Overview
| Stage | Production |
| Mine Type | Underground |
| Commodities |
|
| Mining Method |
- Underhand Cut & Fill
- Room-and-pillar
- Cemented backfill
- Paste backfill
|
| Production Start | ...  |
| Mine Life | 2028 |
The Xavantina Operation is amongst the highest-grade gold mines in South America. |
Source:
p. 11
| Company | Interest | Ownership |
|
Ero Copper Corp.
|
97.6 %
|
Indirect
|
|
NX Gold S.A.
(operator)
|
100 %
|
Direct
|
Ero Copper Corp. indirectly holds approximately 97.6% of the voting shares of NX Gold S.A. (“NX Gold”) through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Ero Gold Corp., incorporated under the BCABC. NX Gold holds a 100% interest in the NX Gold Mine.
Contractors
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Deposit Type
- Vein / narrow vein
- Metamorphic hosted
Summary:
The geology of the property can be characterized by strongly deformed volcano-sedimentary rocks altered to greenschist metamorphic grade. Gold mineralization is structurally controlled and hosted in sulphide-bearing, laminated shear veins that cross-cut the previously deformed and metamorphosed volcanic and sedimentary rock. The laminated nature of the veins indicates multiple pulses of quartz intruding a shear zone.
The characteristics of the gold mineralization at Xavantina are similar to orogenic gold described by Groves et al. 1998. Those deposits represent the main source of gold in deformed Precambrian metavolcanic environments and are characterized by high gold grades that range from 5 grams per tonne to over 10 grams per tonne and are hosted in quartz-carbonate veins associated with shear zones. Well-known examples of important gold deposits of this type include the Yilgarn Craton in Australia (Golden Mile and Norseman mines) and the Superior Province in Canada (McIntyre-Hollinger and Kerr-Addison mines).
The rock units present within the Xavantina Operations belong to the Nova Xavantina Volcano-Sedimentary Sequence as defined by Pinho (1990), part of the upper regional Cuiabá Group.
In subsequent geological classification surrounding the mining area, the Nova Xavantina Volcano-Sedimentary Sequence was renamed the Araés Volcano-Sedimentary Sequence and was further subdivided into three lithological associations (Martinelli et al. 1997; ........
Mining Methods
- Underhand Cut & Fill
- Room-and-pillar
- Cemented backfill
- Paste backfill
Summary:
The mining methods currently used at the Santo Antônio, and envisioned for the Matinha vein beginning in the second half of 2023, are a combination of inclined room and pillar and cut and fill using paste fill as backfill. Prior to commencing operations within the Santo Antônio vein, the mine employed a combination of inclined room and pillar and cut and fill, with backfill requirements generated from waste development. Mining method selection has been based upon desired selectivity, geometry of the orebodies (both planned and previously mined), geotechnical characteristics of the quartz vein as well as the footwall and hanging wall.
For the purposes of the current Mineral Reserve and life-of-mine production plan, the Santo Antônio vein has been divided into two main panels on -65 (upper) and -170 (lower) based upon the relative geomechanical strength characteristics of these zones. In the upper panel, cut and fill utilizing paste backfill will be employed, while inclined room in pillar, the current mining method, will be employed in the lower panel down to level -350. The deeper portion of Santo Antônio and Matinha veins will be mined using ascending cut and fill. Cemented paste will be employed in the lower panel to enhance pillar recovery following primary panel extraction. The mine is currently operating within the Santo Antônio vein using the selected mining methods.
The cut and fill method relies upon removing the ore in horizontal slices, advanci ........
Source:
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Flow Sheet:
Summary:
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Reserves at October 31, 2022:
Mineral Reserve cut-off grades and parameters applied to the Mineral Reserve estimate: 4.17 gpt applied to mining stopes, in both room and pillar and cut and fill mining areas, incorporating mining and development, processing, general and administrative and indirect costs; 0.80 gpt applied to gallery development incorporating development and processing costs; and, 3.23 gpt applied to mining marginal material adjacent to planned mining stopes incorporating mining, development and processing costs.
Mineral Resources were constrained using a minimum stope dimension of 2.0 meters by 2.0 meters by 1.50 meters and a cut-off of 1.20 gpt based on gold price of US$1,900 per ounce of gold and total underground mining and processing costs of US$72.0 per tonne of ore mined and processed.
| Category | Tonnage | Commodity | Grade | Contained Metal |
|
Proven
|
301 kt
|
Gold
|
10.89 g/t
|
105.4 koz
|
|
Probable
|
1,012 kt
|
Gold
|
7.88 g/t
|
256.2 koz
|
|
Proven & Probable
|
1,313 kt
|
Gold
|
8.57 g/t
|
361.6 koz
|
|
Measured
|
246.4 kt
|
Gold
|
13.35 g/t
|
105.8 koz
|
|
Indicated
|
1,019 kt
|
Gold
|
10.09 g/t
|
330.6 koz
|
|
Measured & Indicated
|
1,265 kt
|
Gold
|
10.73 g/t
|
436.4 koz
|
|
Inferred
|
441.1 kt
|
Gold
|
8.48 g/t
|
120.2 koz
|
Source:
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Corporate Filings & Presentations:
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