Aris Mining receives approval to develop the Marmato Lower Mine.


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Location and History

The Marmato mine is located in the Marmato gold district in the Caldas Department, a mountainous region approximately 80 kilometres south of Medellin, Colombia.

The Marmato gold district has been mined since pre-Colonial times by the Quimbaya people. The gold resource was so significant that Simon Bolivar, the revolutionary leader who liberated much of South America from Spanish rule, used the gold as collateral with British banks to secure funding for a war of independence against Spain. The current mine on the Zona Baja property has been in operation since 1993.

The Marmato mine is supported by excellent infrastructure, located by the Pan American Highway and with access to the national electricity grid, which runs near the property.

Geology and Mineralization

Two mining areas are delineated based on the style of mineralization as it appears across elevation:

  • Mineralization in the Marmato Upper Mine, located between 950 and 1,300 metres elevation, is characterized by narrow veins where an existing operation mines material using conventional cut-and-fill stope methods and processes the ore in a 1,200 tpd plant

    A modernization program currently in progress will result in increased production and lower costs at the Marmato Upper Mine mine

  • Mineralization in the Lower Mine, below 950 metres elevation, includes wider porphyry mineralization that will be mined using longhole stoping methods and processed in a newly constructed plant as part of the Marmato mine expansion project.

Operations

A modernization program currently in progress will result in increased production and lower costs at the Marmato Upper Mine. The Upper Mine performance optimization program includes plant upgrades for preventative maintenance, 3D mine planning to reduce grade dilution and the implementation of cost management systems to better control purchasing and procurement. The Marmato mine is supported by excellent infrastructure, located by the Pan American Highway and with access to the national electricity grid, which runs near the property.