Mining Intelligence and News
United States

White Pine North Project

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Overview

Mine TypeUnderground
StagePreliminary Economic Assessment
Commodities
  • Copper
  • Silver
Mining Method
  • Room-and-pillar
Mine Life... Lock

Owners

SourceSource
CompanyInterestOwnership
Highland Copper Company Inc. 34 % Indirect
Kinterra Copper USA LLC 66 % Indirect
In July 2021, White Pine Copper LLC. ("WPC"), a wholly owned subsidiary of Highland at the time, successfully completed the acquisition of the rights, title and interest of Copper Range Company (“CRC”), a subsidiary of First Quantum Minerals Ltd., in the White Pine Project.

In July 2023, Highland Copper and Kinterra Copper USA LLC ("Kinterra") signed a joint venture agreement in which Kinterra holds a 66% stake in the White Pine North project.

Contractors

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Deposit type

  • Sediment-hosted

Summary:

The mineralization of the White Pine North Project is classified as a reduced facies stratiform sediment-hosted copper deposit.

Copper mineralization at the White Pine deposit occurs in two modes - as very fine-grained sulfide (chalcocite) and as native copper. Sulfide mineralization is estimated to account for 85-90% of the copper in the deposit, but both modes of copper are intimately associated throughout the deposit. The copper mineralization at White Pine is unusually consistent. All drill holes within the deposit intercepted mineralized strata. Within the deposit, the grades of the mineralization are usually above cut-off grade over normal mining configurations. Most of the beds in the mineralized horizon are continuous over the entire deposit. The beds comprising the Parting Shale pinch out in the southwest part of the historic mine. The variation of the thickness of mineralized beds is also low from drill hole to drill hole.

Sulfide Mineralization: The dominant copper mineral in the White Pine deposit is chalcocite (Cu2S). It occurs as fine-grained lamellae in laminites and partings in interbedded sandstone and shale, very-fine grained disseminations and discrete clots in siltstone, and in veinlets and veins. The top of the copper mineralization is identified as the Top of Mineralization (“TOM”) Line or “fringe,” a narrow transition zone between cupriferous and pyritic zones. The fringe is typically very narrow (a few inches) and is identified by the sequence: chalcocite, digenite, bornite, chalcopyrite, and pyrite. Immediately above the cupriferous zone is a narrow zone containing disseminated greenockite, galena, and wurtzite. The yellow color of greenockite is easily spotted in drill core. The TOM Line cross-cuts stratigraphy. In the shallow areas of the mine to the west near the portal, the TOM Line is typically 9.5 m (30 ft) above the Lower Sand while to the east the TOM Line descends through the otherwise normally mineralized beds.

Native Copper: Native copper mineralization occurs throughout the deposit. The most significant occurrences are as sheet copper and mineralized sandstone. Sheet copper forms along thrust surfaces in the southwest mine. The sheet copper in thrust surfaces is bedding parallel as well as cross-cutting stratigraphy. Sheets can reach spectacular size. It was observed that some sheets could be traced through entire pillars. Mineralized sandstone occurs in the uppermost part of the Copper Harbor Conglomerate and is invariably associated with trapped hydrocarbons. The greatest amounts of mineralized sandstone were found in areas adjacent to the White Pine fault.

Mixed Sulfide and Native Copper Mineralization: Native copper and chalcocite are found throughout the deposit. Native copper is found in close relationship to copper sulfide in sandy lenses and pods (load casts) in the Lower Transition. Native copper in the Lower Transition is more common in channels incised into the top of the CHC. Both chalcocite and native copper mineralization are ubiquitous features of the mineralization of the Dark Gray Massive bed as well; chalcocite occurs as very-fine grained disseminations; and native copper, as discrete blebs.

Structural Relationship: Structure imposes a significant control on the distribution and grade of mineralization. Higher-grade ore is spatially associated with the White Pine fault and thrust and strike-slip faults in the Southwest mine. Part of the increase in grade is due to the presence of mineralized sandstone and/or sheet copper. In addition, chalcocite mineralization is also enhanced as wider lamellae and crosscutting veins and veinlets in the laminites.

Formation Water: The formation water encountered in the CHC is an alkaline brine with a chloride and TDS content approximately twice that of seawater. These compositions are thought to represent an approximate original composition of the depositional lake water and ore bearing fluid. Further support for alkaline brines existing during Nonesuch times is the abundance of carbonate throughout the CHC and Nonesuch Formation.

Hydrocarbons: The White Pine Mine is famous for its hydrocarbon seeps. In many areas near the White Pine fault, hydrocarbons seep out of the back, drip, and form puddles of “oil” on the floor. The most prolific seeps were noted in the northwest portion of the mine near and beneath the North Number One tailings dam.

Reserves

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Mining Methods

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Comminution

Crushers and Mills

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Processing

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Production

CommodityProductUnitsAvg. AnnualLOM
Copper Payable metal M lbs 892,224
Copper Metal in concentrate M lbs 2,305
Copper Concentrate kt 3,421
Silver Payable metal koz 1,25031,257
Silver Metal in concentrate koz 35,012

Operational metrics

Metrics
Daily processing capacity 15,000 t *
Annual ore mining rate 5.4 Mt *
Waste tonnes, LOM 1,060 kt *
Ore tonnes mined, LOM 121,405 kt *
Total tonnes mined, LOM 122,465 kt *
Tonnes processed, LOM 121,405 kt *
* According to 2019 study.

Production Costs

CommodityUnitsAverage
Credits (by-product) Copper USD -0.23 / lb *  
C1 cash costs Copper USD 1.43 / lb * **  
C3 fully allocated costs Copper USD 1.74 / lb * **  
Assumed price Copper USD 3 / lb *  
Assumed price Silver USD 16 / oz *  
* According to 2019 study / presentation.
** Net of By-Product.

Operating Costs

Currency2019
UG mining costs ($/t milled) USD 17 *  
Processing costs ($/t milled) USD  ....  Subscribe
G&A ($/t milled) USD  ....  Subscribe
Total operating costs ($/t milled) USD  ....  Subscribe
* According to 2019 study.

Project Costs

MetricsUnitsLOM Total
Initial CapEx $M USD  ......  Subscribe
Sustaining CapEx $M USD  ......  Subscribe
Closure costs $M USD  ......  Subscribe
UG OpEx $M USD  ......  Subscribe
Processing OpEx $M USD 740
Refining costs $M USD  ......  Subscribe
Transportation (haulage) costs $M USD 260
G&A costs $M USD 193
Total OpEx $M USD  ......  Subscribe
Mining Taxes $M USD  ......  Subscribe
Income Taxes $M USD  ......  Subscribe
Total Taxes $M USD  ......  Subscribe
Royalty payments $M USD  ......  Subscribe
Gross revenue (LOM) $M USD  ......  Subscribe
After-tax Cash Flow (LOM) $M USD  ......  Subscribe
Pre-tax NPV @ 0% $M USD  ......  Subscribe
Pre-tax NPV @ 8% $M USD  ......  Subscribe
After-tax NPV @ 0% $M USD  ......  Subscribe
After-tax NPV @ 8% $M USD  ......  Subscribe
Pre-tax IRR, %  ......  Subscribe
After-tax IRR, %  ......  Subscribe
Pre-tax payback period, years  ......  Subscribe
After-tax payback period, years  ......  Subscribe

Required Heavy Mobile Equipment

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Personnel

Mine Management

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Feb 22, 2024
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Nov 6, 2019
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Nov 6, 2019
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Nov 8, 2023
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Nov 8, 2023

Total WorkforceYear
...... Subscription required 2019

Aerial view:

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