By Jorge Cirett

During the 52^nd week of the year (December 23^rd to December 29^th, 2019), at least 11 press releases were announced by companies working in Mexico. ON MEXICO ISSUES, Alamos Gold announced the Esperanza mine in Morelos is to be converted into a touristic attraction once decommissioned. In response to federal government criticism on the daily presidential conference, Grupo Mexico stated it dealt in due time and form with the 2014 leak on the Sonora river. The San Pedro mine decommissioning in San Luis Potosi has erected into a benchmark for the industry. Camimex corrected the federal government statement on how much terrain is concessioned for mining, from 113.8 million hectares (government) to 20.97 million hectares (corrected figure). ON EXPLORATION, Advance Gold informed on the mineralization intersected by the first hole into a chargeability anomaly at the Tabasqueña project in Zacatecas. ON MINING, No relevant news. ON FINANCING, Goldplay issued shares for $48 K to a drilling contractor for services provided.   ON RESOURCES AND DEVELOPMENT, Consolidated Zinc recommenced definition drilling at its Plomosas mine in Chihuahua. ON DEALS AND CORPORATE ISSUES, Dyna Resources announced a favorable final ruling on its legal battle with Goldgroup, which establishes its ownership of the San Jose de Gracia project in Sinaloa. ON SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY. Minera Media Luna formalized the delivery of infrastructure works for US$100 K in Cocula, Guerrero. Minera Peñasquito realized a Christmas party on a primary school in Mazapil, Zacatecas.

ON MEXICO ISSUES

• Esperanza Silver de México (Alamos Gold), which is developing the Esperanza project in Morelos, announced that once the project accomplishes its mine life it is going to be turned into a thematic park touristic attraction run by local inhabitants. Other touristic sites on former mines highlighted in the news release include the Mineral de Rayas, Mina el Nopal and Mina La Valenciana in Guanajuato.
• Grupo México announced that it dealt in due time with the 2014 leak on the Rio Sonora. The announcement was made as response to the remarks made by the head of the Health Secretariat in the morning presidential conference on Monday 23 of December, conference in which he said that Grupo Mexico did not comply with its responsibility towards the region inhabitants. The company stated that the leak of an acidified solution from the Buenavista del Cobre tailings dam was treated strictly under all applicable law, and the operation of the Fideicomiso Río Sonora, under the instructions and supervision of Semarant, Profepa and Cofepris. It was added that there is no scientific proof tying health or environmental damages in the region, with water quality measurements even lower than those made ten or more years before the incident.
• The decommissioning of the San Pedro mine in San Luis Potosí by Minera San Xavier has constituted itself into a national and international benchmark on its merits. The Plan Integral, Participativo e Incluyente de Cierre de Mina (Mine Closure Integral Plan) sticks to all regulations by PROFEPA and SEMARNAT. The Mine closure plan is compliant with the instructions of other international regulators, like the EPA in Nevada and California, and as well as the NOM-155-SEMARNAT-2007 that established the environmental protection norms for gold and silver leaching systems.
• Camimex informed on a document called “Mitos y Realidades de la Minería” (Myths and Realities of Mining) that 25,221 current mining concessions cover 20 million 970 thousand hectares, or 11% of the Mexican territory. This is contrasted against the Economy Secretariat information presented on one of the Mexican president daily morning conferences, where it was stated that the ground under mining concessions reached 113.8 million hectares between 1998 and 2018. The president said that the granting of concessions is to be halted because the terrain already granted would suffice for thousands of years of work, also assuring that no mining concessions are to be cancelled and that all mining has to be done respecting the environment. According to Camimex there are 596 exploration projects with foreign capital, 99 in production, 50 in development, 439 under review and five in closure. It was also highlighted that 182 protected areas that represent 90.8 million hectares where no mining projects can be developed.

ON EXPLORATION

• Advance Gold Corp. informed on the first hole drilled at a big chargeability anomaly at its Tabasqueña project in Zacatecas. An interval of 78 m of disseminated to massive sulfides associated with quartz was intercepted starting at 226 m of depth, and a second interval of 10 m of quartz veins with disseminated sulfides on the hosting andesites at 405 m of depth. .

ON MINING

• No Relevant News.

ON FINANCING

• Goldplay Exploration Ltd. made a final issuance of shares to a drilling contractor engaged under the shares for services previously announced on May 2019, for services valued at $48 K (San Marcial, Sinaloa).

ON RESOURCES AND DEVELOPMENT

• Consolidated Zinc Ltd. announced that exploration and delineation drilling has recommenced at its Plomosas project in Chihuahua. Six holes are planned to extend the resource down dip and to the south, and seven holes for the Tres Amigos resource extension.

ON DEALS AND CORPORATE ISSUES

• Dyna Resources Inc. informed that the 11^th Federal Circuit Collegiate Court in Mexico issued a favorable final ruling that denies the Amparo challenge of Goldgroup Resources Inc., the subsidiary of Goldgroup Mining Inc., ruling that is not subject to further appeals. Dyna states the following four points are a consequence of the ruling: 1) The 2015 USD$48.28 M damages award against Goldgroup Resources Inc. is now final; 2) The lien against the shares of Dyna Mexico owned by Goldgroup Resources Inc. is now fully confirmed, final and enforceable; 3) Ownership of the shares of DynaMéxico currently held by Goldgroup Resources (~20%) are subject to the Lien against Goldroup shares; 4) DynaMexico owns 100% of the San José de Gracia project in Sinaloa.  

ON SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

• Minera Media Luna formalized the delivery of infrastructure works valued at $1.93 M pesos (US$100 K) in Cocula, Guerrero. These investments included the rehabilitation of the Nuevo Balsas water deposit, the construction of a wall in Real de Limón and the rehabilitation of the road between Cocula and Nuevo Balsas.
• Minera Peñasquito realized a Christmas party on the Ignacio López Rayón primary school in Mazapil, Zacatecas. The “Christmas road” will continue for two more weeks in which toys are to be delivered to children in the communities neighbouring the mine.

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: San Felipe mine in Baja California. Picture by Jorge Cirett.