During the first week of October, at least 25 press releases were published by companies working in Mexico. ON MEXICO ISSUES, An illegal blockade was terminated by the authorities in Zacatecas. ON EXPLORATION, five companies reported exploration updates on their properties, which include drilling permitting of a property in Sonora, results of two drill holes from a project in Nayarit, massive sulfide and semi-massive sulfide intercepts from underground stations in Chihuahua, drilling to advance a lithium resource estimation in Sonora and the granting of an Environmental Impact Assessment for a new mine in Sonora. ON MINING, one company reported third quarter production results, another one had a shutdown due to an illegal blockade in Zacatecas, while in Queretaro a permit is being sought for the installation of a mill. One other company completed the collection of a 2 k tonne bulk sample in Durango, the controlled remediation and shutdown of a mine in San Luis Potosi is to take three years, and a mine in Sonora will send high grade material to a contract mill.  ON FINANCING, two companies announced the raising of capital, one for CAD$4.29 M, through warrants and the other for $1 M through the amendment of a previous private placement. ON DEALS AND CORPORATE ISSUES, two companies closed the transfer of a producing mine in Sonora, and one other company is to change name and consolidate shares on a 20 to 1 ratio.

ON MEXICO ISSUES

• Peñasquito mine, Zacatecas. State officers cleared the entrance from an illegal blockade that had been on site for eight days. The State governor, Alejandro Tello, said that he would not bend to meritless claims and announced that the blockade leaders will be investigated.

ON EXPLORATION

• Mexus Gold US. is performing advance work to obtain the drilling permit at the Scorpio project in Sonora.
• Gainey Capital Corp. released results from the second and third holes from La Nueva Victoria mineralized zone at its El Colomo property in Nayarit. Significant intercepts include 72.2 m @ 0.41 g/t Au, 20 g/t Ag and 34.2 m @ 1.19 g/t Au, 86 g/t Ag.
• Consolidated Zinc Ltd. released geologic information on the first seven holes from two new underground drill stations at its Plomosas mine in Chihuahua. While the assays are still awaited, intercepts include 0.35, 0.7, 0.8, 1.25 and 1.8 meters of massive sulfides, as well as a 4 m interband of massive to semi-massive sulfide.
• Bacanora Minerals Ltd. completed a 4,000 m drilling campaign to upgrade a resource to the measured category on its Sonora property. Ongoing refinement and optimization of the lithium carbonate flow sheet, developed at the pilot plant operations will continue over the next 18 months.
• Alamos Gold Inc. received final approval of the Environmental Impact Assessment report for phase I of its La Yaqui project in Sonora. Construction activities for the phase I development of the La Yaqui mineral reserve are expected to commence later this year with initial production on track for mid-2017.

ON MINING

• Goldcorp Inc. announced a controlled shutdown of operations at its Peñasquito mine in Zacatecas, following an illegal blockade by a trucking contractor that began on Sept 26, 2016. The Company has taken all necessary legal steps, including filing criminal charges against the protest leaders and awaits legal enforcement to ensure a swift and orderly end to the illegal blockade.
• United States Antimony Corp. announced that production from the Wadley and Soyatal mines is being ramped up to replace Australian concentrates by the end of 2016. The company will answer SEMERNAT inquiries on the Puerto Blanco mill site in October, and wait for the response. Pilot-scale production is expected from the Los Juarez caustic leach circuit on the 4Q 2016.
• Telson Resources Inc. completed the collection of its 2 K tonne industrial scale bulk sample from the El Creston zone on its Tahuehueto project in Durango. The material is being transported to the Andes mill, where processing will take place.
• New Gold Inc. will continue for three years with the remediation work and closure of its Cerro San Pedro mine in San Luis Potosi.
• Minera Alamos Inc. is finalizing the Environmental Impact Study and the Environmental Risk Study on La Fortuna project, in Durango. The files will be submitted as soon as the surface use agreement contracts are in place.
• GoGold Resources Inc. has secured a 150 tonne per day mill to continue milling the high grade material on surface at its Santa Gertrudis mine in Sonora. To date, the Company has mined in excess of 6,000 tonnes of material at an average grade of 13.5 g/t with 3,700 tons already processed at the mill. To the end of September 383 Oz of gold have been poured.
• Coeur Mining Inc. reported third quarter 2016 production numbers, which include its Palmarejo mine in Chihuahua (their highest production unit). 253.6 K tonnes were mined from underground, at a grade of 123 g/t Ag and 0.08 g/t Au. 274.6 K tonnes were processed, with recoveries of 85.5% Ag and 77.7% Au, producing 933 k Oz Ag and 16.6 K Oz Au. The recoveries were affected by the installation of a new Merril-Crowe processing circuit. The Guadalupe vein is being mined at 2,300 tpd , while the Independencia vein is on track to achieve 1,000 tpd.

ON FINANCING

• Bacanora Minerals Inc. raised CAD$4.29 M from the exercising of warrants. Bacanora’s last reported cash position was circa CAD$30 M.
• Alset Energy Corp. announced an amendment to the terms of a previously announced private placement. The company will now raise up to $1 M.

ON RESOURCES

• Premier Gold Mines Ltd. confirmed a current NI-43-101 Mineral Reserve and Resource estimate for its 100% owned Mercedes mine in Sonora. Reserves stand at 2.9 Mt @ 4.31 g/t Au, 35.7 g/t Ag; measured plus indicated resources (exclusive of reserves) of 2.87 Mt @ 4.14 g/t Au, 48 g/t Ag and 1.2 Mt @ 4.6 g/t Au, 33 g/t Ag of inferred resources. The total reserve and resource base is 7 Mt @ 4.29 g/t Au, 40.2 g/t Ag, for 964 K Oz Au and 9.08 M Oz Ag.
• Argonaut Gold Inc. completed a 70 hole RC drill program (~10,600 m) to confirm historical gold-silver resource estimates for El Creston deposit at La Colorada mine, in Sonora. The confirmed indicated resource is 14.4 M tonnes @ 0.62 g/t Au and 12.1 g/t Ag and the inferred resources 2.2 M tonnes @ 0.89 g/t Au, 13.3 g/t Ag. Some of the better intercepts include: 32 m @ 1.74 g/t Au, 74 g/t Ag; 39.6 m @ 0.8 g/t Au, 4 g/t Ag: 44.2 m @ 0.86 g/t Au, 5 g/t Ag; 86.9 m @ 0.8 g/t Au, 7 g/t Ag; 27.4 m @ 1.3 g/t Au, 15 g/t Ag; 44.2 m @ 2.1 g/t Au, 16 g/t Ag, 21.3 m @ 2.87 g/t Au, 182 g/t Ag; 73.2 m @ 1.4 g/t Au, 15 g/t Ag.
• Timmins Gold Corp. announced that it has filed at SEDAR the NI-43-101 technical report of its San Francisco mine in Sonora.

ON DEALS AND CORPORATE ISSUES

• Premier Gold Mines Ltd. closed the acquisition of the Mercedes mine in Sonora, from Yamana Gold Inc., by buying all shares of Yamana’s subsidiaries that own 100% interest on the mine. The deal involved the payment of US$122.5 M in cash, 6 M common shares from Premier to Yamana and 3 M warrants to obtain Premier shares @ $4.75before the end of September 2018. A 1% NSR applies on the production beyond 450 K Oz Au or after four years since the closing of the deal. Two other properties, La Espera in Sonora, and La Silla in Sinaloa, convey a 2% NSR.
• Alset Energy Corp. has realized that two of the concessions recently acquired in Mexico convey a considerable amount of annual work expenditures. The recently appointed CEO resigned as results of these new challenges.
• Alset Energy Corp. Clarified the past news release by stating that two of the concessions optioned require $1.8 M of yearly spending to be probed to the government. The company is taking steps to split the large claims in several smaller concessions to reduce the amount of investment to incur.
• Baja Mining Corp. is changing its name to Camrova Resources Inc., and consolidating its shares in a 20 to one ratio, going from 340 million common shares to 17 million post-consolidation shares. Baja currently owns a 10% interest in the Boleo copper-cobalt-zinc mine in Baja California.

Content like what you have just read can be seen at https://gambusinoprospector.com/ and at LinkedIn’s Mexico Mineral Exploration Group.

On the picture below, strongly silicified, bleached, and locally brecciated rock with fine grained quartz veinlets and micro-veinlets with minor pyrite.  Part of a low angle fault zone mined for silica. Spotty gold and silver values are present.