During the 10th week of the year (March 6th to March 12th, 2017), at least 22 press releases were announced by companies working in Mexico. ON EXPLORATION, Chesapeake presented an update on regional exploration in Durango and Sinaloa. ON MINING, McEwen, Timmins Gold, US Antimony and Odyssey Marine Exploration presented 2016 results. Consolidated Zinc presented drilling and rockchip sample results ON FINANCING, Four companies announced financial news, with Leagold raising C$175 M; Telson obtaining a US$2 M credit line; Alix raising $248.5 K and McEwen on a share repurchase plan. ON RESOURCES AND DEVELOPMENT, McEwen announced a well-funded exploration budget for its properties in Sinaloa; Mag Silver disclosed a probable increase on the projected processing plant at Valdecañas by its JV partner, Mexus advances toward production in Sonora and Sierra Metals informed of fairly good drilling results from a brownfield zone in Chihuahua. ON DEALS AND CORPORATE ISSUES, Avino Silver announced the death of founder and CEO for more than 30 years, Louis Wolfin, a pioneer of Canadian mining investments in Mexico; Radius Silver sold a property in Oaxaca; Santacruz Silver amended an agreement with Hochschild; finally, Colibri shares on the TSX remain halted.
ON EXPLORATION
- Chesapeake Gold Corp. has identified four precious and base metals projects with district scale potential in the more than 85,000 hectares held by the company. At Yarely, Sinaloa, three target areas have been defined on a 70,000 hectare land package assembled by staking and acquisition. At Yarely North 12 veins ranging up to 12 m in width have been traced for an average length of 650 m, with rock samples returning 2 m @ 19.5 g/t Au, 505 g/t Ag; 11 m @ 1.1 g/t Au, 42, g/t Ag, 8 m @ 1.6 g/t Au, 33 g/t Ag; 3 m @ 1.1 g/t Au, 805 g/t Ag. At Yarely Central the mineralized zone measures 1.5 by 2.0 Km, with several wide zones of quartz stockwork and disseminated polymetallic mineralization, with trench samples returning 14 m @ 1.5 g/t Au, 143 g/t Ag; 93 m @ 17 g/t Ag; 36 m @ 0.7 g/t Au, 26 g/t Ag. At Yarely South preliminary sampling has returned up to 83 g/t Ag, 2.9% Cu, 0.12% Mo. At El Paso in Sinaloa, extensive exoskarn and intrusive hosted quartz stockworks are present, with channel samples returning 69 m @ 2.2 g/t Au, 8 g/t Ag, 1.1% Zn; 50 m @ 0.6 g/t Au, 12 g/t Ag. At Nicole, in Durango, quartz breccia veins transition at depth to dissemination and stockwork. On the veins, channel samples returned 7 m @ 3.1 g/t Au, 238 g/t Ag, 0.3% Zn; 3 m @ 12 g/t Au, 450 g/t Ag; while lower in the system sampling has returned 30 m @ 1.2 g/t Au, 29 g/t Ag, 1.5% Zn; 30 m @ 0.7 g/t Au, 19 g/t Ag, 0.7% Zn. At San Javier, in Durango, sampling on a 4 km long quartz stockwork has returned 60 m @71 g/t Ag, 0.6% Pb; 28 m @ 158 g/t Ag, 0.3% Pb; while another 3 km long structurally associated breccia has returned 48 m @ 1.0 g/t Au.
ON MINING
- McEwen Mining Inc. reported financial results for 2016, including figures for its El Gallo mine in Sinaloa, where 54,929 Oz Au, 25,336 Oz Ag were produced at an average grade for the ore of 2.14 g/t Au. The 2017 guidance for the unit is 49,700 Oz Au, 24,000 Oz Ag, at cash cost $760 and AISC $900 per AuEq Oz. As of the end of 2016 the company had 58.8 M in cash, investments and precious metals, and no debt.
- United States Antimony Corp. announced that it has successfully transitioned from custom smelting antimony concentrates at the Madero, Coahuila, plant to its own mine production. Antimony production in January was 159 K pounds and 185.8 K pounds in February. The company expects to ramp up production form Wadley (San Luis Potosi), Soyatal (Queretaro) and Guadalupe. During 2016 US Antimony produced 2.9 M pounds Sb, 604 Oz Au, 38.1 K Oz Ag.
- Timmins Gold Corp. announced financial results 2016, producing 100,322 Oz Au at cash cost $734 and all-in sustaining cost of $853 per gold ounce. The company ended the year with $33.9 M in cash and working capital of $37.8 M.
- Consolidated Zinc Ltd. released rock sample results from the Tres Amigos North zone, and resource drilling results at its Plomosas project in Chihuahua. The results from seven continuous rock samples range from 21.4% to 24.8% Zn+Pb, including up to 19.2% Zn, 11.6% Pb and 38 g/t Ag. Resource definition drilling results include 1.3 m @ 4.5% Zn, 1.7% Pb, 15 g/t Ag; 4.7 m @ 11.6% Zn, 6.7% Pb, 31 g/t Ag; 3.95 m @ 3.8% Zn, 0.1% Pb, 1 g/t Ag.
- Odyssey Marine Exploration Inc. reported full year results for 2016, with a net loss of $6.3 M. Its seabed phosphate San Diego Project off the coast of Baja California has not yet been awarded the environmental permit needed, Odyssey expects to obtain the said permit in 2017.
ON FINANCING
- McEwen Mining Inc. plans to repurchase up to 5.4% of its outstanding common stock (up to $15 M). During 2015 and 2016 $1.8 M and 0.6 M were repurchased respectively.
- Alix Resources Corp. completed the second and final tranche of a non-brokered flow through private placement, for gross proceeds of $248.5 K.
- Telson Resources Inc. has secured a $2 M line of credit for leasing underground and surface mining equipment for mine development at its Tahuehueto project in Durango. The surface area rights to install the processing plant in Tepehuanes have been secured.
- Leagold Mining Corp. completed its previously announced offering for aggregate gross proceeds of C$175 M. The net proceeds from the offering will be used to fund a portion of the purchase price of the Los Filos mine in Guerrero from Goldcorp Inc.
ON RESOURCES AND DEVELOPMENT
- McEwen Inc. has budgeted $6 M for El Gallo silver project in Sinaloa, $3 M in exploration and $3 M in development.
- Mag Silver Corp. disclosed that its JV partner (Fresnillo PLC) in the Valdecañas project in Zacatecas is considering to increase the planned processing plant capacity from 2,650 tonnes per day (tpd) to 4,000 tpd, reflecting the latest drill intercepts in the deeper zone. Permitting on the new design has already commenced, and formal approval by Frenillo’s Board is to come on the next three to four months. A 20,000 meters drill program for 2017 has still to be approved by the JV Technical Committee.
- Mexus Gold US. has completed the testing of the leach circuit. Testing and calibration of chemical treatment equipment is underway before the leaching process begins.
- Sierra Metals Inc. delivered drilling results from La Sidra vein and Bolivar West, at its Bolivar mine site in Chihuahua. At La Sidra Ag-Au mineralization currently extends over 500 m in length and 300 m in depth, and is open along strike and depth, while at Bolivar drilling proceeds at the skarn ore area and geophysics targets. At La Sidra, drill length intercepts include 3.75 m @ 0.7 g/t Au, 717 g/t Ag, 0.4% Pb, 1.3% Zn; 9.75 m @ 4.0 g/t Au, 390 g/t Ag, 1.9% Pb, 5.0% Zn; 5.7 m @ 1.8 g/t Au, 91 g/t Ag, 0.7% Pb, 1.8% Zn; 1.75 m @ 3.9 g/t Au, 537 g/t Ag, 1.2% Pb, 1.7% Zn. At Bolivar intercepts include 9.15 m @ 69 g/t Ag, 2.3% Cu, 2% Zn; 7.35 m @ 42 g/t Ag, 1.3% Cu, 1.4% Zn; 12.6 m @ 133 g/t Ag, 1.4% Cu, 0.7% Zn; 6.0 m @ 1.4 g/t Au, 42 g/t Ag, 1.4% Cu.
ON DEALS AND CORPORATE ISSUES
- Avino Silver & Golod Mines Ltd. announced the death of founder and CEO for more than 30 years, Louis Wolfin, at the age of 85. Mister Wolfin founded Avino in 1968, and the Avino mine went into production in 1974. Avino Silver Gold Mines Ltd. was one of the first Canadian companies to invest in the mining industry in Mexico, more than 20 years before the opening of the industry for full foreign investment in the country.
- Radius Gold Inc. reached an agreement for the sale of its Tlacolula property in Oaxaca to Fortuna Silver Mines Inc. As an amendment to a previous contract, Fortuna acquires 100% interest in the property by issuing Radius 250 K shares of Fortuna and granting a 2% NSR royalty. Fortuna will retain the right to purchase 1% of the royalty by paying Radius US$1.5 M.
- Santacruz Silver Mining Ltd. completed the amended agreement with Hochschild by issuing 13.4 M shares of the company, in consideration for the restructuring of the payment there-under.
- Colibri Resource Corp. announced trading in its shares remains halted pending filing and review of documentation by Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada, regarding the acquisition of Canadian Gold Resources.
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 below, Cerro Lanza in Chiapas, a Tertiary volcanic neck poking through Mesozoic sedimentary rocks. Photo by Jorge Cirett.
