Name: Mako mine.

Location: The Mako mine is located in east Senegal.

Mine Owner/s: Petowal Mining Company, a  subsidiary of Toro Gold (90%), and the Senegal government (10%).

Brief History: The Mako mine deposit was discovered in 2010. The management team fast-tracked the project from development, which started in August 2016, to production to achieve its first gold pour in January 2018, ahead of schedule and under budget.

Brief Description: Mako is an openpit mine exploiting the Petowal gold deposit.

Primary metals: Gold.

Secondary metals: Not stated.

Geology/Mineralisation: The Mako mine is situated in the prolific Birimian-age Kenieba Window geological complex that hosts multiple world-class gold mining operations, in eastern Senegal and western Mali.

Gold mineralisation is hosted mainly within the felsic unit, which is sandwiched between two basalt sheets and is associated with disseminated and veinlet pyrite, as well as quartz/carbonate/chlorite alteration and veining, typified  by zones of bleaching and hydrothermal brecciation within the felsic unit and is part of the lower basalt unit.

Mineralisation is contained within a kilometre of strike length and over true widths varying between 5 m and 40 m. Mineralisation remains open at depth and previous deep drill holes have identified higher-grade shoots beneath the base of the openpit, which are subject to further exploration to more fully assess their potential to support underground mining operations.

Reserves: Total proven and probable reserves as at February 16, 2019, were estimated at 14 200 t grading 2.25 g/t gold.

Resources: Total measured, indicated and inferred resources as at October 2018 were estimated at 20.44-million tonnes grading 1.89 g/t gold.

Mining Method: Ore extraction is by openpit using a conventional truck-and-shovel operation.

Major Infrastructure and Equipment: Processing operations are completed using an a 1.8-million-tonne-a-year processing plant comprising six carbon-in-leach tanks, an 8.5 MW semiautogenous grinding mill and gold extraction circuit before being discharged to a lined tailings facility through a cyanide destruct circuit. The processing facility is expected to achieve average life-of-mine gold recoveries of about 89.6% from a target grind of P(80) 125µm.

Electricity is supplied by a diesel-fuelled 14 MW power station.

Water is abstracted from the Gambia river during higher flow periods and is stored in an estimated one-million-cubic-metre facility for use during the dry season.

Prospects: Exploration work has continued at Mako, with a focus on extending the initial mine life. An optimisation study on the mine was completed in April 2019 as a basis for the new life-of-mine plan.

Contact Details:
Petowal Mining Company
Tel +221-338592659
Website https://www.torogold.com