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Mexico
El Cubo Mine

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 Location:
4.5 km SE from Guanajuato, Guanajuato, Mexico

  Address:
Domicilio Conocido Mineral del Cubo
Guanajuato
Guanajuato, Mexico
36250
Phone  ...  Subscription required
Fax01-(473)-102-4141
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  • Overview
  • Owners
  • Geology
  • Mining
  • Processing
  • Production
  • Reserves
  • Costs & Financials
  • Fleet
  • Personnel
  • Filings & News

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Overview

StatusCare and Maintenance
Mine TypeUnderground
Commodities
  • Silver
  • Gold
Mining Method
  • Mechanized Cut & Fill
  • Longhole stoping
Processing
  • Flotation
The Company suspended mining operations at the El Cubo underground mine on November 30, 2019 as reserves were exhausted. The mine, plant and tailings facilities are on short term care and maintenance, while management conducts an evaluation of the alternatives including final closure.
Latest NewsEndeavour Silver Agrees to Sell El Cubo Mine in Guanajuato, Mexico to VanGold Mining Corp. for US$15 Million Plus Additional Contingent Payments     December 18, 2020


Owners

 
CompanyInterestOwnership
Endeavour Silver Corp. 100 % Indirect
Companía Minera Del Cubo, S.A. de C.V. 100 % Direct

Deposit Type

  • Epithermal
  • Vein / narrow vein


Summary:

Mineralized veins at El Cubo consist of the classic banded and brecciated epithermal variety. Silver occurs primarily in dark sulfide-rich bands within the veins, with little mineralization within the wall rocks. The major metallic minerals reported include pyrite, argentite, electrum and ruby silver, as well as some galena and sphalerite, generally deeper in the veins. Mineralization is generally associated with phyllic (sericite) and silicification alteration which forms haloes around the mineralizing structures. The vein textures are attributed to the brittle fracturing-healing cycle of the fault-hosted veins during and/or after faulting.

Most production is extracted from two of the principal district vein systems, the Veta Madre (Las Torres lease only) and La Sierra (El Cubo mine). Economic concentrations of precious metals are present in “shoots” distributed vertically and laterally between nonmineralized segments of the veins. Vein intersections are locally the site of important historic bonanzas, notably the San Nicolas-Villalpando intersection, nearly perpendicular, and the intersections of various named splays along the principal El Cubo vein, the Villalpando vein. Overall, the style of mineralization is pinch-and-swell with some flexures resulting in closures and others generating wide sigmoidal breccia zones.

Primary economic mineralization at El Cubo is gold and silver. Base metal values are generally absent, except for small amounts of chalcopyrite. El Cubo appears to be a low sulfidation system with pyrite but no arsenopyrite.

The silver-rich veins, such as Villalpando, contain quartz, adularia, pyrite, acanthite, naumannite and native gold. Native silver is widespread in small amounts. Much of the native silver is supergene. Silver sulfosalts (pyrargyrite and polybasite) are commonly found at depth. Gold rich veins, such as San Nicolas, contain quartz, pyrite, minor chalcopyrite and sphalerite, electrum, and aguilarite.

A vertical mineralogical zonation occurs in the vein system. The upper-levels are acanthite + adularia + pyrite + electrum + calcite + quartz and the lower-levels are chalcopyrite + galena + sphalerite + adularia + quartz + acanthite.

The gold/silver ratio in the more gold-rich veins typically ranges from 1:15 to 1:30. The gold/silver ratio in the silver rich veins typically ranges from 1:60 to 1:150, and sometimes higher. The overall gold/silver ratio for the 37 veins included in the resources and reserves is 1:64. Ranges for gold/silver ratios at El Cubo vary from 1:10 to 1:20 in upper mine levels, from 1:40 to 1:50 in middle mine levels; and 1:100 to 1:150 at depth. Veins are barren below an elevation of about 1800 m.


Mining Methods

  • Mechanized Cut & Fill
  • Longhole stoping


Summary:

Conventional drill and blast methods are used to extract the ore at El Cubo, and access to the mining areas is provided by ramps, adits and shafts. Mine development headings are drilled by jumbo and by jackleg. The dimensions of the different development sections are as follows:
- Main Ramps: 4.3 W x 4 H meters
- Accesses: 3 x 3 meters
- Sill in Mineral 2.2 x 2.5 meters (minimum)
- Raise: 1.5 x 1.5 meters
- Bore Holes Raise: 1.8 meter diameter.

The choice of equipment is generally guided by the anticipated vein widths, stoping method, and equipment availability.

The stoping methods used at El Cubo in 2016 were mechanized cut-and-fill and long hole. These two methods are also planned for all the future production.

Once sill development is completed and the limits of the ore have been defined, stope production can begin. For conventional cut and fill stoping, ore is mined upward in horizontal slices using jackleg drills. Cut and fill mining is a method of short hole mining with hole lengths usually less than 2m. After the ore is removed, the void is filled with muck. El Cubo uses unconsolidated mine waste from development headings. Under certain circumstances concrete is used as fill to create a solid floor. This enables mining from the stope below up to the concrete pillar and recovering most, if not all of the ore pillar that would otherwise be left behind. This process is usually reserved for high-grade floor pillars.

The mining is simpler where the veins are close to, or equal to the width of the working. In this case, the back is blasted full-width and the extra waste blast step is eliminated.

By comparison, longhole open-stoping, holes are drilled upwards and/or downwards from the sill level. Longhole methods are typically 7 to 15m in length and are more productive than cut and fill methods. Longhole stoping is also cheaper than conventional cut and fill stoping. As with cut and fill methods, longhole stopes are filled with waste rock from development headings.

Some of the ore produced with the longhole drill machines is generated by drilling old pillars. Other stopes are blind by drilling uppers and blasting a slot at the far end of the stope to enable the ore to break in the subsequent larger stope blasts. Uppers are drilled to a 10-15m height on vein projections in rows across the width of the vein. The rows closest to the slot are blasted first. The stope is mucked clean, or at least sufficiently to allow the next blast. The stope retreats, leaving a void that can only be filled by a mill hole connected from somewhere above. The ore is extracted using remote- controlled scoops.


Crushing and Grinding


Processing

  • Flotation

Flow Sheet: Subscription required

Summary:

In December 2013 the leaching plant was shut down due to the fact that selling the concentrate was more economic than cyanide leaching at current conditions.

The recovery process at El Cubo consists of a single flotation concentrate.

Recoveries & Grades:

CommodityParameter2019201820172016201520142013
Silver Recovery Rate, %  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required
Silver Head Grade, g/t 155176136123119105107
Gold Recovery Rate, %  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required
Gold Head Grade, g/t 1.541.871.551.411.521.591.57
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Production:

CommodityProductUnits201920182017201620152014
Silver Payable metal oz  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required1,842,3381,937,9952,195,3791,168,875
Silver Metal in concentrate oz  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required1,919,1022,018,7452,288,1451,228,256
Gold Payable metal oz  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required
Gold Metal in concentrate oz  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Operational Metrics:

Metrics201920182017201620152014
Ore tonnes mined  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required678,850 t
Daily ore mining rate  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required1,599 t1,859 t
Tonnes processed  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required583,772 t678,850 t413,282 t
Daily processing capacity  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required1,500 t2,200 t
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Reserves at December 31, 2019:

CategoryTonnage CommodityGradeContained Metal
Measured 19,000 t Silver 224 g/t 140,000 oz
Measured 19,000 t Gold 1.89 g/t 1,200 oz
Measured 19,000 t Silver Equivalent 236,000 oz
Indicated 32,000 t Silver 209 g/t 214,000 oz
Indicated 32,000 t Gold 2.03 g/t 2,100 oz
Indicated 32,000 t Silver Equivalent 382,000 oz
Inferred 463,000 t Silver 163 g/t 2,419,000 oz
Inferred 463,000 t Gold 1.89 g/t 28,200 oz
Inferred 463,000 t Silver Equivalent 4,675,000 oz

Commodity Production Costs:

CommodityUnits2019201820172016201520142013
Cash costs Silver USD  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required 11.8 / oz 12.6 / oz 12.5 / oz 16.8 / oz
Cash costs Gold USD  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required 879 / oz 938 / oz 910 / oz 1,139 / oz
Cash costs Silver USD  ......  Subscription required†  ......  Subscription required† 7.93 / oz† 10.1 / oz† 10.6 / oz† 16.4 / oz† 18.8 / oz†
Total cash costs Silver USD  ......  Subscription required†  ......  Subscription required† 8.69 / oz† 11.5 / oz† 20.6 / oz† 35.9 / oz† 40.4 / oz†
All-in sustaining costs (AISC) Silver USD  ......  Subscription required†  ......  Subscription required† 17.8 / oz† 13.3 / oz† 22.2 / oz† 39.5 / oz† 34.8 / oz†
† Net of By-Product.
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Operating Costs:

Units2019201820172016201520142013
Direct operating costs ($/t milled) USD 109.117780.977.980.699.9113.31

Financials:

Units2019201820172016201520142013
Sustaining costs M USD  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required 21.1   21.2   13.7  
Revenue M USD  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required 65.7   42.2  
Pre-tax Income M USD  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required -116.22  
After-tax Income M USD  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required -122.18   -70.86  
Subscription required - Subscription is required


Heavy Mobile Equipment as of March 3, 2017:
HME TypeModelSizeQuantity
Scoop Tram ....................... Subscription required 2 cu. yd 9
Scoop Tram ....................... Subscription required 3 cu. yd 2
Scoop Tram ....................... Subscription required 1.25 cu. yd 6
Scoop Tram ....................... Subscription required 1.5 cu. yd 5
Scoop Tram ....................... Subscription required 2 cu. yd 2
Scoop Tram ....................... Subscription required 2.5 cu. yd 1
Scoop Tram ....................... Subscription required 3 cu. yd 1
Scoop Tram ....................... Subscription required 3.5 cu. yd 2
Underground truck ....................... Subscription required 4 cu. yd 2
Underground truck ....................... Subscription required 6.5 cu. yd 3
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Mine Management:

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required May 6, 2020
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required May 6, 2020
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Staff:

EmployeesContractorsTotal WorkforceYear
Subscription required Subscription required Subscription required 2019
Subscription required Subscription required Subscription required 2018
Subscription required Subscription required Subscription required 2017
Subscription required Subscription required Subscription required 2016
Subscription required Subscription required Subscription required 2015

Corporate Filings & Presentations:

DocumentYear
................................... Subscription required 2020
................................... Subscription required 2020
................................... Subscription required 2020
................................... Subscription required 2019
................................... Subscription required 2019
................................... Subscription required 2019
................................... Subscription required 2019
................................... Subscription required 2019
................................... Subscription required 2018
................................... Subscription required 2018
................................... Subscription required 2018
................................... Subscription required 2018
Corporate Presentation 2017
Financial Review 2017
Management Discussion & Analysis 2017
Technical Report 2017
Year-end Mineral Reserves 2017
Financial Review 2016
Management Discussion & Analysis 2016
Press Release 2016
Technical Report 2016
Form 40-F 2015
Management Discussion & Analysis 2015
Technical Report 2015
Management Discussion & Analysis 2014
Management Discussion & Analysis 2013
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

News:

NewsDate
Endeavour Silver Agrees to Sell El Cubo Mine in Guanajuato, Mexico to VanGold Mining Corp. for US$15 Million Plus Additional Contingent Payments December 18, 2020
Endeavour Silver To Suspend Operations at the El Cubo Mine in Mexico November 21, 2019
Endeavour Silver Updates 2018 Mineral Reserve and Resource Estimates January 21, 2019

Aerial view:

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