Overview
Stage | Construction |
Mine Type | Underground |
Commodities |
|
Mining Method |
- Mechanized Cut & Fill
- Longhole stoping
- Shrinkage stoping
|
Mine Life | 10 years (as of Jan 1, 2019) |
The mine has benefited from significant reinvestment including new mining equipment, new flotation cells and a new shaft currently under construction.
The Expansion Project includes: - Installation of new internal underground mine shaft; - Upgrading of the underground pumping and water management system; - Upgrading the Process Plant; - Increasing Tailings Dam Capacity. |
Source:
p. 11
Company | Interest | Ownership |
American Pacific Honduras S.A. de C.V.
(operator)
|
100 %
|
Direct
|
Kirungu Corp.
|
100 %
|
Indirect
|
The El Mochito mine is 100% owned by American Pacific Honduras S.A. de C.V. (“AMPAC”), a company that was formerly a subsidiary of Ascendant Resources Inc. On April 27, 2020, Ascendant sold all the issued and outstanding shares of AMPAC to Kirungu Corporation.
Kirungu Corp. is a privately owned company controlled by the former Chief Operating Officer, and other senior operating staff of Ascendant.
Contractors
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Summary:
Zinc-lead-silver mineralization of economic interest at El Mochito occurs in association with calc-silicate bearing skarn intervals hosted by limestone and calcareous shale of the Upper and Lower Atima Formation, in calcareous units of the Atima Formation’s main subunit, the Mochito Shale, in calcareous siltstone and shale of the Cantarannas Formation and in quartz-rich sandstones and siltstones of the siliciclastic-dominated Todos Santos Formation, which underlies the Cantarannas Formation. The stratigraphic section within which economic mineralization occurs at El Mochito slightly exceeds 1,250 m in true thickness.
Mineralization consisting of sphalerite, galena, argentite, tetrahedrite, acanthite, pyrrhotite and magnetite is associated with garnet and pyroxene skarn zones that are both structurally and stratigraphically controlled. The distribution of skarn directly reflects the geometry of the complex graben-related fault systems that channeled hot hydrothermal fluids through graben fill sequences to sites where they selectively reacted with calcareous wall rock to create siliceous, garnet and pyroxene-dominated skarn. Introduction of zinc-lead-silver mineralization on existing skarn zones reflects continued capacity of the graben’s fault systems to conduct the large volumes of hydrothermal fluid necessary to create this district’s high metal endowment.
Two main styles of zinc-lead-silver mineralization are present at El Mochito, these being mantos a ........

Mining Methods
- Mechanized Cut & Fill
- Longhole stoping
- Shrinkage stoping
Summary:
The El Mochito Mine is in its 70th year of operation and the mining infrastructure is expansive. The existing underground workings at the El Mochito Mine covers approximately 3,000 m in the east-wes direction, 1,200 m north-south and vertically from surface to a depth of up to 1,300 m (-1,000 m below the shaft collar).
The mine employs a combination of long hole, cut & fill and conventional mining methods to exploit the mineral from mineralized zones of different shapes and sizes. A predominately trackless mining fleet is used in mining and hauling the mineral to the vertical shafts through multiple ramp systems that are essentially a result of a series of stope access development that have been linked together, creating a complicated, inefficient and tight transport network of tunnels.
Mining operational costs are consequently relatively high and reflect this deep mining environment with long hauling distances, coupled with high pumping and pump maintenance costs. As the mine grows deeper, transport distances will further increase. As expected, this would result in increasing the size of the trucking fleet and manpower and increasing maintenance cost and mechanical parts inventory. There would also be negative impact on the ventilation circuit, and the water pumping system is old, very extended and inefficient.
The El Mochito Mine expansion project proposes to address these challenges through the upgrade of infrastructure and mining and min ........

Source:

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Flow Sheet:
Summary:

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Projected Production:
Commodity | Product | Units | Avg. Annual | LOM |
Zinc
|
Payable metal
|
kt
| | 352 |
Zinc
|
Metal in concentrate
|
kt
| 41 | 414 |
Lead
|
Payable metal
|
kt
| | ......  |
Lead
|
Metal in concentrate
|
kt
| ......  | ......  |
Silver
|
Payable metal
|
koz
| | ......  |
Silver
|
Metal in concentrate
|
koz
| ......  | ......  |
Zinc Equivalent
|
Payable metal
|
M lbs
| | ......  |
Zinc Equivalent
|
Metal in concentrate
|
M lbs
| ......  | ......  |
Operational Metrics:
Metrics | |
Daily mining capacity
| 2,800 t of ore * |
Daily milling capacity
| 2,800 t * |
Annual ore mining rate
| 966 kt * |
Annual mining capacity
| 1,000 kt of ore * |
Annual milling capacity
| 1,000 kt * |
Waste tonnes, LOM
| 1,146,263 t * |
Ore tonnes mined, LOM
| 9,655,774 t * |
Tonnes milled, LOM
| 9,656 kt * |
* According to 2019 study.
Reserves at January 1, 2018:
A cut-off of 3.1% ZnEq was used to estimate Mineral Resources and is based on fourth quarter marginal direct operating costs.
Category | Tonnage | Commodity | Grade | Contained Metal |
Measured
|
1,100 kt
|
Zinc
|
5.5 %
|
134 M lbs
|
Measured
|
1,100 kt
|
Lead
|
2 %
|
48 M lbs
|
Measured
|
1,100 kt
|
Silver
|
65 g/t
|
2.3 M oz
|
Measured
|
1,100 kt
|
Zinc Equivalent
|
8.2 %
|
198 M lbs
|
Indicated
|
6,452 kt
|
Zinc
|
5.2 %
|
735 M lbs
|
Indicated
|
6,452 kt
|
Lead
|
1.7 %
|
241 M lbs
|
Indicated
|
6,452 kt
|
Silver
|
41 g/t
|
8.4 M oz
|
Indicated
|
6,452 kt
|
Zinc Equivalent
|
7.2 %
|
1,019 M lbs
|
Measured & Indicated
|
7,553 kt
|
Zinc
|
5.2 %
|
869 M lbs
|
Measured & Indicated
|
7,553 kt
|
Lead
|
1.7 %
|
289 M lbs
|
Measured & Indicated
|
7,553 kt
|
Silver
|
44 g/t
|
10.7 M oz
|
Measured & Indicated
|
7,553 kt
|
Zinc Equivalent
|
7.3 %
|
1,216 M lbs
|
Inferred
|
4,972 kt
|
Zinc
|
5.1 %
|
556 M lbs
|
Inferred
|
4,972 kt
|
Lead
|
1.4 %
|
156 M lbs
|
Inferred
|
4,972 kt
|
Silver
|
33 g/t
|
5.4 M oz
|
Inferred
|
4,972 kt
|
Zinc Equivalent
|
6.7 %
|
739 M lbs
|
Corporate Filings & Presentations:
Document | Year |
...................................
|
2021
|
...................................
|
2019
|
Annual Information Form
|
2018
|
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