From Discovery to Recovery: The Geometallurgical Evolution of the San Nicolas Project - Cassandra Spence

- AUGUST DINNER MEETING - 

Join us for our next SME Tucson Dinner Meeting scheduled for Wednesday, August 12th! Make sure to select your meal when making your reservation. Reservation deadline is Friday, August 7th.

Program: 

From Discovery to Recovery: The Geometallurcial Evolution of the San Nicolas Project

The San Nicolás project is an advanced-stage copper-zinc project located in the southeast corner of Zacatecas state, in a well-established mining district in north-central Mexico. The San Nicolás volcanogenic massive sulphide deposit was discovered in 1997 and an initial Feasibility Study was completed in 2001, with project advancement impacted by low metal prices at the time. The project is currently being advanced by Minas de San Nicolás S.A.P.I. de C.V., a joint venture between Teck Resources and Agnico Eagle Mines.

This presentation will provide an overview of the geology and geometallurgical interpretation of the deposit, highlighting how variable sulphide mineral textures influence mineral processing performance. It will also examine how advances in geometallurgical characterization and engineering design have progressively derisked the asset and shaped its development. The project development history will be reviewed, looking at the evolution of the process flowsheet and the impact of geometallurgical understanding in guiding flowsheet development.

Venue and Beverage Sponsor:

Meeting Sponsors:

TWO SPOTS AVAILABLE!
Reach out to Mark Adkins if interested.

Cassandra Spence, Manager, Mineral Process Engineering at Teck Resources, is a professional engineer with a diverse background in mineral processing, plant optimization and operations management, and process engineering. With experience in complex copper-lead-zinc operations, geometallurgy, and capital project development, she is currently focused on advancing the San Nicolás project. Cassandra is currently serving as Past Chair of the Canadian Mineral Processors (CMP) Society and as Secretary for the SAG Conference Awards Foundation Board of Directors.

Agenda:

• 6:00pm - 7:00pm Social Hour
• 7:00pm - 7:45pm Dinner
• 7:45pm - 8:00pm Announcements
• 8:00pm - 8:30pm Program
• 8:30pm - 8:45pm Q&A

Location:
HEXAGON, 40 E Congress St #300, Tucson, AZ 85701. CLICK FOR MAP.

Costs:

• $55 for SME Tucson members
• $65 for non-members
• Free for UA SME Student Chapter members

Payable at the door by cash, credit card, or check payable to SME Tucson.

Cancellations and No Shows:

Please call or email by the registration deadline to cancel.  If you do not cancel your reservation by the deadline, SME is still required to pay for your dinner, and you will in turn be billed. Thank you. 

Thank you to all our 2025 Scholarship Fundraiser Sponsors: