rhythmically banded quartz vein

By Miguel A Heredia

During the 35^th week of the year (August 27^th to September 2^nd, 2018), at least 18 press releases were announced by companies working in Mexico, with seven informing on exploration results, five announcing financing issues, four communicating deals and corporate issues, one reporting production results, and one reporting on resources and developments.  ON MEXICO ISSUES, no relevant news.  ON EXPLORATION, In Sonora, Azure reported that project operator Teck Resources commenced its second drilling campaign on the El Alacrán project; Minaurum acquired two additional mineral concessions at its Alamos Silver project and discovered three new veins; Ridgestone commenced a 1,400m drilling program at its Rebeico project; and Riverside provided an exploration update of its Mexican projects portfolio.  In Chihuahua, Harvest approved the budget to drill its Cerro Cascaron project, and Radius mobilized a drill team to explore its Amalia project. In Sinaloa, Goldplay reported historical core sampling results from its San Marcial project.  ON MINING, Santacruz reported Q2 2018 results from their Veta Grande project in Zacatecas and the El Rosario project in San Luis Potosi. ON FINANCING, Evrim closed a private placement for $7,272,601.50. Prize closed the first tranche of a private placement for $1,530.000. Vangold announced a non-brokered private placement for up to $500,000. Sable launched an early warrant exercise incentive program to exercise warrants exercisable for common shares. ON RESOURCES AND DEVELOPMENT, Endeavour updated mineral reserves and resource estimates and a PFS on its Terronera project in Jalisco. ON DEALS AND CORPORATE ISSUES, Silver Viper terminated its option agreement on the Clemente project in Sonora with Riverside. Ethos Gold entered into an option agreement to acquire a contiguous claim to its la Purisima project in Chihuahua. Santacruz amended the Contracuña option and a short-term loan agreement. Endeavour announced an initiative to reduce capital and operating costs.

ON MEXICO ISSUES

• No relevant news.

ON EXPLORATION

• Azure Minerals Limited, announced that Teck Resources commenced its second drilling campaign on the El Alacrán project in Sonora. Two diamond drill rigs have been mobilized to carry out a 5,000m program with the objective to test high priority drill targets including Cerro Alacrán (porphyry Cu target) and Cerro Simon (epithermal Au-Ag target).
• Minaurum Gold Inc., acquired the 10,159 Ha La Quintera claim and the 400 Ha Yoreme claim to expand its land package to 16,134 Ha at its Alamos Silver project in Sonora. Three new veins have been discovered on the Yoreme concession measuring between 900m to 1,800m long. Vein sampling returned from anomalous up to 250 g/t Ag, 1.29% Cu, 4.74% Pb, and 1.99% Zn. “With the newly found Yoreme veins, we have outlined a vein swarm of 12 prominent and separate veins within an overall corridor measuring 10 km long and 2.7 km wide at Alamos.” stated Darrell Rader, President and CEO of Minaurum. “The new claims not only triple the size of our holdings but also ensure that we control the strike of all known veins, greatly expanding the impressive untested exploration potential at Alamos.”
• Ridgestone Mining Inc., commenced a 1,400m diamond drill program at its Rebeico Au-Cu project in Sonora. The drilling program has the aim to test for Au-Cu mineralization below historical workings along the Alaska vein which has a strike length of over 1km and is open at depth.
• Riverside Resources Inc., provided an exploration update of its projects portfolio. At its Cecilia project in Sonora, the company is conducting a soil survey sampling covering the larger surrounding concession acquired through the Mexican lottery system last year. Riverside also announced that Silver Viper Minerals Corp terminated its option on the Clemente project in Sonora and is currently compiling all the new information. It is also refining targets on its three copper assets in Sonora: Thor, Ariel and El Teco.
• Harvest Gold Corporation, approved the drill program budget submitted by Evrim Resources Corp., for the diamond drill program at its Cerro Cascaron project in Chihuahua. The drill program will consists of 3,000m in 15 holes to cover seven target areas and is expected to initiate in late September.
• Radius Gold Inc., mobilized a drill team to explore its Amalia project in Chihuahua. The 2,000m drill program will be conducted by Pan American Silver and is expected to commence in September on multiple drill targets, including Campamento target, a 500m by 70m zone of intense silicification and brecciation with massive and stockwork veining; Guadalupe target, a high-grade andesite hosted structurally controlled breccia zone, and Dulces target, a poorly exposed vein within an extensive area of argillic altered andesite volcanics and related Au in soil anomaly.
• Goldplay Exploration Ltd., reported sampling results of the historical core from its San Marcial project in Sinaloa and confirms open pit target near surface with 46m of 129 g/t Ag Eq, including 7.5m of 379 g/t Ag Eq, and 1.5m of 1,079 g/t Ag Eq.

ON MINING

• Santacruz Silver Mining Ltd., reported Q2 2018 results from its Veta Grande project in Zacatecas and the El Rosario project in San Luis Potosi. 52,025 tones were processed during Q2 2018 to produce 52K Oz Ag at a production cost of $66.12 per tonne.

ON FINANCING

• Evrim Resources Corp., closed a private placement with Newmont Canada Corporation for $7,272,601.50. Proceeds from the private placement will provide funding for the Cuale high sulphidation epithermal gold project in Jalisco, Mexico and for general corporate purposes.
• Prize Mining Corporation, closed the first tranche of a brokered private placement for $1,530,000. Net proceeds will be used on its Manto Negro project in Coahuila.
• Vangold Mining Corp., announced a non-brokered private placement financing for up to $500,000. Net proceeds will be used to advance its Pinguino mine project in Guanajuato.
• Sable Resources Ltd., launched an early warrant exercise incentive program to encourage the early exercise of up to 27,205,500 of its outstanding unlisted warrants exercisable for common shares at a price of $0.25.

 

ON RESOURCES AND DEVELOPMENT

• Endeavour Silver Corp., updated mineral reserves and resource estimates and a PFS on its Terronera project in Jalisco. Indicated resources are 4,363,000 tonnes of 239 g/t Ag and 2.53 g/t Au for a total of 33.4M Oz Ag and 354K oz Au. Inferred resources are 1,073,000 tonnes of 252 g/t Ag and 2.38 g/t Au for a total of 8.8M Oz Ag and 82K Oz Au. Probable reserves are 4,701,000 tonnes of 226 g/t Ag and 2.28 g/t Au for a total of 33.8M Oz Ag and 342K Oz Au. The company also disclosed results of the PFS. Highlights include a mine life of 9.5 years with average annual production of 5.1M Oz Ag Eq in phase 2 (year 3 and onwards); a cash cost of $0.15 per Oz Ag, net of Au by-product credits and all in sustaining cost of $1.36 per Oz Ag, net of Au by-product credits, and a robust economics including an after-tax 5% NPV of $117.8M (51% increase from 2017 PFS), an Internal Rate of Return of 23.5% and Payback period of 5.4 years.

ON DEALS AND CORPORATE ISSUES

• Silver Viper Minerals Corp., terminated its option agreement on the Clemente project in Sonora with Riverside Resources Inc.
• Ethos Gold Corp., entered into an option agreement to acquire an 897 Ha contiguous claim to its la Purisima project in Chihuahua. The company can acquire the 100% interest of the property at any time during the 10 years following closing of the option agreement by paying the property owner staged payments for US$550,000 and granting a 2% NSR royalty on the property of which the company can purchase 50% at any time by paying US$ 1M.
• Santacruz Silver Mining Ltd., amended the option agreement with the Contracuña group of companies to acquire 100% ownership of the Veta Grande mine and milling facilities as well as the Minillas project in Zacatecas. Santacruz also amended the repayment terms of the US$2.3M short-term loan it has with a private Bolivian mining company. Pursuant to the amended terms the principal balance of US$2.3 million is now to be repaid in October 1, 2018
• Endeavour Silver Corp., announced an initiative to reduce capital and operating costs due to the drop in precious metal prices this quarter. The exploration group will cease all drilling activities and will be focused on preparing new resource estimates and planning for 2019 to resume their drilling programs. The development group working on Terronera project in Jalisco has delayed hiring for certain positions and will not commence already permitted earthworks on the roads and plant site until receipt of final government permits for the mine dumps and plant tailings. It also conducted a review of possible short-term improvements to increase revenue and decrease costs at each of their mines to year-end.

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 rhythmically banded quartz vein in a low sulphidation epithermal project in Durango, Mexico.  Photo by Miguel A Heredia.