Cerro Los Gatos mine, Mexico
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Name of the Mine
Cerro Los Gatos (CLG) mine.
Location
About 7 km from San José de Sitio, within the municipality of Satevó, Chihuahua, Mexico.
Mine Owner/s
Los Gatos Joint Venture (LGJV), a partnership between Gatos Silver Inc (70%) and Dowa Metals & Mining Co (30%).
Brief Description
The CLG mine is a significant underground silver/lead/zinc mining operation. The mine is part of a larger mining complex that includes processing facilities, tailings storage and other key infrastructure.
Brief History
Mining operations at CLG started in 2019 after a positive feasibility study in 2017 and construction in 2018. The LGJV continues to explore the surrounding areas for resource expansion.
Primary Metals/Minerals
Silver/zinc/lead.
Secondary Metals/Minerals
Copper/gold.
Geology/Mineralisation
The mine is characterised by intermediate sulphidation epithermal veins, mainly comprising silver/zinc/lead/copper sulphides. The mineralisation occurs in quartz and calcite veins, with additional minerals such as fluorite, manganese and barite. The deposit stretches about 1 800 m in length and varies in thickness up to 25 m. The veins dip shallowly to steeply within a listric fault zone.
Reserves
As of July 1, 2023, the mine has total proven and probable reserves of 8.08 million tonnes grading 217 g/t silver, 4.32% zinc, 2.20% lead and 0.25 g/t gold, containing about 56.3-million ounces of silver, 770.2-million pounds of zinc, 392.3-million pounds of lead and 64 000 oz of gold.
Resources
Measured and indicated resources as of July 1, 2023, are estimated at 400 000 t grading 93 g/t silver, 3.55% zinc and 1.88% lead, with inferred resources at 4.58-million tonnes grading 100 g/t silver, 3.40% zinc and 2.32% lead.
Type of Mine
Underground.
Mining Method
The Cerro Los Gatos Mine employs longhole open stoping and cut-and-fill mining methods, depending on vein geometry and ground conditions. Longhole stoping is used for veins dipping steeper than 55°, while cut-and-fill methods are preferred for shallower-dipping veins.
Major Infrastructure/Equipment
The mine infrastructure includes underground access through ramps, ventilation systems, dewatering systems and a paste backfill plant. The processing plant has a capacity of about 2 500 t/d using flotation methods to recover silver/lead/zinc. Tailings are stored in a dedicated tailings storage facility on site.
Prospects
Exploration efforts at Cerro Los Gatos continue, with ongoing drilling aimed at extending the mine life and expanding the resource base. The nearby Esther deposit offers additional resource potential, and the LGJV is actively exploring the 103 000 ha concession for further discoveries.
Contact Details
Gatos Silver Inc
Website: https://www.gatossilver.com
Sources
Gatos Silver S-K 1300 TRS (October 20, 2023).
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