By Jorge Cirett

During the 1^st week of the year (January 3^rd to January 9^th, 2022), at least 17 press releases were announced by companies working in Mexico. To note, four companies posted exploration advances on their properties, one released its quarterly production figures, one is considering the end of mining operations, one is to mill third party ore, three posted on development and two on property deals. ON MEXICO ISSUES, three mining properties are to be commissioned during 2022 in Durango. According to Camimex, 60 thousand women work in the Mexican Mining industry. ON EXPLORATION, In Baja California, One World Lithium presented water sample results from drilling at Salar del Diablo. In Sonora, Riverside Resources reported high-grade results from surface sampling; Aztec Minerals informed on its ongoing RC drilling program at Cervantes. In Coahuila, Monumental Minerals is to carry on an airborne geophysical survey at its rare-earth Jemi project. ON MINING, Excellon Resources provided an update on its Platosa mine in Durango and on the exploration efforts in several projects. GoGold Resources presented Q4 2021 production results. Endeavour Silver announced its new Sustainable Strategy. Guanajuato Silver is to begin processing third party ores at its El Cubo mill.  ON FINANCING, no relevant news. ON RESOURCES AND DEVELOPMENT, Fabled Silver released results from drilling at Santa Maria, in Chihuahua. GoGold Resources announced the acceleration of its drill program at Los Ricos North and South projects in Jalisco. Golden Tag Resources is to recommence drilling at its San Diego project in Durango. ON DEALS AND CORPORATE ISSUES, Mexus Gold US optioned its Mabel property in Sonora to Irmex Mining. Xali Gold extended the earn-in agreement of Sun River Gold into the El Oro tailings project in Estado de Mexico. ON SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY, Minera Media Luna (Torex Gold), Minera Pangea (McEwen Mining) and Equinox Gold  informed on social measures for the betterment of communities near its operations.

ON MEXICO ISSUES

• Three new mining facilities to be inaugurated in Durango in Q1 2022, according to Gustavo Kienttzle Baille (Secretaría de Desarrollo Económico del Estado). The construction of two mines in Pueblo Nuevo and one in Tepehuanes started in 2021 with a total investment of US$46 M.
• According to Camimex (Cámara Minera de México) 60 thousand women work in the Mexican mining industry. This is a great advance, as only a few decades ago women were prohibited by law to work in mining.

ON EXPLORATION

• One World Lithium Inc. presented assay results from water samples from the Salar del Diablo project in Baja California. Multiple water samples were collected at different depths from four holes, two drilled in 2019 and two more in 2021, with depths ranging from 191 to 647 m. All samples returned less than 0.5 mg/L Lithium, less than 100 mg/L Potassium and less than 5 mg/L Boron, the detection limit for each element. “Drilling conditions were challenging as the fine grained and poorly consolidated nature of sediments that were only poorly to moderately cemented resulted in abundant borehole unravelling and “caving” during drilling”.
• Riverside Resources Inc. reported high-grade sample assay results from its La Union project in Sonora. Highlighted results comprise 83.2 gpt Au; 0.3 gpt Au, 4,816 gpt Ag, 10.3% Pb, 3.5% Zn; nil-Au, 8 gpt Ag, 2% Pb, 21.4% Zn;  0.1 gpt Au, 176 gpt Ag, 3.8% Pb, 19.8% Zn; 6.1 gpt Au, 23 gpt Ag, 8.2% Pb; 8.8 gpt Au, 183 gpt Ag, 3.9% Pb, 3.4% Zn from chips, 22.6 gpt Au, 20 gpt Ag; 4.2 gpt Au, 42 gpt Ag, 2.3% Pb, 3.5% Zn from dumps and 0.8 m @ 9.4 gpt Au, 108 gpt Ag, 1.6% Zn; 1.6 m @ 9.9 gpt Au, 54 gpt Ag, 2.5% Zn; 0.6 m @ 3.6 gpt Au, 373 gpt Ag, 7.3% Pb, 7.3% Zn; 1.5 m @ 2.6 gpt Au, 170 gpt Ag, 0.7% Pb, 6.6% Zn in chip channels. “Mineralization is found on surface associated with low angle faults, folds, with the thicker mineralized intervals being where high angle fault intersect with other structures creating ‘traps’”.
• Aztec Minerals Corp. informed on work carried out in 2021 at the Cervantes project in Sonora. The ongoing 5,000 m reverse circulation drill program commenced on Q4 2021, with 14 holes on the California target, one at the California North prospect, one at the Jasper prospect and four to six holes on the Purisima target.
• Monumental Minerals Corp. is to carry an airborne magnetic and radiometric survey over its Jemi project in Coahuila. The property is host to several rare earth element occurrences, like Neodymium (Nd), Praseodymium (Pr), dysprosium (Dy) and Terbium (Tb), with associated Tantalum (Ta), niobium (Nb) and zirconium (Zr). “The high-resolution helicopter-borne magnetic and radiometric survey will be flown at 100 m line spacing over an area of approximately 100 km2 for a total of 1,120 line-km. It will be centred on the 8 km diameter Sierra La Vasca intrusion complex that hosts the Jemi HREE mineral occurrences”.

ON MINING

• Excellon Resources Inc. provided an update on its Platosa operations in Durango and company-wide exploration plans. The company is evaluating the continuation of mining activities at Platosa (commissioned in mid-2005) beyond mid-2021 as a result of increased labour and energy costs at the time that mining is entering an area of the deposit where mineralization steepens, with fewer vertical-tonnes-per-meter than historically encountered. The company keeps exploring the Platosa property, with a 2,700 m drill program planned in 2022 on the PND skarn target and is conducting an O₁₈ isotope study on the CRD–style Jaboncillo target, 11 Km northwest of the Platosa mine. At the nearby Evolución project, a 4,600 m drilling program is planned.
• GoGold Resources Corp. informed on the production during the Q4 2021 of 2,558 Oz Au, 195.7 K Oz Ag, 123 tonnes Cu (444.1 K Oz AgEq) at its Parral tailings operation in Chihuahua.
• Endeavour Silver Corp. introduced its new Sustainable Strategy, with three-year targets. The strategic plan involves increasing the positive social impact for people, elevate the environmental stewardship of the planet and lead a healthy, long term business (Terronera, Jalisco).
• Guanajuato Silver Company Ltd. announced it will begin to process mineralized material from third parties at its El Cubo mill in Guanajuato. Approximately 4,000 tonnes form a mining operation in the Guanajuato area have been contracted “It is GSilver’s intention to use the approximately 20,000 tonne per month of excess capacity at the El Cubo mill to profitably process mineralized material from various potential sources in the Guanajuato area. Whether the business arrangement is designed as toll milling, raw material purchasing, or profit sharing, if it serves to contribute to our bottom line and helps to expand our presence in the 480-year-old mining camp of Guanajuato, then we will pursue it”.

ON FINANCING

• No Relevant News.

ON RESOURCES AND DEVELOPMENT

• Fabled Silver Gold Corp. released results from drilling at its Santa Maria project in Chihuahua. Highlighted core length intercepts comprise 0.95 m @ 0.16 gpt Au, 154 gpt Ag; 0.2% Zn; 13.10 m @ 0.23 gpt Au, 86 gpt Ag, 0.1% Pb, 0.4% Zn (including 6.10m @ 0.34 gpt Au, 159 gpt Ag, 0.3% Pb, 0.8% Zn, 0.3% Cu, which includes 1.50 m @ 0.32 gpt Au, 283 gpt Ag and 1.25 m @ 0.46 gpt Au, 315 gpt Ag, 1.0% Pb, 2.8% Zn, 0.08% Cu). Samples from three more holes have been sent for assaying.
• GoGold Resources Inc.  announced the acceleration of its drill program at Los Ricos North and South projects in Jalisco.
• Golden Tag Resources Ltd. is to recommence diamond drilling at its San Diego project in Durango. “The current expanded 4,500 metre (“m”) diamond drill exploration program is a follow up to the 4,716 m of diamond drilling that had previously been completed and reported in 1H, 2021. As of December 20, 2021 a total of 2,350 m has been drilled, leaving approximately 2,150 m of additional drilling to be completed”. A total of 1,675 samples were sent to the lab for assaying and results are pending.

ON DEALS AND CORPORATE ISSUES

• Mexus Gold US. Signed a letter of intent (LOI) with Irmex Mining, a Mexican corporation for its Mabel property in Sonora. The agreement on the 1,459 ha project will include cash and a 10% net profit interest (NPI). Mexus Gold is to focus in finding a JV partner for its flagship project Santa Elena, also in Sonora.
• Xali Gold Corp. extended the Earn-In Option Agreement with Sun River Gold Corp. on the tailings project in El Oro, Estado de Mexico, in advanced exchange for net profits interests (NPI). Xali Gold granted Sun River a 6-month extension from October 31, 2021 to April 31, 2022 (Note.- This non-existent date is in the press release) for advanced NPI payments of US$17.4 K and additional eight months for additional payments. If commercial production is not achieved by May 1, 2022, Xali Gold agreed to grant a second extension until December 31, 2002 under the following terms: 1) Advanced NPI payments of US$15 K, commencing in May; 2) Advanced NPI payments of US$50 K per month once commercial production is reached during the first year of operation, and normal 5% NPI payments afterwards; paying the first US$1.5 M of the Municipality NPI owing to Xali Gold during the first three years of operation.

ON SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

• Minera Media Luna (Torex Gold) informed on social support towards the Cocula Municipality in Guerrero.
• Minera Pangea informed on actions taken promoting the health of inhabitants near its operations in Northern Sinaloa.
• Equinox Gold informed on social support to communities near Los Filos mine in Guerrero.

On the image below: Copper stained silicified ridge on a project in the Sonoran Desert. Picture by Jorge Cirett.