The Northern Miner Feb 21 2022 Issue 4

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Newmont buys out Yanacocha partner Buenaventura for over US$300 million M&A

| Peruvian gold mine is

South America’s largest

The Yanacocha gold mine near Cajamarca in Peru. EUYASIK/WIKIPEDIA CC 4.0

BY MARILYN SCALES

N

ewmont (TSX: NGT; NYSE: NEM) is buying out its partner, Compañia de Minas Buenaventura, at the producing Yanacocha gold-silver-copper mine in Peru. The gold miner has offered US$300 million up front for Buenaventura’s 43.65% interest, plus up to US$100 million more dependent on higher metal prices. At the same time, Newmont will transfer its 47% interest in the La Zanja gold and silver joint venture with Buenaventura to its partner in exchange for royalties on any future production. Newmont will also contribute US$45 million toward future closing costs at La Zanja, which is also in Peru. Yanacocha is South America’s largest gold mine, producing about 350,000 oz. of gold annually. Newmont has prepared a feasibility study for what it calls the ‘Yanacocha sulphides’ project. The first phase, mining the Yanacocha Verde and Chaquicocha deposits, will extend

The Yanacocha gold mine in northern Peru’s Cajamarca region. NEWMONT

the mine life beyond 2040. The company is committed to spend at least US$500 million through this year with a full funding decision to come by year-end. The total investment will be US$2.6 billion with production averaging 525,000 oz. gold-equivalent for the first five full years (2017-31). All-in sustaining costs during those years would be US$700 to US$800 per gold-equivalent ounce. The first phase includes the construction of an autoclave. The second and third phases would further extend the mine’s life. TNM

American Pacific Mining rides high on third round of Madison drilling COPPER

| Rio Tinto is earning up to 70% of the project “WE LOOK FORWARD TO COLLABORATING WITH OUR PARTNER IN THE COMING WEEKS TO COMPLETE FURTHER MODELLING, ANALYSIS AND DEFINE FUTURE EXPLORATION PLANS.”

BY HENRY LAZENBY

D

espite coming off recent highs, the Toronto-quoted shares in copper explorer American Pacific Mining (TSXV: USGD; US-OTC: USGDF) continue to trade nearly 520% higher over the 12-month frame following a third successful drill campaign by partner Rio Tinto (NYSE: RIO; LSE: RIO; ASX: RIO) at the Madison project in Montana, says CEO Warwick Smith. The company’s wholly-owned Madison copper-gold project is currently under an earn-in with an option to joint venture agreement, whereby Rio, in a June 2020 agreement, undertook to spend US$30 million to earn up to 70% of the project. According to Smith, Rio liked what they saw in the drill core. Of note was drill hole MADN0033, which Smith singled out as a highlight for two reasons. It cut 14.44 grams gold per tonne and 0.11% copper over 6.53 metres, including 39.57 grams gold per tonne and 0.28% copper over 2.35 metres and 146 grams per tonne gold and 0.98% copper over 0.48 metres — representing the third-highest gold intercept ever reported at Madison between 175 and 225 metres depth. The hole had also identified a new gold zone 55 metres from the nearest drill intercept and 100 metres down dip. According to Smith, the hole demonstrates the potential to extend high-grade gold-copper mineralization down plunge. “It will be the vector for additional drilling in the currently known mineralized area in 2022,” he said in a recent interview. Of the ten holes drilled, nine encountered mineralization anomalies in a broad array of different rock lithologies. The Madison deposit contains several gold and copper mineralization styles, all of which can carry substantial metal values. “This is an important point to emphasize. Every drill hole is essential for making deposits like Madison become mines,” said Smith. “Hole MADN0033 also shows highly anomalous gold mineralization in iron-rich skarn and warrants exploration drilling followup. Every drill hole from 2019 to 2021 has helped define the currently known mineralization further and provided ample exploration vectors

HIGHLIGHTS FROM AME ROUNDUP / 5

Warwick Smith, CEO of American Pacific Mining. HENRY LAZENBY/THE NORTHERN MINER

WARWICK SMITH

for additional targets both laterally and down-dip,” he said. Another recently released drill hole had geoscientists paying close attention. According to Smith, drill hole MADN0032 returned “strongly anomalous gold values” encountered in a limestone rock package that had previously not been known to host mineralization. MADN0032 intersected 1.64 grams gold per tonne over 9 metres within limestone breccia beyond the skarn, highlighting the potential for additional gold-bearing styles of mineralization at Madison. Meanwhile, Smith said American Pacific’s attention was turning towards identifying regional targets on the property. The geochemical and geophysical programs in 2021 across the property have identified several strong anomalies well away from the current drilling under evaluation. These will be presented as they are interpreted, and additional targets emerge. “We look forward to collaborating with our partner in the coming weeks to complete further modelling, analysis and define future exploration plans,” said Smith. Underpinning this work are results from a drone magnetic survey of 344-line kilometres at 25 meter and 50-metre spacings over 11.34 sq. km. of ground. “The newly defined magnetic high anomalies are much more pronounced than expected and are interpreted by American Pacific geologists as the late-stage intrusions essential to any copper-gold porphyry and skarn system. These anomalies are often responsible for the strongest gold and copper mineralization in these systems. This survey’s number of untested targets suggests property-

wide exploration upside remaining at Madison,” said Smith. Earlier in the year, the team also undertook some trenching two kilometres away from the skarn mineralization. The results returned evidence of epithermal veins with values such as 15 grams gold per tonne or 600 grams silver per tonne and 1.5% copper. “They’ve identified

CEO, AMERICAN PACIFIC MINING

See AMERICAN PACIFIC / 16 PM40069240


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