Location
The Santa Elena mine site is approximately 150 km northeast of the state capital city of Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico near the intersection of 30º 01' north latitude, and 110º 09' west longitude.
Ermitaño is approximately 145 kilometres northeast of Hermosillo and contiguous with Santa Elena Mine near the intersection of 29° 59´ 29.25” north latitude and 110° 05´24.95” west longitude and 12km west of Banamichi
Mining & Milling Operations
The district-scale operation currently consists of the Santa Elena underground mine and the Ermitaño underground mine. In 2026, the Company announced plans to advance underground access to two new discoveries, Santo Nino and Navidad for near-term mining.
The operating plan for Santa Elena involves the processing of up to 3,500 tpd ore in a cyanidation circuit from underground reserves. Santa Elena consists of a central processing plant that can receive ore from separate underground mining operations.
Operating Highlights
| Santa Elena Production Results | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 |
| Ore Processed/Tonnes Milled and Leached | 882,592 | 851,973 | 879,059 | 640,276 | 875,435 | 899,371 | 927,737 |
| Average Silver Grade (g/tonne) | 64 | 61 | 77 | 88 | 96 | 87 | 86 |
| Silver Recovery (%) | 64% | 73% | 90% | 93% | 91% | 88% | 89% |
| Total Silver Ounces Produced | 1,176,591 | 1,229,612 | 1,954,491 | 1,692,761 | 2,435,604 | 2,223,246 | 2,282,182 |
| Gold Ounces Produced | 100,535 | 94,684 | 42,088 | 28,242 | 45,119 | 46,856 | 49,211 |
| Average Gold Grade (g/tonne) | 3.77 | 3.75 | 1.58 | 1.43 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.7 |
| Gold Recovery (%) | 94% | 92% | 94% | 96% | 95% | 95% | 95% |
| Total Production - Ounces Silver Equivalent | 12,789,920 | 9,147,216 | 5,041,937 | 4,181,708 | 6,316,277 | 6,014,687 | 5,927,132 |
| Underground Development (m) | 6,913 | 12,925 | 18,710 | 5,559 | 8,241 | 10,866 | 10,892 |
| Diamond Drilling (m) | 48,058 | 42,990 | 63,977 | 28,375 | 56,141 | 36,661 | 21,207 |
Local Geology, Mineralization & Ore Types
Santa Elena is located in the Basin and Range Province, which is part of the Sonora Desert subprovince. The region is near the Proterozoic rifted continental margin of the North American plate, which was the site of deposition of a thick sequence of shallow marine shelf carbonate and siliclastic rocks. Subduction of the Farallon Plate beneath the North American Plate during Jurassic time resulted in continental volcanism. In late Jurassic time, a northwest-trending rift basin formed which was the site of sedimentation and felsic and intermediate volcanism.
Locally, the primary rock types are early Tertiary andesite and rhyolite flows which exhibit propylitic to silicic alteration. The main mineralized zone is a cross-cutting structure trending approximately east-west and dipping about 45° to the south. Alteration is widespread and pervasive with significant silicification, kaolinization and chloritization. Gangue minerals consist of quartz, calcite, chlorite and fluorite.
The Santa Elena deposit is considered to be high calcium, low-sulfidation type with replacements, stockworks and hydrothermal breccias similar to other high level low-sulfidation deposits found in Mexico, Chile and Nevada and Arizona in the United States.
For more detailed geological information readers are encouraged to review the Company's most recent NI 43-101Technical Report (PDF).
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
Santa Elena Photo Gallery
Ermitaño Photo Gallery
