Location
The San Martin Silver Mine is located 250 km north of Guadalajara city in Jalisco State, Mexico. Drive time from the city to the mine is approximately four to five hours, or about 45 minutes by charter plane. San Martin is also near the small town of San Martin de Bolanos, which is just 7.9 km to the east. San Martin de Bolanos has a population of about 3,500 and the mine is a major contributor to the economy of the community.
San Martín de Bolaños offers retail, medical (including General and Seguro Social hospitals), educational (including Jr. and High School), and communications facilities; however, major facilities, including an International Airport, are located in the cities of Guadalajara, Zacatecas and Aguascalientes.
Mining & Milling Operations
San Martin has undergone several improvements since the site was acquired by First Majestic in 2006. The most recent mill expansion (from 950 tpd to 1,300 tpd) was completed in October 2013. The newly expanded 1,300 tpd mill and processing plant consists of crushing, grinding and conventional cyanidation by agitation in tanks and a Merrill-Crowe dore production system. At full capacity of 1,300 tpd, San Martin's annual silver production has reached 2 million ounces of silver in the form of dore bars. Other elements of the modernization program included two new induction furnaces with two new filter presses, which were completed in 2011 and are now fully operational. These improvements are having a positive impact on overall production, quality of doré and total cash costs. Further improvements also included new leaching tanks and new thickeners.
Operating Highlights
| San Martin Production Results | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ore Processed/Tonnes Milled | 284,656 | 278,252 | 297,802 | 349,193 |
| Average Silver Grade (g/tonne) | 218 | 239 | 241 | 260 |
| Recovery (%) | 87% | 85% | 83% | 79% |
| Total Silver Ounces Produced | 1,746,139 | 1,822,297 | 1,902,963 | 2,296,965 |
| Gold Ounces Produced | 5,226 | 6,797 | 4,134 | 5,745 |
| Total Production - Ounces Silver Equivalent | 2,169,338 | 2,322,835 | 2,209,035 | 2,722,059 |
| Underground Development (m) | 11,722 | 11,344 | 10,120 | 7,680 |
| Diamond Drilling (m) | 25,788 | 26,078 | 22,135 | 3,640 |
Local Geology, Mineralization & Ore Types
Drilling has been focused on deeper ore shoots of the Rosario vein for continuation of mineralization. First Majestic drilled 5,564 metres in 20 holes during 2014. Exploration drilling confirmed the continuity of the veins and generated new indicated resources. In 2015, delineation drilling and minor exploration drilling was carried out at the Rosarios vein at depth, development drifts along La Lima and intermedia veins were also started.
For more detailed geological information, readers are encouraged to review the Company's most recent NI 43-101 report on the San Martin Silver Mine.
The Reserves/Resources inventories are reported in NI 43-101 Technical Reports published periodically by the Company. The complete report can be viewed in the Reserves/Resources section or on SEDAR
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