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Eloro Resources Continues to Intersect Long Intervals of High-Grade Silver-Tin Polymetallic Mineralization in its Definition Drilling Program at its Iska Iska Deposit, Potosi Department, Bolivia
Eloro Resources Ltd. (TSX: ELO; OTCQX: ELRRF; FSE: P2QM) (“Eloro”, or the “Company”) is pleased to announce further assay results in its definition diamond drilling program in the potential Santa Barbara starter pit area in the Iska Iska silver-tin polymetallic project in the Potosi Department of southwestern Bolivia. To date 4,902.8m of diamond drilling have been completed in ten (10) holes including one (1) hole in progress at the time of the Christmas break. PQ core size has been used for all holes in this program to obtain larger, more representative core samples.
Table 1 below lists significant results for the three holes reported, DSB-69, DSB-70 and DSB-71. Figure 1 shows locations of all the definition drill holes completed to date and in progress. Silver equivalent values (g Ag eq/t) have been calculated using 3-year average metal prices and preliminary metallurgical recoveries (see note below Table 1 for more information). Table 2 lists the coordinates of the drill holes completed and in progress.
Hole DSB-69, collared 160m southwest of previously reported drill hole DSB-68 (see Eloro press release of November 26, 2024) returned a long intersection grading 49.71g Ag/t, 0.78% Zn, 0.32% Pb and 0.15% Sn (106.97g Ag eq/t) over 142.50m from 258.00m to 400.50m. This intersection includes a higher grade interval of:
- 127.49g Ag/t, 0.50% Zn, 0.16% Pb and 0.31% Sn (193.00g Ag eq/t) over 41.25m from 258.00m to 299.25m
- The strong tin mineralization in this intersection is very notable and indicates that this hole is starting to intersect the major tin-silver domain to the west and northwest
This hole also intersected near-surface high-grade silver mineralization:
- 80.10g Ag/t, 0.17% Pb (84.25g Ag eq/t) over 30.00m from 1.50m to 31.50m
Hole DSB-70, collared 100m northeast of hole DSB-68, returned a very long intersection grading 30.08g Ag/t, 1.63% Zn, 0.98% Pb and 0.13% Sn (127.89g Ag eq/t) over 255.75m from near surface at 55.05m to 310.80m. This intersection includes higher grade intervals of:
- 45.71g Ag/t, 3.11% Zn, 1.91% Pb and 0.23% Sn (232.35g Ag eq/t) over 81.00m from 112.80m to 193.80m, and
- 30.68g Ag/t, 2.38% Zn, 1.73% Pb and 0.18% Sn (180.91g Ag eq/t) over 19.50m from 229.80m to 249.30m.
- Like Hole DSB-69, this hole intercepted strong tin mineralization grading 0.43% Sn over 34.5m from 423.32m to 457.8m within a broader mineralized zone grading 14.38g Ag/t, 0.34% Zn, 0.36% Pb and 0.25% Sn (80.16g Ag eq/t) over 70.50m from 387.30m to 457.80m.
Hole DSB-71, collared 100m south-southwest of hole DSB-69, returned two long mineralized intersections, the first grading 41.89g Ag/t, 0.15% Pb and 0.14% Sn (66.90g Ag eq/t) over 123.00m from 45.95m to 168.95m, and the second, 29.26g Ag/t, 0.58% Zn, 0.22% Pb and 0.11% Sn (71.46g Ag eq/t) over 127.50m from 233.45m to 360.95m This latter intersection includes a higher grade interval of:
- 53.17g Ag/t, 0.72% Zn, 0.40% Pb and 0.19% Sn (116.62g Ag eq/t) over 45.00m from 263.45m to 308.45m
This hole also intersected a near-surface high grade tin zone:
- 11.84g Ag/t and 0.44% Sn (96.81g Ag eq/t) over 21.95m from 1.50m to 23.45m
Similar to DSB-68, results from these three additional holes continue to demonstrate potential significant underestimation of the silver grade, similar to that of the previously reported metallurgical test results from a 6.3 tonne bulk sample which returned a much higher silver head grade of 91 g Ag/t compared to the grade of 31 g Ag/t obtained in the original twinned holes (see Eloro press release January 3, 2024).
Dr. Osvaldo Arce, P.Geo., Eloro’s Executive Vice President, Latin America and General Manager of Eloro’s Bolivian subsidiary, Minera Tupiza S.R.L., said: “The success of our current definition drilling program is a confirmation of our understanding and experience on the property. These holes’ locations were selected to specifically verify the continuation of the higher grade, large volume polymetallic areas in the extensive mineralized system at Iska Iska. These areas occur where mineralizing fluids were deposited through intrusion breccias and injection tourmaline breccias in favorable lithologies and structures forming enriched bodies with significant resource potential.”
Tom Larsen, CEO of Eloro, commented: “The latest reported infill drilling intercepts further demonstrates the consistency of potential commercial value per tonne that will be incorporated in the PEA in later 2025. These results continue to dispel any previous misinterpretation that there are extensive areas of waste in the overall mineralized zone. The continual higher-grades that are being reported in the silver-tin polymetallic system from this latest drilling campaign are only adding to the overall economic potential of the deposit.”
Table 1: Definition Diamond Drill Results as of January 6, 2025, Santa Barbara Deposit, Iska, Iska
SANTA BARBARA DEFINITION DIAMOND DRILL RESULTS | ||||||||
Hole No. | From (m) | To (m) | Length (m) | Ag | Zn | Pb | Sn | Ag eq |
g/t | % | % | % | g/t | ||||
DSB-69 | 1.50 | 31.50 | 30.00 | 80.10 | 0.00 | 0.17 | 0.05 | 84.25 |
88.50 | 93.00 | 4.50 | 118.67 | 0.00 | 0.16 | 0.03 | 113.90 | |
120.00 | 181.50 | 61.50 | 44.85 | 0.21 | 0.35 | 0.09 | 72.94 | |
Incl. | 120.00 | 159.00 | 39.00 | 67.81 | 0.03 | 0.32 | 0.06 | 79.19 |
201.00 | 228.75 | 27.75 | 18.16 | 0.95 | 0.34 | 0.06 | 68.09 | |
258.00 | 400.50 | 142.50 | 49.71 | 0.78 | 0.32 | 0.15 | 106.97 | |
Incl. | 258.00 | 299.25 | 41.25 | 127.49 | 0.50 | 0.16 | 0.31 | 193.00 |
409.50 | 459.00 | 49.50 | 9.17 | 0.12 | 0.18 | 0.25 | 64.61 | |
DSB-70 | 55.05 | 310.80 | 255.75 | 30.08 | 1.63 | 0.98 | 0.13 | 127.89 |
Incl. | 112.80 | 193.80 | 81.00 | 45.71 | 3.11 | 1.91 | 0.23 | 232.35 |
Incl. | 229.80 | 249.30 | 19.50 | 30.68 | 2.38 | 1.73 | 0.18 | 180.91 |
387.30 | 457.80 | 70.50 | 14.38 | 0.34 | 0.36 | 0.25 | 80.16 | |
Incl. | 423.30 | 457.80 | 34.50 | 10.03 | 0.20 | 0.54 | 0.43 | 110.82 |
DSB-71 | 1.50 | 23.45 | 21.95 | 11.84 | 0.00 | 0.05 | 0.44 | 96.81 |
45.95 | 168.95 | 123.00 | 41.89 | 0.00 | 0.15 | 0.14 | 66.90 | |
Incl. | 45.95 | 63.95 | 18.00 | 73.25 | 0.00 | 0.19 | 0.06 | 79.88 |
Incl. | 110.45 | 123.95 | 13.50 | 54.67 | 0.00 | 0.18 | 0.21 | 92.73 |
195.95 | 224.45 | 22.50 | 51.79 | 0.02 | 0.04 | 0.14 | 74.29 | |
233.45 | 360.95 | 127.50 | 29.26 | 0.58 | 0.22 | 0.11 | 71.46 | |
Incl. | 263.45 | 308.45 | 45.00 | 53.17 | 0.72 | 0.40 | 0.19 | 116.62 |
396.95 | 405.95 | 9.00 | 121.00 | 0.26 | 0.16 | 0.06 | 131.44 | |
422.45 | 447.95 | 25.50 | 38.71 | 0.19 | 0.17 | 0.05 | 54.12 | |
456.95 | 459.95 | 3.00 | 216.00 | 0.84 | 0.33 | 0.03 | 232.14 | |
497.45 | 503.45 | 6.00 | 59.25 | 0.37 | 0.14 | 0.07 | 81.76 |
Note: True width is approximately 80% of core length. Silver equivalent (Ag eq) grades are calculated using 3-year average metal prices of Ag = US$24.14/oz, Zn = US$1.36/lb , Pb = 0.98/lb and Sn = US$13.74/lb, and preliminary metallurgical recoveries of Ag = 88%, Zn = 87%, Pb= 80% and Sn = 50%. In selecting intervals, a cutoff grade of 30 g Ag eq/t has been used. Lower grade material may be included in intersections where geological continuity is warranted.
Table 2: Summary of Diamond Drill Hole Coordinates for Drill Holes Reported, Completed and in Progress at Iska Iska as of January 6, 2025
SUMMARY DIAMOND DRILLING ISKA ISKA | |||||||
Hole No. | Type | Collar Easting | Collar Northing | Elev | Azimuth | Angle | Hole Length (m) |
Santa Barbara Surface Definition Drill Holes Reported and In Progress | |||||||
DSB-68 | S | 205390.0 | 7656251.0 | 4220.0 | 225° | -50° | 402.9 |
DSB-69 | S | 205262.0 | 7656133.0 | 4291.8 | 225° | -85° | 502.0 |
DSB-70 | S | 205460.0 | 7656319.0 | 4191.0 | 225° | -50° | 467.3 |
DSB-71 | S | 205203.0 | 7656016.0 | 4282.0 | 225° | -85° | 533.7 |
DSB-72 | S | 205088.0 | 7656107.0 | 4341.0 | 225° | -85° | 653.4 |
DSB-73 | S | 205291.0 | 7656269.0 | 4273.0 | 225° | -85° | 479.6 |
DSB-74 | S | 205205.0 | 7656072.0 | 4305.6 | 225° | -75° | 470.5 |
DSB-75 | S | 205310.0 | 7656329.0 | 4257.0 | 225° | -85° | 527.4 |
DSB-76 | S | 205022.0 | 7656003.0 | 4342.0 | 225° | -85° | 356.6* |
Subtotal | 4,393.4 | ||||||
Southeast Extension Exploration Drilling | |||||||
DSE-01 | S | 206198.0 | 7655779.0 | 4000.0 | 225° | -65° | 509.4 |
Subtotal | 509.4 | ||||||
TOTAL | 4,902.8 | ||||||
*= hole in progress S = Surface; collar coordinates in metres; azimuth and dip in degrees. Total drilling since start of the definition drilling program on October 4, 2024 is 4,902.8m in 10 holes with 1 hole in progress. Since the start of the drilling at Iska Iska on September 20, 2020, a total of 108,101m in 166 drill holes (34 underground holes and 132 surface holes) have been completed. |
Figure 1: Location Map of Definition Diamond Drill Holes, Santa Barbara, Iska Iska. Yellow circles highlight the location of holes in this release.
Qualified Person (“QP”)
Dr. Bill Pearson, P.Geo., Eloro’s Executive Vice President, Exploration, and a Qualified Person (“QP”) as defined by National Instrument (“NI”) 43-101 has reviewed and approved the technical content of this news release. Dr. Pearson who has more than 50 years of worldwide mining exploration, development and production experience, including extensive work in South America, manages the overall technical program, working closely with Dr. Osvaldo Arce, P.Geo. Executive Vice President, Latin America for Eloro and General Manager of Eloro’s Bolivian subsidiary, Minera Tupiza S.R.L., and a QP in the context of NI 43-101, who has supervised all field work carried out at Iska Iska.
Eloro utilized both ALS and AHK for drill core analyses, both of whom are major international accredited laboratories. Drill samples sent to ALS were prepared in both ALS Bolivia Ltda’s preparation facility in Oruro, Bolivia and the preparation facility operated by AHK in Tupiza with pulps sent to the main ALS Global laboratory in Lima for analysis. Eloro employs an industry standard QA/QC program with standards, blanks and duplicates inserted into each batch of samples analyzed with selected check samples sent to a separate accredited laboratory.
Drill core samples sent to AHK Laboratories were prepared in a preparation facility installed and managed by AHK in Tupiza with pulps sent to the AHK laboratory in Lima, Peru. Check samples between ALS and AHK are regularly done as a QA/QC check. AHK is followed the same analytical protocols used as with ALS and with the same QA/QC protocols.
About Iska Iska
The Iska Iska silver-tin polymetallic project is a road accessible, royalty-free property, wholly controlled by the Title Holder, Empresa Minera Villegas S.R.L. and is located 48 km north of Tupiza city, in the Sud Chichas Province of the Department of Potosi in southern Bolivia. Eloro has an option to earn a 100% interest in Iska Iska.
Iska Iska is a major silver-tin polymetallic porphyry-epithermal complex associated with a Miocene possibly collapsed/resurgent caldera, emplaced on Ordovician age rocks with major breccia pipes, dacitic domes and hydrothermal breccias. The caldera is 1.6km by 1.8km in dimension with a vertical extent of at least 1km. Mineralization age is similar to Cerro Rico de Potosí and other major deposits such as San Vicente, Chorolque, Tasna and Tatasi, all located along the same overall geological trend.
Eloro began underground diamond drilling from the Huayra Kasa underground workings at Iska Iska on September 13, 2020. On November 18, 2020, Eloro announced the discovery of a significant breccia pipe with extensive silver polymetallic mineralization just east of the Huayra Kasa underground workings and a high-grade gold-bismuth zone in the underground workings. On November 24, 2020, Eloro announced the discovery of the Santa Barbara Breccia Pipe (SBBP) approximately 150m southwest of the Huayra Kasa underground workings.
Subsequently, on January 26, 2021, Eloro announced significant results from the first drilling at the SBBP including the discovery hole from 0.0m to 257.5m. Subsequent drilling has confirmed the presence of significant values of Ag-Sn polymetallic mineralization in the SBBP and the adjacent Central Breccia Pipe (CBP). A substantive mineralized envelope which is open along strike and down-dip extends around both major breccia pipes. Continuous channel sampling along the walls of the of the Santa Barbara Adit located to the east of SBBP returned average grades of 164.96 g Ag/t, 0.46%Sn, 3.46% Pb and 0.14% Cu over 166m including 446 g Ag/t, 9.03% Pb and 1.16% Sn over 56.19m. The west end of the adit intersects the end of the SBBP.
Since the initial discovery hole DHK-15 which returned 29.53g Ag/t, 0.078g Au/t, 1.45%Zn, 0.59%Pb, 0.080%Cu and 0.056%Sn over 257.5m, Eloro has released a number of significant drill results in the SBBP and the surrounding mineralized envelope which, along with geophysical data, has defined an extensive target zone. On October 17, 2023, Eloro filed the NI 43-101 Technical Report outlining the initial inferred MRE for Iska Iska, prepared by independent consultantsMicon International Limited. The MRE was reported in two domains, the Polymetallic (Ag-Zn-Pb) Domain which is primarily in the east and south of the Santa Barbara deposit and the Tin (Sn-Ag-Pb) Domain which is primarily in the west and north.
The Polymetallic Domain is estimated to contain 560Mt at 13.8 g Ag/t, 0.73% Zn & 0.28% Pb at an NSR cutoff of US$9.20 for potential open pit and an NSR cutoff of US$34.40 for potential underground. The majority of the mineral resource is contained in the constraining pit which has a stripping ratio of 1:1. The Polymetallic Domain contains a higher-grade mineral resource at a NSR cutoff of $US25/t of 132 million tonnes at 1.11% Zn, 0.50% Pb and 24.3 g Ag/t which has a net NSR value of US$34.40/t which is 3.75 the estimated operating cost of US$9.20/t. The Tin Domain which is adjacent to the Polymetallic Domain and does not overlap, is estimated to contain a mineral resource of 110Mt at 0.12% Sn, 14.2 g Ag/t and 0.14% Pb but is very under drilled.
Results of the definition drill program which totalled 5,267.7m in 11 holes were reported on December 18, 2023 and January 11, 2024, respectively. Significant results included 279.22 g Ag/t, 0.47% Pb and 0.43% Sn (339.82g Ag eq/t) over 62.84m and 33.83 g Ag/t, 1.53% Zn, 0.93% Pb and 0.14% Sn (130.88g Ag eq/t) over 178.99m including 120.37 g Ag/t, 2.13% Zn, 1.57% Pb and 0.19% Sn in hole DSB-61; 57.62g Ag/t, 1.26% Zn, 0.94% Pb and 0.12% Sn (139.94g Ag eq/t) over 136.11min hole DSB-66 and 118.86g Ag/t, 0.35% Zn, 0.35% Pb and 0.15% Sn (152.29g Ag eq/t) over 81.28m in hole DSB-65. This latter intersection in hole DSB-65 included a very high-grade sample of 5,080g Ag/t, 0.12 g Au/t, 0.26% Zn, 1.34% Pb, 1.53% Cu and 1.27% Sn (4,746.46g Ag eq/t) over 1.46m.
Metallurgical tests reported on January 23, 2024 from a 6.3 tonne PQ drill core bulk sample representative of the higher grade Polymetallic (Ag-Zn-Pb) Domain returned a significantly higher average silver value of 91 g Ag/t compared to the weighted average grade of the original twinned holes at 31 g Ag/t strongly suggesting that the average silver grade is likely significantly underreported in the original twinned holes due to the much smaller sample size.
On January 29, 2024, the Company reported that the new chargeability high outlined southeast of the MRE open pit by the expanded induced polarization (IP) survey indicates that the major mineralized structural corridor that is up to 800m wide extends a further 600m along strike to the southeast for an overall strike length of at least 2km. This new area has not been drilled.
he Company reported on July 30, 2024, that updated modelling of the potential starter pit area at Santa Barbara zone highlights the importance of completing additional drilling to better define the grade and extent of the mineral resource in this area. Areas with higher-grade resource typically have much better drilling density but holes outside the core potential pit area are too widely spaced to give an accurate estimate of grade.
On September 4, 2024, the Company announced the restart of definition drilling in the potential starter pit area at Santa Barbara. Previous drilling has shown that areas with high-grade mineralization typically have much better drilling density, whereas holes outside the core area are too widely spaced to give an accurate grade estimate. This increased drilling density is particularly important for defining the extent of the high-grade Ag-bearing and Sn-bearing structures, and for categorizing the mineral resources from inferred to indicated, which have a major influence on overall grade and resources that will contribute to the preliminary economic assessment (“PEA”).
An initial program of 5,700m of diamond drilling in 13 holes in the Santa Barbara starter pit area is now in progress to better define the vertical and lateral extent of high-grade Ag mineralization; fill-in gaps that are presently categorized as low-grade or waste in the resource model but are very likely mineralized; expand the higher-grade Sn mineralization to the west; and complete an additional 1,400m in two large size PQ holes for further metallurgical testing.
Results from the first definition drill hole DSB-68 were released on November 26, 2024. This hole intersected 66.90g Ag/t, 0.63% Zn, 0.42% Pb and 0.11% Sn (111.14g Ag eq/t) over 289.13m including higher grade intervals of includes higher grade intervals of:
- 126.10g Ag/t, 0.55% Zn, 0.60% Pb and 0.09% Sn (160.72g Ag eq/t) over 122.03m,
- 47.61g Ag/t, 0.22% Zn, 0.40% Pb and 0.45% Sn (146.06g Ag eq/t) over 16.51m, and
- 25.52g Ag/t, 2.19% Zn, 0.65% Pb and 0.10% Sn (129.60g Ag eq/t) over 7.46m
About Eloro Resources Ltd.
Eloro is an exploration and mine development company with a portfolio of gold and base-metal properties in Bolivia, Peru and Quebec. Eloro has an option to acquire a 100% interest in the highly prospective Iska Iska Property, which can be classified as a polymetallic epithermal-porphyry complex, a significant mineral deposit type in the Potosi Department, in southern Bolivia. A recent NI 43-101 Technical Report on Iska Iska, which was completed by Micon International Limited, is available on Eloro’s website and under its filings on SEDAR. Iska Iska is a road-accessible, royalty-free property. Eloro also owns an 82% interest in the La Victoria Gold/Silver Project, located in the North-Central Mineral Belt of Peru some 50 km south of the Lagunas Norte Gold Mine and the La Arena Gold Mine.
For further information please contact either Thomas G. Larsen, Chairman and CEO or Jorge Estepa, Vice-President at (416) 868-9168.
Information in this news release may contain forward-looking information. Statements containing forward-looking information express, as at the date of this news release, the Company’s plans, estimates, forecasts, projections, expectations, or beliefs as to future events or results and are believed to be reasonable based on information currently available to the Company. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate. Actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information.
Neither the TSX nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e2e731be-c97d-467b-8901-fd39dfdc3349
Cartier Silver Amends the Acquisition Agreement Payment Schedule for its Chorrillos Project, Southern Bolivia
Cartier Silver Corporation (CSE:CFE) (“Cartier Silver”) is pleased to announce that, by mutual agreement (“Amending Agreement”) with Empresa Minera Gonalbert S.R.L. and Empresa Minera Segovia S.R.L (collectively, the “Vendors”), the registered title holders of two separate properties comprising the Chorrillos Project in southern Bolivia, the payment schedule in connection with the remaining portion of the aggregate US$4.5 million payment required for Cartier Silver to acquire 100% of the Vendors’ capital quotas has been amended. The signing date of the original acquisition agreement was December 12, 2022. Cartier Silver’s Bolivian subsidiary, Minera Cartier Bolivia S.R.L. (“Cartier Bolivia”) has made two staged payments and currently owns 30% of the Vendors’ capital quotas.
Pursuant to the Amending Agreement, in order to acquire the remaining 70% of the Vendors’ capital quotas, staged payments aggregating US $4.2 million are required, as follows:
- US $500,000 (Five Hundred Thousand United States Dollars) due June 12, 2025, whereby Cartier Bolivia would acquire an additional 20% of the Vendors’ capital quotas.
- US $700,000 (Seven Hundred Thousand United States Dollars) due June 12, 2026, whereby Cartier Bolivia would acquire an additional 20% of the Vendors’ capital quotas.
- US $1,000,000 (One Million United States Dollars) due June 12, 2027, whereby Cartier Bolivia would acquire an additional 20% of the Vendors’ capital quotas.
- US $2,000,000 (Two Million United States Dollars) due June 12, 2028, whereby Cartier Bolivia would acquire the remaining 10% of the Vendors’ capital quotas.
About Cartier Silver Corporation
Cartier Silver is an exploration and development Company focused on discovering and developing its recently acquired silver property assets, including the Chorrillos Project and claims staked by the Company’s subsidiary, all of which are located in the Potosi Department of southern Bolivia. The Company also holds significant iron ore resources at its Gagnon Holdings in the southern Labrador Trough region of east-central Quebec, and the Big Easy gold property in the Burin Peninsula epithermal gold belt in the Avalon Zone of eastern Newfoundland & Labrador.
For further information please visit Cartier Silver’s website at www.cartiersilvercorp.com
For further information please contact:
Thomas G. Larsen Chief Executive Officer (800) 360-8006 (416) 360-8006 | Jorge Estepa Vice-President (800) 360-8006 (416) 360-8006 |
The CSE has not reviewed nor accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Statements in this release that are not historical facts are “forward-looking statements” and readers are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance, and that actual developments or results, may vary materially from those in these “forward-looking statements”.
PDF available: http://ml.globenewswire.com/Resource/Download/694ab051-dcb8-4705-aa53-afe5514214fc
A Ramp: Eloro fast forwards Iska Iska
Iska Iska, Eloro’s (ELO.T) massive silver/lead/zinc/tin discovery in Bolivia is heading towards a PEA for its starter pit. 35,000 tons a day of high-grade silver with a significant zinc component. With a little more definition drilling there should be a tin component as well. Speaking with Tom Larsen, Eloro’s CEO, it’s very clear that the PEA is well in hand.
“We’re looking at Q2 2025 for a 35,000 ton per day PEA,” said Larsen. “Most of the PEA is complete now. But we’d like to do around like to do around 5000 to 10000 meters of additional drilling. That should give us a very commercial resource initially for a solid 12 year mine life for the PEA.”
“We want to drill enough so that we can confirm around 30 million tons of 0.3 tin to be included in Years 6, 7 and 8 in the PEA,” said Larsen. “As it stands we are looking at a 3.5 year payback on a 500 million CAPEX at current metal prices.”
“We’re focused on the PEA,” said Larsen. “However, in the short term we are looking at going in a different direction. We’d like to put a ramp in.”
“On a bulk mining basis we consistently get 40-50 grams of silver per ton,” said Larsen. “A ramp within about 50 meters of the Santa Barbara adit could produce 200 tons a day of high grade material.”
Basically, a ramp would be cut into the highest grade zone of what will, in time, become the starter pit for Iska Iska. The actual work would be done by Bolivian mining contractors.
“We’re working on the engineering and the economics now,” said Larsen. “This is a mini-project which could be up and running in a matter of months. Round numbers you need 1.5 million for mining equipment, 3 million for a primary and secondary crusher and another 1 million for an XRT ore sorter.”
The crushed rock would be sorted and then shipped to a mill a few kilometres away. Total CAPEX of the mining/crushing/sorting would come in at around 8 million, then 3 million to 5 million for a mill. Add the final payment for the company which owns Iska Iska and Eloro would need about 15 million US to kick off its ramp project.
Larsen and his team have been very careful to avoid dilution. As a former broker, Larsen is well aware of the negative effects of too many shares in the market. Given that ELO.T is trading around $1.00 doing a 15 million US raise would bump the share count over 100 million. Not good. So how to finance the ramp?
As the Eloro CEO, Larsen is not about to talk about Eloro’s financing options. But another Canadian company with Bolivian operations, Orvana Minerals, (ORV.T) has found Bolivian project financing…in Bolivia. The key feature is that the bonds are issued in Bolivia to Bolivian investors and while the bonds are sold in Bolivianos the interest is paid in US dollars. The US dollars make the bonds very attractive to Bolivian investors.
In order to issue a bond the issuer needs two things: assets to pledge as security and income from operations to pay the interest and principal on the bonds. On completion of the purchase of the company which owns Iska Iska, Eloro will have total ownership of a huge asset. And, of course, the crushers, sorter and mine equipment are also assets.
Income would come from the sale of the silver produced from the ramp. 200 tons per day at 50 gpt is 10 kilograms of silver per day at, say, $900/kg for $9000 gross revenue per day, $270,000 per month. Silver trades in US dollars. More than sufficient to cover the interest and principal repayments on a $15,000,000 bond. And that back of the envelope calculation entirely ignores the value of the zinc which is significant at that location at Iska Iska.
“The ramp would answer a lot of questions about the 35,000 ton per day starter pit,” said Larsen. Grade, metallurgy, rock mechanics, all the sorts of questions which need to be answered to move from the PEA to a bankable feasibility study. Things like optimal sorter settings could be worked out. And, of course, it may be possible to mine and process significantly more than 200 tons a day. Plus, the price of silver is set to rise significantly and ELO could catch the rocket.
Best of all, with this sort of bond financing, Eloro could have the ramp up and running in a matter of months without significant dilution.
Eloro will likely do a small private placement in the fairly near term to finance additional drilling at Iska Iska. In particular, Larsen’s team would like to drill more larger diameter holes which give a more accurate estimate of the grades likely to be encountered in a bulk mining scenario. But this would be under 5 million in all likelihood keeping the share count well under 95 million.
“Eloro has a hidden advantage,” said Larsen. “We are plugged in in Bolivia.”
Eloro 3D Model
Eloro has updated its corporate presentation with the inclusion of an amazing 3D Model. Well worth taking a few minutes to take a look:
https://vrify.com/embed/decks/03daa298-36dc-4832-9716-7b58a7e27847
Bayhorse Silver: Riding the VTEM Rocket
Not quite a rocket, yet, but a year ago Bayhorse Silver (BHS.V) was very close to the end. While it had a silver mine, a mill and an ore sorter, it did not have a final permit which would allow it to actually operate its mine. In some jurisdictions, this would not have been a show stopper and the permit would arrive in short order. But the Bayhorse mine is in Oregon, a state where mining is politically unwelcome. The permit was going to take a while.
BHS CEO Graeme O’Neill scrambled to raise money, put a lot of his own money into a couple of small private placements and managed to arrange a lease for the ore sorter. It was enough to keep the company going, barely. BHS shares fell to $0.015
Then, in October 2023, Hercules Silver (BIG.V) announced that it had drilled into what it described as a “blind copper porphyry” at its property at Cuddy Mountain, 44 kilometres down the Snake River on the Idaho side. BIG went from less than $0.20 to a high of over $1.60 in a matter of weeks. It did a deal with Barrick and now has 23 million dollars to drill out its discovery.
Here is the interesting thing, the Hercules discovery is at what geos refer to as a “suture” between the Izee terrane and the Olds Ferry terrane. Its silver is found in a rhyolite structure. The blind copper porphyry looks to have been part of the geological events which created the silver in the rhyolite.
People began to talk about “closeology”. Bayhorse finds its silver in a rhyolite structure. The Bayhorse mine is at a suture of the Izee and Olds Ferry terranes. The argument from similarity can be and was made and O’Neill raised a little over 1 million dollars in a private placement.
The biggest problem Bayhorse has faced over the years is a lack of money. The million dollar private placement, powered by the Hercules discovery, solved that in the short term. For the first time in its existence, Bayhorse had the money to explore and a reason to spend that money.
The Bayhorse value proposition has always been the re-opening of a successful, past-producing, silver mine with high-grade silver, interesting copper and gold credits and a CEO who understood logistics. O’Neill would certainly look at, and sometimes option, greenfields exploration plays, that was never the company’s focus. O’Neill knew that if he could jump through the permitting hoops, the Bayhorse mine had years of unmined, high grade, silver to extract, concentrate and sell. It still does.
Hercules provided the hint. Was the geology at its Izee/Olds Ferry terrane similar to the geology surrounding Bayhorse? O’Neill had the money to start finding out.
VTEM is a helicopter flown magnetic and resistivity survey which can locate “anomalies” down several hundred meters. Bayhorse had never had the money or a reason to fly a VTEM, now it did and in early January of this year it flew both sides of the Snake River.
While BHS may have been inspired by BIG’s success downriver, its own geological team had scouted out what it believed was a substantial rhyolite structure on the Idaho side which the geos postulated was an extension of the Bayhorse mine rhyolite. That same geo team had long speculated that the Bayhorse mine itself was potentially “over” an epithermal gold/copper intrusion. A structure which would line up with the geological theory being tested at the Hercules property.
The results of the Bayhorse VTEM were outstanding. On the Oregon side, there was an area of low resistivity right under the western end of the Bayhorse mine workings. On the Idaho side, there were three areas of low resistivity and a magnetic high right where the Bayhorse geos expected the rhyolite extension to be. And that high was, in fact, higher than the high at the Bayhorse mine itself.
Here is the map of the magnetic signatures:
Here is the map of the resistivity signatures:
All of a sudden Bayhorse Silver went from a company with a plan to re-open a mine to a company which had four resistivity targets and a huge magnetic anomaly to explore.
Bayhorse has been lucky to have senior geologists advising O’Neill as he drove towards recommissioning the Bayhorse mine. That luck was extended when Spokane-based explorationist Mark Abrams was initially signed on as a consultant to finish off the final permitting process and then as a Director.
Abrams is very much the right man at the right time. He is a fully licensed geologist in both Oregon and Idaho and has conducted exploration programs for majors like Placer Dome and Agnico Eagle. He knows how to run a serious exploration program.
I was fortunate to speak to Abrams a few days ago. He was optimistic about Bayhorse’s prospects. He was also very much an explorationist. “You need boots on the ground,” he told me. “We need to be prospecting. Looking at the sediments in the catchment areas. Get into the drainages.”
“You’re putting dots on the map,” said Abrams.
Which is the great paradox O’Neill and his team are faced with. They can see the high magnetics and the low resistivity. They have targets in general. But in the real world of exploration, this is the earliest possible stage.
Right now, BHS can, and should, stick to its knitting and drill the Big Dog, the footwall and the low resistivity at the Bayhorse mine which is exactly what it is doing. It will take a while to get the surface drilling permits in Idaho. Time which can be spent profitably increasing the staked land, perhaps doing an IP survey on one of the blobs, collecting samples and surface “shows” and figuring out where best to begin drilling what may be a significant copper porphyry.
For Bayhorse shareholders the BIG news and the VTEM results have started an increase in value. From $0.015 to .08 in a couple of months. However, that is likely just the beginning. By drilling underground BHS is creating a hard news stream likely to continue well into Fall. The Idaho targets are a largely unexpected bonus.
(Disclaimer: I own shares in Bayhorse and Graeme O’Neill is a friend. I also own shares in Hercules. At the moment, BHS is not a client of Motherlodetv.net Do your own due diligence. Call Graeme.)
Eloro Resources Announces up to C$3.96 Million Non-Brokered Prospectus Exempt Offering Pursuant to the Listed Issuer Exemption
TORONTO, March 13, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Eloro Resources Ltd. (“Eloro” or the “Company”) (TSX: ELO; OTCQX: ELRRF; FSE: P2QM) is pleased to announce a non-brokered prospectus exempt offering (the “Offering”) of up to 3,300,000 units of the Company at a price of C$1.20 per Unit for gross proceeds of up to C$3,960,000, pursuant to the listed issuer financing exemption available under Part 5A of National Instrument 45-106 – Prospectus Exemptions (the “Listed Issuer Exemption”). There is an offering document relating to the Offering that can be accessed under the Company’s profile at www.sedarplus.ca and at www.elororesources.com. Prospective investors should read this offering document before making an investment decision.
Each Unit will consist of one common share of the Company (a “Common Share”) and one common share purchase warrant of the Company (a “Warrant”). Each Warrant will entitle the holder thereof to acquire one Common Share at an exercise price of C$2.00, with the expiry date of each Warrant being the date which is the earlier of (a) two years following the date of the first closing under the Offering, or (b) two business days after completion of a Change of Control of the Company; provided that in the event that the volume weighted average trading price of the Common Shares on the Toronto Stock Exchange is at least C$3.00 per share for a period of five consecutive trading days (the “Triggering Event”), the expiry date of the Warrants may be accelerated by the Company to a date that is not less than 30 days after the date of issuance by the Company of a press release disclosing the occurrence of the Triggering Event.
The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the Offering for (a) a property option payment with respect to the Iska Iska project, (b) continued exploration and development of the Iska Iska project, and (c) general corporate purposes and working capital.
The Offering is expected to close on or about March 27, 2024, or such earlier or later date as Eloro may determine. Completion of the Offering is subject to certain conditions including, but not limited to, a minimum of 2,800,000 Units for gross proceeds of C$3,360,000 (or such greater amount as Eloro may determine) being sold under the Offering, and the receipt of all necessary approvals, including the approval of the Toronto Stock Exchange.
The securities offered in the Offering have not been, and will not be, registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “U.S. Securities Act”) or any U.S. state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, United States persons absent registration or any applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable U.S. state securities laws. This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities in the United States, nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.
About Eloro Resources Ltd.
Eloro is an exploration and mine development company with a portfolio of gold and base-metal properties in Bolivia, Peru and Quebec. Eloro, through 98% owned Minera Tupiza SRL, has an option to acquire a 100% interest in the highly prospective Iska Iska Property, which can be classified as a polymetallic epithermal-porphyry complex, a significant mineral deposit type in the Potosi Department, in southern Bolivia. A recent NI 43-101 Technical Report on Iska Iska, which was completed by Micon International Limited, is available on Eloro’s website and under its filings on SEDAR+. Iska Iska is a road-accessible, royalty-free property. Eloro also owns an 82% interest in the La Victoria Gold/Silver Project, located in the North-Central Mineral Belt of Peru some 50 km south of the Lagunas Norte Gold Mine and the La Arena Gold Mine.
For further information please contact either Thomas G. Larsen, Chairman and CEO, or Jorge Estepa, Vice-President, at (416) 868-9168.
Information in this news release may contain forward-looking information. Statements containing forward-looking information express, as at the date of this news release, the Company’s plans, estimates, forecasts, projections, expectations, or beliefs as to future events or results and are believed to be reasonable based on information currently available to the Company (forward-looking statements in this news release include, without limitation, statements regarding the closing of the Offering, the minimum Offering amount, the proposed use of proceeds from the Offering, and Toronto Stock Exchange approval). There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate. Actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The Company does not intend to update any such forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable laws.
Bayhorse Silver Substantially Increasing Idaho Mineral Tenements
On the basis of the preliminary results, the Company is substantially increasing the number of its claims and exploration area in Idaho to 2,460 acres.
A comprehensive review of the final VTEM results when received will be undertaken by the Company’s geophysical and geological consultants. The Company expects to receive the final VTEM report within the next two weeks.
The VTEM survey over the entire Bayhorse property in both Idaho and Oregon was to determine whether a long-postulated feeder anomaly is present at the Bayhorse Mine that could indicate the presence of either more high-grade silver mineralization or a porphyry copper deposit.
The Bayhorse and Hercules Silver property, 44 Km to the northeast of the Bayhorse Mine, have similar geological settings and copper/silver mineralization, including significant copper, antimony, and zinc credits.
The Company’s senior geological consultants believe that it is also possible that the silver-rich Bayhorse epithermal mineralization may also be underlain by a gold-rich zone, as suggested by Buchanan’s 1981 model.
This News Release has been prepared on behalf of the Bayhorse Silver Inc. Board of Directors, which accepts full responsibility for its content. Mark Abrams, AIPG Certified Professional Geologist, a Qualified Person and Director of the Company has prepared, supervised the preparation of, and approved the technical content of this press release.
On Behalf of the Board.
Graeme O’Neill, CEO
866-399-6539
About Bayhorse Silver Inc.
Bayhorse Silver Inc. is an exploration and production company with a 100% interest in the historic Bayhorse Silver Mine located in Oregon, USA. With state of the art Steinert Ore-Sorting technology reducing waste rock entering the processing stream by up to 85%, we have created a minimum environmental impact facility capable of mining 200 tons of mineralization per day and the ability to process and supply 3,600 tons per year of silver/copper/antimony concentrate ranging between 7,500 to 15,000 g/t silver and 10-12% copper, 10-12% antimony, and 15-18% zinc using standard flotation processing at its milling facility in nearby Payette County, Idaho, USA, with an offtake agreement in place with Ocean Partners UK Limited. The Company also has an option to acquire an 80% interest in the Brandywine high grade silver/gold property located in B.C. Canada. The Company has an experienced management and technical team with extensive mining expertise in both exploration and building mines.
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Eloro: Bulk Sampling for Bulk Mining…and a New, Huge, Target
The metallurgical drill holes used at Iska Iska are larger diameter than the regular diamond drill exploration holes. For Eloro (ELO.T) and its CEO, Tom Larsen, this makes all the difference. “The more the better,” said Larsen in a telephone interview. “The Iska Iska minerals are mainly disseminated in stockworks and veinlets. A bulk sample is much more representative of the grades you will encounter when you mine the deposit.”
In the original MRE starter pit section, based on assays of narrow, exploration holes, the silver head grade was estimated at 24 grams per ton silver. In the press release January 24, 2024 which covered the metallurgical holes and two twinned diamond drill holes and the bulk sample taken from that material, ELO reported a head grade of 91 grams per ton silver in the bulk sample in comparison to the 31 gpt from the twinned diamond drill holes.
“We recovered 7-8 tons of material from the met holes,” said Larsen. “We bulk sampled 6 tons of that material. Bulk sampling is the proper way to get a more accurate representation of the deposit. It’s more expensive but a bulk sample is more realistic because we will be bulk mining.”
“The grades can significantly increase with bulk mining,” said Larsen. “We are looking at bulk mining 30-50 thousand tons per day in the starter pit.”
Once you understand the idea of “bulk mining” the rest of this lengthy press release makes a lot more sense. Based on the head grade results of the bulk sample, introducing a pre-concentration stage into the flow sheet can give ELO a huge economic advantage.
“XRT ore sorting is a game changer,” said Larsen. “A lot of people misunderstand ore sorting. They see it as a gimmick to upgrade low grade material. It isn’t. It’s a way to create a high-grade pre-concentrate by separating the higher grade material and stockpiling the less enriched material.”
The press release outlined the success TOMRA had using its XRT ore sorting technology for the coarser sized fractions in the pre-concentration stage and using the well understood Dense Media Separation treatment of the finer fractions so as to pull on the strengths of both technologies.
“All of this will be going into a revised Mineral Resource Estimate,” said Larsen. “We are going to take our time, use proper, conservative, representation and make sure that nothing is under-reported.”
“The met holes plus the infill drilling will enhance the grade and expand the tonnage in the starter pit,” said Larsen. “We’re starting off with the 135 million tons in the first MRE. Our infill drilling will add at least 50 million tons of polymetallic metal value. There is a real chance we’ll report 200 million plus, once everything has been modelled.”
“We are also hoping for 50 million tons of .2-.3% tin,” said Larsen. “This should be included in the updated MRE but it will be in time for the PEA.”
Until the PEA, Larsen cannot discuss the Net Present Value of the project at Iska Iska. But he did allow that the previous cost per ton estimate of just over $9.00 was still seen as correct. “Now that we know the material is amenable to ore sorting we’ll have to factor in the cost of sorting, but that looks to be $3 to $5.00 a ton.”
Larsen can’t run the numbers, yet. However, if you take a potential 200 million tons of 50 gram per ton silver average using a $0.70 per gram price, the silver alone is worth $35.00 a ton. Assuming mining costs at the Santa Barbara starter pit site are US$14 a ton and you deduct the zinc and lead credits to offset the metallurgical recoveries, input costs of processing, transportation and smelter fees(NSR), you are left with an approximate $50 net value per ton of material. Times 200 million tons in the proposed starter pit: 10 billion dollars worth of rock.
When I spoke with Larsen last week, he suggested holding this piece until last Monday. Which usually means news and this was no exception.
On January 29, 2024, Eloro released the results of an expanded induced polarization/resistivity (IP/Res) survey at Iska Iska. Dr. Bill Pearson, Eloro’s VP Exploration is quoted in the release,
“The new chargeability anomaly, extending southeastward from the open pit that defines the MRE, adds at least an additional 600m of potential strike length to the major mineralized structural corridor that is up to 800m wide for an overall strike length of at least 2km. This new target area has not been drilled. In addition, the chargeability anomaly southeast of the pit is very strong, suggesting that it is a prime target for outlining additional higher-grade polymetallic mineralization.”
At first reading, the IP results suggest a very large target outside the bounds of the current conceptual pit shell. It has not been drilled however, Eloro’s previous drilling has been into targets which exhibited much the same IP/Resistivity profiles. A fact made clear in this figure:
Adding this target to an already enormous project offers a huge opportunity while creating large challenges for what is essentially a small exploration company. Drilling to confirm the anomaly and the mineralization and grades it contains is a very big project in itself.
Eloro’s current share price rose a bit on the IP news going to $1.90 and giving the company a market cap of 145 million Canadian dollars. It has fallen back a bit to a current $1.65 for a market cap of 123 million. The disconnect between the asset value and the current market cap is enormous and will become recognized.
Cartier Silver Announces $2 Million Financing
Cartier Silver Corporation (CSE:CFE) (“Cartier Silver” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce that it is proceeding with a non-brokered private placement (the “Private Placement”) for proceeds of up to $2 million.
Private Placement
The Private Placement will consist of up to 8,000,000 units of Cartier Silver at a price of $0.25 per unit (“Units”) for gross proceeds of up to $2 million. Each Unit will consist of one common share in the capital of Cartier Silver (a “Common Share”) and one half of one Common Share purchase warrant (each whole, a “Warrant”). Each Warrant will entitle the holder to purchase one Common Share at a price of $0.50 per share for a term of 24 months following the closing of the Private Placement.
The net proceeds of the Private Placement will be used to finance exploration at the Chorrillos Project in the Potosi Department, Bolivia and for working capital purposes. The Private Placement is subject to all required regulatory approval. All securities issued pursuant to the Private Placement will be subject to the applicable statutory four-month hold period.
This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “U.S. Securities Act“), or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to or for the account or benefit of a U.S. person (as defined in Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act) unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available.
About Cartier Silver Corporation
Cartier Silver is an exploration and development Company focused on discovering and developing its recently acquired silver property assets, including the Chorrillos Project and claims staked by the Company’s subsidiary, all of which are located in the Potosi Department of southern Bolivia. The Company also holds significant iron ore resources at its Gagnon Holdings in the southern Labrador Trough region of east-central Quebec, and the Big Easy gold property in the Burin Peninsula epithermal gold belt in the Avalon Zone of eastern Newfoundland & Labrador.
For further information please visit Cartier Silver’s website at www.cartiersilvercorp.com
For further information please contact:
Thomas G. Larsen | Jorge Estepa | |
Chief Executive Officer | Vice-President | |
(800) 360-8006 | (800) 360-8006 | |
(416) 360-8006 | (416) 360-8006 |
The CSE has not reviewed nor accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Statements in this release that are not historical facts are “forward-looking statements” and readers are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance, and that actual developments or results, may vary materially from those in these “forward-looking statements”.
PDF available: http://ml.globenewswire.com/Resource/Download/9203d1a1-5973-4d27-a7fc-8d9a631ec1f0
Bulk Tonnage Metallurgical Tests Return Significantly Higher Silver Head Grade of 91 g Ag/t Compared with the 31 g Ag/t Average Grade from the Original Twinned Holes in the Polymetallic Domain at Iska Iska, Potosi Department, Southwestern Bolivia
Eloro Resources Ltd. (TSX: ELO; OTCQX: ELRRF; FSE: P2QM) (“Eloro”, or the “Company”) is pleased to announce the final results of its bulk metallurgical test program on the Iska Iska silver-tin polymetallic project in the Potosi Department of southwestern Bolivia.
Tom Larsen, CEO of Eloro commented: “The substantive difference in average silver grade in the bulk sample compared to the twinned holes strongly suggests that the silver grade in the two original twinned holes is likely significantly underreported due to the much smaller sample size. The recently released results from the definition drill program in the same general area within the initial MRE (see Eloro press releases dated December 18, 2023 and January 11, 2024) which yielded a number of higher-grade Ag intersections, also reflected in the improved silver grade equivalent values, further supports this underreported silver grade conclusion. These results highlight the fact that tighter spaced drilling is required to have a more representative sampling of high-grade areas in the Iska Iska deposit to obtain a more accurate estimate of the likely true overall grade.”
Mr. Larsen continued: “While the initial test program focussed on the higher-grade part of the Polymetallic Domain as this is where the bulk of the current mineral resource is, further testwork is planned on the Tin Domain which is very under-drilled. The recent definition drilling reported significant Sn results and it is expected that additional definition drilling will expand and upgrade the tin resource so that it can potentially be included in the preliminary economic assessment (“PEA”) in progress.”
Mike Hallewell, newly appointed as Eloro’s Senior VP Engineering Projects/Metallurgy said: “The results indicate that 91.9% of the Silver and Lead, and 76.0% of the zinc can be pre-concentrated into a relatively high-grade mill feed product constituting only 46.6% of the original tonnage. The upgraded product results in higher flotation plant feed grades that will assist flotation stage recoveries. Both XRT “Ore Sorting” and DMS are well known, low risk separation technologies that provide Eloro with a great opportunity to significantly reduce operating and capital costs, reduce the mine cut-off grade and enhance flotation stage recoveries. The small differences in the -60mm+25 mm and -25mm+9.5 mm size fractions suggests that the top size could be increased above 60 mm. This would increase the percentage of Run-of-Mine (“ROM”) secondary crushed material that would report for pre-concentration, which would enhance the overall benefit of pre-concentration. The much higher Ag grades of 91 g Ag/t in the bulk metallurgical sample as compared to the twinned holes grade of 31g Ag/t is very encouraging. This along with the very high test recoveries for Ag, will have a major positive effect on potential project economics.”
METALLURGICAL TEST PROGRAM
As previously reported (see Eloro press release dated November 1, 2023), three metallurgical drill holes totalling 940 m were completed at the Iska Iska project. Two holes targeted the higher-grade Polymetallic (Ag-Pb-Zn) Domain while the third hole sampled the higher-grade Tin Polymetallic (Sn-Ag-Pb) Domain. These metallurgical holes were drilled using PQ core (~85mm Ø) and were designed to twin previous HQ core drill holes which contained representative mineralization with values for the predominant higher grade Polymetallic (Ag-Zn-Pb) outlined in Table 1. As shown in Figure 1, these metallurgical holes were targeted in the potential higher-grade starter pit area at Santa Barbara which contains an estimated mineral resource at a cutoff of NSR US$25/t of 132 million tonnes at 24.3 g Ag/t, 1.11% Zn and 0.50% Pb (72.06 g Ag eq/t) (see Eloro press release dated October 17, 2023). The drill core selected for testing from these holes, which totaled 7.9 tonnes from 519 m of drill core, was shipped to Wardell Armstrong International (“WAI”) in Cornwall, England, for crushing to 60mm and sizing into five different size fractions. The -60 mm+9.5 mm crushed and sized product was sent to TOMRA GmbH based in Wedel, Germany, for separate cascade “ore-sorting” tests on -60 mm+25 mm and -25mm+9.5 mm.
The testing program reported in this release focussed on the two PQ drill holes in the Polymetallic Domain which contain the majority of the tonnage and metal, namely MET-DSBU-10 and MET-DSB-30. The sample size tested was 6.3 tonnes from 418m of the overall drill core sent to WAI. Further PQ diamond drilling is planned to obtain a bulk metallurgical sample from the sulphide Tin Domain, in addition to testing MET-DSB-32 which is in the oxide zone of the Tin Domain. The Tin Domain, although it contains an inferred mineral resource of 110 million tonnes grading 0.12% Sn, 14.2 g Ag/t and 0.14% Pb (38.02 g Ag eq/t) (see Eloro press release of October 17, 2023), is very under-drilled especially to the west. The recent definition drilling reported significant Sn results and it is expected that additional definition drilling will expand and upgrade the Sn resource so that it can potentially be included in the PEA in progress.
The -9.5 mm+0.85 mm size fractions were subject to heavy liquid analysis performed on two separate size fractions (-9.5mm+5mm and -5mm+0.85 mm) to identify the amenability of the finer size fractions to Dense Media Separation (“DMS”). The -0.85 mm material and the pre-concentrated products from the “ore sorting” and heavy liquid tests will provide testwork material for further PEA level grinding and flotation metallurgical testwork at WAI. This work builds on previous metallurgical test work using representative Iska Iska samples, as summarized in the Company’s National Instrument 43-101 (“NI 43-101”) Technical Report filed on Sedar+ (see Eloro press release dated October 17, 2023).
These metallurgical drill holes also provided an important comparative bulk sample test of mineralization grade relative to the weighted average grade of the twinned holes.
Figure 1: Cross Section of MRE Block Model showing Locations of Metallurgical PQ Holes and Original Holes Twinned
Notes: OP = Open Pit defining mineral resource estimate (MRE), NSR – Net Smelter Revenue, HG = Higher Grade, LG= Lower Grade. Block model from Micon International Limited MRE (see Eloro press release dated October 17, 2023)
SUMMARY HIGHLIGHTS
1. Overall Summary Tests
The main focus of this testwork phase has been on the predominant Ag-Pb-Zn Sulphide Domain which accounts for the majority of the mineral resource tonnage and metal values. Table 1 below shows the compelling results from this preliminary study on the full bulk PQ sample representative of the higher grade Polymetallic (Ag-Zn-Pb) Sulphide domain. The results indicate that 91.9% of the silver and lead, and 76.0% of the zinc can be pre-concentrated into a relatively high-grade mill feed product constituting only 46.6% of the original tonnage. The upgraded product results in higher flotation plant feed grades that will assist flotation stage recoveries. While 91.1% of the bulk sample (-60mm+0.85mm) reports to pre-concentration the remaining 8.9% of the material by-passes pre-concentration and can be blended directly with the pre-concentrated feed ahead of grinding.
Table 1: Overall Pre-concentration Results
Test Parameters | Mill Feed | |||||||||
Size Fraction | Pre-conc Technique | Unoptimised Setting | Wt% | g/t Ag | %Pb | %Zn | Ag eq | Ag Rec % | Pb Rec % | Zn Rec % |
-60mm+25mm | XRT “Ore” Sorting | Eject Medium Low Grade | 12.9 | 180.0 | 2.05 | 2.91 | 308.37 | 25.3 | 27.6 | 23.7 |
-25mm+9.5mm | XRT “Ore” Sorting | Eject Medium Low Grade | 17.7 | 183.0 | 1.72 | 2.96 | 305.13 | 37.5 | 31.8 | 24.9 |
-9.5mm+5.0mm | DMS | 2.65 SG Sinks | 2.0 | 156.0 | 2.38 | 3.47 | 314.61 | 3.5 | 5.0 | 4.4 |
-5.0mm+0.85mm | DMS | 2.65 SG Sinks | 5.1 | 196.0 | 2.37 | 3.68 | 356.98 | 11.0 | 12.7 | 11.9 |
-0.85mm | None | N/A | 8.9 | 149.0 | 1.58 | 1.96 | 236.74 | 14.6 | 14.7 | 11.0 |
Mill Feed | 46.6 | 176.0 | 1.88 | 2.86 | 299.15 | 91.9 | 91.9 | 76.0 | ||
Notes: | ||||||||||
Abbreviations are as follows: mm = millimetres, Pre-conc= Pre-concentration, XRT=X-Ray Transmission. SG = Specific Gravity, Wt% = Weight percent, | ||||||||||
XRT=X-Ray Transmission, DMS = Dense Media Separation, SG = Specific Gravity, Wt% = Weight percent, g/t = grams per tonne, Ag=Silver, Pb=Lead, | ||||||||||
Zn = Zinc, Ag eq = Silver equivalent, Rec = Recovery. Silver equivalent (Ag eq) grades are calculated using 3-year average metal prices of Ag = US$22.52/oz, | ||||||||||
Zn = US$1.33/lb and Pb = 0.95/lb and preliminary metallurgical recoveries of Ag = 88%, Zn = 87%, Pb= 80%. |
Table 2 below compares the individual back calculated head assays coming from the PEA preconcentration test work program with the assays from the 1/2 HQ twinned exploration holes. The overall weighted average Ag assay was significantly higher in the bulk PQ metallurgical hole sample at 91 g/t Ag as compared with the two original HQ geological twinned holes at 31 g/t Ag. This substantive difference in average Ag grade strongly suggests that the silver grade in the two original twinned holes is likely to be significantly underreported due to the much smaller sample size. The recently released results from the definition drill program in the same general area (see Eloro press releases dated December 18, 2023, and January 11, 2024) which yielded a number of higher-grade Ag intersections, further supports this conclusion. These results highlight the fact that tighter spaced drilling is required to have a more representative sampling of high-grade areas in the Iska Iska deposit to obtain a more accurate estimate of the likely true overall grade.
Table 2: Back Calculated Head Assay
Size Fraction | Wt kg | Wt% | %Pb | %Zn | g/t Ag | Ag eq |
-60mm+25mm | 2137 | 33.8 | 0.87 | 1.42 | 75 | 136.16 |
-25mm+9.5mm | 2689 | 42.5 | 0.80 | 1.50 | 89 | 149.68 |
-9.5 mm 45m m | 278 | 4.4 | 1.18 | 1.87 | 78 | 161.83 |
-5mm+0.85mm | 653 | 10.3 | 1.23 | 1.99 | 105 | 190.98 |
-0.85mm | 563 | 8.9 | 1.58 | 1.96 | 149 | 236.74 |
PQ Drill Core | 6320 | 100.0 | 0.95 | 1.58 | 91 | 157.73 |
1/2 HQ Twinned Holes | 898 | 1.10 | 1.92 | 31 | 120.38 | |
See Notes on Table 1. kg = kilograms |
2. Ag-Zn-Pb Sulphide Domain -60 mm+25 mm XRT Ore Sorter Result
In test 4.4, metal recoveries of 77.8%, 89.2% and 91.0% of zinc, lead and silver, respectively, were achieved into a pre-concentrate that comprised 38.1% of the feed weight. The pre-concentrate assayed 2.91% Zn, 2.05% Pb and 180g/t Ag (308.37 g Ag eq/t). These “ore” sorter results are presented in Table 3 and Figure 2 below.
Table 3: -60mm+25mm XRT “Ore” Sorter Cascade Results
Sample ID | Mass | Assay | Metal Distribution, % | |||||||
kg | % | Σ Mass % to Product | Σ% Zn Product | Σ% Pb Product | Σg/t Ag Product | Σ Ag eq Product | Σ Zn Product | Σ Pb Product | Σ Ag Product | |
Test 4.1 Eject High Grade | 86.5 | 4.19 | 4.19 | 6.85 | 8.06 | 832 | 1160.02 | 20.1 | 38.5 | 46.2 |
Test 4.2 Eject High Medium Grade | 105.5 | 5.11 | 9.30 | 5.51 | 5.22 | 534 | 784.85 | 35.9 | 55.4 | 65.8 |
Test 4.3 Eject Medium Grade | 269.0 | 13.04 | 22.34 | 3.82 | 3.03 | 283 | 453.75 | 59.9 | 77.1 | 83.5 |
Test 4.4 Eject Medium Low Grade | 325.5 | 15.77 | 38.11 | 2.91 | 2.05 | 180 | 308.37 | 77.8 | 89.2 | 91.0 |
Test 4.5 Eject Low Grade | 505.5 | 24.50 | 62.61 | 2.08 | 1.35 | 106 | 197.80 | 91.4 | 96.2 | 95.3 |
Test 4.5 Non-Eject Waste | 771.5 | 37.39 | 100.00 | 1.35 | 0.87 | 74 | 132.82 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 |
2063.3 | 100.00 | |||||||||
Test 4.5 Non-Eject Waste -20mm | 73.7 | 3.45 | ||||||||
TOTAL | 2137.2 | |||||||||
See NotesTable 1. Σ = Sum |
Figure 2: -60mm+25mm Weight Yield Vs Metal Recovery to product
3. Ag-Pb-Zn Sulphide Domain -25 mm+9.5 mm XRT “Ore” Sorter Result
In test 1.4, metal recoveries of 81.9%, 89.5% and 89.6% for zinc, lead and silver, respectively, were achieved into a pre-concentrate that comprised 41.6% of the sample feed weight. The pre-concentrate assayed 2.96%Zn, 1.72%Pb and 183g/t Ag (305.13 g Ag eq/t). These “ore sorter” results are presented in Table 4 and Figure 3 below.
Table 4: -25mm+9.5mm XRT Ore Sorter Cascade Results
Sample ID | Mass | Assay, % | Metal Distribution, % | |||||||
kg | % | Σ Mass% to Product | Σ% Zn Product | Σ% Pb Product | Σg/t Ag Product | Σ Ag-eq Product | Σ Zn Product | Σ Pb Product | Σ Ag Product | |
Test 1.1 Eject High Grade | 170.5 | 6.46 | 6.46 | 7.83 | 6.76 | 845 | 1175.91 | 33.7 | 54.7 | 64.3 |
Test 1.2 Eject High Medium Grade | 225.0 | 8.52 | 14.98 | 5.41 | 3.74 | 435 | 659.96 | 54.0 | 70.2 | 76.7 |
Test 1.3 Eject Medium Grade | 350.5 | 13.28 | 28.26 | 3.84 | 2.35 | 257 | 415.84 | 72.3 | 83.0 | 85.4 |
Test 1.4 Eject Medium Low Grade | 352.5 | 13.35 | 41.62 | 2.96 | 1.72 | 183 | 305.13 | 81.9 | 89.5 | 89.6 |
Test 1.5 Eject Low Grade | 566.5 | 21.46 | 63.08 | 2.18 | 1.20 | 123 | 212.82 | 91.6 | 94.9 | 95.5 |
Test 1.5 Non-Eject Waste | 974.5 | 36.92 | 100.00 | 1.40 | 0.77 | 87 | 143.70 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 |
2639.5 | 100.00 | |||||||||
Test 1.5 Non-Eject Waste -8mm | 49.3 | 1.83 | ||||||||
TOTAL | 2688.8 | |||||||||
See NotesTable 1. Σ = Sum |
Figure 3 -25mm+9.5mm Weight Yield Vs Metal Recovery to product
4. Ag-Zn-Pb Sulphide Domain -9.5 mm+5.0 mm DMS Heavy Liquid Results
In 2.65 Specific Gravity (“SG”) sinks, metal recoveries of 85.3%, 92.7% and 92.3% of zinc, lead and silver, respectively, were achieved into a pre-concentrate that consisted of 45.9% of the feed weight. The 2.65 SG Sink product assayed 3.47% Zn, 2.38% Pb and 156 g/t Ag (314.61 g Ag eq/t). These heavy liquid test results are presented in Table 5 and Figure 4 below.
Table 5: -9.5mm+5.0mm DMS Heavy Liquid Results
Product | Weight | Assay, % (ppm) | Distribution, % | |||||
Σ Mass% to Product | Σ %Pb to Product | Σ %Zn to Product | Σg/t Ag to Product | Σ Ag eq Product | Σ Pb Product | Σ Zn Product | Σ Ag Product | |
2.65 SG | 45.94 | 2.38 | 3.47 | 156 | 314.61 | 92.66 | 85.25 | 92.27 |
2.70 SG | 29.54 | 3.52 | 4.86 | 263 | 484.13 | 88.20 | 76.83 | 89.45 |
2.75 SG | 22.90 | 4.38 | 5.82 | 339 | 604.73 | 85.22 | 71.25 | 86.78 |
2.80 SG | 16.75 | 5.72 | 7.18 | 463 | 792.78 | 81.25 | 64.34 | 84.53 |
2.85 SG | 10.90 | 8.06 | 9.31 | 711 | 1140.22 | 74.60 | 54.33 | 78.49 |
2.90 SG | 9.25 | 9.16 | 10.33 | 838 | 1313.37 | 71.91 | 51.12 | 75.36 |
See NotesTable 1. Σ = Sum, SG-Specific Gravity |
Figure 4: -9.5mm+5.0mm Weight Yield Vs Metal Recovery to product
5. Ag-Zn-Pb Sulphide Domain -5.0 mm+0.85 mm DMS Heavy Liquid Results
In the 2.65 SG sinks, metal recoveries of 91.4%, 95.5% and 92.1% of zinc, lead and silver, respectively, were achieved into a pre-concentrate that comprised 49.5% of the feed weight. The 2.65 SG Sink product assayed 3.68%Zn, 2.37%Pb and 196g/t Ag (356.98 g Ag eq/t). These heavy liquid test results are presented in Table 6 and Figure 5 below.
Table 6: -5.0mm+0.85mm DMS Heavy Liquid Results
Product | Weight | Assay, % (ppm) | Distribution, % | |||||
Σ Mass% to Product | Σ %Pb to Product | Σ %Zn to Product | Σg/t Ag to Product | Σ Ag-eq Product | Σ Pb Product | Σ Zn Product | Σ Ag Product | |
2.65 SG | 49.50 | 2.37 | 3.68 | 196 | 356.98 | 95.48 | 91.39 | 92.12 |
2.70 SG | 29.11 | 3.86 | 5.63 | 361 | 605.37 | 91.33 | 82.28 | 88.73 |
2.75 SG | 26.26 | 4.23 | 6.11 | 400 | 665.16 | 90.43 | 80.52 | 87.97 |
2.80 SG | 18.28 | 5.83 | 7.93 | 575 | 920.31 | 86.66 | 72.72 | 85.14 |
2.85 SG | 13.65 | 7.49 | 9.72 | 770 | 1193.39 | 83.15 | 66.54 | 81.92 |
2.90 SG | 12.30 | 8.15 | 10.39 | 854 | 1306.19 | 81.55 | 64.11 | 80.50 |
See NotesTable 1. Σ = Sum, SG-Specific Gravity |
Figure 5: -5.0mm+0.85mm Weight Yield Vs Metal Recovery to product
Qualified Person (“QP”)
The metallurgical test program was directed by Mike Hallewell, B.Sc., F.I.M.M.M., F.S,A.I.M.M., F.M.E.S., C.Eng, Senior VP Engineering Projects/Metallurgy, and a Qualified Person (QP) as defined by NI 43-101 in consultation with Richard Gowans, P.Eng., an independent QP as defining by NI 43-101. Previous metallurgical work completed on Iska Iska is summarized in the NI 43-101 Technical Report (see Eloro press release dated October 17, 2023) prepared by Micon International Limited. Independent QPs for the Technical Report are Charley Murahwi, P.Geo., FAusIMM, Richard Gowans, P.Eng., Ing. Alan J. San Martin, MAusIMM (CP) and Abdul Aziz, Drame, P.Eng., all of whom are independent QP’s as defined by NI 43-101. Mr. Murahwi completed site visits in January 2020 and November 2022.
Wardell Armstrong International, based in Cornwall, UK, an internationally respected minerals processing laboratory, carried out the crushing of the bulk sample for shipment to TOMRA and completed metallurgical tests and assays on resulting products.
As part of the Tomra Group, TOMRA Mining, headquartered in Wedel, Germany, is a leading provider of ore sorting technologies, particularly specializing in X-ray Transmission (XRT) sorting. Among the latest advancements to enhance and improve finer particle separation, Tomra introduced a cutting-edge ejection module. This innovative module is specifically designed to increase separation accuracy and significantly reduce air consumption, thereby positively impacting operational expenditures (OPEX). Tomra’s extensive global reach has a proven track record in handling large-scale projects.
Dr. Bill Pearson, P.Geo., Vice President Exploration, Eloro and a QP as defined by NI 43-101 has reviewed and approved the technical content of this news release. Dr. Pearson who has more than 49 years of worldwide mining exploration, development and production experience, including extensive work in South America, manages the overall technical program, working closely with Dr. Osvaldo Arce, P.Geo. General Manager of Eloro’s Bolivian subsidiary, Minera Tupiza S.R.L., and a Qualified Person in the context of NI 43-101, who has supervised all field work carried out at Iska Iska. Dr. Arce supervised the on-site drilling and collection of the PQ core. Shipping to Wardell Armstrong in Cornwall for sample crushing was done through the facilities of Alfred H. Knight (AHK). Crushed material was shipped to Tomra in Germany for the cascade test on the ore-sorter then the concentrates were shipped to WAI for final metallurgical testing and assaying.
Silver equivalent (Ag eq) grades are calculated using 3-year average metal prices of Ag = US$22.52/oz, Zn = US$1.33/lb , Pb = 0.95/lb and Sn = US$12.20/lb, and preliminary metallurgical recoveries of Ag = 88%, Zn = 87%, Pb= 80% and Sn = 50%.
About Iska Iska
Iska Iska silver-tin polymetallic project is a road accessible, royalty-free property, wholly controlled by the Title Holder, Empresa Minera Villegas S.R.L. and is located 48 km north of Tupiza city, in the Sud Chichas Province of the Department of Potosi in southern Bolivia. Eloro has an option to earn a 100% interest in Iska Iska.
Iska Iska is a major silver-tin polymetallic porphyry-epithermal complex associated with a Miocene possibly collapsed/resurgent caldera, emplaced on Ordovician age rocks with major breccia pipes, dacitic domes and hydrothermal breccias. The caldera is 1.6km by 1.8km in dimension with a vertical extent of at least 1km. Mineralization age is similar to Cerro Rico de Potosí and other major deposits such as San Vicente, Chorolque, Tasna and Tatasi located in the same geological trend.
Eloro began underground diamond drilling from the Huayra Kasa underground workings at Iska Iska on September 13, 2020. On November 18, 2020, Eloro announced the discovery of a significant breccia pipe with extensive silver polymetallic mineralization just east of the Huayra Kasa underground workings and a high-grade gold-bismuth zone in the underground workings. On November 24, 2020, Eloro announced the discovery of the SBBP approximately 150m southwest of the Huayra Kasa underground workings.
Subsequently, on January 26, 2021, Eloro announced significant results from the first drilling at the SBBP including the discovery hole from 0.0m to 257.5m. Subsequent drilling has confirmed significant values of Ag-Sn polymetallic mineralization in the SBBP and the adjacent CBP. A substantive mineralized envelope which is open along strike and down-dip extends around both major breccia pipes. Continuous channel sampling of the Santa Barbara Adit located to the east of SBBP returned 164.96 g Ag/t, 0.46%Sn, 3.46% Pb and 0.14% Cu over 166m including 446 g Ag/t, 9.03% Pb and 1.16% Sn over 56.19m. The west end of the adit intersects the end of the SBBP.
Since the initial discovery hole DHK-15 which returned 29.53g Ag/t, 0.078g Au/t, 1.45%Zn, 0.59%Pb, 0.080%Cu and 0.056%Sn over 257.5m, Eloro has released a number of significant drill results in the SBBP and the surrounding mineralized envelope which along with geophysical data has defined an extensive target zone. On October 17, 2023, Eloro filed the NI 43-101 Technical Report outlining the initial inferred MRE for Iska Iska, prepared by Micon International Limited. The MRE was reported in two domains, the Polymetallic (Ag-Zn-Pb) Domain which is primarily in the east and south of the Santa Barbara deposit and the Tin (Sn-Ag-Pb) Domain which is primarily in the west and north. The Polymetallic Domain is estimated to contain 560Mt at 13.8 g Ag/t, 0.73% Zn & 0.28% Pb at an NSR cutoff of US$9.20 for potential open pit and an NSR cutoff of US$34.40 for potential underground. The majority of the mineral resource is contained in the constraining pit which has a stripping ratio of 1:1.
The Polymetallic Domain contains a higher-grade mineral resource at a NSR cutoff of $US25/t of 132 million tonnes at 1.11% Zn, 0.50% Pb and 24.3 g Ag/t which has a net NSR value of US$34.40/t which is 3.75 the estimated operating cost of US$9.20/t. The Tin Domain which is adjacent the Polymetallic Domain and does not overlap, is estimated to contain a mineral resource of 110Mt at 0.12% Sn, 14.2 g Ag/t and 0.14% Pb but is very under drilled.
The Company has completed a 5,267.7m definition drill program to upgrade and expand the higher-grade mineral resource in the Polymetallic Domain and has commenced a PEA led by Lycopodium.
About Eloro Resources Ltd.
Eloro is an exploration and mine development company with a portfolio of gold and base-metal properties in Bolivia, Peru and Quebec. Eloro has an option to acquire a 100% interest in the highly prospective Iska Iska Property, which can be classified as a polymetallic epithermal-porphyry complex, a significant mineral deposit type in the Potosi Department, in southern Bolivia. A recent NI 43-101 Technical Report on Iska Iska, which was completed by Micon International Limited, is available on Eloro’s website and under its filings on SEDAR. Iska Iska is a road-accessible, royalty-free property. Eloro also owns an 82% interest in the La Victoria Gold/Silver Project, located in the North-Central Mineral Belt of Peru some 50 km south of the Lagunas Norte Gold Mine and the La Arena Gold Mine.
For further information please contact either Thomas G. Larsen, Chairman and CEO or Jorge Estepa, Vice-President at (416) 868-9168.
Information in this news release may contain forward-looking information. Statements containing forward-looking information express, as at the date of this news release, the Company’s plans, estimates, forecasts, projections, expectations, or beliefs as to future events or results and are believed to be reasonable based on information currently available to the Company. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate. Actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information.
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