
Rich-hematite quartz hydrothermal breccia
By Miguel A Heredia
During the tenth week of the year (March 8th to March 148th, 2021), at least 26 press releases were announced by companies working in Mexico and 1 news published by the media, with ten informing on exploration results, six disclosing deals and corporate issues, five reporting on resources and development of their mine operations, two announcing financial rounds, two communicating production and financial results, one discussing social issues and one commenting on Mexican issues. ON MEXICO ISSUES, First Majestic responded to the several inaccurate and misleading Mexican media articles that have been recently published regarding the ongoing tax dispute with the Government of Mexico (San Dimas mine, Durango). ON EXPLORATION, In Sonora, Canuc released results of 168 channel chips samples collected at its San Javier project, Silver Spruce and its JV Partner Colibri filed an environmental report for a drilling permit at its Mezquite project, Silver Tiger presented drill results from its El Tigre project, Silver Viper announced drilling results from the last two holes collared at its La Virginia project, and Sonoro reported the latest assay results from its ongoing drill program at its Cerro Caliche project. In Chihuahua, Gatos Silver commenced a 5,400m drilling program in eighteen holes to test initial targets at its Santa Valeria project located 5km east of its Los Gatos mine. In Durango, Mithril provided an update on exploration activities carried out at its Copalquin project. In Jalisco, GoGold released results from five holes collared at El Orito Zone within its Los Ricos South project. ON MINING, Fortuna Silver reported Q4 and full year 2020 production and financial results from its San Jose mine in Oaxaca. McEwen announced Q4 and full year 2020 production and financial results from its Los Gallos mine in Sinaloa. ON FINANCING, Gatos Silver reached a definitive agreement with Dowa to increase Los Gatos JV ownership to 70% (Los Gatos mine, Chihuahua). VanGold closed a non-brokered private placement for gross proceeds of $16.95M (El Pinguico and El Cubo properties, Guanajuato). ON RESOURCES AND DEVELOPMENT, Avino increased its exploration program for 2021 and now will drill 36,000m instead of the previously planned 12,000 at its Avino mine in Durango. Capitan Mining presented drilling results from its Peñoles project in Durango. Consolidated Zinc announced that the crushing commissioning system has commenced at its wholly owned Plomosas plant in Chihuahua. Fabled released drill results from two holes collared at its Santa Maria project in Chihuahua. Prime filed an application for 7,500 hectares of mineral rights at its Los Reyes property in Sinaloa and commenced a property-wide 1,000 line-kilometer helicopter-borne high resolution aeromagnetic survey over the Los Reyes property. ON DEALS AND CORPORATE ISSUES, Advance Gold signed a purchase agreement to acquire lithium prospective salars in central Mexico as well as the acquisition of a pilot plant. Discovery Metals appointed a new member to its Board of Directors (Cordero project, Chihuahua). Empress Royalty announced that its common shares are eligible for delivery and depository services with the Depository Trust Company to facilitate electronic settlement of transfers of its common shares in the United States (Pinos project, Zacatecas). Gainey announced name change to Masivo Silver Corp (El Colomo, Nayarit). Minaurum entered into an option agreement with ASR Resources to sell 80% of its Adelita project in Sonora. Red Oak announced it was reactivated on the TSX Venture Exchange under the new name Pantera Silver Corp (Nuevo Taxco property, Guerrero). ON SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY, Fresnillo plc and Larousse have delivered more than seven thousand books in Fresnillo, Zacatecas to youngest members of the household to become interested in reading.
ON MEXICO ISSUES
- First Majestic Silver Corp., responded to the several inaccurate and misleading Mexican media articles that have been recently published regarding the ongoing tax dispute with the Government of Mexico (San Dimas mine, Durango).
ON EXPLORATION
- Canuc Resources Corporation, released results of 168 channel chips samples collected from outcrop and small underground workings at its San Javier project. The samples were channel chips ranging from 0.5 to 3.0 meters in length. Over the Northwest Anomaly Area, a total of 52 samples were collected with an average of 70 g/t Ag, including a value of 718 g/t Ag, 0.81 g/t Au and 1.03% Cu from a sample collected from an old pit overlying the magnetic anomaly. At the Mill-Rock Anomaly Area, characterized by a stockwork and breccia zone covering a strong magnetic high, a total of 75 samples were collected. The average grade was 0.7 g/t Ag, with a highest value of 4.5 g/t Ag, 1.18 g/t Au and 0.45% Cu. At the Southwest Anomaly Area , 19 samples were collected and averaged 23 g/t Ag and 0.56 g/t Au, with a highest value of 62 g/t Ag, 3.06 g/t Au and 439 ppm Cu. “A diamond drill has been mobilized to the project and has recently commenced drilling on a breccia zone magnetic anomaly which accompanies high-grade silver values, as reported on previously”.
- Silver Spruce Resources Inc., filed an environmental report (Informe Preventivo) for drilling permit at its Mezquite project. “The Company intends to conduct an initial 1,500- 2,000 metre diamond drill program to test targets where high grades of mineralization are sampled at surface, with a follow-up Phase 2 drilling program where results warrant. The Company will move forward with logistics planning and drill contractor selection while looking forward to the receipt of geochemistry results and the Informe Preventivo for the project.”
- Silver Tiger Metals Inc., presented drill results from its El Tigre project in Sonora. Significant drill intercepts were encountered in hole ET-21-203 with 0.07 g/t Au, 154 g/t Ag, 0.21% Cu, 0.1% Pb, and 0.01% Zn (183 g/t AgEq) over 1.2m, and 0.06 g/t Au, 149 g/t Ag, 0.06% Cu, 0.11% Pb, and 0.08% Zn (164 g/t AgEq) over 1.4m on Sooy Vein, as well as 0.22 g/t Au, 556 g/t Ag, 0.51% Cu, 0.45% Pb, 0.20% Zn (638 g/t AgEq) over 9.3m, including 0.56 g/t Au, 1,709 g/t Ag, 1.53% Cu, 1.18% Pb, and 0.44% Zn (1,941 g/t AgEq) over 2.9m on the Footwall Zone; and hole ET-21-07 with 0.18 g/t Au, 670 g/t Ag, 1.04% Cu, 0.68% Pb, and 0.3% Zn over 4.6m, including 0.60 g/t Au, 2,211 g/t Ag, 3.4% Cu, 2.18% Pb, and 0.69% Zn (2,658 g/t AgEq) over 1.3m and 0.08 g/t Au, 291 g/t Ag, 0.67% Cu, 0.06% Pb, and 0.18% Zn (369 g/t AgEq) over 1.8m. The significance of these 2 new holes is that Silver Tiger has followed and confirmed the new “Footwall Discovery Zone” for an initial strike length of 75m to the south of hole ET-21-202, showing a similar strike to the Sooy vein and has some dimension and scale with potentially mineable widths and grades.
- Silver Viper Minerals Corp., announced drilling results from the last two holes collared at its La Virginia project. Hole LV21-290 intersected several mineralized intervals commencing with 2.6 g/t Au and 54 g/t Ag (3.13 g/t AuEq or 219 g/t AgEq) over a true width (TW) of 4.3m, including 9.2 g(t Au and 242 g/t Ag (12.7 g/t AuEq or 886 g/t AgEq) over a TW of 0.72m, another sub-interval of 2.43 g/t Au and 88 g/t Ag (3.68 g/t AuEq or 258 g/t AgEq) over a TW of 20.1m, including 3.36 g/t Au and 134 g/t Ag (5.27 g/t AuEq or 369 g/t AgEq) over a TW of 7.3m, including 6.11 g/t Au and 239 g/t Ag (9.52 g/t AuEq or 667 g/t AgEq) over a TW of 2.15m, including 10.3 g/t Au and 491 g/t Ag (17.3 g/t AuEq or 1,212 g/t AgEq) over a TW of 0.72m. This hole also encountered 2.34 g/t Au and 77 g/t Ag (3.45 g/t AuEq or 241 g/t AgEq) over a TW of 10.32m, including 11.1 g/t Au and 351 g/t Ag (16.1 g/t AuEq or 1,128 g/t AgEq) over a TW of 0.72m. Hole LV21-291 intersected 8.1 g/t Au and 225 g/t Ag (11.3 g/t AuEq or 792 g/t AgEq) over a TW of 1.5m and a deeper intercept of 0.51 g/t Au and 25 g/t Ag (0.88 g/t AuEq or 61 g/t AgEq) over a TW of 4.5m.
- Sonoro Gold Corp., reported the latest assay results from its ongoing drill program at its Cerro Caliche project. These results are from 32 holes totalling 2,830m. Highlights include confirmation of a 200mlong, high-grade zone in the northwest extension of Buena Suerte, confirmation of continuous mineralization at the 2km long El Rincon-Veta de Oro-Abejas vein and stockwork gold mineralized zone, and further extension to the new Bellotoso gold mineralized zone through step-out drilling. Assay highlights include hole SCR-186 collared at Buena Suerte with 1.21 g/t Au over 24.39m, including 1.85 g/t Au over 13.72m; and hole SCR-198 collared at Los Japoneses Zone with 0.46 g/t Au over 19.81m.
- Gatos Silver Inc., commenced a 5,400m drilling program in eighteen holes to test initial targets at its Santa Valeria project located 5km east of its Los Gatos mine in Chihuahua. Santa Valeria appears to have similar geologic setting to the Cerro Los Gatos deposit on the eastern flank of the same sedimentary basin.
- Mithril Resources Ltd., provided an update on exploration activities carried out at its Copalquin project. The company completed twelve diamond drill holes at El Refugio, La Soledad and Los Reyes targets, with several holes intercepting the targeted geological structures. It also completed an extensive soil sampling program at the Cometa and Los Reyes targets. Assay results are pending.
- GoGold Resources Inc., released results from five holes collared at El Orito Zone within its Los Ricos South project. Hole LRGO-21-007 intersected 0.28 g/t Au, 61 g/t Ag, 0.07% Cu, 0.56% Pb, and 0.58% Zn (121 g/t AgEq) over 12.5m, including 1.29 g/t Au, 172 g/t Ag, 0.20% Cu, 1.3% Pb, and 1.4% Zn (366 g/t AgEq) over 1.6m; hole LRGO-010 with 0.39 g/t Au, 117 g/t Ag, 0.42% Cu, 5.9% Pb, and 0.6% Zn (348 g/t AgEq) over 6.6m, including 0.18 g/t Au, 150 g/t Ag, 0.63% Cu, 11.6% Pb, and 0.8% Zn (523 g/t AgEq) over 3m; and hole LRGO-21-014 with 0.31 g/t Au, 236 g/t Ag, 0.23% Cu, 2.5% Pb, and 3.6% Zn (460 g/t AgEq) over 9.8m, including 0.66 g/t Au, 577 g/t Ag, 0.24% Cu, 2.2% Pb, and 4.3% Zn (845 g/t AgEq) over 3.5m. Holes drilled at El Orito have shown mineralization averaging 50m in width over 600m in strike length and 200m in vertical depth from surface, and is open in all directions.
ON MINING
- Fortuna Silver Mines Inc., reported Q4 and full year 2020 production and financial results from its San Jose mine in Oaxaca. In Q4, 2020 Fortuna milled 272,179 tonnes of 206 g/t and 1.26 g/t Au to produce 1.65M Oz Ag and 10K Oz Au with metallurgical recoveries of 91% in both metals. The company sold 1.7M Oz Ag and 10.6K Oz Au. Production and AISC were USD $8.91 and USD $14.52 per Oz AgEq. During the full year 2020, Fortuna milled 934,381 tonnes of 224 g/t Ag and 1.38 g/t Au to produce 6.16M Oz Ag and 37.8K Oz Au with metallurgical recoveries of 92% and 91% respectively. The company sold 6.22M Oz Ag and 38.4K Oz Au. Production and AISC were USD $6.74 and USD $9.83 per Oz AgEq respectively.
- McEwen Mining Inc., announced Q4 and full year 2020 production and financial results from its Los Gallos mine in Sinaloa. The company produced 1,500 GEOs (Oz AuEq) during Q4, 2020 and produced 8,000 GEOs in the full year 2020 from residual leaching. Guidance for the year 2020 is to produce between 4,500-5,900 GEOs.
ON FINANCING
- Gatos Silver Inc., reached a definitive agreement with Dowa Metals & Mining Co., Ltd to increase Los Gatos JV ownership to 70% (Los Gatos mine, Chihuahua). Gatos Silver repurchased 18.5% of the Los Gatos JV to increase its interest from 51.5 to 70% and extinguish the Los Gatos JV´s USD $60M working capital facility. Now, Gatos Silver´s attributable portion of the working capital facility is USD $42M. Gatos Silver and Dowa expect the repurchase and working capital facility extinguishment to be completed by the end of March 2021.
- VanGold Mining Corp., closed a non-brokered private placement for gross proceeds of $16.95M. The net proceeds of the private placement will be used to, among other things, complete the acquisition and refurbishment of the El Cubo mine and mill near Guanajuato, Mexico, carry out additional exploration and definition drilling at El Cubo and El Pinguico and fund general corporate and working capital expenditures.
ON RESOURCES AND DEVELOPMENT
- Avino Silver & Gold Mines Ltd., increased its exploration program for 2021 and now will drill 36,000m instead of the previously planned 12,000 at its Avino mine in Durango. It will consist of 18,600m to explore high-grade narrow-vein mineralized systems similar to the previous mined San Gonzalo system, and 12,000m at the Oxide Tailings resource. Budgeted capital expenditures for 2021 are now expected to be between USD $9M and USD $11M, up from the original budget of between USD $6M and USD $8M.
- Capitan Mining Inc., presented ongoing results from its previously announced 6,000m drilling program at its Peñoles project in Durango. RC Hole 21-CARC-19 intersected 0.32 g/t Au and 6 g/t Ag (0.40 g/t AuEq) over 33.5m, and RC Hole 21-CARC-20 intersected 0.14 g/t Au over 18.3m, including 0.26 g(t Au over 16.8m. “RC Holes 21-CARC-19 and 20 extended mineralized zones along strike (to the west) as well as down-dip, and showed improving grades and widths. Expansion drilling program continues, with new drilling focused on expanding the Capitan Zone along strike to the east. Mineralization remains open along strike and at depth”.
- Consolidated Zinc Limited announced that the crushing commissioning system has commenced at its wholly owned Plomosas plant in Chihuahua. “The mill and wet end of the plant will be commissioned from 13 March 2021 and, as CZL has over two years’ experience in optimizing processing of Plomosas plant feeds, a short commissioning period is expected”. Processing at Aldama will continue at similar rates to the Q4, 2020, in conjunction with Plomosas plant, to increase revenues and reduce stockpiles. A new specialized haul truck has been purchased for Plomosas to increase ore haulage rates.
- Fabled Silver Gold Corp., released drill results from two holes collared at its Santa Maria project in Chihuahua. Hole SM20-05 encountered 0.57 g/t Au and 203 g/t Ag (232 g/t AgEq) over 2.20m, including 0.76 g/t Au and 245 g/t Ag (284 g/t AgEq) over 1.60m. This hole also intercepted deeper mineralized intervals such as 0.3 g/t Au and 147 g/t Ag (163 g/t AgEq) over 0.55m, and 0.25 g/t Au and 79 g/t Ag (92 g/t AgEq) over 1.40m. Fabled has completed drill holes SM20-06 – 09 for a total of 2,134 meters of the ongoing 8,000 meter drilled program completed to date. Holes SM20-06 – 09 have been sampled and submitted to lab for analysis. Hole SM 20-10 is in progress.
- Prime Mining Corp., filed an application for 7,500 hectares of mineral rights at its Los Reyes property in Sinaloa to increase its land position to 13,800 hectares. This concession called El Rey is adjacent to the eastern and northeastern Los Reyes boundary. The company also commenced a property-wide 1,000 line-kilometer helicopter-borne high resolution aeromagnetic survey over the Los Reyes property. Once the airborne geophysical survey is completed, Prime will conduct a LIDAR and Ortophoto survey aid in the ongoing geological mapping of the Los Reyes property and provide critical information on the numerous partially tested and untested structures that host Au-Ag epithermal veins.
ON DEALS AND CORPORATE ISSUES
- Advance Gold Corp., signed a purchase agreement with Hot Spring Mining to acquire 90% of 13 lithium-potassium-boron prospective salars in central Mexico (Zacatecas and San Luis Potosi States) as well as the acquisition of a pilot plant and a patented extraction method. Hot Spring will retain 10% carried interest to production that will convert to a participating interest upon commercial production. Advance will pay 5M shares upon regular approval of the deal. Advance will purchase the test plant built by Hot Spring for USD $150Kwithin 2 years and will have exclusive rights to proprietary lithium extraction method that has been patented. In the event of a sale of either the mining rights or Advance’s subsidiary, Advance Mexico, 75% of the proceeds will go to Advance Gold and 25% to Hot Spring Mining.
- Discovery Metals Corp., appointed a new member to its Board of Directors (Cordero project, Chihuahua).
- Empress Royalty Corp., announced that its common shares are eligible for delivery and depository services with the Depository Trust Company to facilitate electronic settlement of transfers of its common shares in the United States (Pinos project, Zacatecas).
- Gainey Capital Corp., announced name change effective on March 1, 2021 to Masivo Silver Corp., with a new trading symbol of “MASS” on the TSX Venture Exchange (El Colomo, Nayarit).
- Minaurum Gold Inc., entered into an option agreement with ASR Resources Corp. to sell 80% of its Adelita project in Sonora. ASR can acquire 80% interest in Adelita by issuing shares totalling 16% of its post-IPO shares outstanding, making cash payments totaling $75K, and incurring $3M in work expenditures over 5 years. Minaurum’s 20% retained interest will be carried until ASR carries out a total of $4.75M in work expenditures along with completing both a mineral resource calculation in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects and a Preliminary Economic Assessment.
- Red Oak Mining Corp., announced it was reactivated on the TSX Venture Exchange under the new name Pantera Silver Corp with the ticker symbol “PNTR”. The reactivation on the TSX Venture Exchange was approved as a result of the Company filing a National Instrument43-101 Technical Report entitled the “NI 43-101 Technical Report for Nuevo Taxco Project; Tetipac Municipality, Guerrero State, Mexico” with an effective date of December 7th, 2020.
ON SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
- Fresnillo plc and Larousse have delivered more than seven thousand books in Fresnillo, Zacatecas to youngest members of the household to become interested in reading. The mining company has given exemplary gifts in the communities in which it operates on different disciplines such as mathematics, Spanish, as well as Spanish and bilingual dictionaries.
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, a rich-hematite quartz hydrothermal breccia in a low sulphidation epithermal system in a prospect in Zacatecas, Mexico. Photo by Miguel A Heredia.