In spite of year-over-year mining depletion, Fortuna Mines announced minimal changes to Mineral Reserves at Lindero, with tonnes and gold grade decreasing by 3 percent and 4 percent, respectively.
By Panorama Minero
As of December 31, 2024, the Lindero Mine has Proven and Probable Mineral Reserves of 69.2 Mt containing 1.2 Moz Au (Gold), in addition to Measured and Indicated Resources, exclusive of Mineral Reserves, of 30.7 Mt containing 421,000 oz Au, and Inferred Resources of 30.4 Mt containing 449,000 oz Au.
Mineral Reserve depletion of ore delivered to the heap leach pad in 2024 comprising 6.4 Mt containing 121,000 oz Au, was largely offset by a decrease in the reporting cut-off grade due to higher gold prices.
Measured and Indicated Resource gold ounces, exclusive of Mineral Reserves, remained relatively unchanged year-over-year.
Inferred Resource tonnes increased by 5.1 Mt or 20 percent, to 30.4 Mt year-over-year, with the gold grade remaining relatively unchanged at 0.46 g/t. The increase in Inferred Resources is due to reporting at a lower cut-off grade and updated pit optimization related to the application of a higher gold price.
As of December 31, 2024, the Arizaro Gold Project has Inferred Mineral Resources of 32.4 Mt averaging 0.37 g/t Au containing 389,000 oz Au, an increase of 34 percent in tonnes and 26 percent in gold ounces compared to last year as a result of the application of a higher gold price and subsequent adjustments in the pit shell.
The Brownfields exploration budget for Lindero is $3.4 million, which includes 5,000 meters of exploration drilling at Arizaro, following up on recent reinterpretations driven by additional geochemical sampling, and alteration mapping completed in 2024.
