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Las Cuevas Mine

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

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10303530
MAS/MILS ID 2010450018
Record type Site
Current site name Las Cuevas Mine
Alternate or previous names Compania Minera Las Cuevas

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Town
Geographic coordinates: -100.00034, 21.96721 (WGS84)
Elevation 1000
Location accuracy 10000(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 San Luis Potosi

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Fluorine-Fluorite Critical Primary

Nearby scientific data

Town (1) -100.00034, 21.96721
ListMap

Economic information

Ore body information

  • Length 232M
    Width 75M
    Field Value
    MAS Matrix # 1
    MAS Column # 1
    Type of Orebody #1 BRECCIA FILL
    Shape of Orebody #1 OTHER
    Primary mode of Origin HYDROTHERMAL
    Minimum Depth to Top 0
    Date of Last Modification 850820

Comments on the geologic information

  • THE ARSENIC LEVEL OF THE ORE IS HIGH; 260 TO 290 PPM

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Underground
Development status Plant
Commodity type Non-metallic
Significant Yes
Mining method Combined Methods - Shrinkage W/Caving
Plant type Beneficiation (Mill)
Plant subcategory Flotation
Milling method Flotation

Mining district

District name Zaragoza District

Mineral rights holdings

Type of mineral rights Unknown

Land status

Ownership category Unknown

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Cia. Minera Las Cuevas Sa
    Home office Mexico
    Year 1993
  • Type Owner
    Owner Noranda
    Home office Canada
    Year 1993

Production statistics

  • Year 1989
    Description Mill Output 182000 Tonnes Metspar
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Fluorine-Fluorite Fluorine 182000mt
  • Year 1989
    Description Mill Output 195000 Tonnes Acidspar
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Fluorine-Fluorite Fluorine 195000mt
  • Year 1990
    Description Mill Output 173000 Tonnes Metspar
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Fluorine-Fluorite Fluorine 173000mt
  • Year 1990
    Description Mill Output 143000 Tonnes Acidspar
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Fluorine-Fluorite Fluorine 143000mt

Comments on the production information

  • RECORD A IS FOR BOTH ACID AND MET GRADES-NO BREAKDOWN- ROUGHLY 45% IS ACID GRADE, 42% IS MET GRADE, THE REST ARE TAILINGS.
  • 1993 MINE CAPACITY WAS RATED AT 500,000 TONS/YR; HOWEVER RECENT PRODUCTION LEVELS ARE PROBOBLY (30%) OF THIS.

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1982
    Measured 10000000mt ore
    Indicated 4500000mt ore
    Demonstrated 14500000mt ore
    Inferred 5400000mt ore
    Total resources 19900000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Fluorine-Fluorite CaF2 85 wt-pct Fluorine Major 1982

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • Q9C4 = Q1C1 FROM MINE/DEPOSIT DATA SHEETS THE UNUSUALLY HIGH ASSAY GRADE IS NO MISTAKE E & MJ MARCH 1984 STATED THAT LAS CUEVAS USED ONLY STOCK- PILED ORE IN THEIR BENEFICATION PLANT IN 1983. NO DEPLETION OF RESERVES FOR 1983.

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Underground
    Overall depth 241M
    Field Value
    MAS Development Schedule # 1
    Mining Record # 1
    Status of Mining Method ACTUAL
    Mining Method SHRINKAGE W/CAVING
    Percent Waste Rock 5.6
    Percent Recovery 90
    Rock Support Chars. SUPPORTING
    Mine Support Chars. UNKNOWN
    Number of Shafts 3
    1st Condition of Workings UNKNOWN
    Capacity 1545
    Capacity Units MT ORE/DAY
    Unit Production Cost 17.9
    Units of Production $/MT ORE
    Operating Days per Year 300
    Operating Shifts per Day 3
    Year of Information 1982

Comments on other economic factors

  • BY THE END OF 1983 INSTALLED CAP. SHOULD BE 300,000 SHORT T. THE HIGH ARSENIC LEVEL OF THE ORE MAKES BENEFICATION DIFFICULT. THE BENEFICIATION PLANT HAS BEEN UPGRADED WITH NEW EQUIPMENT AND HAS A TOTAL INSTALLED CAPACITY OF 320,000 TPA OF 97.1% CAF2. AND 250,000 TPA OF METSPAR.
  • CERAMIC GRADE IS PRODUCED ON OCCASION BY REQUEST FROM TAILINGS

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Geology

    RUIZ, JOQUIN ET AL. GEOLOGY & GEOCHEM. OD LAS CUEVAS

  • Geology

    FLUORITE DEPOSIT, 1980

  • Production

    PERSONAL COMMUNICATIONS; LAS CUEVAS FLOATATION MILL FOREMAN.

  • Deposit

    INDUSTRIAL MINERALS, JAN. 1994, P. 63.

  • Deposit

    WALTER SKINNER'S MINING INTERNATIONAL YEARBOOK 1978: FINAN-

  • Deposit

    CIAL TIMES LIMITED, LONDON, 1978, P. 418-419.

  • Deposit

    1978-1979 WORLD MINES REGISTER: WORLD MINING, MILLER FREEMAN

  • Deposit

    PUBLICATIONS, SAN FRANCISCO, CALIF. 1979, 129 P.

  • Deposit

    HODGE, B. L., INDUSTRIAL MINERALS, FLUORSPAR: A WORLD

  • Deposit

    REVIEW NO. 48, SEPTEMBER 1971, P. 11-13.

  • Deposit

    WOOD, H. B., FLUORSPAR-1976 GAINS BALANCE LOSSES, FOR ZERO

  • Deposit

    GROWTH, ENGINEERING MINING JOURNAL, MARCH 1977, 136 P.

  • Deposit

    FOCUS ON LAS CUEVAS IN INDUSTRIAL MINERALS, JUNE 1980

  • Deposit

    MEXICO, OPPORTUNITIES IN INDUSTRIAL MINERALS; 29TH FORUM ON

  • Deposit

    THE GEOLOGY OF INDUSTRIAL MINERALS, LONG BEACH, CALIF.;

  • Deposit

    BY, A. ALATORRE, P. HARBEN, H. MCVEY, K. SANTINI.

  • Production

    INDUSTRIAL MINERALS. APRIL 1993. NO. 307. P. 38.

  • Reserve-Resource

    MINE/DEPOSIT DATA SHEETS

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit AVG. LENGTH OF MINERALIZATION- AVG. OF SHORTEST AND LONGEST SHORTEST-15, LONGEST-450

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 09-SEP-94 Buckingham, David A. U.S. Bureau of Mines

Beyond USGS

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

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