Overview
Stage | Preliminary Economic Assessment |
Mine Type | Open Pit |
Commodities |
|
Mining Method |
|
Mine Life | 17 years (as of Jan 1, 2018) |
Objectives for 2023: - Moonlight deposit: Drill and define oxide resource. - Superior deposit: Define a high-grade pit and establish gold and silver credits. - Update PEA by adding starter pits with gold/silver credits and Moonlight oxide. |
Source:
p. 5
Effective June 28, 2013, the US Copper Corp. (formerly Crown Mining Corp.) purchased a 100% interest in the Superior Project, subject to an underlying production royalty, which included 132 unpatented mining claims and a lease on 36 patented claims in Plumas County, California for $50,000.
On February 26, 2016, the US Copper Corp. entered into an agreement with Canyon Copper Corp (“Canyon”) to acquire a 100% interest in the Moonlight Property (the “Agreement”), subject to an underlying production royalty. Under the terms of the Agreement US Copper acquired a 100% interest in the Moonlight Property for consideration of $375,000 and 2,750,000 common shares of the Company.
Contractors
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Deposit Type
- Breccia pipe / Stockwork
- Porphyry
- IOCG
Summary:
The Moonlight deposit was historically classified as a porphyry copper deposit with associated gold, silver, and molybdenum credits. However, Placer-Amex geologists recognized that the Lights Creek Distric (LCD) deposits had many characteristics that were not typical of porphyry copper deposits and lacked many of the typical features. L.O. Storey (1978) noted, “Typical porphyry copper type alteration zonation as illustrated by Lowell and Guilbert is nonexistent.” Recent work noting the lack of porphyry style veining, the ubiquitous presence of magnetite at Superior and specular hematite at Moonlight, and the relative scarcity of pyrite suggest an IOCG affinity (Stephens 2011) (Cole 2015).
Regarding IOCG deposits, Sillitoe (2003) noted, “The deposits…reveal evidence of an upward and outward zonation from magnetite-actinolite-apatite to specularite-chloritesericite and possess a Cu-Au-Co-Ni-As-Mo-LREE (light rare earth element) signature…”. The high-grade mineralization at Superior is associated with magnetite-actinolite-tourmaline-apatite. At Moonlight, copper mineralization is associated with tourmaline-specularite-chlorite-sericite. During an April 2015 field visit to the district Sillitoe categorized Engels, Lambs Ridge, Superior and Moonlight as IOCG deposits (Cole 2015).
MOONLIGHT DEPOSIT GEOLOGY AND MINERALIZATION
According to Placer-Amex surface maps, several intrusive phases host the Moonlight deposit. A large part of the deposit lies within ........
Summary:
All mining for the Moonlight deposit will be conducted utilizing conventional open pit mining methods with drill and blast, followed by load and haul with large diesel truck and shovel equipment.
PIT DESIGN PARAMETERS
Pit Walls:
- Bench Height - 15.2 m;
- Berm Width - 8.2 m;
- Bench Face Angle - 65 degrees;
- Overall Pit Slope Angle - 44.8 degrees.
Haul Roads:
- Double Lane Road - 30.5 m;
- Single Lane Road - 22 m;
- Max ramp Grade - 8%.
Mining:
- Minimum Pushback Operating Width - 76.2 m;
- Minimum Pit Bottom Mining Width - 76.2 m.
RAMP DESIGN
The pit was designed to have varying haul road widths. A majority of the pit has a double-lane road, which is 100 ft (30.5 m) wide. This is based on the industry standard for the running width of a haul road to be a minimum of 3.5 times the width of the largest equipment, which in this case is a Komatsu 830 E haul truck. This does not include additional allocation for a drainage ditch and safety berm.
The depths of the pit were transitioned to a single-lane road to achieve a steeper pit slope and minimize the excavation and removal of uneconomical material. The single-lane road dimensions are 72 ft (22 m) wide.
The overall ramp gradient is 8% for both double-lane and single-lane roads.
MINING OPERATIONS
Material will be drilled and blasted and then loaded with a hydraulic shovel into a fleet of ha ........
Source:
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Flow Sheet:
Summary:
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Source:
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Projected Production:
Commodity | Product | Units | Avg. Annual | LOM |
Copper
|
Concentrate
|
kt
| 148 | 2,507 |
Copper
|
Payable metal
|
M lbs
| | 1,492 |
Copper
|
Metal in concentrate
|
M lbs
| | 1,547 |
Silver
|
Payable metal
|
koz
| | ...... |
Silver
|
Metal in concentrate
|
koz
| | ...... |
Operational Metrics:
Metrics | |
Daily processing capacity
| 60,000 tons * |
Annual processing rate
| 21,469 k tons * |
Annual processing capacity
| 21,896,000 tons * |
Stripping / waste ratio
| 0.78 * |
Waste tonnes, LOM
| 285,879 k tons * |
Ore tonnes mined, LOM
| 364,967 k tons * |
Total tonnes mined, LOM
| 650,846 k tons * |
Tonnes processed, LOM
| 364,967 k tons * |
* According to 2018 study.
Reserves at December 15, 2017:
Mineral Resources for the Moonlight copper deposit. Mineral Resources are reported above a US$6.25 NSR cut-off and within a conceptual pit shell using copper, gold, and silver prices of US$3.00/lb, US$1,275/oz, and US$17.50/oz, respectively, and preliminary operating costs as of the effective date of this Mineral Resource.
Category | Tonnage | Commodity | Grade | Contained Metal |
Indicated
|
252,000 k tons
|
Copper
|
0.25 %
|
636 k tons
|
Indicated
|
252,000 k tons
|
Gold
|
0.0001 oz/ton
|
18 koz
|
Indicated
|
252,000 k tons
|
Silver
|
0.07 oz/ton
|
18,400 koz
|
Inferred
|
109,000 k tons
|
Copper
|
0.24 %
|
267 k tons
|
Inferred
|
109,000 k tons
|
Gold
|
0.0001 oz/ton
|
9 koz
|
Inferred
|
109,000 k tons
|
Silver
|
0.08 oz/ton
|
9,000 koz
|
Mine Management:
Job Title | Name | Phone | Ref. Date |
.......................
|
.......................
|
...........
|
Feb 2, 2023
|
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Staff:
Total Workforce | Year |
|
2018
|
Corporate Filings & Presentations:
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