Name: Galena Complex.

Location: The Galena Complex is located in the Coeur d’Alene mining district, in Shoshone County, Idaho, in the US.

Mine Owner/s: Americas Gold and Silver (60%) and Eric Sprott (40%).

Brief Description: The Galena property hosts three active shafts and two process facilities – the Galena mill, which currently produces a silver/lead concentrate and the Coeur mill, which is on care-and-maintenance.

Brief History: The Galena Complex has more than 50 years of operating history. Companies owning all or part of the mine complex properties at various times since 1887 have included Killbuck Mining, Galena Mining, Callahan Mines, Americas Silver Corporation – Galena Complex Federal Mining and Smelting, Vulcan, ASARCO, Day Mines, Coeur d'Alene Mines, US Silver and US Silver and Gold Inc.

The complex was acquired by Americas Gold and Silver in 2014.

Primary Metals: Silver.

Secondary Metals: Copper and lead.

Geology/Mineralisation: The Galena Complex and most other deposits of the Coeur d’Alene mining district are hosted by metamorphosed Precambrian sedimentary rocks, which are part of the Belt Supergroup. The strata are composed primarily of fine-grained quartz and clay; the clay metamorphosed to fine-grained white mica, or sericite. Three major rock types are generally identified –  vitreous quartzite, which is primarily metamorphosed fine-grained quartz sand; siltite-argillite, which is silt-sized quartz grains that are completely separated from each other by a large proportion of sericite, and sericitic quartzite, which contains intermediate proportions of quartz and sericite.

Mineralisation at the Galena Complex occurs in steeply dipping fissure filling veins, and in wide disseminated zones, all occurring near four major fracture systems and three major faults. The veins generally strike east to west and north-east to south-west, and range in thickness from a few inches to more than 15 ft. The vein mineralisation is of two distinct types: silver/copper mineralisation containing tetrahedrite and lesser chalcopyrite as the principal economic minerals, and silver/lead mineralisation dominated by argentiferous galena. Gangues in both types are mainly siderite, with varying amounts of pyrite and quartz. The silver/lead mineralisation occurs as well-defined, steeply dipping, relatively narrow veins, and as wider zones of disseminated and stringer mineralisation. The latter type occurs predominately in the eastern part of the property, in the Caladay zone, on and adjacent to the former Caladay property.

Reserves: Total proven and probable silver reserves as at June 30, 2019, were estimated at 634 000 t grading 364 g/t silver. Lead reserves (60%) were estimated at 419 000 t grading 7.34%. Copper reserves (60%) were estimated at 215 000 t grading 0.52% copper.

Resources: Total measured and indicated silver resources as at June 30, 2019, were estimated at 1.09-million tonnes grading 470 g/t silver. Lead resources (60%) were estimated at 624 000 t grading 7.39%. Copper resources (60%) were estimated at 462 000 t grading 0.63%.

Mining Method: Conventional cut-and-fill and mechanised cut-and-fill.

Major Infrastructure and Equipment: The Galena Complex comprises the operating Galena mine with two shafts (Galena and #3), the Galena processing plant with a nameplate capacity of 250 000 t/y, the idle Coeur mine with one shaft, the Coeur processing plant and the Caladay exploration property with one shaft.

There is also a tailings storage facility located near the town of Osburn.

Prospects: Over the next 18 months, Americas Gold and Silver plans to modernise infrastructure, acquire new mining equipment and developing additional stopes for better operational flexibility.

Contact Details:
Americas Gold and Silver
Tel +1 416 848 9503
Email info@americas-gold.com
Website https://www.americas-gold.com