During the 35^th week of the year (August 28^th to September 3^rd, 2017), at least 20 press releases were announced by companies working in Mexico, including three quarterly financial reports. ON MEXICO ISSUES, no relevant news. ON EXPLORATION, in Sonora, Alix released drilling results from its Electra property in Sonora. ON MINING, Maverix Metals and Santacruz Silver and Southern Silver reported second quarter 2017 financial results. Telson Resources initiated underground mining at Campo Morado in Guerrero. ON FINANCING, VVC Exploration, Colibri and Southern Silver announced the opening or closure of financing rounds for CA$1 M, $1.2 M and $468 K respectively. Marlin Gold withdrew $7 M from its loan facility with Wexford during July and August. Goldgroup Mining amended a credit line with Credipresto. ON RESOURCES AND DEVELOPMENT, VVC Resources initiated a drilling program in Samalayuca, Chihuahua. Sierra Metals released high-grade results from drilling at Cusi, in Chihuahua. Kootenay Silver released drilling results from La Cigarra, also in Chihuahua. Silver Bull is starting an underground drilling campaign at Sierra Mojada, Coahuila. Endeavour Silver released drilling results from Guanacevi, Durango. Mx Gold intends to begin processing of the Magistral del Oro tailings in Durango by the fourth quarter 2017. Geologix is working on the goal of expanding the resource at Tepal, Michoacan. ON DEALS AND CORPORATE ISSUES, VVC Exploration signed a LOI on the La Tuna property in Sinaloa.

ON MEXICO ISSUES

• No Relevant News.

ON EXPLORATION

• Alix Resources Corp. completed, in partnership with Lithium Australia, 1,762 m of RC drilling on 16 holes on its Electra project in the Agua Fria property in Sonora. The program resulted in the discovery of the West Flank zone, which is 25-50 m thick and extends for nearly 2.5 km. Results include 82 m @ 938 ppm Li; 75.0 m @ 966 ppm Li; 30.0 m @ 917 ppm Li; 33.0 m @ 991 ppm Li; 57.0 m @ 719 ppm Li; 45.0 m @ 816 ppm Li; 90.0 m @ 904 ppm Li.

ON MINING

• Telson Resources Inc. has commenced underground mining operations at Campo Morado in Guerrero. Plans are to accumulate up to 80,000 tons to support the initial start-up of the flotation mill. “The initial processing is planned to commence at approximately 1000 tons per day and will slowly be ramped up to the mill’s ultimate capacity of 2,500 tonnes per day.”
• Maverix Metals Inc. announced financial results for the second quarter 2017. The royalty and streaming company, which has a NSR from gold production from Pan American Silver’s La Colorada mine in Zacatecas, had a revenue of CA$4 M, with average cash cost per attributable AuEq ounce of CA$187. The company has a current cash balance of CA$32 M.
• Santacruz Silver Mining Ltd. reported financial and operating results for the second quarter of 2017. The company owns the Veta Grande and Rosario projects in Zacatecas and San Luis Potosi, respectively; producing 270.7 K AgEq Oz at cash cost $21.24 per AgEq Oz and all-in sustaining cost (AISC) of $24.62 per AgEq Oz during the period. Santacruz disposed of its interests in the Gavilanes, San Felipe and El Gachi projects for proceeds of $19.14 M, settling debt to JMET and LLC for $7.36 M and making payments to the underlying vendors of the properties for $3.48 M. The company also entered into the Membrillo property agreement to augment mineralized feed to the Rosario mill.
• Marlin Gold Mining Ltd. announced its financial results for the second quarter 2017. During the period the company produced 8,785 Oz Au at its La Trinidad mine in Sinaloa, selling 9,825 Oz Au. Currently the company has cash and finished gold account for $2.6 M, $1.7 M of finished gold and $14.2 M of gold-in-process. “Investments in shares of Golden Reign Resources Ltd. stood at $8.7 million at quarter end”.

ON FINANCING

• VVC Exploration Corp. has opened a non-brokered private placement for up to CA$1 M (Samalayuca, Chihuahua).
• Colibri Resource Corp. announced a non-brokered private placement intending to raise up $1.2 M (Pitaya and Pilar, Sonora).
• Marlin Gold Mining Ltd. informed on its second quarter report that during July and August the company received US$2 M and US$5 M respectively from the Wexford loan facility, increasing the Wexford loan to US$37 M (La Trinidad, Sinaloa).
• Goldgroup Mining Inc. announced the amendment of its outstanding loan facility from Credipresto SAPI de CV SOFOM ENR. Javier Reyes, a director of Goldgroup, is an executive officer and director at Credipresto. The aggregate outstanding balance (15% interest per annum) is now US$627 K, with the available credit set at US$1.5 M, of which US$1 M is intended to be drawn shortly. Three and a half million warrants (on Goldgroup shares) were issued to Credipresto (Cerro Prieto, Sonora).
• Southern Silver Exploration Corp. closed the second tranche of its previously announced private placement, with gross proceeds of $468 K. The private placement was comprised of a brokered and non-brokered component. Gravitas Securities received a cash fee of $42.2 K and 105.6 K options. The proceeds are to be used on the continuing exploration of the Cerro Las Minitas property in Durango.

ON RESOURCES AND DEVELOPMENT

• VVC Exploration Corp. started a diamond drilling program on its Samalayuca copper project in Chihuahua. The 3,000 m program is focusing on the area of the La Gloria open pit, mined by Gambusinos in the 1960’s. A recently completed magnetic survey is backing the location site for 15 inclined holes that are to be 100 to 300 m in length.
• Sierra Metals Inc. presented results from the expanded 14,000 m drilling program on 22 holes completed at the Santa Rosa de Lima zone within its Cusi property in Chihuahua. Intercepts include >3.8 m @ 287 g/t Ag, 0.1% Pb, 0.1% Zn; >4.5 m @ 401 g/t Ag, 0.1% Pb, 0.2% Zn; >4.0 m @ 205 g/t Ag, 2.4% Pb, 3.1% Zn; >13.8 m @ 465 g/t Ag, 0.5% Pb, 0.3% Zn; >4.7 m @ 172 g/tAg, 5.3% Pb, 5.1% Zn. The average grade and true width of infill intercepts is 343 g/t AgEq over 3.63 m, with the step-out holes extending the known mineralization zone to 1.7 km along the 12 km long Santa Rosa de Lima structure.
• Kootenay Silver Inc. disclosed results from the last drill hole to extend the recently discovered Las Venadas zone within its La Cigarra property in Chihuahua. The hole is 140 m northeast from the last hole, intercepting 7.0 m @ 169 g/t Ag; 12.0 m @ 121 g/t Ag; 24.2 m @ 93 g/t Ag. “The strength and intensity of brecciation, veining and alteration observed in hole CC-17-28 is consistent with discovery hole CC-17-26, which bottomed in veining. Textures are indicative of a variant of an epithermal hydrothermal breccia complex”.
• Silver Bull Resources Inc. started a 2,000 m underground diamond drill program targeting the recently identified zone of high grade sulfide mineralization at its Sierra Mojada project in Coahuila. The program is to be carried out by the company owned Termite drill rig, capable of drilling up to 100 m of HQ size diamond core.
• Endeavour Silver Corp. released drilling results extending high-grade mineralization along strike on the Santa Cruz vein and on a newly discovered splay named the La Negra vein, on its Guanaceví mine in Durango. Highlighted true width intercepts: 2.0 m @ 0.4 g/t Au, 259 g/t Ag (on La Negra vein); 2.9 m @ 0.5 g/t Au, 260 g/t Ag; 2.6 m @ 0.3 g/t Au, 334 g/t Ag; 1.9 m @ 0.5 g/t Au, 324 g/t Ag; 3.4 m @ 0.7 g/t Au, 786 g/t Ag; 1.3 m @ 0.4 g/t Au, 397 g/t Ag; 1.9 m @ 0.8 g/t Au, 357 g/t Ag; 1.2 m @ 1.7 g/t Au, 618 g/t Ag.
• MX Gold Corp. announced in its JV with GracePoint Mining Corp. the project completion and production commencement by the fourth quarter of 2017 on its Magistral del Oro tailing s project in Durango. “…includes a fully permitted, 500 tonne-per-day dynamic cyanide countercurrent system plant constructed in 2013 and tailings containing a historic estimate of 1.25 million tonnes averaging 2.06 grams per tonne gold.”
• Geologix Explorations Inc. is re-logging selected drill hole intersections on the South Pit of its Tepal property in Michoacan, trying to determine where the high grade structurally controlled ore lies. Rockchip samples are being collected for assay, and also for alteration and geophysical studies. The work is aimed to expand the economic resource base and make additional discoveries, enhancing the preliminary economic assessment (PEA).

ON DEALS AND CORPORATE ISSUES

• VVC Exploration Corp. signed a letter of intent with Southern Fuels, Inc. to buy the La Tuna gold property in Sinaloa. To complete the acquisition, due diligence work is being carried out, and a formal purchase and sale agreement needs to be negotiated, with a first payment to be made during September 2017.

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, Cananea and the Buenavista del Cobre mine as seen from the North. Photo by Jorge Cirett.