By Jorge Cirett

During the 34^th week of the year (August 19^th to August 25^th, 2019), at least 23 press releases were announced by companies working in Mexico. ON MEXICO ISSUES, the Charcas municipality in San Luis Potosi is awaiting for a favorable resolution by the Supreme Court on the use of the Mining Fund. ON EXPLORATION, in Baja California, One World Lithium plans a diamond drilling campaign at its Salar del Diablo project. In Sonora, Minaurum Gold released drilling results on its Alamos Silver project. In Durango, Canasil updated on exploration of its Salamandra, Nora, and Vizcaino projects. In Zacatecas, Canasil updated on exploration of La Esperanza. In Oaxaca, Megastar reported interesting surface sample results at its Yautepec project. ON MINING, Mexus Gold continues piling material on the heaps at its Santa Elena mine. Fortuna Silver reported an underground fatality at the San Jose mine in Oaxaca. ON FINANCING, Discovery Metals granted options to officers, directors, employees and consultants. SilverCrest Metals closed a private placement for C$4.56 M. Argonaut Gold entered into an agreement for gross proceeds of C$4 M. Avino Silver granted options and 1.73 M restricted share units to its directors, officers, employees and consultants. Millrock received an extension regarding the filing of documents in respect of a private placement. Kootenay Silver closed its non-brokered private placement financing for gross proceeds of $5 M. Tamino Minerals intends to raise capital. ON RESOURCES AND DEVELOPMENT, Aura Minerals reported that a geophysical survey indicates a mineralised body might open to depth at its Aranzazu mine, in Zacatecas. SilverCrest Metals received the explosives permit, acquired water rights and paid the remaining mining concessions at its Las Chispas project in Sonora. ON DEALS AND CORPORATE ISSUES, Magna Gold completed the acquisition of Las Marias and Las Cabanas groups of concessions in Sonora, adjacent to its flagship Mercedes project. GoGold renegotiated the acquisition agreement on Los Ricos property, Jalisco, to speed up the purchase and lower the amount of the full transaction by $5.4 M. Torex Gold hedged the production of 96 K Oz Au. Bacanora Lithium presented an update on the approval of Ganfeng Lithium investment on Bacanora by the Chinese authorities. ON SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY. No relevant news.

ON MEXICO ISSUES

• Mining municipalities in San Luis Potosi demand to receive the Mining Fund. The municipality of Charcas, in San Luis Potosi, presented a legal complaint to the Supreme Court to avoid the use of these funds (gathered by the payment on a royalty from mining proceeds) for programs unrelated to mining. The municipality president, Manuel López Lara, said these resources are needed to provide vital infrastructure to the community, and that they are awaiting a favorable resolution by the Supreme Court.

ON EXPLORATION

• One World Lithium Inc. appointed Montgomery and Associates as operator for its upcoming drill programs on its Salar del Diablo lithium brine project in Baja California. Initially four diamond holes are to be drilled to 600 m depth to collect 20 groundwater samples at specified depths using a depth specific packer system.
• Minaurum Gold Inc. released further drill results from its Alamos Silver project in Sonora. With the latest results Minaurum has now tested 14 of the 20 veins systems in the project. Highlighted recent results comprise 3.80 m @ 415 gpt Ag, 2.68 gpt Au, 1.37% Cu, 6.2% Pb, 9.2% Zn (including 0.95 m @ 1,566 gpt Ag, 6.72 gpt Au, 4.48% Cu, 9.3% Pb, 10.1% Zn); 0.95 m @ 425 gpt Ag, 0.32% Cu, 3.2% Pb, 1.3% Zn; 1.95 m @ 261 gpt Ag; 0.90 m @ 337 gpt Ag; 0.90 m @ 307 gpt Ag; 1.05 m @ 134 gpt Ag, 0.31% Cu, 1.2% Pb, 3.9% Zn. Minaurum reports high grade silver intercepts in 10 of the 14 veins drilled to date, and plans to drill six more vein systems before beginning follow-up drilling on veins that have the potential to host volumes of high-grade mineralization similar to that of the historic Quintera and Promontorio mines.
• Canasil Resources Inc. presented a review of its main projects in central Mexico. At La Esperanza, in Zacatecas, there is a series of epithermal veins on a 15 km long corridor, with drilling at the La Esperanza vein returning up 11.23 m true width (TW) @ 219 gpt Ag, 0.74 gpt Au, 0.9% Zn, 0.4% Pb (including 1.11 m @ 2,281 gpt Ag, 6.39 gpt Au, 2.2% Zn, 1.2% Pb.  At Salamandra, in Durango, a rhyolite dome intruding sedimentary rocks has returned drill intercepts of up to 9.5 m @ 102 gpt Ag, 0.5% Zn; 10.0 m @ 71 gpt Ag, 3.5% Zn, 1.3% Pb; 7.89 m @ 166 gpt Ag, 1.2% Cu, 1.2% Zn, 0.6% Pb (including 2.30 m @ 393 gpt Ag, 3.6% Cu, 2.8% Zn, 0.4% Pb). At Nora, in Durango, samples on epithermal veins have returned up to 1.0 m @ 1.98 gpt Au, 514 gpt Ag, 1.03% Cu, 3.3% Zn, 4.4 % Pb. At Vizcaino, in Zacatecas, the gold-anomalous Pamplona vein is 1 to 12 m in width over 2 km of length, with chalcedonic quartz hosted in rhyolites.
• Megastar Development Corp. reported assay results from surface sampling at its Yautepec property in Oaxaca. Results from a sinter zone and a bounding quartz vein of 162 samples returned up to 308 gpt Ag, 1.07 gpt Au, 99 ppm Cu, 464 ppm Pb, 548 ppm Zn, 102 ppm Mo, 92,600 ppm (9.26%) As, 307 ppm Sb. These high numbers are very encouraging on a high-level epithermal system like the one exposed at this project.

ON MINING

• Mexus Gold US. has piled 4,000 tons @ 2.8 gpt Au on the heap for leaching at its Santa Elena mine in Sonora (not to mistake for First Majestic’s Santa Elena mine, also in Sonora).
• Fortuna Silver Mines Inc. reports a fatal accident involving a contractor’s employee at its San Jose mine in Oaxaca. “The accident involved a scooptram operating underground, and the individual fatally injured was the driver”.

ON FINANCING

• Discovery Metals Corp. granted 5.3 M options to certain officers, directors, employees and/or consultants (Puerto Rico, Coahuila).
• SilverCrest Metals Inc. closed the private placement with SSR Mining Inc., pursuant to which SSR elected to exercise its equity participation right to maintain a 9.9% interest in SilverCrest by investing C$4.56 M. Upon closing of this transaction, SSR Mining holds 9,000,645 common shares of SilverCrest (Las Chispas, Sonora).
• Argonaut Gold Inc. entered into an agreement with Cormark Securities Inc. to act as lead underwriter of a syndicate of underwriters that are to buy shares of the company for aggregate gross proceeds of C$4 M (La Colorada, Sonora).
• Avino Silver & Gold Mines Ltd. granted 526 K incentive options and 1.73 M restricted share units to its directors, officers, employees and consultants (Avino, Durango).
• Millrock Resources Inc. announced the TSX Venture Exchange granted Millrock an extension of the deadline to file materials in respect of the private placement financing previously announced (Batamote, Sonora).
• Sable Resources Ltd. announced the completion of distribution of 29.9 M common shares of Talisker Resources Ltd. to shareholders of the company. “The distribution of the Talisker Shares was effected as a reduction in the stated capital of the common shares of the Company…. The Company previously received the Talisker Shares in consideration for the assignment of certain mineral resource properties located in the Province of British Columbia on April 18, 2019” (Margarita, Chihuahua).
• Kootenay Silver Inc. closed its non-brokered private placement financing for gross proceeds of $5 M. Finder fees totaling $200 K were paid to Mackie Research Capital Corp. with 1.25 M common shares issued and 625 K warrants (La Cigarra, Chihuahua).
• Tamino Minerals Inc. announced its intentions to raise capital. Currently Tamino has issued 370.6 M shares, of which 220.8 M are restricted and 149.8 M are deemed free trading (El Volcan, Sonora).

ON RESOURCES AND DEVELOPMENT

• Aura Minerals Inc. reported that a geophysical study at its Aranzazu mine in Zacatecas suggests the Glory Hole skarn may open down dip for a further 500 to 700 m from the current resource base, and also down plunge to southeast towards Cabrestante, which may represent potential for an increase of life of mine if confirmed by drilling.
• SilverCrest Metals Inc. received approval from Secretaria de la Defensa Nacional (SEDENA) for the operational storage and use of explosives at its Las Chispas Project in Sonora. SilverCrest also acquired local water rights for Las Chispas and exercised its last outstanding option agreement to fully acquire the remaining four of the 28 concessions at Las Chispas, thereby obtaining 100% ownership in all Las Chispas mining concessions containing vein mineral resources.

ON DEALS AND CORPORATE ISSUES

• Magna Gold Corp. completed the acquisition of the Las Marias property and las Cabanas mineral claims in Sonora“. Las Marias Property consists of 7 mining concessions covering 646 hectares adjacent to the Mercedes Property and Las Cabanas consists of 2 claims covering 248 hectares located approximately 10 km south-west of the Mercedes Property in Sonora, Mexico. The total purchase price for the new mineral concessions and other rights was $250,000 and the issuance of 1,000,000 common shares.”
• GoGold Resources Inc. replaced the original option agreement for the Los Ricos property in Jalisco for a concession agreement. GoGold is now required to make a $500 K payment upon signing, $3.22 M to be paid on installments over 24 months, and 9.05 M shares of GoGold common shares to be delivered in equal numbers over 24 months. In addition, the company entered into an agreement to acquire the existing 2% NSR for $1 M in equal installments over 36 months and 4.87 M shares delivered in equal numbers over an 18 month period. This agreement is stated to save GoGold $5.4 M.
• Torex Gold Resources Inc. entered into a series of no-cost collar hedges, with 96 K Oz Au hedged over the next 12 months. “The floor price of the monthly gold collars has been set at $1,400/oz with the ceiling price of the collars ranging from $1,666/oz in September 2019 to $1,768/oz in August 2020.”
• Bacanora Lithium PLC. informed the agreements with Ganfeng Lithium Co. Ltd. have been submitted to the Chinese authorities for approval and completion. With the already received approvals by the PRC Ministry of Commerce and the National Development and Reform Commission, it is anticipated that the final approval from the State Administration of Foreign Exchange will be received following a Ganfeng board meeting to be held in the coming weeks (Sonora Lithium project, Sonora).

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

On the image below: Ricardo Ramonett collecting a stream sediment sample in Oaxaca. Picture by Jorge Cirett