Overview
| Stage | Residual leach |
| Mine Type | Open Pit |
| Commodities |
|
| Mining Method |
|
| Production Start | ...  |
| Mine Life | 2022 |
The Creston Mascota heap leach open pit mine operated as a satellite operation to the Pinos Altos mine from late 2010 until open pit ore was depleted during the third quarter of 2020.
Closure activities progressed on schedule and the Company continues to benefit from residual leaching production. Minor residual leaching is expected to continue under the progressive closure plan. |
Source:
p. 30, 235
| Company | Interest | Ownership |
|
Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd.
|
100 %
|
Indirect
|
|
Agnico Eagle Mexico, S.A. de C.V.
(operator)
|
100 %
|
Direct
|
The Agnico Eagle's Pinos Altos mine, including the Creston Mascota deposit, is held through its indirect subsidiary, Agnico Eagle Mexico, S.A. de C.V.
Contractors
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Deposit Type
- Breccia pipe / Stockwork
- Vein / narrow vein
Summary:
The Creston Mascota deposit is approximately 1,000 metres long and four to 40 metres wide, and extends from surface to more than 200 metres depth.
The host rocks at Creston-Mascota are the Frijolar Andesite and the Victoria Ignimbrite units. Generally shallowly west-dipping quartz-calcite veins and stockwork zones of mineralization associated with the Creston-Mascota deposit can be followed on the surface over a distance of 1000 metres north-south. The West Fault, first recognized during the 2008 drilling program at Creston-Mascota, is a sub-vertical, North-South striking feature against which the Creston-Mascota deposit terminates in the down-dip direction. It has been interpreted as a mainly post-mineral fault that offsets the Creston-Mascota deposit from its down-dip continuation, thought to be represented by mineralization observed at the Bravo mine/Carola prospect, located immediately southwest of Creston-Mascota. In the mineralized zone at Creston-Mascota, quartz-calcite veining is developed in the form of stockwork or as breccia (replacement and open space filling breccia sub-unit). In some locations, moderate stockwork veining, zones of silicification, and anomalous gold values also occur along the West Fault, whereas elsewhere, the West Fault consists only of nonmineralized clay gouge and breccia.
Summary:
The Creston Mascota mine is located approximately seven kilometres northwest of the Pinos Altos mine in northern Mexico. First mining activity commenced at the Creston Mascota deposit in 2010 and commercial production was achieved at the mine in March 2011. During 2017, the Bravo zone located south of the Creston Mascota facilities was added to the mine plan. Construction activities continued through 2018 and mining at the main Bravo zone began in the third quarter of 2018.
Creston Mascota open pit (the Bravo pit) mineral reserves were depleted in the third quarter of 2020.
Closure activitie is progressed on schedule and the Company continues to benefit from residual leaching production. Minor residual leaching is expected to continue under the progressive closure plan.
Source:
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Flow Sheet:
Summary:
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Production:
| Commodity | Units | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 |
|
Gold
|
oz
| ...... | ...... | ...... | 40,180 | 48,384 | 47,296 |
|
Silver
|
koz
| ...... | ...... | ...... | ...... | ...... | ...... |
All production numbers are expressed as payable metal.
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Operational Metrics:
| Metrics | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
|
Tonnes processed
| ...... | 1,066,907 t | 1,422,411 t | 2,195,655 t | 2,119,245 t | 2,098,812 t |
|
Daily processing rate
| ...... | 2,923 t | 3,896 t | 6,016 t | 5,790 t | |
|
Ore tonnes mined
| ...... | 1.1 Mt | 1.4 Mt | 2.1 Mt | 2 Mt | |
|
Daily ore mining rate
| ...... | 2,900 t | 3,896 t | 5,831 t | 5,520 t | |
|
Daily processing capacity
| ...... | 4,000 t | 4,000 t | 4,000 t | 4,000 t | |
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Reserves at December 31, 2019:
The 2019 proven and probable mineral reserve estimates set out in the table below at the Mina Bravo deposit at Creston Mascota are estimated based on a net smelter return cut-off value of the open pit ore of $12.53 per tonne. There are no mineral reserves in underground deposits.
Gold cut-off grades used for mineral resource estimates were fixed at 75% of the applicable mineral reserve cut-off grade.
| Category | Tonnage | Commodity | Grade | Contained Metal |
|
Proven & Probable
|
758 kt
|
Gold
|
2.49 g/t
|
61 koz
|
|
Proven & Probable
|
758 kt
|
Silver
|
63.05 g/t
|
1,537 koz
|
|
Measured & Indicated
|
988 kt
|
Gold
|
0.75 g/t
|
24 koz
|
|
Measured & Indicated
|
988 kt
|
Silver
|
7.88 g/t
|
250 koz
|
|
Inferred
|
281 kt
|
Gold
|
1.1 g/t
|
10 koz
|
|
Inferred
|
281 kt
|
Silver
|
5.05 g/t
|
46 koz
|
Corporate Filings & Presentations:
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