Candela
With a long production history of copper, gold, and molybdenum, the Candela Mine is located in Coahuila State in northeast Mexico, just south of Monclova. Open pit production is focused on a breccia pipe but recently defined geophysical targets highlight the potential for porphyry-style and skarn mineralization. Resource definition is underway and exploration of the surrounding targets will continue in 2025.
Project Highlights
Production
Small-scale production from heap leaching oxide copper, producing copper cement; gravity circuit for gold being upgraded to improve recoveriesProcessing
New in-pit crusher to be installed; vat for leaching copper under construction; new waste dumpPlans
Increase copper leaching and gold production; install flotation circuit to initiate moly mining in 2025About The Mine
Located in Monclova Municipality, 35km from Monclova city via paved highway and then via 7km road to the project site.
Extraction
Candela is an open pit mine although historic underground workings exist and may be rehabilitated. Copper is recovered via heap leach but vat leach capacity is being added. Gold is recovered by gravity with Falcon concentrators and Wilfley tables.Property
Total property size of 412 ha. Breccia pipe deposit with copper-gold-molybdenum and highly prospective geophysical targets for porphyry-style mineralization within the intrusive and skarn-type mineralization in the adjacent sediments. Mineralization in the breccia pipe is zoned with gold and copper in the pit floor and moly about 20 meters below.
Production
1880-1883
Gold
1980-1983
80 tons/month 58% Molybdenum Concentrate2010-2013
100 tons/month85% Copper Cement
2010-2013
Production of 10 tons / month of 85% copper cement and 125 oz gold
2024 and Beyond
Increasing copper and gold production; initiating molybdenum production