Quartz Blade Texture

By Miguel A Heredia

During the 22^nd week of the year (May 31^st to June 06^th, 2021), at least 24 press releases were announced by companies working in Mexico and 1 news published by the media, with six disclosing deals and corporate issues, six announcing financial rounds, five informing on exploration results, four reporting on resources and developments, three discussing social issues, and one communicating production and financial results.  ON MEXICO ISSUES, No relevant news.  ON EXPLORATION, In Sonora, Benjamin Hill Mining released additional sampling results from its Benjamin Hill property, Silver Spruce and its JV partner Colibri commenced the phase 1 exploration drilling at its Mezquite project, and Heliostar presented results from its mapping and sampling program at its Oso Negro project. In Zacatecas, Zacatecas Silver completed the geological mapping and sampling program of the San Manuel Vein System. ON MINING, Santacruz reported Q1, 2021 production and financial results from their Zimapan and Rosario mines in Hidalgo and San Luis Potosi States respectively. ON FINANCING, Alamos Gold declared quarterly dividend of USD $0.025 per common share (Mulatos mine, Sonora). Chesapeake reported that it granted 73,500 incentive stock options at an exercise price of $4.37 per share (Metates project, Durango). Colibri announced that its previously announced private placement has been oversubscribed for an additional 399,139 units at $.10 per unit (El Pilar project, Sonora). Silver Viper closed the first tranche of a $6M private placement for gross proceeds of $4.57M (La Virginia project, Sonora).  VanGold signed a definitive agreement to obtain a non-dilutive USD $7.5M in the form of a silver and gold loan (El Cubo mine, Guanajuato). Vizsla closed a bought deal financing offering for gross proceeds of CAD $69M (Panuco project, Sinaloa). ON RESOURCES AND DEVELOPMENT, Barksdale outlined a 5,000m drilling program at its San Javier project in Sonora. GoGold released results from six holes collared at its Los Ricos North project in Jalisco. Oroco presented results from the 3D IP survey conducted at its Santo Tomas project in Sinaloa. Sonoro completed the nine final RC holes at its Cerro Caliche project in Sonora and moves towards an updated technical report and new PEA. ON DEALS AND CORPORATE ISSUES, Capstone announced the resignation of a member of its Board of Directors (Cozamine mine, Zacatecas). VanGold announced that it will change its name to Guanajuato Silver Company, Ltd. (El Cubo mine, Guanajuato). Gatos Silver announced the appointment of its President and CEO, effective June 1, 2021 (Los Gatos mine, Chihuahua). Great Panther appointed its new CFO and COO (Topia mine, Durango). First Majestic released results from its annual general meeting of shareholders (San Dimas property, Durango).  Fortuna Silver provided an update of the legal dispute against the Mexican Geological Survey (SGM) if the royalty in one of its claims at San Jose mine in Oaxaca is not paid.  ON SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY, Minera Alamos released its 2020 Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance (ESG) Report (Mulatos mine, Sonora).  Grupo México delivered seed capital for productive and social projects in the community of Sombrerete, Zacatecas. Newmont Corporation launched its 2020 Annual Sustainability Report.

ON MEXICO ISSUES

• No relevant news.

ON EXPLORATION

• Benjamin Hill Mining Corp., released additional assays from 45 samples collected at the new La Salada East Area within its Benjamin Hill property in Sonora. Chip samples returned multiple results ranging from 1 g/t Au to 3.8 g/t Au with peaks of 10 g/t Au and 10.1 g/t Au. Gold values are associated with quartz veining and quartz breccias often with chalcopyrite, galena and hematite, limonite and “boxwork” pyrite. These results extend the known gold mineralization previously reported. The company also announced that it is finalizing drill program planning to test the most prospective targets generated to date and expects to receive drill permits in early June.
• Silver Spruce Resources Inc., and its JV partner Colibri Resource Corporation commenced the 2,000m phase 1 exploration RC drilling at its Mezquite project in Sonora. Six holes are planned to drill test an area of 400m by 600m with elevated values to 3.41 g/t Au and 387 g/t Ag.
• Heliostar Metals Limited presented results from its mapping and sampling program at its Oso Negro project in Sonora. High grade channel samples defined drill targets at the Prospecto Vein zone including 5.14 g/t Au, 953 g/t Ag, 1% Pb, and 1.9% Zn (1,428 g/t AgEq) over 1.2m; 2.55 g/t Au, 346 g/t Ag, 0.4% Pb, and 1.2% Zn (588 g/t AgEq) over 1.8m; and 3.29 g/t Au, 89 g/t Ag, 0.2% Pb, and 0.6% Zn (362 g/t AgEq) over 2.4m. This target has a length of 360m of strike, and has a weighted average grade of 420 g/t AgEq over and average width of 1.3m. Heliostar also announced the stacking of a new claim, Angel de Plata 2, increasing its land position to 120 square kilometers. Two new vein corridors have been discovered on the new claim with mine dump samples from historic workings up to 1,810 g/t AgEq.
• Zacatecas Silver Corp., completed the first pass of its geological mapping and sampling program on the San Manuel Vein System. The company defined eight sets of oxidized, silver-base metal mineralized veins for over at least 3 km in length, with a dilation zone that is at least 600m wide. This extensional zone represents robust drill targets. The company has already commenced an environmental study at San Gill-San Manuel, concurrent with planning of first phase drilling at this target, which should be completed within 4 weeks.

ON MINING

• Santacruz Silver Mining Ltd., Santacruz reported Q1, 2021 production and financial results from their Zimapan and Rosario mines in Hidalgo and San Luis Potosi states respectively.  At Zimapan, Hidalgo, the company processed 156, 433 tonnes to produce 646K Oz AgEq at cash and AISC of USD $19.91 and USD $27.19 per Oz AgEq respectively. At Rosario, San Luis Potosi, Santacruz processed 19,806 tonnes to produce 60.9K Oz AgEq at cash and AISC of USD $27.19 and USD $52.57 respectively. The company reported consolidated revenues of USD $11.1M, gross profit of USD $2.2M, EBITDA of USD $983K, and cash and marketable securities of USD $6.8M (Zimapan and Rosario mines in Hidalgo and San Luis Potosi respectively).

ON FINANCING

• Alamos Gold Inc., declared quarterly dividend of USD $0.025 per common share. The company also implemented a dividend reinvestment plan. It gives the shareholders the option of increasing their investment by electing to receive common shares instead of cash dividend at a 3% discount to the prevailing market price (Mulatos mine, Sonora).
• Chesapeake Gold Corp., reported that it granted 73,500 incentive stock options at an exercise price of $4.37 per share. The Options will vest and be exercisable on the basis of 25% annually, commencing May 31, 2022, the first anniversary of the date of the grant. (Metates project, Durango).
• Colibri Resource Corporation announced that its previously announced private placement of 23,482,000 units has been oversubscribed for an additional 399,139 units at $.10 per unit with each unit consisting of one common share and one common share purchase warrant exercisable at $0.15 for one common share for a period of twenty-four months from the date of issue. (El Pilar project, Sonora).
• Silver Viper Minerals Corp., closed the first tranche of a $6M private placement for gross proceeds of $4.57M (La Virginia project, Sonora).  The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the Offering for working capital requirements and other general corporate purposes.
• VanGold Mining Corp., signed a definitive agreement to obtain a non-dilutive USD $7.5M in the form of a silver and gold loan. The company estimates that the amount of gold and silver required to repay this loan facility will represent approximately 25% of the projected gold and silver to be produced by VanGold from its operations at the El Cubo mill in Guanajuato during the 12-month repayment period of the loan.
• Vizsla Silver Corp., closed a bought deal financing offering for gross proceeds of CAD $69M. The net proceeds of the Public Offering will be used to advance the exploration and development of the Company’s Panuco project, to make option payments and pursue potential future acquisitions, as well as for working capital and general corporate purposes.

ON RESOURCES AND DEVELOPMENT

• Barksdale Resources Corp., outlined a 5,000m drilling program at its San Javier project in Sonora. The plan is to start drilling in July 2021 at the Cerro Verde area to confirm near surface copper oxide and gold mineralization up to 200m and test structures believed to control higher grade mineralization.  Cerro Verde has historic indicated + inferred resources for 86M tonnes of 0.33% Cu for a total of 630M Lb Cu. The company also plans to run metallurgical tests to better understand the potential processing routes for both copper and gold mineralization.
• GoGold Resources Inc., released results from six holes collared at its Los Ricos North project in Jalisco. The most significant results was encountered in hole LRGF-21-041 with 0.38 g/t Au and 84 g/t Ag (1.5 g/t AuEq or 113 g/t AgEq) over 1.7m, plus 0.31 g/t Au and 82 g/t Ag (1.41 g/t AuEq or 105 g/t AgEq) over 56.1m, including 3.57 g/t Au and 975 g/t Ag (16.57 g/t AuEq or 1,243 g/t AgEq) over 1.3m, plus 0.19 g/ Au and 90 g/t Ag (1.39 g/t AuEq or 104 g/t AgEq) over 2.3m.
• Oroco Resource Corporation presented results from the 3D IP survey conducted at its Santo Tomas project in Sinaloa. The 3D IP results show a good correlation of chargeability and resistivity features with known mineralization and alteration zones in the area of historical drilling and resource delineation. “Final survey data displays a very extensive distribution of chargeability / resistivity features beyond the confines of the historical work at Santo Tomas”. 
• Sonoro Gold Corp., completed the nine final RC holes at its Cerro Caliche project in Sonora and moves towards an updated technical report and new PEA. The most significant drill intersections were encountered in hole SCR-262 collared at Buena Suerte Area with 0.37 g/t Au and 0.6 g/t Ag (0.38 g/t AuEq) over 21.33m, and ole SCR-264 also collared at Buena Suerte area with 0.29 g/t Au and 12 g/t Ag (0.47 g/t AuEq) over 21.34m, including 1.59 g/t Au and 135 g/t Ag (3.52 g/t AuEq) over 1.53, plus 0.76 g/t Au and 7 g/t Ag (0.87 g/t AuEq) over 15.24m, including 2.4 g/t Au and 2 g/t Ag (2.43 g/t AuEq) over 1.52m. These results indicated a coalescence of the Buena Suerte and Los Japoneses areas into a single orebody of shallow, oxide gold mineralization. Sonoro expects two independent 43-101 compliant reports to update the resource size and classification and determine whether it is sufficient to support the Company’s proposed heap leach mining operation with a conceptual operation of up to 15,000 tonnes per day.

ON DEALS AND CORPORATE ISSUES

• Capstone Mining Corp., announced the resignation of a member from its Board of Directors (Cozamine mine, Zacatecas).
• VanGold Mining Corp., announced that it will change its name to Guanajuato Silver Company, Ltd., for which it has reserved the stock symbol GSVR with the TSX Venture Exchange (El Cubo mine, Guanajuato).
• Gatos Silver Inc., announced the appointment of its President and CEO. He will assume its role, effective June 1, 2021 (Los Gatos mine, Chihuahua).
• Great Panther Mining Limited, appointed its new CFO and COO, effective June 30, 2021 (Topia mine, Durango).
• First Majestic Silver Corp., released results from its annual general meeting of shareholders (San Dimas property, Durango). 
• Fortuna Silver Mines Inc., provided an update of the legal dispute against the Mexican Geological Survey (SGM) if the royalty in one of its claims at San Jose mine in Oaxaca is not paid. Effective May 27, 2021, the General Direction of Mines (DGM) provided notice to the Company of the termination of the cancellation procedure, as it has determined that the required cause for cancellation of the concession was not established.   As a result, the Company has discontinued the Amparo Proceedings in the Collegiate Court in Mexico. In light of these constructive developments, the Company is now engaged in goodwill discussions with the SGM to reach an agreement to the satisfaction of both parties with respect to the royalty claim.

ON SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

• Alamos Gold Inc., released its 2020 Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance (ESG) Report. It outlines the company’s progress on its ESG performance in 2020 across its operations, projects and offices, and provides direction on planned initiatives for 2021 (Mulatos mine, Sonora). 
• Grupo México delivered seed capital for productive and social projects in the community of Sombrerete, Zacatecas, which contribute to promoting development and building a more competitive community. This project that has been carried out since 2009 has approved more than 600 projects. On this occasion, seven new projects were approved whose support is MXP $1M, which is distributed among the projects, according to the scope presented by each one.
• Newmont Corporation launched its 2020 Annual Sustainability Report. This is part of the suite of reports on the Company’s environmental, social and governance (ESG) practices in key areas that include health, safety and security, human rights, the environment, social acceptance, governance, and inclusion and diversity.

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 above, quartz blade texture in a hot spring and epithermal vein system in a project in Hidalgo, Mexico.  Photo by Miguel A Heredia.