MESQUITE GOLD MINE
Producing gold in California
Equinox Gold acquired the Mesquite Gold Mine on October 30, 2018. Mesquite is an open-pit heap leach mine with a long history of successful operations.
AVERAGE 130,000 OZ/YEAR FOR LAST 10 YEARS
Equinox Gold completed its acquisition of the Mesquite Gold Mine on October 30, 2018, bringing immediate production and cash flow to the Company and transforming Equinox Gold from a developer to a producer. Mesquite is an open-pit, run-of-mine (“ROM”) heap leach gold mine located in Imperial County, California with a long history of successful operations. The mine has produced more than four million ounces of gold since it commenced operations in 1985 with average annual gold production of approximately 130,000 ounces over the last 10 years.
| Mine Type | Open-pit heap leach |
|---|---|
| Operating Since | 1985 |
| Current P&P Reserve | 658 Koz @ 0.54 g/t Au |
| Current M&I Resource * | 1,571 Koz @ 0.44 g/t Au |
| Remaining Mine Life | ~2-3 years + residual leaching |
| Annual Production | 130-140,000 oz gold in 2020 |
| Mining Rate | ~54,500 tpd ore to leach pad |
| Leaching Cycle | 90 days |
| Strip Ratio | 2.6:1 |
| Recoveries | 75% oxide / 35% non-oxide ores |
| AISC | $975-$1,025/oz in 2020 |
* Resources are inclusive of Reserves.
MESQUITE GOLD MINE
Mining is performed using owner-operated conventional truck and shovel open-pit mining methods and ROM ore is hauled directly to the leach pad for processing.
For 2020, Equinox Gold expects Mesquite to produce between 130,000-140,000 oz of gold at AISC of $975-$1,025 per ounce of gold sold. Production has increased gradually during each quarter and AISC have also improved as a result of optimization activities and an updated mine plan based on new drilling and engineering data. The Company has been stacking a higher percentage of oxidized material, sourced partly from mineralized low-grade historical dumps and leach pads on the property, increased solution flow to the leach pads, extended the leach cycle and implemented opportunities to improve recoveries. The Company has also identified a number of optimization and exploration opportunities that could extend the mine life, as outlined in the May 12, 2020 press release.