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Argentina
Cerro Moro Mine

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 Location:
73 km E from Tres Cerros, Argentina

  Address:
Estrada 1154/1160 - Puerto Deseado
Santa Cruz
Argentina
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  • Overview
  • Owners
  • Geology
  • Mining
  • Processing
  • Production
  • Reserves
  • Costs & Financials
  • Personnel
  • Filings & News

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Overview

StageProduction
Mine TypeOpen Pit & Underground
Commodities
  • Gold
  • Silver
Mining Method
  • Truck & Shovel / Loader
  • Bench & Fill
  • Longhole stoping
  • Cemented backfill
Processing
  • Centrifugal concentrator
  • Shaker table
  • Crush & Screen plant
  • Smelting
  • Gravity separation
  • Flotation
  • Counter current decantation (CCD)
  • Concentrate leach
  • Agitated tank (VAT) leaching
  • Merrill–Crowe
  • Cyanide (reagent)
Mine Life5 years (as of Jan 1, 2021)
The Company will advance the phase 1 and phase 2 expansion options to a pre-feasibility study level, expected for completion in early 2023.
Latest NewsYamana Gold Announces Discovery of New High-Grade Naty Zone at Cerro Moro and Significant High-Grade Results From New Exploration Drilling While Extending Exploration Program to Broader Cerro Moro     November 19, 2019


Owners

Source: p. 80
CompanyInterestOwnership
Yamana Gold Inc. 100 % Indirect
Ownership Tree
Cerro Moro is comprised of ten grouped mining concessions consisting of a combination of 70 mining minas and 12 exploration cateos, totalling 304,167 hectares. Estelar Resources S.A. (“Estelar”), an indirect subsidiary of Yamana, holds valid and marketable title to the Cerro Moro group of concessions.

Deposit Type

  • Vein / narrow vein
  • Epithermal


Summary:

Cerro Moro is located within the Deseado Massif, a tectonic block in the central portion of the Santa Cruz Province that covers an area of approximately 60,000 square kilometres. The Deseado Massif is host to several producing and past-producing gold and silver mines, all of the low-sulphidation gold-silver quartz vein deposit type. This deposit type is characterized by quartz veins, stockworks, and breccias that contain gold, silver, electrum, argentite, and pyrite with lesser and variable amounts of sphalerite, chalcopyrite, galena, rare tetrahedrite and sulphosalt minerals that form in high-level (epizonal) to near-surface environments.

The Cerro Moro property is underlain by Tertiary marine sediments, Quaternary gravels and volcanic rocks of Jurassic age assigned to the Bahía Laura Group by Panza et al. (1994).

The current distribution of rock units is strongly controlled by faulting. Stratified rocks generally dip gently to the south but are displaced along numerous faults. Actual displacement vectors on faults are poorly defined and structural observations of veins and fault surfaces show a complex history, with reactivation of fault surfaces showing different displacement vectors during different periods of deformation and resultant mineralization.

Gold-silver mineralization at Cerro Moro is associated with epithermal veins. Geological mapping and ArAr age dating on vein adularia have defined at least three episodes of veining, spread over 9 million years from 180 to 171 Ma. The different ages of veining tend to have different orientations and structural controls on high-grade shoots. The earlier pulses of veining (Michelle vein at 180 Ma, Esperanza at 175 Ma, and Gabriela at 178 Ma) are characterized by banded crystalline quartz veins with local adularia and low sulphide content. These veins are generally poorly mineralized although they locally contain significant ore shoots. Grades are lower than in the younger pulse of mineralization and ore shoots terminate at shallow depths, suggesting significant erosion of the vein systems has taken place.

A second later pulse (171 Ma) consisting of black silica, is rich in base metal and silver sulphides and hosts high-grade gold mineralization, mainly in the Escondida-Zoe vein system. These high-grade veins and stockworks consist of banded veins with white quartz, fine-grained black silica, and coarse sulphides including pyrite, palecoloured sphalerite, galena, and acanthite as well as local electrum. The black silica is also characterized by anomalously high molybdenum content.

Veining at Cerro Moro is complex and widespread. Veining varies from simple single veins to complex vein systems. Veins are typically steeply dipping to sub-vertical. Outcropping veins locally reach widths up to 4 m, whilst associated zones of quartz stringers and stockwork may reach widths in the order of 10 to 15 m. The strike length of individual veins is variable and ranges generally between 200 metres and 1 kilometre. Alteration has been identified by Terraspec using spectrometry and is typical of the low-sulphidation model, with broad haloes of white mica and less common kaolinite alteration around the mineralized veins.

Structural controls on veining at Cerro Moro vary with the age of the veins. The oldest veins at Cerro Moro trend north to northeast and mineralization is preferentially hosted in northeast trending segments, especially in areas close to intersections with northwest or east-west structures, suggesting possible reactivation with emplacement of younger mineralization. A second episode of white quartz-adularia veining was emplaced along northwest-trending structures. These veins are widespread in the main mine area and host lower-grade but significant mineralization in the Gabriela and Esperanza-Nini areas. The mineralization in these veins extends to relatively shallow depths below the current surface and probably represent the roots of deeply eroded veins. The third high-grade episode of sulphide-rich mineralization is also hosted along northwest trending faults. The main Escondida fault is a large displacement south side-down fault. Mineralization is localized around east-west trending segments as well as in small east-west splays off the main structure. These observations, along with the stratigraphic displacement observed above, suggest a strong sinistral-normal oblique movement vector that controls this part of the mineralization.


Mining Methods

  • Truck & Shovel / Loader
  • Bench & Fill
  • Longhole stoping
  • Cemented backfill


Summary:

Cerro Moro consists of several open pit and underground mines which feed a single processing plant with a throughput capacity of approximately 1,000 tpd.

Production from mines located close to the Run of mine (ROM) pad is hauled directly from the mine. For mines located at greater distances, ore is hauled to a stockpile located close to the portal or pit and then hauled to the ROM pad in hauling campaigns.

Open pit operations are currently carried out by a contractor. The average production rate is of approximately 600 tpd of ore and 16,000 tpd waste. However, production from the open pits will gradually reduce as Cerro Moro transitions to increased production from the underground mines. There are typically two to four pits in operation at any one time. The open pit mining sequence consists of first pre-splitting both sides of the vein with holes spaced every 1 meter apart. Then, from the ramp access, waste polygons on the hangingwall side of the vein are mined to create a free face for the vein. Once the vein is fully exposed, the vein is blasted and mined separately to minimize dilution. Once the vein is completely extracted, the remaining waste polygons on the footwall are extracted.

Underground mining at Cerro Moro is carried out using longitidinal long-hole stoping methods. Two variations of long-hole stoping will be employed; bench-and-fill (at Escondida, Martina, and Zoe), and uphole retreat (at Gabriela). Both methods involve ore development at regular level intervals. Stopes are formed by drilling blast holes between levels. After blasting, the broken ore is extracted from the lower level using conventional and remotely operated load-haul-dumps (LHDs).

Bench-and-fill is a bottom-up method, in which mining takes place on top of and adjacent to previously mined and filled stope voids. Once the maximum allowed stope span is reached, and after completion of ore extraction from the blasted stope, stopes are filled with loose rockfill with selective use of cemented rock fill. Uphole retreat is a top-down method, where the stope voids are left open and rock pillars are left between stopes to provide ground support.

The LOM consists in an integrated operation from open pits and underground stopes, in order to feed the 1,000 tpd mill. The LOM indicates mining for a total period of five years, with lower production in the last year.


Crushing and Grinding
Flow Sheet: Source
Crusher / Mill TypeModelSizePowerQuantity
Ball mill 1

Summary:

The grinding circuit consists of a single-stage overflow ball mill operated in closed circuit with hydrocyclones, and a flash flotation cell (on cyclone underflow) to produce a cyclone overflow product with a grind of 80% passing 75 µm. A portion of the mill discharge stream is treated in a gravity circuit for removal of free gold and electrum, with the concentrate going to the refinery for further concentrating and smelting and the tails going back to the cyclones. The gravity circuit consists of a single high-capacity continuous centrifugal concentrator and a concentrating table.


Processing

  • Centrifugal concentrator
  • Shaker table
  • Crush & Screen plant
  • Smelting
  • Gravity separation
  • Flotation
  • Counter current decantation (CCD)
  • Concentrate leach
  • Agitated tank (VAT) leaching
  • Merrill–Crowe
  • Cyanide (reagent)

Flow Sheet: Subscription required

Summary:

The processing plant at Cerro Moro is currently designed for a throughput of 1,000 tpd or 365,000 tpy on an operating basis of 92 percent availability. The design metal recoveries are 95% for gold and 93% for silver.

The principle processing stages are: crushing, milling, gravity concentration, flotation, leaching by agitation, countercurrent decant system to wash the pulp (CCD), precipitation with metallic zinc (Merrill-Crowe process), detoxification of the pulp to destroy the cyanide, refining, and tailings disposal. Ancillary processes are reagent preparation, water supply treated through a reverse osmosis plant, and reclaim water from the tailings dam.

The gravity circuit consists of a single high-capacity continuous centrifugal concentrator and a concentrating table.

There is a bulk rougher flotation with a single stage of cleaning. Concentrate thickening of combined flash flotation and conventional cleaner concentrate and regrinding produce a con ........

Recoveries & Grades:

CommodityParameter2021202020192018
Gold Recovery Rate, %  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required93.1
Gold Head Grade, g/t  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required15.9
Silver Recovery Rate, %  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required89.4
Silver Head Grade, g/t  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required725

Production:

CommodityUnits20222021202020192018
Gold koz  ......  Subscription required ^  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required93
Silver koz  ......  Subscription required ^  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required
Gold Equivalent koz  ......  Subscription required ^  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required
All production numbers are expressed as metal in doré. ^ Guidance / Forecast.
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Operational Metrics:

Metrics2021202020192018
Ore tonnes mined  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required352,332 t210,644 t
Waste  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required6,640,990 t6,416,534 t
Tonnes processed  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required367,334 t199,602 t
Daily processing capacity  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required1,000 t1,000 t
Daily processing rate  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required
Annual processing capacity  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required365,000 t
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Reserves at December 31, 2021:
Mineral Reserves: Underground NSR cut-off at $210.71/t and open pit NSR cut-off at $124.72/t.
Mineral Resources: Underground NSR cut-off at $158.04/t and open pit NSR cut-off at $93.54/t. Heap leach resource reported at NSR cut-off value of $90.5/t (underground) and $26.0/t (open pit).

CategoryTonnage CommodityGradeContained Metal
Proven 365 kt Gold 9.27 g/t 109 koz
Proven 365 kt Silver 593.5 g/t 6,964 koz
Probable 1,384 kt Gold 7.82 g/t 348 koz
Probable 1,384 kt Silver 342 g/t 15,215 koz
Proven & Probable 1,749 kt Gold 8.12 g/t 457 koz
Proven & Probable 1,749 kt Silver 394.5 g/t 22,180 koz
Measured 177 kt Gold 5.26 g/t 30 koz
Measured 177 kt Silver 234 g/t 1,328 koz
Indicated 760 kt Gold 3.58 g/t 87 koz
Indicated 760 kt Silver 266.1 g/t 6,506 koz
Measured & Indicated 937 kt Gold 3.89 g/t 117 koz
Measured & Indicated 937 kt Silver 260 g/t 7,834 koz
Inferred 1,488 kt Gold 4.73 g/t 226 koz
Inferred 1,488 kt Silver 170.6 g/t 8,159 koz

Commodity Production Costs:

CommodityUnits2021202020192018
Cash costs (sold) Gold Equivalent USD  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required 629 / oz
Cash costs Silver USD 5.98 / oz
Cash costs Gold USD 479 / oz
All-in sustaining costs (sold) Gold Equivalent USD  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required 848 / oz
All-in sustaining costs (AISC) Silver USD 7.49 / oz
All-in sustaining costs (AISC) Gold USD 600 / oz
^ Guidance / Forecast.
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Financials:

Units20222021202020192018
Capital expenditures (planned) M USD  ......  Subscription required
Sustaining costs M USD  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required15  
Capital expenditures M USD  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required87.6  
Revenue M USD  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required126.8  
Operating Income M USD  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required11.6  
Subscription required - Subscription is required


Heavy Mobile Equipment:

Mine Management:

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Mar 30, 2022
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Mar 30, 2022
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Mar 30, 2022
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Mar 30, 2022
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Staff:

Total WorkforceYear
Subscription required 2020

Corporate Filings & Presentations:

DocumentYear
................................... Subscription required 2021
................................... Subscription required 2021
................................... Subscription required 2021
................................... Subscription required 2021
................................... Subscription required 2021
................................... Subscription required 2020
................................... Subscription required 2020
................................... Subscription required 2020
................................... Subscription required 2020
................................... Subscription required 2020
................................... Subscription required 2019
................................... Subscription required 2019
................................... Subscription required 2019
................................... Subscription required 2019
Annual Information Form 2018
Annual Report 2018
Corporate Presentation 2018
Press Release 2018
Management Discussion & Analysis 2017
Annual Report 2015
Preliminary Economic Assessment 2012
Technical Report 2007
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

News:

NewsDate
Yamana Gold Announces Discovery of New High-Grade Naty Zone at Cerro Moro and Significant High-Grade Results From New Exploration Drilling While Extending Exploration Program to Broader Cerro Moro November 19, 2019
Yamana Gold Declares Commercial Production at Cerro Moro June 26, 2018
Yamana Gold Announces First Gold and Silver Production at Cerro Moro May 16, 2018

Aerial view:

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