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Fresnillo

Plant in Zacatecas, Mexico with commodities Arsenic, Copper, Gold, Lead, Silver, Zinc
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Sections on this page
  1. Identification information
  2. Geographic coordinates
  3. Site location context
  4. Geographic areas
  5. Commodities
  6. Materials information
  7. Nearby scientific data
  8. Ore body information
  9. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  10. Mining district
  11. Mineral rights holdings
  12. Land status
  13. Ownership information
  14. Production statistics
  15. Reserves and resources
  16. Workings at the site
  17. Links to other databases
  18. Bibliographic references
  19. General comments
  20. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10230494
MAS/MILS ID 2010610001
Record type Site
Current site name Fresnillo
Alternate or previous names Fresnillo Mine, Cerro De Proano, Minas De Proano, Unidad Fresnillo, Hacienda Proano

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Ore Body
Geographic coordinates: -102.87792, 23.17516 (WGS84)
Elevation 2200
Location accuracy 500(meters)

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Pima(county)

Arizona(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

Geographic areas

Country State
Mexico Zacatecas

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Arsenic Critical Tertiary
Copper Primary
Gold Primary
Lead Primary
Silver Primary
Zinc Critical Tertiary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Argentite Unknown
Arsenopyrite Unknown
Calcite Unknown
Chalcopyrite Unknown
Chlorite Unknown
Epidote Unknown
Galena Unknown
Gold Unknown
Magnetite Unknown
Marmatite Unknown
Pyrite Unknown
Pyroxene Unknown
Pyrrhotite Unknown
Quartz Unknown
Siderite Unknown
Silver Unknown
Sphalerite Unknown
Tetrahedrite Unknown
Silver Unknown

Nearby scientific data

Ore Body (1) -102.87792, 23.17516
ListMap

Economic information

Ore body information

  • Strike N45W
    Dip 50N
    Thickness 2M
    Length 6000M
    Width 1300M
    Depth to top 0M
    Field Value
    MAS Matrix # 1
    MAS Column # 1
    Type of Orebody #1 STOCKWORK
    Shape of Orebody #1 MASSIVE
    Type of Orebody #2 FISSURE VEIN
    Shape of Orebody #2 PIPELIKE
    Type of Orebody #3 DISSEMINATED
    Shape of Orebody #3 IRREGULAR
    Primary mode of Origin HYDROTHERMAL
    Primary Ore Control FRACTURING
    Secondary Ore Control LITHOLOGY
    Degree of Wallrock Alter. UNKNOWN
    Strike And Dip N45W:50N
    Minimum Depth to Top 0
    Avg. Thick. Unconsol. Mat. 30
    Min. Thick. Unconsol. Mat. 0
    Date of Last Modification 920706

Comments on the geologic information

  • SILVER AND GOLD, RECORDS 1-3, ARE THE PRINCIPAL ORE MINERALS. RECORDS 4-13 ARE THE PRINCIPAL SULFIDE MINERALS, AND RECORDS 14-20 ARE THE PRINCIPAL GANGUE MINERALS.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Underground
Development status Plant
Commodity type Metallic
Significant Yes
Discovery year 1554
Mining method Filled Stopes - Horiz Cut and Fill W/Tailings
Year of first production 1926
Plant type Beneficiation (Mill)
Plant subcategory Flotation
Milling method Flotation

Mining district

District name Fresnillo District

Mineral rights holdings

Type of mineral rights Unknown

Land status

Ownership category Private

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Fresnillo S. A. De C. V.
    Interest 100
    Home office Mexico
    Year 1991
  • Type Owner
    Owner Industrias Penoles
    Interest 60
    Home office Mexico
    Year 1991
  • Type Owner
    Owner Amax Inc.
    Interest 40
    Year 1991

Production statistics

  • Year 1984
    Period 1926-1984
    Description 1926-1984 Total Production Sulfide Ore 23100000 Metric Tons
  • Year 1990
    Period 1985-1990
    Description 1985-1990 Total Production Sulfide Ore 2451000 Metric Tons
  • Year 1991
    Description Current Mill Input Capacity 2100 Mt Ore/Day
  • Year 1991
    Description Current Mine Production Capacity 2400 Mt Ore/Day

Comments on the production information

  • EXACT MILL RECOVERY PCT.: ZINC, 77.51; LEAD, 85.22.

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1980
    Measured 500000mt ore
    Indicated 1225799mt ore
    Demonstrated 1725799mt ore
    Total resources 1725799mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Gold Au 0.45 g/mt Gold Major 1980
    Silver Ag 610 g/mt Silver Major 1980
    Lead Pb 0.4 wt-pct Lead Major 1980
    Copper Cu 0.01 wt-pct Copper Major 1980
    Zinc Zn 0.7 wt-pct Zinc Trace 1980
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1991
    Indicated 2780200mt ore
    Demonstrated 2780200mt ore
    Total resources 2780200mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Silver Ag 915 g/mt Silver Major 1991
    Gold Au 0.52 g/mt Gold Major 1991
    Lead Pb 0.46 wt-pct Lead Major 1991
    Copper Cu 0.03 wt-pct Copper Major 1991
    Zinc Zn 0.89 wt-pct Zinc Trace 1991
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1993
    Indicated 3100000mt ore
    Demonstrated 3100000mt ore
    Total resources 3100000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Gold Au 0.3 g/mt Gold Major 1993
    Silver Ag 263.1 g/mt Silver Major 1993
    Zinc Zn 2.4 wt-pct Zinc Trace 1993
    Lead Pb 2.5 wt-pct Lead Major 1993

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • ADIT DATA BASED ON 1991 PEFR.
  • RECORD 1 PUBLISHED RESOURCE/RESERVE DATA - SOURCE UNKNOWN. RECORD 2; SEE BIBLIOGRAPHY "R" REFERENCE. SEPT., 1990 DATA

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Underground
    Overall depth 1000M
    Field Value
    MAS Development Schedule # 1
    Mining Record # 1
    Status of Mining Method ACTUAL
    Mining Method HORIZ CUT & FILL W/TAILINGS 10-60
    Percent Recovery 80
    Hardness of Rock UNKNOWN
    Rock Characteristics UNKNOWN
    Rock Support Chars. UNKNOWN
    Mine Support Chars. OTHER
    Number of Shafts 5
    1st Condition of Workings OPEN
    2nd Condition of Workings OPEN
    3rd Condition of Workings OPEN
    Capacity 2400
    Capacity Units MT ORE/DAY
    Operating Days per Year 304
    Operating Shifts per Day 3
    Year of Information 1991

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Reserve-Resource

    INDUSTRIAS PENOLES, S.A. DE C.V., PENOLES GRUPO MINAS, CIA.

  • Reserve-Resource

    FRESNILLO, S.A. DE. C.V., UNIDAN FRESNILLO, JUNE 1991,

  • Reserve-Resource

    PAGE 11.

  • Reserve-Resource

    AME MINERAL ECONOMICS QUARTERLY MINE ANALYSIS, JUNE 1993,

  • Reserve-Resource

    P. 31, 38, 44, 48.

  • Deposit

    BIBLIOG.: GEOLOGIA,METODOS DE EXPLOTACION 7 BENEFICIO DE LOS

  • Deposit

    YACIMIENTOS MINERALES EN EL DISTRITO DE FRESNILLO,ZAC. EN

  • Deposit

    VELAZQUEZ S., MANUEL MENDEZ CH., CARLOS E. RABLING, RAFAE

  • Deposit

    TORREZ P. FRESNILLO,AGOSTO 1973

  • Deposit

    LOS RECURSOS NATURALES NO RENOVABLES DE MEXICO, CRNNR BUL 73

  • Deposit

    RTZ MINE INFORMATION SYSTEM, 1973

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit THE FRESNILLO MINE IS LOCATED 60 KMS NE OF ZACATECAS. RAILROAD AND THE PANAMERICAN HIGHWAY RUN THROUGH TO PROPERTY. PREVIOUS EVALUATIONS: PINCOCK, ALLEN, & HOLT: MAFO; C. AGUIRRE; C. DIFRANCESCO; G. PETERSON. 6/27/97--CONFIRMED AS PRODUCING BY JAVIER MOYA, US EMBASSY IN MEXICO.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 27-JUN-1997 Peterson, Gary R. U.S. Bureau of Mines

Beyond USGS

Supplemental information added by qvyshift.com. Not part of the original USGS MRDS record.

Operator history (post-MRDS)

MRDS records operators as of each record's last update (≤ 2019). Some of the operators listed here have since changed hands or dissolved:

  • Amax Inc. — now part of Subsidiary of Freeport-McMoRan (2007)
    Merged with Cyprus Minerals to form Cyprus Amax in 1993; Cyprus Amax → Phelps Dodge (1999) → Freeport-McMoRan (2007).

Curated by qvyshift.com from publicly-reported M&A activity (SEC filings, press releases, USGS Mineral Yearbooks). Not authoritative — verify against primary sources before relying on it. The MSHA panel above is the current authoritative source for actively-permitted mines.

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