Overview
| Stage | Production |
| Mine Type | Open Pit |
| Commodities |
|
| Mining Method |
|
| Production Start | ...  |
| Mine Life | 2032 |
Aurizona is an open-pit gold mine. In September 2021, Equinox Gold completed a positive pre-feasibility study for an expansion that would extend the mine life to 11 years and increase annual production by concurrently mining new underground and satellite open-pit deposits with the existing open-pit mine. Permits received for underground portal, feasibility study results in mid-2023. |
Source:
p. 68
All licenses of Aurizona mine are 100% held by Equinox Gold via its wholly owned subsidiaries Mineração Aurizona S.A (MASA) and Luna Gold Pesquisa Mineral LTDA (Luna Gold).
Contractors
- Subscription is required.
Deposit Type
- Breccia pipe / Stockwork
- Orogenic
- Vein / narrow vein
Summary:
The Aurizona Property mineralization is characterized as a greenstone-hosted orogenic gold system. Mineralization occurs as structurally-controlled gold deposits including the Piaba deposit, which is currently being mined. Piaba, Boa Esperança, Tatajuba and Genipapo deposits are on and adjacent to the Aurizona Shear Zone (ASZ), a regional northeast-striking structure. Touro is 16 km southwest of the Aurizona Mine which hosts gold mineralization within an intrusive unit. These deposits are hosted by Paleoproterozoic volcano-sedimentary and intrusive rocks of the São Luis Craton, an eastern extension of the Guyana Shield which contains several major Proterozoic gold deposits including Las Cristinas, Omai, and Rosebel, extending from Venezuela to Brazil.
The Property geology is dominated by volcano-sedimentary sequences of the 2.23-2.24 Ga Aurizona Group (Klein et al, 2015), and granitoids of the Tromaí Intrusive Suite. The Aurizona Group is comprised of felsic, intermediate, and mafic volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks, as well as metasedimentary rocks. The bedrock units are covered by Phanerozoic sedimentary basin deposits and recent coastal sediments.
Gold mineralization at Piaba and the other deposits is generally associated with subvertical tabular zones of intense shearing and hydrothermal alteration consisting of quartz-carbonatesericite±chlorite. Quartz±carbonate shear veins are the primary host for gold mineralization with flat to shallow dippin ........
Summary:
The Aurizona Mine is an open pit operation using conventional mining equipment. Open pit mining is being completed by a local Brazilian contractor. The Life-of-Mine (LOM) plan includes the addition of underground mining beneath the Piaba pit that assists in extending the mine life to 2032.
The mine schedule is based on 2021 reserves using the Piaba, Piaba East, Boa Esperança, Tatajuba, and Genipapo pit areas plus the Piaba Underground. It totals 32.3 Mt of proven and probable ore grading 1.60 g/t gold to the process plant over a current design life of 11 years. The ore tonnage is made up of 16.6 Mt of proven reserves grading 1.39 g/t gold and 15.7 Mt of probable reserves grading 1.82 g/t gold and includes 0.3 Mt of proven ore at 0.92 g/t gold currently in the stockpile from 2021 mining activity. Waste tonnage totals 96.9 Mt to be placed in the various waste rock management facilities. The overall strip ratio is 3.79:1 mined.
Highwall slope angle criteria vary by area and pit. Previous slope study work by third party consultants remains valid and was used in the update of the pit designs. The slope information from Piaba was applied to Tatajuba and Genipapo due to similar lithology and weathering profiles.
In general, the inter-ramp angles vary from 33 to 60 degrees depending on pit area and wall orientation. This is due to foliation present parallel to the walls in certain zones.
Five open pit areas are considered in the reserv ........
Source:
- subscription is required.
Flow Sheet:
Summary:
- subscription is required.
Reserves at June 30, 2021:
Cut-off grades are 0.3 g/t Au for open pit Mineral Resources and 1.0 g/t Au for underground Mineral Resources.
Cut-off grades used for Mineral Reserves:
• Piaba Open Pit – 0.35 g/t (laterite, saprolite, transition), 0.41 g/t (rock);
• Tatajuba Open Pit – 0.43 g/t (laterite, saprolite, transition), 0.47 g/t (rock);
• Boa Esperança, Genipapo Open Pit – 0.36 g/t (laterite, saprolite);
• Piaba Underground – 1.80 g/t (rock).
| Category | OreType | Tonnage | Commodity | Grade | Contained Metal |
|
Proven
|
In-Situ (OP)
|
16,581 kt
|
Gold
|
1.39 g/t
|
740 koz
|
|
Probable
|
In-Situ (OP)
|
15,749 kt
|
Gold
|
1.82 g/t
|
920 koz
|
|
Proven & Probable
|
In-Situ (OP)
|
32,330 kt
|
Gold
|
1.6 g/t
|
1,660 koz
|
|
Measured & Indicated
|
Total
|
18,117 kt
|
Gold
|
1.49 g/t
|
868 koz
|
|
Inferred
|
Total
|
12,689 kt
|
Gold
|
2.19 g/t
|
895 koz
|
Source:
- subscription is required.
Corporate Filings & Presentations:
- Subscription is required.
- Subscription is required.