Name of the Mine
El Limón Complex.

Location  
The complex is situated within the boundaries of the of Larreynaga and Telica municipalities, in the Department of Leόn; and the municipalities of Chinandega and Villa Nueva, in the Department of Chinandega, about 100 km north-west of the Nicaraguan capital city of Managua.

Mine Owner/s  
Midtier gold producer Calibre Mining Corp.

Brief Description  
El Limón operates six mines: the Santa Pancha 1, Panteón and Atravesada underground mines, and the Limón Norte, Pozo Bono/Sur and Tigra openpit mines. 

Apophysis (openpit) and Hagie (underground) are deposits in the early stages of mine development.

Brief History  
Historic mining and prospecting activities in the El Limón district of north-western Nicaragua, which hosts El Limón and other gold deposits, date back to the late 1850s. Mine production was intermittent from the 1850s to 1941.

Modern mining and exploration started in 1918. 

Much of the production at the mine was when El Limón was operated by mining and metallurgy company Noranda Mining Company from 1941 to 1979.

The Sandinistas confiscated and subsequently nationalised El Limón in 1979. El Limón remained State-controlled until privatisation in April 1994, when Canadian exploration and mining company Triton Mining Corporation acquired control. In May 1998, Triton was acquired by Black Hawk Mining Inc, resulting in Black Hawk’s acquiring a 95% interest in El Limón. B2Gold acquired a 95% interest in El Limón in 2009 and, nine years later, acquired the remaining 5%, thereby increasing its ownership to 100%.

Calibre entered into a transaction with B2Gold Corp in July 2019, whereby it acquired the producing El Limόn and La Libertad gold mines, as well as the Pavón gold project and other mineral concessions in Nicaragua.

Primary Metals/Minerals  
Gold.

Secondary Metals/Minerals  
Silver.

Geology/Mineralisation  
El Limón is located along the eastern edge of the Nicaragua graben within an area of low hills that contrast with the level plain of the graben floor. About 50% of the area in the general vicinity of the project is covered by a thin layer of Quaternary to recent deposits of volcanic ash and alluvium.

The El Limón concession is predominantly underlain by volcanic strata, which are correlated with the Miocene-Pliocene Coyol Group that is present over extensive areas of western Nicaragua. 

Gold mineralisation in the Limón district is structurally controlled and forms veins that occupy pre-existing fault structures and extensional openings formed during mineralisation. The veins are quartz-dominant, with lesser and variable quantities of calcite, and minor adularia. 

Pyrite is the predominant sulphide, but with a content of less than 1%. Trace amounts of chalcopyrite, sphalerite, arsenopyrite, altaite, gold tellurides and native gold are also reported to occur. 

Gold is present in banded quartz and silicified breccias that form the veins. 

The very fine-grained gold within the quartz vein is relatively uniformly distributed throughout the higher-grade parts of the veins. According to the property’s technical report, visible gold has been reported only once on the project concession.

Reserves  
As at December 31, 2023, El Limón had estimated probable reserves of 3.38-million tonnes grading 5.89 g/t gold and 5.43 g/t silver.

Resources  
Total estimated indicated resources as at December 31, 2023, were estimated at 12.86-million tonnes grading 3.05 g/t gold and 1.91 g/t silver. Inferred resources were estimated at 1.57-million tonnes grading 4.46 g/t gold and 3.54 g/t silver.

Type of Mine
Openpit and underground.

Mining Method  
El Limón’s underground mines are trackless mechanised operations that have ramp access. The openpit mines use conventional openpit mining methods with 6 m bench heights using drilling and blasting for rock breakage, and excavators and trucks for materials handling.

Production from the underground and openpit mines is combined to feed the El Limón processing plant.

Major Infrastructure/Equipment  
El Limón includes:

• a conventional processing plant with agitated cyanide leaching and carbon adsorption, followed by carbon elution, electrowinning and doré production, with a current nominal capacity of 500 000 t/y.
• mining and processing infrastructure encompassing warehouses, administration buildings, dry facilities and maintenance shops.
• electrical power from the national grid system, with backup generators at the mine site.
• water (industrial and potable) is drawn from local sources.
• mine ventilation fans and ventilation systems.
• haulage roads from the mines to the plant.
• stockpile areas.
• maintenance facilities.
• administrative office facilities.
• core storage and exploration offices.
• security gates and manned security posts at mine entries.
• an access road network connecting the mine infrastructure to the town site and public roads.

Prospects  
During 2024, Calibre announced several high-grade results from the Talavera gold zone and the VTEM gold corridor within the El Limón, demonstrating the exceptional potential for rapid resource growth.

Contact Details 
Calibre Mining Corp
Tel +1 604 681 9944
Email atcalibre@calibremining.com
Website https://www.calibremining.com/