Xavantina Operations
The Xavantina Operations (formerly known as the NX Gold Mine) is located in southeastern Mato Grosso State, Brazil, approximately 670 km east of the capital city of Cuiabá. The Xavantina Operations consist of fully integrated underground mining and processing facilities. The high-grade, shear-zone hosted, quartz vein system is accessed via a single decline, and current mining operations are focused on the Santo Antônio vein. Ore is processed using a conventional three-stage crushing circuit, milling, and a combination of gravity concentration and intensive leaching and flotation followed by carbon in leach at the Xavantina Mill, located adjacent to the underground mine.
Near mine exploration activities are focused down-plunge of the Santo Antônio, Matinha, Brás and Buracão veins. In early 2021, the first regional exploration program commenced, focused on the under-explored, 31,716 hectare land package held by Ero Copper.
In August 2021, RGLD Gold AG, a wholly owned subsidiary of Royal Gold, Inc., purchased a $110 million gold stream on the Xavantina Operations in exchange for 25% of gold produced from the operation until 93,000 ounces of gold have been delivered, decreasing to 10% of gold produced over the remaining life of mine. RGLD Gold AG will make ongoing payments equal to 20% of the prevailing spot gold price for each ounce of gold delivered until 49,000 ounces of gold have been received, after which it will pay 40% of the prevailing spot gold price for each ounce of gold delivered. Full details of the transaction can be found in the Company’s press release dated June 30, 2021.
Primary Commodity:
GoldMine Type:
Underground2023 Production:
59,222 ounces of gold2023 AISC
$957 per ounce of gold produced2024 Production Guidance:
60,000 - 65,000 ounces of gold2024 AISC Guidance:
$900 - $1,000 per ounce of gold producedClassification Tonnage
(000 tonnes)Grade
(gpt Au)Au Contained
(000 ounces)Reserves Proven, Santo Antônio Vein 223 9.68 69.4 Proven, Matinha Vein - - - Total Proven 223 9.68 69.4 Probable, Santo Antônio Vein 1,155 9.76 362.3 Probable, Matinha Vein 93 9.20 27.5 Total Probable 1,248 9.72 389.8 Total Proven & Probable 1,471 9.71 459.2 Resources (including Reserves) Measured, Santo Antônio Vein 333 9.57 102.3 Measured, Matinha Vein - - - Measured, Brás & Buracão Vein - - - Total Measured 333 9.57 102.3 Indicated, Santo Antônio Vein 1,222 11.57 454.6 Indicated, Matinha Vein 130 9.59 40.1 Indicated, Brás & Buracão Vein 7 3.36 0.7 Total Indicated 1,359 11.34 495.4 Total Measured & Indicated 1,691 10.99 597.8 Inferred, Santo Antônio Vein 259 13.49 112.2 Inferred, Matinha Vein 216 11.54 80.3 Inferred, Brás & Buracão Vein 157 4.71 23.8 Total Inferred 632 10.64 216.2 Mineral Reserve & Resource Notes:
- Please refer to the Press Release dated December 3, 2024 for additional scientific and technical information, available on this website, on SEDAR+ (www.sedarplus.ca/landingpage/) and EDGAR (www.sec.gov).
- Mineral reserve and mineral resource estimates are effective as at June 30, 2024.
- Presented mineral resources inclusive of mineral reserves. All figures have been rounded to the relative accuracy of the estimates. Summed amounts may not add due to rounding.
- The 2024 mineral reserve and resource estimates for the Xavantina Operations are prepared under the supervision of and verified by Mr. Cid Gonçalves Monteiro Filho, SME RM (04317974), MAIG (No. 8444), FAusIMM (No. 329148) and Resource Manager of the Company who is a “qualified person” within the meanings of NI 43-101.
- Grade shells using a value of 1.20 gpt gold were used to generate a 3D mineralization model of the Xavantina Operations. Within the grade shells, mineral resources were estimated using ordinary kriging within 10 meter by 10 meter by 2 meter block size, with a minimum sub- block size of 1.0 meter by 1.0 meter by 0.5 meter, and the mineral resource estimate was constrained using a minimum stope dimension of 2.0 meters by 2.0 meters by 1.5 meters, a cut-off of 1.20 gpt based on underground mining and processing costs of US$72 per tonne and a gold price of US$1,900 per ounce.
- Mineral reserve estimates were prepared in accordance with the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (“CIM”) Definition Standards for Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves, adopted by the CIM Council on May 10, 2014 (the “CIM Standards”), and the CIM Estimation of Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves Best Practice Guidelines, adopted by CIM Council on November 29, 2019 (the “CIM Guidelines”), using geostatistical and/or classical methods, plus economic and mining parameters appropriate for the deposit.
- Mineral reserves are the economic portion of the measured and indicated mineral resources. Mineral reserve estimates include operational dilution of 17.4% plus planned dilution of approximately 8.5% within each stope for room- and-pillar mining areas and operational dilution of 3.2% plus planned dilution of 21.2% for cut-and-fill mining areas. Mining recovery of 92.5% and 94.7% assumed for room-and-pillar and cut-and-fill areas, respectively. Practical mining shapes (wireframes) were designed using geological wireframes / mineral resource block models as a guide.
- In the mine design, certain stopes include Indicated as well as Inferred Mineral Resource blocks. In these instances, Inferred Mineral Resource blocks within the defined mining shape were assigned zero grade. Dilution occurring from Indicated Mineral Resource blocks were assigned grade based upon the current Mineral Resource grade of the blocks included in the dilution envelope.
Mineral resources which are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability
- May 12, 2023