Marimaca Copper Corp. (“Marimaca Copper” or the
“Company”) (TSX: MARI) is pleased to
announce the signing of a binding option agreement (the
“
Agreement”) to acquire the Pampa Medina project
(“
Pampa Medina”) from Sociedad Contractual Minera
Elenita (“
SCM Elenita”). Details of the
transaction are found below in the “Transaction Summary” section of
this press release.
The Pampa Medina project consists of 4 mining
concessions totaling 144 hectares. Pampa Medina is located within
the southern portion of the Company’s broader 14,500ha Sierra de
Medina (“SdM”) property package (see Figures 1, 2
and 3), and is situated approximately 28km in distance and ~200m
higher elevation relative to the Company’s planned processing
infrastructure as defined in the ongoing Marimaca Oxide Deposit
(“MOD”) Definitive Feasibility Study
(“DFS”) (see press release dated January 16th,
2024).
Pampa Medina hosts a historical, National
Instrument 43-101 – Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects
(“NI 43-101”) non-compliant resource estimate of
copper hosted in dominantly oxide mineralization, which is detailed
below in Table 1 alongside relevant technical and regulatory
disclosure. Approximately 41,000m of historical drilling data at
Pampa Medina was inherited per the Agreement. The Company has
commenced a detailed quality assurance, quality control and
validation program which is summarized below. Marimaca Copper will
review results of the program and define next steps with the
intention to release a maiden resource estimate at Pampa Medina in
early Q1 2025.
Hayden Locke, President & CEO,
commented:
“This acquisition aligns with our strategy to
grow our base of leachable copper resources to complement the MOD,
to underpin mine life growth and, perhaps more importantly, support
our goal of increasing our scale of production target to more than
50,000 tonnes of copper cathode per annum.
A cornerstone of this strategy is proximity of
resources to the planned infrastructure of the MOD development.
Pampa Medina is located within 25km of the preferred plant site for
the MOD development, and there are several clear routes for a
synergistic development using the MOD infrastructure. We have run
an initial, internal, technical and economic evaluation to
understand how it may fit with the broader development strategy
and, as expected, the results were positive. As a result, we will
take some additional time to consider whether this may change our
base case development strategy for the MOD, which is currently
being designed in our Definitive Feasibility Study.
Pampa Medina lies in the middle of one of our
most prospective exploration targets, at SdM. We have completed
surface geology in and around the historical resource, including
several geophysical surveys, and are excited about the potential to
extend both along strike to the north and south, and down plunge to
the east-north-east.
Finally, the team is currently drilling the
satellite Mercedes Target, which remains a key part of our
complementary resource growth strategy. We hope to receive first
results of this campaign in in the coming months before the rigs
move to SdM to test our various targets there up to the end of the
year.”
Table 1. Historical Estimate – Pampa
Medina (taken from Informe Técnico Recursos Actualizados 2020,
GeoInvest (“GeoInvest, 2020”)
The historical estimate uses CIM
categories. The Qualified Person (QP) has not done sufficient work
to classify the historical estimate as a current resource at this
stage. The Company is not treating the historical estimate as a
current resource and intends to verify and upgrade the historical
estimate via a planned work program outlined in the “Validation
Program” section of this news release.
Category (GeoInvest, 2020) |
Tonnes |
CuT (%) |
CuS (%) |
Indicated |
12,267,505 |
0.857 |
0.730 |
Inferred |
28,053,957 |
0.659 |
0.558 |
The historical estimate was reported
pit-constrained via a Lerchs-Grossman pit optimization utilizing
the following assumptions CuT is total copper. CuS is acid soluble
copper. Historic estimate reported at a cutoff of 0.30% CuT. Copper
price assumption of US$3.00/lb, mining cost of US$1.50/t,
processing costs of US$10.50/t Cu, Solvent-Extraction and
Electrowinning Costs of $0.25/lb Cu, recovery assumption of
(CuS*0.92+(CuT-CuS)*0.75)*CuT. The historical estimate incorporates
23,984m of diamond drilling across 61 drill holes and 17,485m of
reverse circulation drilling across 39 drill holes
Property Overview
- 144ha land package
within Marimaca’s broader Sierra de Medina exploration property
package
- Located in the
eastern domain of the Antofagasta Region’s coastal copper belt,
which hosts large, ‘Manto’-style copper deposits including Capstone
Copper’s Mantos Blancos mine and Antofagasta Minerals’ Cachorro
project (Figure 4)
- Mineralization,
observed to date through re-logging of historical drill core,
confirms strong oxide copper presence (atacamite, chrysocolla) as
well as primary and secondary chalcocite
- Known
mineralization remains open to the northeast, down-dip which
extends onto Marimaca Copper’s 100% owned land position (Figure
2)
- Complements the
previously announced Pias target within the broader Sierra de
Medina land position – where exploration drilling is currently
underway (see Figure 3)
- Significant
geological database to leverage for further exploration vectoring
in the broader Sierra de Medina land package
Validation Program
(Underway)
- Geological
relogging of complete historical diamond drilling database
- Drill collar GPS
validation, topography validation, survey validation
- Resampling and
re-assaying program against the historical assay database of
diamond drilling
- Reinterpretation
and rebuild of the geological model
- Release of maiden
MRE planned for early Q1 2025
Transaction Summary
- Under the terms of
the Agreement, Marimaca Copper will pay the following over an
option term of 5-years to acquire 100% of Pampa Medina. Marimaca
Copper may withdraw and relinquish property rights back to SCM
Elenita at any time.
- US$150,000 on
signing
- US$350,000 on the
first anniversary of signing
- US$500,000 24
months from of signing
- US$1,500,000 36
months from signing
- US$2,500,000 48
months from signing
- US$7,000,000 60
months from signing
- SCM Elenita will
retain a 1.5% net smelter royalty (“NSR”) on the Pampa Medina
property. Marimaca Copper will have the ability to buy back 1.0%of
the NSR
Figure 1: Marimaca Land Position –
Marimaca and Sierra de Medina
Figure 2: Sierra de Medina – Pampa Medina
Property and Pias Target (see press release dated February 27,
2024)
Figure 3: Pampa Medina – Historical
Drilling
Figure 4: Regional Geological
Setting
Qualified Person
The technical information in this news release
has been reviewed and approved by Sergio Rivera, VP of Exploration,
Marimaca Copper Corp, a geologist with more than 35 years of
experience and a registered member of the Comision Minera (Chilean
Mining Commission), as well a member of the Colegio de Geólogos de
Chile, Instituto de Ingenieros de Minas de Chile and of the Society
of Economic Geologist USA, and who is a Qualified Person for the
purposes of NI 43-101. As noted previously, the Qualified Person
(QP) has not done sufficient work to classify the historical
estimate presented in this news release as a current resource.
Contact InformationFor further
information please visit www.marimaca.com or contact:
Tavistock +44 (0) 207 920
3150Jos Simpson / Adam Baynesmarimaca@tavistock.co.uk
Forward Looking Statements
This news release includes certain
“forward-looking statements” under applicable Canadian securities
legislation, including, without limitation, statements regarding
the long term viability of the Pampa Medina property acquisition,
the ability of Marimaca Copper to complete the payments
contemplated under the Agreement exploration activities, planned
work programs, the ability of Marimaca Copper to increase its scale
of production target to more than 50,000 tonnes of copper cathode
per annum, the expected synergy of the Pampa Medina with Marimaca’s
MOD; the potential to extend exploration; planned drilling
programs, and the development activities at the MOD. There can be
no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, and
actual results and future events could differ materially from those
anticipated in such statements. Forward-looking statements reflect
the beliefs, opinions and projections on the date the statements
are made and are based upon a number of assumptions and estimates
that, while considered reasonable by Marimaca Copper, are
inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive,
political and social uncertainties and contingencies. Many factors,
both known and unknown, could cause actual results, performance or
achievements to be materially different from the results,
performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied
by such forward-looking statements and the parties have made
assumptions and estimates based on or related to many of these
factors. Such factors include, without limitation: risks that the
exploration development activities at Mercedes and the MOD will not
progress as anticipated, or at all, risks that the DFS may not be
completed as anticipated, or at all, risks that the MOD project
permitting submission may not be submitted as anticipated, or at
all, risks related to share price and market conditions, the
inherent risks involved in the mining, exploration and development
of mineral properties, the uncertainties involved in interpreting
drilling results and other geological data, fluctuating metal
prices, the possibility of project delays or cost overruns or
unanticipated excessive operating costs and expenses, uncertainties
related to the necessity of financing, uncertainties relating to
regulatory procedure and timing for permitting submissions and
reviews, the availability of and costs of financing needed in the
future as well as those factors disclosed in the annual information
form of the Company dated March 28, 2024 and other filings made by
the Company with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities
(which may be viewed at www.sedar.com). Readers should not place
undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Marimaca Copper
undertakes no obligation to update publicly or otherwise revise any
forward-looking statements contained herein whether as a result of
new information or future events or otherwise, except as may be
required by law.
Neither the TSX nor the Canadian Investment
Regulatory Organization accepts responsibility for the adequacy or
accuracy of this release.
Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/da800647-f0d0-4cde-ae56-dbbbf893a6a1
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e39990cf-37bb-4cfe-8d31-e833e9ed1423
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