Name of the Mine
El Roble mine.
Location
The El Roble mine is located in Atrato province, Chocó Department, in Colombia.
Mine Owner/s
Minera El Roble (MINER), in which Atico Mining Corporation has a 90% share.
Brief Description
El Roble is a copper/gold mafic-type volcanic massive sulphide (VMS) operation and the only copper mine in production in Colombia.
The mine comprises mineral concessions totalling about 6 355 ha.
Currently, the Zeus orebody provides 98%, and the Maximus and Goliat orebodies provide 2% of the total production tonnage of the El Roble mine.
Brief History
The El Roble mine has been mining high-grade copper/gold material since 1991.
Since obtaining control of the mine on November 22, 2013, Atico has upgraded the operation from a historical nominal capacity of 400 t/d to more than 800 t/d.
Primary Metals/Minerals
Copper concentrate.
Secondary Metals/Minerals
Gold and silver.
Geology/Mineralisation
The geology of the mineral concessions comprise submarine mafic volcanic rocks, black to grey chert and overlying deep-water sedimentary rocks, consisting of sandstone-shale turbidites that are part of the Cretaceous Cañas Gordas Group.
These units can be traced for more than 800 km along the western cordillera of Colombia. The local pillow basalts, tuffs, hyaloclastites, and agglomerates within the Cañas Gordas Group are believed to be part of the Barroso Formation, while deep-water marine sedimentary rocks that include chert, siltstone and minor limestone belong to the Penderisco Formation.
All these rock units were deformed and metamorphosed during the Late Cretaceous to Tertiary accretion to continental South America, which resulted in low-angle thrusting and high-angle strike-slip faulting that trend in a mostly north to south direction.
Reserves
Total proven and probable reserves as at September 30, 2020, were estimated at one-million tonne grading 3.02% copper and 1.76 g/t gold.
Resources
Total measured and indicated resources as at September 30, 2020, were estimated at 1.17-million tonnes grading 4.3% copper and 2.33 g/t gold. Inferred resources were estimated at 17 000 t grading 0.49% and 3.41 g/t gold.
Mining Method
Underground.
Major Infrastructure/Equipment
The mine includes an 850 t/d throughput processing plant.
Prospects
Mineralisation at the El Roble mine is open at depth and along strike and Atico plans to further test the limits of the deposit.
Contact Details
Atico Mining Corporation
Tel +1 604 633 9022
Email info@aticomining.com
Website http://aticomining.com/
Sources
Atico Mining Corporation. El Roble mine updated mineral resource and mineral reserve estimate (February 18, 2021).
Attico Mining Corporation. Atico produces 4.82-million pounds of Cu and 2 636 ounces if AU in the first quarter 2022 and resumes full operations at El Roble (April 25, 2022).
Attico Mining Corporation. Website: http://aticomining.com/ [accessed May 12, 2022].