Cerro Lindo
Mine
Zinc, Copper, Lead, Silver and Gold
Type
Underground Mine
Plant Capacity
21.0 ktpd
Ownership
83.48% (1)
Location
Peru
¹The ownership percentage is attributable to Nexa Resources.
The Cerro Lindo mine is an underground, polymetallic mine located in the Chavín District, Chincha Province, Peru, approximately 268 km southeast of Lima and 60 km from the coast. Access from Lima is available via the paved Pan American Highway south to Chincha, and then via an unpaved road up the Topará River valley to the mine site. Internal roadways connect the various mine site components.
Operations began in 2007 and, in 2023, the Cerro Lindo mine produced approximately 78.2 thousand tonnes of zinc contained in concentrates, 28.6 thousand tonnes of copper contained in concentrates, 13.0 thousand tonnes of lead contained in concentrates, 3,541.0 thousand ounces of silver contained in concentrates and 3.4 thousand ounces of gold contained in concentrates. The ore is treated at a concentrate plant that has a processing capacity to 21.0 thousand tonnes of ore per day.
| 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Treated ore | kt | 5,991 | 6,236 | 6,369 |
| Grade | ||||
| Zinc | % | 1.51 | 1.55 | 1.79 |
| Copper | % | 0.57 | 0.61 | 0.54 |
| Lead | % | 0.31 | 0.33 | 0.28 |
| Silver | oz/t | 0.80 | 0.89 | 0.79 |
| Gold | oz/t | 0.002 | 0.002 | 0.002 |
| Production | metal contained | ||||
| Zinc | kt | 78.2 | 84.4 | 102.3 |
| Copper | kt | 28.6 | 32.8 | 29.1 |
| Lead | kt | 13.0 | 15.6 | 12.8 |
| Silver | MMoz | 3.5 | 4.1 | 3.8 |
| Gold | koz | 3.4 | 4.1 | 4.8 |
| Cash Cost, net of by-product credits | US$/t | (136.6) | (561.4) | (530.1) |
| Cash Cost, net of by-product credits | US$/lb | (0.06) | (0.25) | (0.24) |
| CAPEX | US$ mm | 43.3 | 42.5 | 40.5 |
Cerro Lindo is classified as a volcanogenic massive sulfide (“VMS”) deposit. The Cerro Lindo deposit is 1,500 meters long, 1,000 meters wide, and has a current vertical development of 470 meters below the surface. Mineralization consists of at least 10 discrete mineralized zones. The Cerro Lindo deposit comprises lens‑shaped massive bodies, composed of pyrite (50.0% to 90.0%), yellow sphalerite, brown sphalerite, chalcopyrite, and minor galena. Significant barite is present mainly in the upper portions of the deposit. A secondary‑enrichment zone, composed of chalcocite and covellite, has formed near the surface where massive sulfides have oxidized. Silver‑rich powdery barite remains at the surface as a relic of sulfide oxidation and leaching.
In 2023, mineral exploration in Cerro Lindo focused on extensions of known ore bodies to the southeast of Cerro Lindo and on the Pucasalla target, as well as starting drilling tests at the Patahuasi Millay target, located 500 meters to the northwest of Cerro Lindo mine. Underground activities in 2023 included drilling at OB-8 and OB-9 to extend the known mineralized bodies near the mine, at geophysical anomaly zones in Patahuasi Millay, as well as Pucasalla to find new mineralized zones through surface drilling.
During 2023, we completed approximately 27.5 km of diamond drilling in 29 drill holes, divided between surface and underground exploration drillings. By the end of 2023, the drill holes from surface in Pucasalla target and its extensions confirmed evidence of sulfide mineralization with lens of sphalerite, galena and chalcopyrite in a dacite host rock with gangue of barite. In underground, the focus was to confirm the continuity of the mineralization in orebody OB-8 and OB-9.
During 2024, we expect to complete a total of 23.1 km of exploratory drilling. Our goals are to continue the exploratory drilling program to identify new mineralized zones supported by new access and platforms construction in Patahuasi Millay, Pucasalla and extensions, and continue extending the known orebodies such as OB-8 and OB-9.
