During the 1st week of the year (January 2nd to January 8th, 2023), 11 companies working in Mexico released news on their properties. No companies posted on exploration of non-advanced properties, one company posted on Q4 2022 production figures (that’s fast reporting!), no companies reported financing news. Seven companies informed on work at their advanced properties, including three that released drilling results. One mining company is dealing with uncertainty on operation rules, as SEMARNAT insists on not upholding previously emitted permits. Another company informed on an extension to an agreement for the processing of tailings. ON MEXICO ISSUES, no relevant news. ON EXPLORATION, no relevant news. ON MINING, Bear Creek Mining presented production figures for the Mercedes mine in Sonora. ON FINANCING, no relevant news. ON RESOURCES AND DEVELOPMENT, Zacatecas Silver filed a technical report with their initial mineral resource estimate for the Esperanza project in Morelos. Aztec Minerals updated on 2022 work at Cervantes in Sonora, and plans for 2023. GoGold Resources provided an outlook for work at Los Ricos Sur and Los Ricos Norte projects in Jalisco during 2023. Impact Silver released drilling results from two new veins in Zacualpan, Estado de Mexico. Avino Silver released drilling results from the Avino vein in Durango. Bendito Resources is to perform a reverse circulation drilling campaign at several targets on its El Alacrán project in Sonora. Minera Alamos filed a PEA on the Cerro de Oro project in Zacatecas. ON DEALS AND CORPORATE ISSUES, Fortuna Silver received notice from SEMARNAT on the re-assessment of the environmental impact authorization for the San Jose mine in Oaxaca. Xali Gold extended the production earn-in agreement with Sun River on the Tailings Project at El Oro, in Estado de Mexico. ON SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY, no relevant news.
ON MEXICO ISSUES
- No Relevant News.
ON EXPLORATION
- No Relevant News.
ON MINING
- Bear Creek Mining Corp. presented production figures for Q4 2022 from its Mercedes mine in Sonora. During the period, 13,710 Oz au, 40.2 K Oz Ag were produced, and a new high-grade vein was discovered at the Marianas zone. “Development work is ongoing in the Marianas, Rey de Oro and San Martin zones. There are approximately 80 meters of development required in Marianas to establish underground drilling station, Bay 5, and prepare for ore production from this zone”. Highlighted core length intercepts comprise 0.8 m @ 89.1 gpt Au, 192 gpt Ag; 3.5 m @ 5.8 gpt Au; 3.6 m @ 13.1 gpt Au in new veins and 0.9 m @ 26.2 gpt Au, 23 gpt Ag in an extension to a known vein.
ON FINANCING
- No Relevant News.
ON RESOURCES AND DEVELOPMENT
- Zacatecas Silver Corp. filed a Ni-43-101 compliant technical report supporting the initial mineral resource estimate at the Esperanza project in Morelos. The resources consist of 30.3 M tonnes @ 0.92 gpt Au, 8.6 gpt Ag in pit-constrained measured and indicated resources containing 899 K Oz Au, 8.4 M Oz Ag, and 270 K tonnes @ 1.58 gpt Au, 11.0 gpt Ag in out of pit measured and indicated resources containing 14 K Oz Au, 96 K Oz Ag. Pit-constrained inferred mineral resources stand at 8.3 M tonnes @ 0.86 gpt Au, 14.7 gpt Ag, containing 229 K Oz Au, 3.9 M Oz Ag and out of pit inferred mineral resources stand at 479 K tonnes @ 1.77 gpt Au, 11.8 gpt Ag, containing 27 K Oz Au, 182 K Oz Ag. The resource estimate was calculated with 69,924 m of drilling in 399 holes, of which 341 intersect the modelled resource.
- Aztec Minerals Corp. updated on work completed in 2022 and its outlook for 2023 at the Cervantes project in Sonora. During the year ownership interest of the Cervantes project was consolidated to 100%, two phases of drilling were completed continuing to expand the area with broad widths of oxide mineralization. For 2023 surface mapping and channel sampling are to be conducted on the first quarter to continue with step out drilling on the California target and additional targets.
- GoGold Resources Inc. provided an outlook for 2023 at its Los Ricos North and Los Ricos Sur properties in Jalisco. Continued aggressive drilling at Los Ricos South is planned, with the goal of producing an updated mineral resource estimate and a preliminary economic assessment (PEA) including the effects of drilling at the Eagle concession, underground exploration and development and the completion of a pre-feasibility study (PFS). At Los Ricos Norte the company will work to complete the preliminary economic assessment (PEA). GoGold “holds 45 concessions covering over 25,000 hectares in the Los Ricos district”.
- Impact Silver Corp. released significant results from surface drilling in 2022 at the Royal Mines of Zacualpan area in Estado de Mexico. Core-length results from La Luz and San Antonio greenfields targets with man portable diamond rigs comprise 1.70 m @ 227 gpt Ag, 0.2% Pb, 0.2% Zn; 0.77 m @ 113 gpt Ag, 1.0% Pb, 2.8% Zn; 1.68 m @ 239 gpt Ag; 1.60 m @ 0.6% Pb, 2.5% Zn; 3.85 m @ 0.51 gpt Au, 18 gpt Ag, 0.6% Pb, 2.3% Zn; 1.25 m @ 0.15 gpt Au, 85 gpt Ag, 0.5% Pb, 1.7% Zn; 2.18 m @ 0.30 gpt Au, 38 gpt Ag, 0.3% Pb, 2.0% Zn; 3.50 m @ 1.59 gpt Au, 22 gpt Ag, 0.1% Pb, 1.0% Zn; 2.30 m @ 0.42 gpt Au, 11 gpt Ag, 0.2% Pb, 6.2% Zn; 1.95 m @ 30 gpt Ag, 2.6% Pb, 1.9% Zn; 1.35 m @ 35 gpt Ag, 2.8% Pb, 4.2% Zn; 1.54 m @ 0.24 gpt Au, 24 gpt Ag, 0.4% Pb, 2.8% Zn; 3.0 m @ 1.90 gpt Au, 11 gpt Ag, 0.3% Pb, 0.7% Zn. “Drilling is continuing with IMPACT’s underground rig in the Mina Grande mine located in the Cuchara area and field exploration is continuing on multiple targets”.
- Avino Silver & Gold Mines Ltd. released drilling results on four holes from below the deepest current level at the Avino mine in Durango. This drilling extends downdip 315 m the Avino Vein, to 800 m of known downdip length to 600 m below the surface. Highlighted true-width drill intervals comprise 16.66 m @ 0.03 gpt Au, 26 gpt Ag, 1.63% Cu (including 8.57 m @ 0.04 gpt Au, 34 gpt Ag, 2.49 gpt Cu); 23.64 m @ 0.06 gpt Au, 23 gpt Ag, 0.34 % Cu; 5.82 m @ 0.23 gpt Au, 22 gpt Ag, 0.36% Cu; 1.10 m @ 2.46 gpt Au, 9 gpt Ag, 0.3% Cu; 3.0 m @ 0.38 gpt Au, 13 gpt Ag, 0.72% Cu. An updated mineral resource estimate is scheduled for Q1 2023. “The Property contains numerous low-sulphidation epithermal veins (including the Avino vein), breccias, stockworks, and silicified zones that grade into a possible ´near porphyry´ environment within a large caldera setting…… The direction of the increasing copper grade plunges towards the east in the Avino vein. The changing tenor of the mineralization could be reflecting a transition from epithermal to porphyry-style mineralization”.
- Bendito Resources Inc. is to commence drilling on the second week of the year at its Alacrán project in Sonora. Approximately 2,000 m of reverse circulation drilling on the southern extension of Loma Bonita (Au) and Mesa de Plata (Ag) towards the San Simón target, with some copper targets also to be tested. “The additional drilling on Gregors will help with the understanding of the copper mineralization and the porphyry to-epithermal transition interpreted for Alacrán…. Phase 1 drilling program is designed to target geophysical anomalies derived from induced polarization, EM and magnetic helicopter surveys that indicate the presence of sub-horizontal silica layers with steeply dipping and high-grade hydrothermal breccia feeders”. Other goals include the step-out drilling near previous high-grade copper intercepts on chalcopyrite rich hydrothermal breccia.
- Minera Alamos Inc. filed the preliminary economic assessment (PEA) and mineral resource estimate for the Cerro de Oro project in Zacatecas. The project envisages an 8.2 year mine life on initial mineable 59 M tonnes @ 0.37 gpt Au, mined at 20 K tonnes per day to produce 60 K Oz Au per year during the first four years and a total of 477 K Oz Au on the mine life, with an average all-in sustaining cost (AISC) of US$873 per Oz Au. Other figures include a waste/ore ratio of 0.3, a pre-production cost of $28.1 M and an 11 months payback period.
ON DEALS AND CORPORATE ISSUES
- Fortuna Silver Mines Inc. reports that it has received notice of a resolution by SEMARNAT (Environmental Regulator) on which informs that SEMARNAT is re-assessing the 12-year extension to the environmental impact authorization for the San Jose mine in Oaxaca, granted in December 2021. “Subsequent to the grant of the EIA Extension on December 16, 2021, SEMARNAT suggested that it had made a typographical error in the EIA Extension and that the correct term was two years……. Minera Cuzcatlan initiated legal proceedings to challenge and revoke the alleged typographical error, and on November 7, 2022, the Company announced that the Mexican Federal Administrative Court had issued a judgment in favour of the Company and re-confirmed the term of the EIA Extension for the San Jose Mine for a period of 12 years”.
- Xali Gold Corp. extended the production earn-in agreement with Sun River Gold Corp. on the El Oro Tailings project in Estado de Mexico, in exchange for additional advanced Net Profits Interest (NPI) payments. The third extension on the expiry date to the end of December 2023 is under the following terms: continuation of advanced NPI payments of US$15 K per month, advanced payments of US$35 K in January 2023, US$50 K in June 2023, US$75 K within 20 days of receiving financing for construction. If an additional 6 months is required and Xali Gold is satisfied with permitting status, then a US$75 K is to be made. As part of the second extension previously granted Xali Gold will also receive advanced NPI payments of US$50 K per month for the first year of commercial operations and 5% NPI payments subsequently, and “the first $1.5M of the Municipality NPI owing to Xali Gold will now be paid during the first 3 years of operation”. The Tailings Project at El Oro contains an inferred resource of 1.27 M tonnes @ 2.94 gpt Au, 75 gpt Ag, containing 119,900 Oz Au, 3.06 M Oz Ag.
ON SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
- No Relevant News.
On the image above: Historic tunnel on a copper project in the Sonoran Desert. Picture by Jorge Cirett.
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