Sasa mine, Macedonia
Photo by Central Asia Metals Limited
Name of the Mine
Sasa mine.
Location
North-eastern North Macedonia, about 150 km east of Skopje, and 10 km north of Makedonska Kamenica.
Mine Owner/s
Central Asia Metals Limited (CAML).
Brief Description
Sasa consists of the Svinja Reka, Kozja Reka and Golema Reka orebodies. Svinja Reka is accessed through two declines from the surface, with an internal shaft for services and material and is currently the only orebody being mined.
Brief History
The Sasa deposit was discovered during a period of exploration between 1954 and 1965. Trial mining started in 1965 and, in 1966, the mine started commercial production as a State-owned entity.
The mine closed in 2002 and was placed into bankruptcy because of a lack of funding. The Solway Investments Group subsequently acquired the mine and invested in new equipment, with operations resuming thereafter in 2006. Solway Group later sold the mine to Fusion Capital and Orion Mine Finance Group in 2015.
CAML took 100% ownership of the Sasa underground zinc/lead mine in 2017.
Primary Metals/Minerals
Lead containing silver and zinc.
Secondary Metals/Minerals
None stated.
Geology/Mineralisation
Sasa lies within the Serbo-Macedonian Massif, which hosts a large number of lead and zinc deposits and extends through Serbia, North Macedonia, Bulgaria, eastern Greece and into Turkey.
The mine’s Svinja Reka and Golema Reka deposits are located on the eastern flank of a copper/molybdenum porphyry deposit at Osogovo.
Mineralisation occurs as stratiform deposits hosted predominantly by schists and marbles at Svinja Reka and by gneisses at Golema Reka. Hydrothermal fluids and bedding parallel faulting are responsible for the metasomatism of the host sediments that produce the skarn and base metal mineralisation. The deposits are well defined lenses of lead/zinc/silver mineralisation, which dip at about 35ºand range from 2 m to 30 m thick.
Reserves
Only the Svinja Reka probable reserves are mentioned. As at December 31, 2023, it comprised nine-million tonnes grading 4$ lead, 2.6% zinc and 29.8 g/t silver.
Resources
Total indicated and inferred mineral resources as at December 31, 2023, were estimated at 20.8-million tonnes grading 4% lead, 2.1% zinc and 23.5 g/t silver.
Type of Mine
Underground.
Mining Method
Sasa is transitioning to paste-fill mining methods.
Major Infrastructure/Equipment
The mine includes flotation equipment, underground vehicles and other mining equipment, including a dry-stack tailings (DST) plant and paste backfill (PBF) plant, as well as a tailings storage facility.
Prospects
CAML continues to significantly invest in Sasa to enable the transition to paste-fill mining methods and the storage of waste in a more environmentally responsible manner. This work comprises the construction of the PBF plant and associated underground reticulation infrastructure, the DST plant and associated landform and the development of the new central decline.
Contact Details
Central Asia Metals Limited
Tel +44 20 7898 9001
Email info@centralasiametals.com
Sources
Central Asia Metals Limited. Website: https://www.centralasiametals.com/
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