Overview
| Status | Care and Maintenance |
| Mine Type | Open Pit |
| Commodities |
|
| Mining Method |
|
| Processing |
|
| Mine Life | 2028 |
The mine and concentrator were placed on care and maintenance in July 2015 due to recent and expected ongoing weakness in the molybdenum price. |
Source:
p. 3
The mine is operated as a joint venture with Thompson Creek holding a 75% interest and Sojitz Corporation, a Japanese company, holding a 25% interest.
Deposit Type
- Porphyry
- Vein / narrow vein
Summary:
Endako is a porphyry molybdenum deposit mined in the Endako, East Denak and West Denak pits. In the longterm mine plan these will merge into a large ‘Super-Pit’.
The Endako deposit consists of an elongated stockwork of quartz-molybdenite veins within the Endako quartz monzonite phase of the Francois Lake Batholith. The orebody is a series of major en-echelon moly-sulfide veins that strike from north through east across the deposit and dip west to south.
The combined strike length of ore grade mineralization is about 3 miles (4.8 km) with a width of roughly 0.5 mile (0.75 km). Mining is in progress or has occurred in the Endako, and both Denak areas. The Northwest zone is yet to be produced. Ore grade moly nearly outcrops in the Northwest zone and is exposed in all of the other pit areas.
Molybdenite is the primary metallic mineral on the Endako Mine property. Minor pyrite, magnetite and chalcopyrite and traces of sphalerite, bornite, specularite and scheelite are also present. Single occurrences of beryl and bismuthinite have been reported. Molybdenite occurs in two types of veins. Large veins (up to 1.2 meters wide) contain laminae and fine disseminations of molybdenite.
The second vein type occurs as stockworks adjacent to the major veins in the form of fine fracture-fillings and veinlets of quartz-molybdenite. Pyrite is most abundant along the southern margin of the zone of molybdenum mineralization.
Summary:
The Endako Mine utilizes conventional open pit hard rock mining techniques. Ore is hauled to an in-pit crusher and waste is hauled to nearby waste storage stockpiles. A new flotation mill is under construction at Endako which is expected to increase the ore processing capacity to 50,000 tpd. As a consequence, the mine ore and waste production rates are being increased in order to sustain ore production to the mill.
Summary:
The process plant will consist of the following unit operations:
1) In-pit crushing with the existing in-pit crusher
2) Crushed ore storage and reclaim
3) Semi-autogenous (SAG) mil (36 ft) in closed circuit with a pebble crusher
4) Ball mill secondary grinding in closed circuit with cyclone classification
5) Rougher / scavenger flotation
6) 5-Stage column clean flotation with 2 regrinding stages
7) Concentrate Thickening
8) Concentrate filtering an drying
9) Tailing disposal
10) Fresh and reclaim water supply
11) Reagent preparation and distribution.
Production:
| Commodity | Units | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 |
|
Molybdenum
|
k lbs
| 11,847 | 12,075 | 8,255 |
Reserves at December 31, 2018:
| Category | Tonnage | Commodity | Grade | Contained Metal |
|
Measured
|
62,800 Mt
|
Molybdenum
|
0.046 %
|
64 M lbs
|
|
Indicated
|
162,900 Mt
|
Molybdenum
|
0.044 %
|
157.3 M lbs
|
|
Measured & Indicated
|
225,700 Mt
|
Molybdenum
|
0.045 %
|
221.3 M lbs
|
|
Inferred
|
63,100 Mt
|
Molybdenum
|
0.042 %
|
58.7 M lbs
|
Commodity Production Costs:
| | Commodity | Units | 2014 | 2013 |
|
Cash costs
|
Molybdenum
|
USD
|
11.7 / lb
|
10.9 / lb
|
Mine Management:
| Job Title | Name | Profile | Ref. Date |
.......................
|
.......................
|
|
Apr 18, 2019
|
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Staff:
| Employees | Year |
|
|
2018
|
Corporate Filings & Presentations:
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Aerial view:
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