Texture-based Rating Scheme for Mine Pre-feasibility Assessment: A Proof-of-concept Study in Camachin Ore Deposit, Bulacan, Philippines

Conventional mine pre-feasibility assessments primarily emphasize grade, tonnage, resource confidence, and economic indicators, while deposit texture is rarely formalized as a decision support parameter despite its strong operational implications. This study evaluates the Camachin ore deposit in Doña Remedios Trinidad, Bulacan, Philippines, as a basis for developing a texture-based framework for mine operational sustainability assessment. The deposit, a skarn-type hydrothermal system, exhibits pronounced textural, morphological, and host-rock variability. Field investigations, repeated site visits conducted from 2024 to 2025, focus group discussions, field hardness testing, and laboratory confirmation were used to characterize eight deposit types and relate them to key operational parameters. A quantitative Texture-Based Operational Sustainability Rating Scheme (TOSRS) was developed using six criteria: comminution and mineral liberation, material handling cost, excavation energy requirement, slope stability, profit potential, and mine longevity contribution. Results show that textural variability strongly influences mining difficulty, processing demand, safety risk, and economic performance. The proposed Operational Sustainability Rating Index (OSRI) demonstrates that texture can serve as a practical pre-feasibility indicator for identifying technically favorable and operationally sustainable ore types.