & Probable
|
14,756 kt
|
Lead
|
1.17 %
|
173 kt
|
Proven & Probable
|
27,460 kt
|
Copper
|
1.71 %
|
470 kt
|
Total Resource
|
11,629 kt
|
Silver
|
0.45 oz/t
|
5,252 koz
|
Total Resource
|
10,549 kt
|
Zinc
|
3.15 %
|
332 kt
|
Total Resource
|
10,549 kt
|
Lead
|
0.97 %
|
102 kt
|
Total Resource
|
1,080 kt
|
Copper
|
1.27 %
|
14 kt
|
Mine Management:
Job Title | Name | Profile | Ref. Date |
.......................
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.......................
|
|
Apr 21, 2020
|
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Corporate Filings & Presentations:
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Aerial view:
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