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United States
Pinto Valley Mine

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 Location:
103 km E from Phoenix, Arizona, United States

  Address:
PO Box 100 2911 N Forest Service Rd 287
Miami
Arizona, United States
85539
Phone928-473-6200
Fax928-473-6387
WebsiteWeb
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  • Geology
  • Mining
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  • Fleet
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  • Filings & News

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Overview

StageProduction
Mine TypeOpen Pit
Commodities
  • Copper
  • Molybdenum
  • Silver
  • Gold
Mining Method
  • Truck & Shovel / Loader
Production Start1974
Mine Life2039
During 2021, study work progressed on the pre-feasibility study for PV4 which aims to maximize the conversion of approximately one billion tonnes of mineral resources to mineral reserves, significantly extending Pinto Valley’s mine life and increasing the mine’s copper production profile. PV4 Study completion is expected in Q4 2022.


Owners

Source: p. 59
CompanyInterestOwnership
Pinto Valley Mining Corp. (operator) 100 % Direct
Capstone Copper Corp. 100 % Indirect
Pinto Valley Mining Corp. ("Pinto Valley"), a wholly owned US subsidiary of Capstone Copper, owns and operates the copper Pinto Valley Mine located in Arizona, US.

On 23 March, 2022, Mining Corp. (“Old Capstone”) announced the successful completion of transaction combining Old Capstone and Mantos Copper (Bermuda) Limited (“Mantos”), (the “Transaction”). Mantos has been renamed Capstone Copper Corp. (“Capstone Copper”), is headquartered in Vancouver, B.C.

Contractors



Deposit Type

  • Porphyry

Source: Source p.22-23

Summary:

The Globe-Miami mining district of central Arizona includes porphyry copper-molybdenum (“Cu-Mo”) deposits associated with Paleocene Epoch granodiorite to granite porphyry stocks (65-59 million years ago). Vein deposits and possible exotic copper deposits are also found within the district.

Precambrian basement rocks throughout southern Arizona and New Mexico largely consist of early Proterozoic Pinal Schist (~1,700 million years old) intruded by granites correlative with two-mica granite batholiths (~1,450 million years old). At the Pinto Valley Mine this is represented by the Ruin granite (also referred to as the Lost Gulch quartz monzonite) that hosts the Cu-Mo mineralization. The Late Proterozoic-aged (~1,420-1,150 million years old) Apache group, comprising conglomerate, limestone, quartzite, and minor basalt units overlying the basement rocks, was intruded by 1,150 million years old Apache diabase sills of varying thicknesses. These diabase units are represented at the Pinto Valley Mine as thin dikes and sills, and commonly contain higher copper concentrations than the surrounding Ruin granite. During the Paleozoic Era, various limestone units were deposited representing the shallow, marine environment present over much of the southwestern US at the time.

Subduction of the Farallon tectonic plate (80-50 million years ago) off the west coast of the southwestern US initiated arc magmatism responsible for generating the Cu-Mo-bearing intrusions in the region. Stocks emanating from the Schultze granite, the source of the mineral-bearing fluids to the Globe-Miami mining district, were emplaced at the Pinto Valley Mine between 60-59 million years ago.

Regional Tertiary-Era Basin and Range extension and faulting following cessation of subduction facilitated the dismemberment, tilting, and exposure of the Cu-Mo deposits. They were preserved through deposition of the Whitetail conglomerate (Oligocene Epoch) and the Apache Leap tuff (Miocene Epoch). Further extension in the Pliocene Epoch deposited the Gila conglomerate into basins.

The Pinto Valley Mine deposit is bound by faults that vary in age from the Pre-Cambrian to the Tertiary. These have controlled the emplacement of the Ruin granite, stocks of the Cu-Mo-bearing Schultze Granite, and subsequent post-mineralization Basin-and-Range extensional faulting.

The primary sulphide minerals encountered at the Pinto Valley Mine are chiefly pyrite and chalcopyrite with minor amounts of molybdenite. Gold and silver are recovered as by-products when material containing sulphide minerals is processed. Sphalerite and galena occur locally in very small amounts. Alteration of silicate minerals of the host rocks to other groups of minerals due to the presence of hydrothermal fluids associated with the Cu-Mo-bearing intrusive rocks include potassic, argillic, sericitic, and propylitic alteration suites.

Sulphide minerals generally occur in veins and microfractures and less abundantly as disseminated grains, predominantly in biotite sites. The ore zone grades outward into a pyritic zone with higher total sulphide content. Molybdenum distribution generally reflects copper distribution, with higher molybdenum values usually found in the higher-grade copper zones. Oxide mineralization and a supergene enrichment blanket was developed at the Pinto Valley Mine, but these areas have since been mined.

Sulphide deposition at Pinto Valley Mine is controlled to some extent by the host rock. The sulphide content decreases in Precambrian aplite intrusions. Aplite usually contains less than 0.25% copper, whereas adjacent Quartz Monzonite may have as much as 0.6% copper. The deficiency of copper in aplite is probably due to the absence of biotite, which makes up about 7% of Quartz Monzonite. Disseminated chalcopyrite shows an affinity for biotite, where it is disseminated through the biotite or partially replacing it. Additional chalcopyrite is also present in veins cutting both rock types.


Mining Methods

  • Truck & Shovel / Loader

Source: p.153-154

Summary:

PVM is an open-pit hard-rock mine, producing copper bearing sulfide ore to a conventional milling and flotation concentrator. Conventional open-pit mining utilizes the cycle of drilling, blasting, loading, and hauling of material to the respective destinations. Ore is hauled to the primary crusher for processing and waste rock material is hauled to waste storage facilities. Mining is accomplished on 45 ft benches and the LOMP is reported in metric tonnes.

The LOMP schedules movement of an average of 144,121 tpd (52,505 ktonnes/yr) of total material from 2021 to 2031. Beginning in 2032 the waste mined begins to fall, and the total material movement reduces to slightly more than the mill ore feed rate.

PVM has been operated intermittently since the 1970s. There are areas of the existing PVM pit that have had slope stability issues over time. Specific areas are the southwest corner of the pit in the Pinal Schist and the northeast side of the pit near the Bummer Fault. Design of phase expansions in these areas must consider the geotechnical impacts and practical constraints they impose.

Areas to the east and north of the current PVM pit will be expanded. The phase that pushes back the northern wall will mine through some historic waste and leach dump material before encountering solid rock. That material is mined at a shallower angle (32 degrees) than the solid rock below.

The current PVM operation mines two phases that incorporate the current pit bottom as well as east and north expansions. PVM has also designed three pushbacks that expand the pit beyond 2027 that further develop the pit to the east and north.

In total, there are five phase designs that were used as input to the development of the PVM schedule. The mining phases are a combination of work completed by PVM staff in the long range, short range, geotechnical, and operation groups. The phase designs in order of extraction in the current schedule are: PV2C (Castle Dome), PV2B (Jewel Hill), PV3A, PV3B and PV3C.

Castle Dome phase is the current primary ore pushback on the south side of the PVM pit and will continue through 2025. Jewel Hill is an eastern pushback that was designed to continue the operation through 2027. The Jewel Hill pushback design has been continually optimized to account for geotechnical issues as well as accommodating operational challenges.

Inter-ramp slope angles for the phase design are summarized in Section 16.2. The overall and inter- ramp slopes were reviewed and recommended by slope stability consultant Edward C. Wellman of Independent Geomechanics, LLC. In addition to slope angles, the following road and pushback geometries complete the mine design parameters:
• Haul Road Width: 125 ft and 115 ft;
• Haul Road Grade: 10% maximum;
• Minimum Widths Between Pushbacks: 300 ft nominal.


Crushing and Grinding
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Processing

  • Column flotation
  • Dry Screening
  • Flotation
  • Dewatering
  • Solvent Extraction & Electrowinning
  • Filter press

Flow Sheet: Source
Source: Source

Summary:

The PVM concentrator was built in 1973, and the basic processing flowsheet has largely been unchanged since that time. The original nameplate capacity was 36,287 tonnes per day (tpd) (40,000 short tons per day (stpd)). Significant improvements have been incorporated over the years, resulting in the current 56,000 tpd base case capacity. The PVM plant is designed to treat porphyry copper ore with minor molybdenum. The main minerals of interest are chalcopyrite and molybdenite, with by-product quantities of precious metals including gold and silver.

The PVM concentrator flowsheet includes:
• Crushing - primary through to tertiary crushing;
• Grinding – conventional ball mills;
• Flotation – copper and molybdenum - conventional cells for roughing and scavenging and columns for primary cleaning;
• Copper concentrate thickening and filtration;
• Molybdenum concentrate thickening, filtration and drying;
• Tailings thickening;
• Tailings impoundments.

Flotation
The flotation circuit operates as a bulk copper and molybdenum flotation process. Subsequent differential flotation is designed to produce the final individual copper and molybdenum concentrates. The rougher flotation circuit is operated to maximize recovery of the primary sulfide minerals from the gangue. Subsequent cleaner flotation of the bulk concentrate is operated to maximize the copper concentrate grade while minimizing copper recovery losses.

The flotation reagents used include SIBX (Xanthate), C-2420 (dithiophosphate), diesel (for molybdenum recovery) and Flottec F-171 (frother). The majority of the flotation reagents are added to the ball mill feed with “kickers” of reagents added down the flotation bank where required.

Regrinding of the rougher concentrate is required to provide increased mineral liberation to allow cleaner flotation to produce high concentrate grades. The molybdenum is co-recovered to the bulk cleaner concentrate with the copper. The molybdenum flotation circuit provides the separation of the copper and molybdenum into respective salable concentrates.

Rougher Flotation
The rougher flotation circuit consists of 65 28.3 m3 (1,000 ft3) Wemco™ cells configured into three banks each with two trains (Sections 1,2,3), with cyclone overflow from two ball mills combined to feed each of the banks. The frother is added to the head of the rougher flotation cells, with supplemental reagents added as required down the bank. The rougher section is operated in open circuit, with the rougher tailings reporting directly to the final tailings.

Cleaner Flotation
The cleaner circuit consists of four 2.4 m diameter by 12.2 m tall (8 ft diameter by 40 ft tall) column flotation cells operated in parallel. The column cell concentrate, the final copper-molybdenum bulk concentrate, contains 24% to 29% Cu and 0.35% to 0.7% Mo. The column cell tails are sent to the cleaner scavenger flotation bank. The cleaner scavenger bank comprises 15 8.5 m3 (300 ft3) Wemco™ flotation cells. The first bank of cells produces the final concentrate, and concentrate from the remaining cells is recirculated to the column cells via the regrind circuit. The tails of the cleaner scavenger bank report to final tailings.

Molybdenum Plant
The bulk copper-molybdenum concentrate from the cleaner circuit is thickened before being sent to the molybdenum plant. The plant comprises four banks of Agitair™ rougher cells of six 1.4 m3 (50 ft3) cells each and four stages of cleaning using column cells. Sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS) is added to the slurry to provide depression of copper and iron sulfides. Diesel is added as a molybdenum promoter.

Concentrate Dewatering
The molybdenum rougher tailing becomes the final copper concentrate reporting to one of two 27.4 m (90 ft) copper thickeners. The final molybdenum product is thickened in a 7.9 m (26 ft) molybdenum thickener, filtered on a disk filter, dried in a rotary dryer, and bagged for shipment. The final copper concentrate is thickened to 60% solids and flows by gravity from the copper thickeners to either of two 900 m3 (238,000 gallons) copper concentrate slurry storage tanks. The slurry is pumped from the storage tanks to the filter plant. The concentrate is filtered in an Eimco™ plate and frame pressure filter and conveyed to the copper concentrate storage shed for loadout.

Tails Thickening
Tailings from the three rougher banks and the cleaner scavenger bank are combined and feed three 106 m diameter (350 ft) tailings thickeners where overflow water is reclaimed, and the tails are thickened and sent on to the TSFs.

Process Water
Water supply for processing is delivered to the facilities through a system of above-ground and buried pipelines that generally follow road alignments. Sources include the Cottonwood Reservoir (formerly the decant pond of the now inactive Cottonwood TSF), the Mine Reservoir (a concrete-lined 2.32 acre pond) and the Peak Well system.

SX-EW
The PVM SX-EW plant was built and commissioned in 1981 to process solutions from the leach grade material placed on the run-of-mine (ROM) leach dumps north of the pit. Through 1998, approximately 450 M tonnes of 0.13% Cu material had been placed on the leach dumps, resulting in peak production of 10 to 15 M lb of cathode copper per year in the early 2000s. Over the last few years, the SX-EW has produced in the range of 3 to 5 M lb of cathode per year due to the declining residual copper inventory in the leach piles. A moderate quantity of fresh material was placed on the leach pad in 2020.

In the PV3-2016-PFS, the leach area and pregnant solution pond area were slated for future decommissioning and conversion to waste rock storage after suitable rinsing and drainage. PVM is evaluating options for continued use of select leach areas. Effluent from the dump leach will continue to be processed in the SX-EW plant for the foreseeable future.

Recoveries & Grades:

CommodityParameter2021202020192018201720162015
Copper Recovery Rate, % 85.78585.184.689.286.787.4
Copper Head Grade, % 0.350.310.330.320.320.370.38
Copper Concentrate Grade, % 25.524.526.32628.228.528.6
Molybdenum Head Grade, % 0.010.010.010.01

Production:

CommodityProductUnits2022202120202019201820172016
Copper Payable metal M lbs 130-141 ^129115114115122147
Copper Cathode M lbs 4.853.8
Copper Metal in concentrate M lbs 128114114
Copper Total M lbs 133119118119126152
Copper Concentrate kt 228211197202197235
Molybdenum Concentrate kt 00.0020.10.10.2
Molybdenum Metal in concentrate M lbs 0.20.10.2
Silver Metal in concentrate koz 324316377
Gold Metal in concentrate oz 1,7173,6871,944
^ Guidance / Forecast.

Operational Metrics:

Metrics202120202019201820172016
Total tonnes mined 47,906 kt47,174 kt48,989 kt46,977 kt46,770 kt42,942 kt
Ore tonnes mined 22,067 kt19,882 kt18,888 kt19,290 kt20,605 kt23,435 kt
Waste 25,839 kt27,292 kt30,101 kt27,687 kt26,165 kt19,507 kt
Tonnes milled 19,601 kt19,674 kt18,665 kt19,246 kt19,655 kt20,565 kt
Daily milling rate 53,700 t53,755 t51,137 t52,728 t53,849 t56,189 t
Stripping / waste ratio 1.17 1.37 1.59
Daily milling capacity 60,000 t56,000 t
Annual milling capacity 20,440 kt

Reserves at March 31, 2021:
Mineral Reserve is reported at a variable cut-off ranging from 0.17% to 0.21% Copper.
Mineral Resource at 0.14% Copper Cut-off.

CategoryTonnage CommodityGradeContained Metal
Proven 241.6 Mt Copper 0.34 % 1,833 M lbs
Proven 241.6 Mt Molybdenum 0.007 % 35.6 M lbs
Probable 139.4 Mt Copper 0.28 % 877 M lbs
Probable 139.4 Mt Molybdenum 0.006 % 17.4 M lbs
Proven & Probable 381 Mt Copper 0.32 % 2,710 M lbs
Proven & Probable 381 Mt Molybdenum 0.006 % 53 M lbs
Measured 619.9 Mt Copper 0.33 % 4,443 M lbs
Measured 619.9 Mt Molybdenum 0.006 % 83.4 M lbs
Indicated 782.5 Mt Copper 0.26 % 4,494 M lbs
Indicated 782.5 Mt Molybdenum 0.005 % 88 M lbs
Measured & Indicated 1,402 Mt Copper 0.29 % 8,935 M lbs
Measured & Indicated 1,402 Mt Molybdenum 0.006 % 170 M lbs
Inferred 170.6 Mt Copper 0.26 % 967.6 M lbs
Inferred 170.6 Mt Molybdenum 0.006 % 20.7 M lbs

Commodity Production Costs:

CommodityUnits2022202120202019201820172016
Credits (by-product) Copper USD -0.1 / lb   -0.14 / lb   -0.09 / lb   -0.06 / lb   -0.08 / lb   -0.06 / lb  
All-in sustaining costs (AISC) Copper USD 2.58 / lb†   2.6 / lb†   2.48 / lb†   2.7 / lb†   2.31 / lb†   1.94 / lb†  
C1 cash costs Copper USD 2.23 / lb ^†   2.16 / lb†   2.21 / lb†   2.05 / lb†   2.16 / lb†   1.95 / lb†   1.61 / lb†  
All-in costs Copper USD 2.34 / lb†   1.95 / lb†  
^ Guidance / Forecast.
† Net of By-Product.

Operating Costs:

Units2021202020192018201720162015
Total operating costs ($/t milled) USD 12.211.31010.29.678.7210.6

Financials:

Units2022202120202019201820172016
Capital expenditures (planned) M USD 90  
Sustaining costs M USD 43.8  29.5  26.1   33.7   19.1  
Capital expenditures M USD 82.9  66.2  55.9   60.9   48   22.6  
Revenue M USD 546.8  321.2  300.3   294.7   322   302.5  
Operating Income M USD 196.9  20  8   35.3   64.6   45.3  
After-tax Income M USD 157.6  17  5.2   16   55.3   36.5  
EBIT M USD 193.6  15.8  3.5   32.8   60.6   42.4  


Pipelines
Source: Subscription required


Heavy Mobile Equipment as of March 31, 2021:
Source: Source p.165
HME TypeModelSizeQuantity
Dozer (crawler) Caterpillar D10T 3
Dozer (crawler) Liebherr PR776 1
Dozer (crawler) Caterpillar D9T 1
Dozer (rubber tire) Caterpillar 834H 2
Drill 2
Drill (blasthole) 3
Excavator 2
Grader Caterpillar 16M 3
Loader Caterpillar 994 K 27.5 cu. m 2
Loader Caterpillar 980 1
Loader Caterpillar 994H 17.2 cu. m 2
Loader Caterpillar 992G 1
Shovel (hydraulic) Hitachi EX5600 21 cu. m 1
Truck (fuel / lube) Caterpillar 777 1
Truck (haul) Caterpillar 789D 19
Truck (haul) Liebherr T 264 4
Truck (water) Caterpillar 777F 3

Mine Management:

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
Chief Geologist Klaus Triebel LinkedIn Aug 24, 2022
General Manager Mike Wickersham LinkedIn Aug 24, 2022
Maintenance Planner Larry Kotopoulous LinkedIn Aug 24, 2022
Maintenance Superintendent Chance Fuller LinkedIn Aug 24, 2022
Mine Operations Superintendent Tucker Jensen LinkedIn Aug 24, 2022
Mining Manager Clay Craig LinkedIn Aug 24, 2022
Operations Support Superintendent Dennis Palmer LinkedIn Aug 24, 2022
Process Manager Bob Dickey LinkedIn Aug 24, 2022


Corporate Filings & Presentations:

DocumentYear
Corporate Presentation 2022
Press Release 2022
Corporate Presentation 2021
Management Discussion & Analysis 2021
Technical Report 2021
Annual Information Form 2020
Management Discussion & Analysis 2020
Annual Information Form 2019
Management Discussion & Analysis 2019
Press Release 2019
Press Release 2019
Annual Information Form 2018
Management Discussion & Analysis 2018
Annual Information Form 2017
Management Discussion & Analysis 2017
Press Release 2017
Press Release 2017
Annual Information Form 2016
Management Discussion & Analysis 2016
Pre-Feasibility Study Report 2016
Press Release 2016
Annual Information Form 2015
Management Discussion & Analysis 2015
Annual Information Form 2014
Management Discussion & Analysis 2014
Pre-Feasibility Study Report 2014

Aerial view:

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