Description
Mineral deposits were first discovered in Naica in 1794, and exploitation began in 1900. The Naica mine has been under the control of Peñoles since 1964.
In January 2015, a significant portion of the mine was flooded due to natural causes not attributable to human error. After more than nine months, efforts to lower water levels in the mine to allow resumption of exploitation proved fruitless. Consequently, the decision to suspend operations of this mining unit for an indefinite period was officially communicated on October 13, 2015.
Key Information
- Location: Saucillo, Chihuahua
- Ownership: 100% Peñoles
- In operation (under Peñoles' control): 1964-2014
- Facilities: Underground mine and refinery
- Production: Primarily lead and two types of concentrates: zinc and lead
- Type of deposit: Underground strata and chimneys
- Installed capacity: 954 thousand ton/year of milled ore
- Reserves: 10.9 million tons of ore*
- Years of life: 12*
* Figures to December 2019
Production in 2014
711 kton
Milled ore
-4.7% with respect to the previous year1,855 koz
Silver
-11.0% with respect to the previous year19,694 ton
Lead
-9.6% with respect to the previous year15,399 ton
Zinc
-7.2% with respect to the previous yearOur mines location
