The Mining and Exploration News in Mexico: Highlights on the Second Week of November, 2020

/ Gambusino Prospector

By Jorge Cirett

During the 46th week of the year (November 9th to November 15th, 2020), at least 23 press releases were announced by companies working in Mexico. To note, five companies posted exploration advances on their projects and six more posted on project development. ON MEXICO ISSUES, Canadian mining investment increased during the COVID pandemic; a webinar about lithium in Mexico was held; the illegal blockade on Equinox’s Los Filos mine in Guerrero ended and the Discoveries Conference was held in Guadalajara, the first in-person gathering of the mining community since the pandemic began. ON EXPLORATION, in Sonora, Colibri released trench results from Evelyn; Tarachi Gold is mobilizing a portable diamond drill to the San Javier concession on its Tarachi property. In Sinaloa, Vizsla released assays from drilling at Panuco; Kootenay released drill results from Copalito. In Zacatecas, Advance Gold completed an IP survey.  ON MINING, Sierra Metals, Equinox and Americas Gold and Silver released third quarter 2020 results. Americas Gold and Silver updated on the Cosalá Complex situation in Sinaloa. ON FINANCING, Silver Bull and Candente Gold raised US$150 K and $200 K respectively. Aura Minerals made some clarifications on its latest public offering. Reyna Silver is now trading in USA and Germany. ON RESOURCES AND DEVELOPMENT, Mexican Gold released high grade drill results from its resource expansion program at Las Minas, Veracruz. Endeavour Silver released high-grade intercepts on Guanaceví, Durango. Discovery Metals released interesting results from drilling at its Cordero project in Chihuahua. GoGold informed on additional drill results from Los Ricos North project in Jalisco. Southern Silver Exploration informed on drill results from its Cerro Las Minitas project in Durango, some of which are high-grade. SilverCrest Metals updated on development activities at its Las Chispas project in Sonora.  ON DEALS AND CORPORATE ISSUES, Magna Gold optioned the Margarita project from Sable Resources (a property brought to Sable’s attention by Gambusino Prospector). VanGold Mining amended its option agreement to re-purchase three of four underlying royalties at its El Pinguico project in Guanajuato. ON SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY. Fresnillo PLC promotes the creation of micro and small businesses in the Caborca region in Sonora.

ON MEXICO ISSUES

  • The COVID-19 pandemic saw investments by Canadian miners increase in Mexico, from US$30 M to US$160 – US$170 M a month during last September, according to Douglas Coleman, CEO of Mexico Mining Center. The increase in precious metal prices brought also an average increase of 30% on the valuation of companies in the Bolsa Mexicana de Valores (BMV) during the first 10 months of the current year.
  • The illegal blockade by the Carrizalillo community on Equinox’s Los Filos mine in Guerrero has been lifted, according to Jorge Zuriel de los Santos, head of the Fiscalía General del Estado de Guerrero (State Prosecutor).
  • The webinar “The truth about lithium in Mexico” was held on November 11, 2020, sponsored by Mundo Minero, the Colegio de Ingenieros de Minas, Metalurgistas y Geólogos de México (CIMMGM) and the Asociación de Ingenieros Mineros, Metalurgistas y Geólogos de México (AIMMGM).

ON EXPLORATION

  • Colibri Resource Corp. released assay results from the trenching program at its Evelyn project in Sonora. Highlighted results include 0.40 m @ 4.01 gpt Au on a quartz vein with oxidized pyrite, sericite and iron carbonate; 1.5 m @ 2.44 gpt Au in an andesite with quartz veining with oxidized pyrite and iron carbonate; Colibri has been granted a permit to complete up to 2.2 Km of trenching, and has collected 77 rock samples so far in these 1.5 m to 2.5 m deep trenches.
  • Vizsla Resources Corp. provided assay results from drilling on the Papayo and San Carlos prospects at its Panuco project in Sinaloa. “Drilling has continued to expand the known extents of mineralization at Papayo” with highlighted true width (TW) results comprising: 0.74 m @  7.96 gpt Au, 1,515 gpt Ag, 0.50% Pb, 1.21% Zn; 1.29 m @ 0.61 gpt Au, 125 gpt Ag; 0.78 m @ 2.66 gpt Au, 474 gpt Ag, 1.04% Pb, 2.80% Zn; 0.95 m @ 21.60 gpt Au, 216 gpt Ag, 1.91% Pb, 6.02% Zn; 1.49 m @ 1.0 gpt Au, 207 gpt Ag, 0.56% Pb, 1.32% Zn; 1.37 m @ 1.31 gpt Au, 168 gpt Ag; 5.61 m @ 1.05 gpt Au, 89 gpt Ag, 0.74% Pb, 1.9% Zn. “The San Carlos structure is wide lower grade bulk tonnage target with an average width of 11.5m and a range from 3.35m to 22.8m” with highlighted TW intercepts comprising 15.62 m @ 0.91 gpt Au, 110 gpt Ag (including 4.78 m @ 2.19 gpt Au, 230 gpt Ag); 19.20 m @ 0.30 gpt Au, 53 gpt Ag; 17.18 m @ 0.45 gpt Au, 67 gpt Ag (including 4.59 m @ 0.97 gpt Au, 147 gpt Ag); 22.76 m @ 0.26 gpt Au, 43 gpt Ag.
  • Advance Gold Corp. completed an induced polarization (IP) survey on its Tabasqueña project in Zacatecas. The new IP survey highlights two wide and closely spaced high chargeability anomalies, with the strongest being on the western part of the new grid. “For both targets, the associated chargeability anomaly is deeply seated (> 250 to 300m) while their origin is linked to two distinct wide mineralized systems. The western anomaly appears to remain open laterally to the north and south within the property limits”.
  • Tarachi Gold Corp. is mobilizing a man portable diamond drill rig to commence drill testing the high-grade gold bearing structures on the San Javier concession, part of its Tarachi project in Sonora. The drill program will focus on a NW trending shear structure where previous drill holes intercepted 5.0 m @ 34.5 gpt Au and 3.0 m @ 24.3 gpt Au. Mineralization is hosted in andesitic volcanic rocks, flanked by an intrusive rock, and the shear zone at San Javier remains open along strike and to depth, with the possibility of an extension under cover.
  • Kootenay Silver Inc. released results from the last seven holes on its 4,153 m drilling program at Copalito, in Sinaloa.  Highlighted intercepts comprise 9.05 m @ 2.09 gpt au, 124 gpt Ag, 0.8% Pb+Zn (including 2.25 m @ 6.65 gpt Au, 335 gpt Ag, 2.6% Pb+Zn, including 0.51 m @ 16.95 gpt Au, 369 gpt Ag, 3.74% Pb+Zn); 27.4 m @ 60 gpt Ag, 0.28 gpt Au, 0.4% Pb+Zn; 10 m @ 128 gpt Ag, 0.65 gpt Au, 1.13% Pb+Zn (including 2.25 m @ 484 gpt Ag, 2.18 gpt Au, 2.86% Pb+Zn).

ON MINING

  • Sierra Metals Inc. Released consolidated third quarter results for 2020, with some figures from its Mexican operations. The Bolivar Mine in Chihuahua processed 410.5 K tonnes in the quarter, a record representing a 24% increase over Q3 2019, at 4,691 tpd, and in track to reach the targeted 5,000 tpd during Q4 2020. The Cusi mine, also in Chihuahua, produced a record 304 K Oz Ag, with an ore throughput of 1,074 tpd.
  • Equinox gold Corp. reported its third quarter 2020 financial and operating results, without detailing figures from its Mexican operations. At Los Filos, the Guadalupe open pit and Bermejal underground proceeded for July and August, but were suspended by an illegal blockade by the community on September 3rd. “Optimization study for new carbon-in-leach plant, heap leach expansion, updated mine planning and a Mineral Reserve and Mineral Resource update targeted for completion in early 2021”.
  • Americas Gold and Silver Corp. reported financial and operational results for the third quarter 2020, including an update on its Mexican operations. At Cosalá, in Sinaloa “In August 2020, the Company announced that the illegal blockade had been resolved to permit some Company personnel the opportunity to re‐enter the mine operations.    This access has not been maintained.  With the re‐opening of Mexican government offices in August, the Company’s employees were expected to vote in September 2020 for new union representation and did so on September 17.  In advance of the vote, a number of irregularities came to light, which indicated that there could not be a fully democratic vote with freedom of association. As a result, the Company does not believe there are conditions currently present to invest the required capital to re‐start the Cosalá Operations.  The Company continues to work with all legitimate stakeholders and remains hopeful that a resolution, consistent with the rule of law and featuring an election free from threats and intimidation, can be achieved so that operations can re‐commence in the near term”. The company also finalized the option agreement with Hochschild to acquire 100% of the San Felipe project in Sonora.

ON FINANCING

  • Aura Minerals Corp. made some clarifications regarding the secondary public offering of Brazilian depositary receipts issued by Itaú Unibanco S.A. as depositary. “The total gross proceeds of the Secondary Offering to the Selling Shareholders are R$87,300,000.00, of which an aggregate of R$19,400,000 is in respect of the Shares offered, severally, by the ARC Funds and R$67,900,000 is in respect of the Shares offered by Ruffer. The Company will not receive any proceeds from the Secondary Offering” (Aranzazú, Zacatecas).
  • Silver Bull Resources Inc. completed the second and final tranche of the previously announced private placement, for gross proceeds of US$150 K, and aggregate gross proceeds of US$1.7 M (Sierra Mojada, Coahuila).
  • Reyna Silver Corp. announced its common shares have been approved for listing on the OTCQB Market Exchange in the United States and the Frankfurt Stock Exchange in Germany.
  • Candente Gold Corp. advised that the previously announced non-brokered private placement has been fully subscribed, for gross profits of $200K (El Oro, Estado de Mexico).

ON RESOURCES AND DEVELOPMENT

  • Mexican Gold Mining Corp.  released further assay results from the 2020 drilling program at its Las Minas project in Veracruz. Most of the 52 holes drilled so far have been targeting potential extensions to the El dorado resource, which remains open in several directions. Highlighted true width (TW) intercepts comprise 4.6 m @ 1.41 gpt Au, 0.55% Cu; 15.3 m @ 1.21 gpt Au, 1.1% Cu; 3.2 m @ 3.74 gpt Au, 3.76% Cu; 8.5 m @ 4.86 gpt Au, 1.17% Cu; 17 m @ 1.2 gpt Au, 0.85% Cu; 11.6 m @ 1.56 gpt Au, 1.03% Cu; 11.6 m @ 4.38 gpt Au, 1.84% Cu; 28.5 m @ 2.8 gpt Au, 1.12% Cu; 8.0 m @ 1.9 gpt Au, 0.36% Cu; 7.4 m @ 3.46 gpt Au, 5.08% Cu; 5.3 m @ 0.4 gpt Au, 0.83% Cu.
  • Endeavour Silver Corp. continues to intersect high-grade mineralization in the Santa Cruz vein on the El Curso property of the Guanaceví mine in Durango. Highlighted TW intersections on eleven holes comprise 3.2 m @ 2,307 gpt Ag, 3.15 gpt Au (2,559 gpt AgEq); 3.1 m @ 1,409 gpt Ag, 3.13 gpt Au (1,659 gpt AgEq) and 11.5 m @ 381 gpt Ag, 0.5 gpt Au.
  • Discovery Metals Corp. released results from seven diamond drill holes targeting bulk-tonnage mineralization in the South Corridor at its Cordero project in Chihuahua. Some of the highlighted results comprise 71.2 m @ 18 gpt Ag, 0.06 gpt Au, 0.2% Pb, 0.7% Zn; 139.1 m @ 47 gpt Ag, 0.07 gpt Au, 0.6% Pb, 1.6% Zn (138 gpt AgEq); 26.6 m @ 56 gpt Ag, 0.09 gpt Au, 0.4% Pb, 0.7% Zn; 19.4 m @ 41 gpt Ag, 0.06 gpt Au, 0.5% Pb, 1.2% Zn; 29.6 m @ 52 gpt Ag, 0.07 gpt Au, 0.8% Pb, 0.8% Zn; 92.1 m @ 27 gpt Ag, 0.05 gpt Au, 0.2% Pb, 0.4% Zn; 32.4 m@ 72 gpt Ag, 0.07 gpt Au, 0.3% Pb, 0.1% Zn; 38.4 m @ 36 gpt Ag, 0.04 gpt Au, 0.6% Pb, 0.7% Zn; 33.9 m @ 30 gpt Ag, 0.07 gpt Au, 0.5% Pb, 0.7% Zn; 62.2 m @ 38 gpt Ag, 0.07 gpt Au, 0.4% Pb, 0.7% Zn; 57.1 m @ 18 gpt Ag, 0.01 gpt Au, 0.2% Pb, 1.0% Zn. Assays from 27 holes are pending and four rigs are operating at the site.
  • GoGold Resources Inc. released additional drill results from the La Trini deposit at its Los Ricos North project in Jalisco. Highlighted core length intercepts comprise 25.9 m @ 0.34 gpt Au, 52 gpt Ag (including 4.7 m @ 0.81 gpt Au, 124 gpt Ag); 2.4 m @ 0.05 gpt Au, 300 gpt Ag; 18.7 m @ 0.58 gpt Au 46 gpt Ag; 18.2 m @ 0.11 gpt Au, 48 gpt Ag; 15.2 m @ 0.71 gpt Au, 71 gpt Ag (including 2.0 m @ 3.55 gpt Au, 284 gpt Ag and 1.3 m @ 4.20 gpt Au, 733 gpt Ag).
  • Southern Silver Exploration Corp. reported initial assay results from the recently started 10,000 m core drilling program at Cerro Las Minitas, Durango. Highlighted true width results from holes in the South Skarn target comprise 4.0 m @ 109 gpt Ag, 0.14 gpt Au, 0.02% Cu, 1.8% Pb, 2.1% Zn (including 0.9 m @ 412 gpt Ag, 0.14 gpt Au, 0.06% Cu, 7.8% Pb, 9.2% Zn); 0.8 m @ 132 gpt Ag, 0.12 gpt Au, 0.02% Cu, 2.8% Pb, 2.0% Zn; 1.1 m @ 54 gpt Ag, 2.83 gpt Au, 0.01% Cu, 3.6% Pb, 0.4% Zn; 3.2 m @ 99 gpt Ag, 0.27 gpt Au, 0.01% Cu, 0.7% Pb, 0.6% Zn; 6.7 m @ 625 gpt Ag, 0.11 gpt Au, 0.03% Cu, 11.8% Pb, 7.5% Zn; 1.2 m @ 112 gpt Ag, 0.07 gpt Au, 2.2% Pb, 2.1% Zn.
  • SilverCrest Metals Inc. provided an update on activities for 2020. During the first nine months of the year the company has drilled 146,000 m of in-fill and expansion drilling at Las Chispas project in Sonora. Furthermore, 4.1 km of underground decline and lateral drifting, stockpiling an accumulated 47 K tonnes @ 1,130 gpt AgEq (7.21 gpt Au, 590 gpt Ag). “Las Chispas site activities continued with the building of the administration and warehouse facilities, phase 1 of the temporary quarantined COVID-19 camp, communication system, and water pumping stations”. Since inception of the project, 461,000 m have been drilled in 1,712 holes. As October 31, 2020, SilverCrest has cash and cash equivalents of $184 M (US$138.2 M).

ON DEALS AND CORPORATE ISSUES

  • Magna Gold Corp. entered into a definitive option acquisition agreement with Sable Resources Ltd. To acquire Sable’s option to acquire 100% interest in the 125.6 ha Margarita silver property in Chihuahua; the property lies 15 Km northwest on strike with the recently commissioned Sunshine Silver Corp’s Los Gatos mine. Magna is to acquire the option by paying CAD$1.5 M cash, plus additional CAD$800 K VAT and CAD$3.5 M in common shares of Magna. The purchaser will exercise the option to acquire the property by payment of CAD$500 K in cash, plus $368 K in VAT to the titleholders of the concessions and CAD$1.8 M in Magna shares. Sable drilled 35 holes for a total of 5,245 m, with intercepts like: 4.25 m @ 430 gpt Ag, 0.2% Pb, 0.7% Zn; 12.4 m @ 446 gpt Ag, 0.7% Pb, 1.0% Zn; 14.05 m @ 306 gpt Ag, 0.7% Pb, 1.9% Zn; 11.3 m @ 229 gpt Ag, 1.0% Pb, 0.3% Zn; 33.3 m @ 283 gpt Ag, 0.3% Pb, 0.8% Zn (including 9.9 m @ 579 gpt Ag, 0.8% Pb, 1.7% Zn); 20.6 m @ 83 gpt Ag, 0.1% Pb, 0.3% Zn (including 5.1 m @ 198 gpt Ag, 0.2% Pb, 0.3% Zn); 48.65 m @ 102 gpt Ag, 0.1% Pb, 0.4% Zn; 37.35 m @ 117 gpt Ag, 0.17 gpt Au, 0.2% Pb, 0.7% Zn (including 5.5 m @ 400 gpt Ag, 1.07 gpt Au, 1.1% Pb, 0.4% Zn).
  • VanGold Mining Corp. amended its option agreement to re-purchase three of the four underlying royalties on its Pinguico project, Guanajuato. Under the new terms the option is exercisable by making payments to EMBSA (Exploraciones Mineras del Bajío, S.A. de C.V.) of $200 K cash and 3.75 M shares before November 20, 2020; $325 K in cash before February 22, 2021; $525 K in cash before February 22, 2022 and $625 K in cash before February 22, 2023. After these payments are made, the only NSR on the property will cover the above ground and below ground stockpiles. 

ON SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

  • Fresnillo PLC promotes the creation of micro and small businesses by means of its “Emprende en Línea” (Online Entrepreneurship) program, to develop administrative and managerial capabilities to consolidate businesses. For more than two decades Minera Penmont has contributed to the growth of the Caborca region through the implementation of social programs.

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: Base metal veinlet in core from Cerro San Pedro, San Luis Potosí. Picture by Jorge Cirett.

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