Mulatos gold mine
Mulatos is a gold mine located in the town of Sahuaripa in Sonora, Mexico.
| Location | |
|---|---|
  Mulatos gold mine  Mulatos gold mine | |
| Location | Sahuaripa |
| State | Sonora |
| Country | Mexico |
| Coordinates | 28°39′02″N 108°44′33″W |
| Production | |
| Products | Gold |
| Type | Open-pit |
| History | |
| Active | 2005-present |
| Owner | |
| Company | Alamos Gold |
| Website | www |
| Year of acquisition | 2003 |
Alamos Gold bought the mine in 2003 and commercial production started in 2006.
A fatal landslide occurred at the mine in 2018, following a 2014 warning about the potential risk. An armed robbery of gold and silver alloy bars took place on the mine's runway in 2020.
Description
The Mulatos mine is an open-pit[1][2] gold mine, located in Sahuaripa, Sonora, Mexico.[3] The state of Sonora produced 33% Mexico's total gold production in 2019.[4] It is one of two mines owned by Alamos Gold in the state of Sonora, the other being El Chanate.[5]
The mine is operated by the company's local subsidiary Minas de Oro Nacional.[6]
History
Alamos Gold bought the mine in 2003 for US$10 million and poured the first bar of gold on 2005. Commercial production started in April 2006.[2]
A landslide at the mine in 2018 killed mine workers. The landslide was predicted in 2014 and the subject of a complaint to the Mexican National Commission on Human Rights.[3]
Production increased during 2019.[4] The mine was the target of five[6] armed robbers who took security staff hostage[7] and seized bars of doré (gold-silver alloy) bars from the mine's runway[8] on April 8, 2020,[7] before making off in their own small airplane.[8] The National Bank of Canada reported that 2,600 ounces of the alloy were stolen.[8]
In 2022, the mine's owners extended extraction to a satellite mine in the municipality of Puerto del Aire, where 428,000 ounces of gold are estimated to exist within 2.9 million tonnes of ore.[9]
See also
References
- Copeland, Cody (2020-04-09). "Robbers steal gold, silver in air-land assault on Sonora mine". Mexico News Daily. Archived from the original on 2022-08-16. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
- "Alamos Gold - Mulatos Mine Mexico". Alamos Gold. Archived from the original on 2021-02-27. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
- Martinez-Alier, Joan (30 Aug 2019). "Canadian corporate cruelty in Mexico and Turkey". The Ecologist. Archived from the original on 2023-04-25. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
- Gold To Keep its Shine Despite Fumble Archived 2023-02-25 at the Wayback Machine, Mexico Mining Review (2019), Mexico Business Publishing, p34
- Leader in Low-Cost Production Ramps Up Activities Archived 2023-02-25 at the Wayback Machine, Mexico Mining Review (2019), Mexico Business Publishing, p46.
- "Robbers escape by air after stealing gold bars from Canadian mine in Mexico". CityNews. 9 April 2020. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
- Jones, Katie (2020-10-28). "Worth Its Weight In Gold: New Unit Combats Mine Heists In Mexico". InSight Crime. Archived from the original on 2023-02-08. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
- "Robbers escape by air after stealing gold bars from Canadian mine in Mexico". Toronto Star. 2020-04-09. Archived from the original on 2020-04-17. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
- Lazenby, Henry (2022-11-15). "Alamos extends high-grade gold zone at Mulatos satellite deposit". Canadian Mining Journal. Archived from the original on 2022-11-16. Retrieved 2023-06-13.