By Jorge Cirett

During the 15^th week of the year (April 12^th to April 18^th, 2021), as a sign of the strong current activity, at least 43 press releases were announced by companies working in Mexico. To note, ten companies posted exploration advances on their properties, seven presented mining related news, six posted on financing or share options (including C$2.35 M, $3 M, C$14.1 M, C$5.6 M and $25 M), eight more on project development or resource definition and three posted on corporate issues. ON MEXICO ISSUES, Francisco Quiroga, the ex-secretary of Mining has been appointed ambassador in Germany. The Sonora Mining Cluster has two new female counselors. Napoleon Gomez Urrutia and its SNTMMS Union have been condemned to pay US$54 M to some of its affiliates. A new Coordination has been created in the Economy Secretariat to promote mining. The CTM Union opposes the outsourcing reform that would decrease the participation of workers in the profits of mining companies. ON EXPLORATION, In Sonora, Silver Spruce signed a LOI on the Diamante 1 and Diamante 2 projects; Ridgestone announced its exploration plan for the Rebeico property; Tocvan Ventures commenced phase II RC drilling at Pilar; Carlyle Commodities released good drilling results from Cecilia; Orogen informed its Lola and Sarape properties are being drilled by partners; Canuc Resources released information on the first drill hole on the present campaign at its San Javier Au-Ag project. In Chihuahua, Monarca Minerals signed a surface access agreement for its San Jose project; Kootenay Silver updated on drilling of its Columba project. In Sinaloa, Viszla Silver released drilling results from the Napoleon zone at its Panuco project. In San Luis Potosi and Zacatecas Advance Gold released results from auger sampling at several salars. ON MINING, Magna Gold, Fortuna Silver Mines, Sierra Metals, Excellon and First Majestic Silver released Q1 2021 production results. Consolidated Zinc announced the commencement of concentrate production from the recently refurbished plant at Plomosas in Chihuahua. ON FINANCING, Colibri Resources, Sonoro Gold, Santacruz Silver Mining, Heliostar Metals and Candelaria Mining released news on financing (with C$2.35 M, $3 M; $14.1 M, C$4 M and up to $25 M respectively). Defiance Silver completed its uplisting to the OTCQX Best Market ON RESOURCES AND DEVELOPMENT, Equinox Gold commenced the development of the Bermejal underground mine in Guerrero. Xali Gold submitted permit applications for the Mexico Mines Tailings project in El Oro, Estado de Mexico. Gatos Silver presented good drilling results from both extensions of the Cerro Los Gatos deposit in Chihuahua. Fabled Silver Gold released results from drilling at Santa Maria, Chihuahua. SilverCrest Metals released high-grade drilling results from several veins at Las Chispas, Sonora. Almaden Minerals is conducting an induced polarization survey at the Ixtaca deposit in Puebla. GoGold Resources released drilling results from El Favor zone at its Los Ricos North project in Jalisco. Golden Tag Resources released results from drilling at its San Diego property in Durango.   ON DEALS AND CORPORATE ISSUES, VanGold Mining closed with Endeavour Silver the acquisition of the El Cubo mine and mill complex in Guanajuato. Silver Spruce Resources signed a LOI with Colibri Resource on the Diamante 1 and Diamante 2 properties in Sonora. Empress Royalty executed a $5 M Silver Stream agreement with Telson Mining. ON SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY, no relevant news.

ON MEXICO ISSUES

• Francisco Quiroga Fernández, Mining ex-subsecretary was appointed ambassador of Mexico in Germany. Rare in the present administration, he’s a competent professional with experience in the private industry, and more than capable to develop and strengthen political and economic ties between the two countries.  
• The Sonora Mining Cluster named Silvia Álvarez and Maria López Rosas as new counselors to the organism.
• The Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores Mineros, Metalúrgicos y Similares de La República Mexicana (a strong Mining Union) and its leader Napoleón Gómez Urrutia have lost a legal law suit and have been condemned by the Junta Federal de Conciliación y Arbitraje to pay US$54 M. The Union received these funds from the sale of the Cananea mine 15 years ago, and was supposed to deliver that money to the at the time workers of the company in charge. The union failed to deliver the funds to the miners.
• The Mexican president ordered by decree the creation of the Coordination of Extractive Activities on the Economy Secretariat. Said unit is to coordinate the mining activities of the State and actions to promote national and foreign investments in mining, among other activities.
• The CTM Union (Confederación de Trabajadores de México) opposes the reform on outsourcing that would lower the amount the miners receive as participation on the company’s annual profits.  

ON EXPLORATION

• Silver Spruce Resources Inc. signed a letter of intention (LOI) on two properties in Sonora, Diamante 1 and Diamante 2 covering 1,057 hectares. Historical assays from samples in the Diamante 1 and Diamante 2 properties, which display epithermal intermediate sulfidation mineralization have returned up to 39.8 gpt Au, 3,460 gpt Ag, 7.3% Pb, 5.6% Zn. Diamante 1 has already six main targets, including the La Prieta-El Aguaje vein system, which runs for 2,000 m averaging 1 m in width. At Diamante 2 The Calton area displays two vein 900 m and 1,100 m in length, ranging from 0.30 m to 1.70 m in width. The El Cumbro-Mezquite Raizudo veins follow a structural trend 900 m long, displaying an average width of 1 meter.
• Advance Gold Corp. released results from auger drilling sampling at all the salars it recently acquired in Zacatecas and San Luis Potosí. The 0.5 m to 1 m of depth samples returned highlighted results of up to 650 ppm boron (B), 1.91% Potassium (K) and 620 ppm Lithium (Li). The average grade of the samples was 247 ppm B, 1.17% K and 215 ppm Li.
• Monarca Minerals Inc. executed and ratified by a Notary Public the surface access agreement with both the Ejido and Colonia on its San Jose silver project in Chihuahua. The company is now to apply for the environmental permit that will allow it to conduct its planned 5,000 m drilling campaign.
• Ridgestone Mining Inc. announced an exploration plan for its 3,459 hectares Rebeico project in Sonora. The current phase will comprise geologic mapping, sampling and prospecting, with focus on the New Year zone, the Santa Elena outcrop and El Cobre mine.
• Tocvan Ventures Corp. announced the start of phase II of its drilling program at the Pilar project in Sonora. The two-stage 4,000 m reverse circulation (RC) drill program will focus first on the “definition and expansion of the Main Zone, which during Phase I returned 94.6-meters at 1.6 g/t Au including 9.2m at 10.8 g/t Au and 38 g/t Ag”, and then to test the new targets across the property.
• Kootenay Silver Inc. reported it has completed 12 core drill holes totalling 1,800 m as part of its 5,000 m campaign at its Columba project in Chihuahua. Kootenay has tested the F vein and is now testing an area east of the J-Z zone.
• Carlyle Commodities Corp. released the first batch of drill results from the Cecilia project in Sonora. The program consisted of seven holes, of which results have been received for five. The best intercept was 24.2 m @ 1.51 gpt Au. Other core-length highlighted intervals comprise 1.30 m @ 0.69 gpt Au; 5.95 m @ 0.20 gpt Au, 3.10 m @ 0.52 gpt Au; 9.45 m @ 0.23 gpt Au; 1.00 m @ 0.55 gpt Au; 3.45 m @ 0.35 gpt Au; 4.30 m @ 0.29 gpt Au; 6.10 m @ 0.43 gpt Au; 3.00 m @ 0.87 gpt Au. “The first drill program from Carlyle and Riverside was focused on targeting the hydrothermal system identified at two principal elevations: 2,200 m and 1,900 m, respectively corresponding to the San Jose Target and the North Breccia Target…… to test the continuity of the mineralized structures at shallow depth”.  
• Orogen Royalties Inc. announced the commencement of drilling programs on two of its properties in Sonora. At La Lola, partner Heliostar Metals Ltd. has initiated a 1,500 m drilling program. At the 57.8 square km Sarape project, Orogen and partner Hochschild PLC commenced a planned 3,000 m program. Eight holes will be drilled on 2.5 km of the Sarape vein. “In 2019, nine holes drilled within a 380-metre-long segment of the vein defined a structural dilation zone at 100-350 metres depth (Figure 2). In this zone the vein thickens to 23.6 metres in width..…. A deeper horizon will also be drilled to identify if the grade of the vein improves with depth”.
• Canuc Resources Corp. informed on drilling advance at its San Javier Ag-Au project in Sonora. The first hole of a planned 6,000 m program was ended at 89.5 m in a fault zone. It intersected brecciated sedimentary rocks with stockwork veining and three intervals of massive magnetite breccia. “The 20-hole program is designed to test at least 4 magnetic features that underlie areas where a 2020 mapping and rock sampling program identified silver, gold and copper mineralization. At surface, the host rocks for three of these features are found to be magnetite breccia”. The program is focused on magnetic anomalies identified by a previous survey.
• Viszla Silver Corp. released drilling results from step out drilling at the southern extension of the Napoleon prospect at its Panuco project in Sinaloa. The Napoleon vein has been mapped for more than 2.5 km and has four rigs drilling at the time. Highlighted true width intercepts comprise 4.46 m @ 890 gpt Ag, 19.99 gpt Au, 0.7% Pb, 1.8% Zn (including 0.92 m @ 3,804 gpt Ag, 91.91 gpt Au, 1.5% Pb, 3.5% Zn); 1.92 m @ 105.9 gpt Ag, 7.28 gpt Au, 0.7% Pb, 2.9% Zn (including 1.45 m @ 131 gpt Ag, 9.39 gpt Au, 0.8% Pb, 3.1% Zn)

ON MINING

• Fortuna Silver Mines Inc. released production results for the first quarter 2021, including figures from its Mexican operations. At San José, in Oaxaca, 259.8 K tonnes @ 217 gpt Ag, 1.36 gpt Au were milled, recovering 90.8% Ag, 90.5% Au to produce 1.65 M Oz Ag, 10,301 Oz Au.
• Consolidated Zinc Ltd. announced the 2021 zinc concentrate “benchmark treatment charge (TC) has been agreed between the major miners and smelters at US$159.00/t of concentrate, a reduction of 47% from last year’s benchmark treatment charge of US$299.75/t”. Treatment charges in 2020 represented 33% of total operating costs (before by-product credits) being the single largest operating cost (Plomosas, Chihuahua).
• Magna Gold Corp. informed production levels have benefited from the accelerated stripping program, resulting in month to month growth in gold production, with 3,085 ounces in January, 2,670 ounces in February and 4,030 ounces in March. Magna anticipates the mine will return to full scale commercial production by June of this year, with 2021 guidance in the range of 55,000 to 65,000 Oz Au. During the Q1 2021, 619 K tonnes were mined @ 0.34 gpt Au, with 5.2 M tonnes of waste moved (8.40 strip ratio) to produce 9,785 Oz Au, 8.1 K Oz Ag.
• Sierra Metals Inc. reported first quarter 2021 production reports, including figures from its Mexican properties. At Bolivar, in Chihuahua, 371.6 K tonnes were processed @ 0.77% Cu, 19.7 gpt Ag, 0.19 gpt Au, recovering 82.8% Cu, 83.6% Ag, 69.6% Au, to produce 5.2 M Lb Cu, 197 K Oz Ag, 1,591 Oz Au (7.3 M Lb CuEq). At Cusi, also in Chihuahua, 76.6 K tonnes were processed @ 15.2 gpt Ag, 0.16 gpt Au, 0.22% Pb, recovering 80.9% Ag, 39.6% Au, 81.5% Pb, to produce 313 K Oz Ag, 155 Oz Au, 298 K Lb Pb (334 K AgEq Oz Ag).
• Consolidated Zinc Ltd. announced the first concentrate from the newly refurbished plant at its Plomosas property in Chihuahua has been produced.
• Excellon Resources Inc. released Q1 2021 production results from the Platosa mine in Durango. At the site 21,212 tonnes were mined, 21,764 tonnes were milled @ 524 gpt Ag, 5.35% Pb, 6.73% Zn, recovering 89.7% Ag, 81.8% Pb, 74.7% Zn to produce 328.7 K Oz Ag, 2.1 M Lb Pb, 2.4 M Lb Zn, or 516.7 K Oz AgEq.
• First Majestic Silver Corp. produced during the Q1 2021 2.9 M Oz Ag, 23,873 Oz Au, or 4.5 M Oz AgEq from its three mines in Mexico: San Dimas in Durango, Santa Elena in Sonora and La Encantada in Coahuila. The company completed 39,552 m in exploration drilling during the quarter, with 10 rigs at San Dimas, seven rigs at Santa Elena and two rigs at La Encantada.

ON FINANCING

• Colibri Resource Corp. has closed a non-brokered private placement for CAD$2.35 M in gross profits. (Evelyn, Sonora).
• Sonoro Gold Corp. has increased its non-brokered private placement to raise an aggregate of $3 M thorough the exercise of over allotment options (Cerro Caliche, Sonora).
• Santacruz Silver Mining Ltd. closed its non-brokered private placement offering, for gross proceeds of CDN$14.1 M (Carrizales, Hidalgo).
• Defiance Silver Corp. successfully completed an uplisting to the OTCQX Best Market (San Acacio, Zacatecas).
• Heliostar Metals Ltd. is increasing the size of its C$4 M marketed private placement to raise up to C$5.6 M (La Lola, Sonora).
• Candelaria Mining Corp. intends to raise up to $25 M to fund exploration activities at the Caballo Blanco district in Veracruz, and the Pinos project in Zacatecas.

ON RESOURCES AND DEVELOPMENT

• Equinox Gold Corp. is commencing development of the Bermejal underground mine at its Los Filos project in Guerrero.
• Xali Gold Corp. submitted permit applications for the Mexico Mines Tailings project in El Oro, Estado de México. The permits are to allow both the transportation and re-processing of the tailings at a new 25 hectares plant site located 5 Km from the current location. Xali’s is to pay the El Oro municipality an 8%  net profit interest (NPI). The project has an inferred resource of 1.27 M Tonnes grading 2.94 Au g/t, 75.12 Ag g/t, containing 119,900 Oz Au and 3.06 M Oz Ag.
• Gatos Silver Inc. reported drilling results of delineation drilling at Cerro Los Gatos in Chihuahua. The program has demonstrated continuity in both the southeast and northwest projections of the current reserve. Highlighted true width drill results include: 9.5 m @ 0.11 gpt Au, 51 gpt Ag, 2.1% Pb, 3.1% Zn; 3.4 m @ 0.12 gpt Au, 122 gpt Ag, 5.0% Pb, 9.8% Zn, 0.2% Cu; 5.4 m @ 0.25 gpt Au, 121 gpt Ag, 1.5% Pb, 2.9% Zn; 7.2 m @ 0.14 gpt Au, 106 gpt Ag, 3.5% Pb, 3.4% Zn, 0.1% Cu; 2.6 m @ 0.21 gpt Au, 327 gpt Ag, 9.2% Pb, 3.8% Zn, 0.14% Cu; 12.0 m @ 0.15 gpt Au, 44 gpt Ag, 1.1% Pb, 4.0% Zn, 0.15% Cu; 2.8 m @ 0.20 gpt Au, 111 gpt Ag, 1.6% Pb, 3.9% Zn, 1.3% Cu; 1.9 m @ 0.12 gpt Au, 132 gpt Ag, 3.2% Pb, 9.9% Zn, 0.4% Cu; 7.2 m @ 0.06 gpt Au, 25 gpt Ag, 1.0% Pb, 10.3% Zn, 0.2% Cu; 5.7 m @ 0.17 gpt Au, 152 gpt Ag, 3.0% Pb, 4.4% Zn, 0.30% Cu.
• Fabled Silver Gold Corp. released drilling results from its Santa Maria property in Chihuahua. The last sample on the last drill hole returned 75.9 gpt Ag, with 6.4 m of similar material awaiting results. Fabled is making a reinterpretation of previous work and testing the new targets identified. The ongoing 8,000 m drill program has been increased to at least 9,200 m. “This program will be focused underground to delineate the Santa Maria Central Structure with multi underground drill stations being prepared”.
• SilverCrest Metals Inc. released additional in-fill and expansion drill results s from the Babi Vista vein splay, Babi Vista vein, Granaditas 1 vein, Granaditas 2 vein, and adjacent hangingwall and footwall veins in the Babicanora Area of its Las Chispas Project in Sonora. The results are from 78 holes totaling 29,308 m completed since the last news release for these veins, in areas with mineral resources or in close proximity. Average results for the Babi Vista vein splay comprise 0.91 true width @ 16.12 gpt Au, 1,351 gpt Ag, with individual intercepts of up to 1.04 m @ 185.65 gpt Au, 13,959 gpt Ag. Babi Vista Footwall and Granaditas 1 average 1.04 m @ 12.89 gpt Au, 1,884 gpt Ag, with the highest intercept running 0.40 m @ 114.0 gpt Au, 78,872 gpt Ag (7.89% Ag). The Babi Vista and Granaditas 2 vein average 0.67 m @ 4.56 gpt Au, 414 gpt Ag, while the Babi Vista Hangingwall averages 0.43 m @ 2.55 gpt Au, 249 gpt Ag.
• Almaden Minerals Ltd. is conducting an induced polarization geophysical survey at the Ixtaca deposit in Puebla. “The work is designed to help define drill targets beneath the area of hydrothermal alteration called the Southeast Alteration (SE) zone and at depth beneath the Ixtaca deposit (“Ixtaca Deeps”). It is hoped that this geophysical survey, along with past survey results, will identify potential zones of veining like those in the Ixtaca deposit. The discovery drill hole in the original Ixtaca deposit area was planned in part based on high resistivity and chargeability results obtained in an earlier IP geophysical survey”.
• GoGold Resources Inc. released results from six diamond drill holes from El Favor area at its Los Ricos North project in Jalisco. Highlighted core-length intervals comprise 69.3 m @ 108 gpt Ag, 0.49 gpt Au (including 15.3 m @ 392 gpt Ag, 1.76 gpt Au); 9.6 m @ 112 gpt Ag, 0.39 gpt Au; 59.0 m @ 119 gpt Ag, 0.32 gpt Au (including 5.0 m @ 361 gpt Ag, 0.90 gpt Au); 2.8 m @ 110 gpt Ag, 0.16 gpt Au; 16.1 m @ 97 gpt Ag, 0.21 gpt Au; 12.0 m @ 86 gpt Ag, 0.09 gpt Au; 3.2 m @ 204 gpt Ag, 0.15 gpt Au; 7.2 m @ 135 gpt Ag, 0.76 gpt Au; 23.3 m @ 92 gpt Ag, 0.22 gpt Au; 12.9 m @ 254 gpt Ag, 0.81 gpt Au (including 8.2 m @ 392 gpt Ag, 1.25 gpt Au).
• Golden Tag Resources Ltd. released results from the first three holes of a 4,500 m campaign at its San Diego project in Durango. A hole in the Fernandez zone returned 50.17 m @ 105 gpt AgEq; Another hole intersected 127.3 m of skarn/Fernandez style mineralization, intersecting 35.46 m @ 0.06 gpt Au, 30 gpt Ag, 0.14% Pb, 0.24% Zn, 0.01% Cu (52 gpt AgEq) and 91.84 m @ 0.07 gpt Au, 15 gpt Ag, 0.31% Pb, 0.34% Zn, 0.01% Cu (49 gpt AgEq). Other holes intercepted 1.11 m @ 0.90 gpt Au, 142 gpt Ag, 0.13% Pb, 0.21% Zn, 0.02% Cu; 3.25 m @ 0.02 gpt Au, 237 gpt Ag, 0.41% Pb, 0.82% Zn, 0.08% Cu; 1.10 m @ 0.28 gpt Au, 195 gpt Ag, 1.70% Pb, 1.92% Zn, 0.07% Cu; 2.69 m @ 0.05 gpt Au, 355 gpt Ag, 0.30 % Pb, 0.41% Zn, 0.02% Cu; 8.41 m @ 0.02 gpt Au, 24 gpt Ag, 0.61% Pb, 0.49% Zn, 0.06% Cu.

ON DEALS AND CORPORATE ISSUES

• VanGold Mining Corp. closed the acquisition of El Cubo mine and mill complex in Guanajuato with Endeavour Silver Corp..  The deal involved the payment of US$7 M in cash plus VAT and the delivery of 21.33 M shares of VanGold and a promissory note for $2.5 M a year from closing. El Cubo has 508 K tonnes grading 194 gpt Ag, 2.44 gpt Au containing 3.17 M Oz Ag, 39,860 Oz Au as indicated resources and 1.45 M tonnes @ 214 gpt Ag, 2.78 gpt Au containing 10 M Oz Ag, 129,900 Oz Au as inferred resources.
• Silver Spruce Resources Inc. signed a letter of intention (LOI) with Colibri Resource Corp. to acquire up to 50% interest in four concessions in Sonora, comprising two properties, Diamante 1 and Diamante 2 covering 1,057 hectares. The projects are separated by 700 meters, and in close proximity to other Colibri properties. The initial cash payment by Silver Spruce is to be of $75 K (Note.- The details of the deal are lengthy and involve a third party, please take a look to the appropriate press release if interested in it).
• Empress Royalty Corp. executed the US$5 M silver stream agreement on the Telson Mining Corp. owned Tahuehueto project in Durango. “Empress has now executed the US$5M silver stream agreement on production from Telson’s Tahuehueto project in Mexico. The US$5M Stream is on 100% of the payable silver production from Tahuehueto for the first 1,250,000 payable ounces; thereafter, the percentage will stepdown to 20% of the payable silver production to a maximum of 10 years from first production after which the Stream terminates”.

ON SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

• No Relevant News.

Content like what you have just read can be seen at https://gambusinoprospector.com/ and at LinkedIn’s Mexico Mineral Exploration Group.

On the image below:  Disseminated and vein constrained sulfides in a porphyritic intrusive rock in split diamond core from Cerro San Pedro in San Luis Potosi. Picture by Jorge Cirett.