Mining Intelligence and News
Mexico

Creston Mascota Mine

Click for more information

Categories

Overview

Mine TypeOpen Pit
StageResidual leach
Commodities
  • Gold
  • Silver
Mining Method
  • Truck & Shovel / Loader
Production Start... Lock
SnapshotThe 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.

The Agnico Eagle depleted the Bravo pit at Creston Mascota in the third quarter of 2020, with residual gold leaching continuing through 2023.

At Creston Mascota mine, gold production during 2023, 2022 and 2021 was the result of residual leaching. No additional ore was stacked on the heap leach and therefore no production costs per tonne or minesite costs per tonne were reported in 2023, 2022 and 2021.
Related AssetPinos Altos

Owners

SourceSource
CompanyInterestOwnership
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.

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.

Reserves

Lock

- subscription is required.

Mining Methods

Lock

- subscription is required.

Comminution

Crushers and Mills

Lock

- subscription is required.

Processing

Lock

- subscription is required.

Production

CommodityUnits202320222021202020192018201720162015
Gold oz  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe48,38040,18048,38447,29654,703
Silver koz  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe580310281201159
All production numbers are expressed as payable metal.

Operational metrics

Metrics202020192018201720162015
Daily processing rate  ....  Subscribe2,923 t3,896 t6,016 t5,790 t
Tonnes processed  ....  Subscribe1,066,907 t1,422,411 t2,195,655 t2,119,245 t2,098,812 t
Daily ore mining rate  ....  Subscribe2,900 t3,896 t5,831 t5,520 t
Daily processing capacity  ....  Subscribe4,000 t4,000 t4,000 t4,000 t
Ore tonnes mined  ....  Subscribe1.1 Mt1.4 Mt2.1 Mt2 Mt

Production Costs

CommodityUnits202220212020201920182017
Credits (by-product) Gold USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe -200 / oz   -120 / oz   -94 / oz  
Cash costs Gold USD  ....  Subscribe 740 / oz   928 / oz   651 / oz  
Total cash costs Gold USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 754 / oz   961 / oz   669 / oz  
Total cash costs Gold USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 554 / oz **   841 / oz **   575 / oz **  
** Net of By-Product.

Operating Costs

Currency20202019201820172016
Total operating costs ($/t milled) USD 54  33  27  15  13  

Financials

Units202220212020201920182017
Sustaining costs M USD 3.5   6.8  
Capital expenditures M USD 19.5   8.1  
Revenue M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 78   54.7   63.8  
Gross profit M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 23.7   -1.1   9.7  

Heavy Mobile Equipment

Fleet data has not been reported.

Personnel

Mine Management

Job TitleNamePhoneEmailProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required ........... Subscription required ........... Subscription required Subscription required Apr 19, 2024
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required ........... Subscription required Subscription required Apr 19, 2024

EmployeesYear
...... Subscription required 2023
...... Subscription required 2022
...... Subscription required 2021
...... Subscription required 2020
...... Subscription required 2019
...... Subscription required 2018
...... Subscription required 2017
...... Subscription required 2016
...... Subscription required 2015

Aerial view:

Lock

- subscription is required.