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Colibri Resource Corporation (TSXV: CBI) (OTC Pink: CRUCF) ("Colibri" or the "Company"), provides additional details of terms to acquire the Plomo Gold Project and further background as a follow up to its release of March 16, 2023.
Overview of Plomo Gold Project
The Plomo property covers an area of approximately 4,260 hectares ("Ha") and is contiguous with the Company's Evelyn Property. The additional land increases Colibri's area footprint by 842% to a total of 4,766 hectares.
The current database includes 1,853 surface rock samples of which 132 samples are greater than 1.0 g/t Au, 15 high grade samples are greater than 10 g/t Au and 524 samples are greater than 0.1 grams per tonne ("g/t") Au. Surface exploration included prospecting, a 14.1 line Km 3D induced polarization study, mapping, and rock sampling. To date, 9 target areas have been identified on the Plomo property. (See: Figure 2 below).
Underground sampling completed in the adit at the Banco de Oro prospect in 2008 is reported to have included 298.0 g/t Au over a chip length of 2.4 metres
The Plomo property has been subject to only very limited exploration drilling, which was very early on in its exploration, with a total of 1,570 meters completed in 10 holes. A highlight of the drilling is the intercept of 0.66 g/t Au over an intersection length of 11.65 metres ("m") completed in the San Perfecto target area.
The Evelyn and Plomo properties are located in the 500 km long, northwest trending Caborca Gold belt which includes the > 15 million ounce Au La Herradura Mine (located 30 km west of Plomo) and the > 2 million ounce Au Noche Buena Mine (located approximately 8 km southwest of Plomo). Both mines are owned by Fresnillo Plc who is the largest gold producer in Mexico. The Plomo and Evelyn claims are surrounded by claims held by Fresnillo Plc. (See: Figure 1 below)
Figure 1: Evelyn-Plomo Area - Regional Claims Map
Terms
Colibri paid $100,000 CAD cash to acquire the Plomo project by way of buying 100% of the shares outstanding in Great Panther Mining's ("Great Panther") wholly owned subsidiaries, which hold the Plomo. The deal was successfully concluded with Great Panther's Trustees in Bankruptcy.
Plomo History & Background
Plomo was originally acquired by Cangold Ltd. in 2006 for $100,000 in cash payments, issuance of 700,000 shares of Cangold stock (shares were trading at approximately $0.50 at the time) and issuing the vendor an additional 500,000 share purchase warrants at $0.50 per share.
The project was the target of intense exploration activity in 2006, 2007, and 2008 when Cangold completed a significant amount of mapping, geochemical sampling (1100 samples), and a 1,570m diamond drill program. The company returned to its field exploration at Plomo in 2012, sending several hundred more samples for assay and completing increasingly detailed mapping.
In 2015, Cangold was acquired by Great Panther Mining. The Plomo continued to be retained as an exploration asset with all property taxes paid semi annually.
Encouraged by its discoveries at Evelyn, Colibri signed a mutual non-disclosure agreement with Great Panther to share data mid year 2021. Based on its due diligence, Colibri forwarded an offer to purchase the Plomo Gold project for $1 million CAD in December of that year. The offer was rejected, and it was understood that Great Panther management had instead decided to complete further exploration of the Plomo in an effort to grow the company's resources organically.
The following year, from April to November 2021, Great Panther completed exploration activities at Plomo to better understand the structures and lithologies associated with previously identified gold mineralization to determine targets for future drilling. To support this work, they retained TMC Geofisica to perform a 14.1 line kilometre 3D IP study covering the area bordering Colibri's Evelyn project over to Plomo's San Perfecto target. We now know that the results generated from these studies were very encouraging, however Great Panther had been experiencing significant cashflow problems due to its mining operations (as illustrated by its financial statements in published early 2022). As a result, no further exploration was funded at Plomo in 2022.
In September 2022, Great Panther filed for CCAA protection from its creditors. Colibri management reached out GPR to determine if there may now be an opportunity to buy the Plomo project and received a positive response.
Colibri geologists reviewed the updated Plomo database and in December 2022 submitted an offer to buy the Plomo Gold project, however, was subsequently informed that Great Panther had already formally filed for bankruptcy with the courts and its management were no longer the custodians of its assets. Colibri in turn submitted a modified offer of $100,000 CAD to the trustees of the GPR bankruptcy and the offer was accepted.
Ian McGavney COO of Colibri states "I am extremely happy that we were able to acquire this large piece of ground in this prime district, along with its significant geological database. Great Panther/Cangold did excellent exploration work at Plomo and unveiled a great deal of potential. The fact that we offered $1 million CAD for the project two years ago and that it was rejected by Great Panther would seem to indicate that their management also saw its upside potential. Review of their 2021 field work has only added more reasons for us to want to own this project. We were in the right place at the right time and seized the opportunity."
Figure 2 - Target Areas and Samples Map - Evelyn Plomo
ABOUT COLIBRI RESOURCE CORPORATION:
Colibri is a Canadian-based mineral exploration company listed on the TSX-V (CBI) and is focused on acquiring and exploring prospective gold & silver properties in Mexico. The Company holds seven high potential precious metal projects of which six have planned exploration programs for calendar 2023.
For more information about all Company projects please visit: www.colibriresource.com.
Neither 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.
Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements:
This news release contains "forward-looking statements". Statements in this press release which are not purely historical are forward-looking statements and include any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations, or intentions regarding the future. Actual results could differ from those projected in any forward-looking statements due to numerous factors. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release, and the Company assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that the plans, expectations and intentions contained in this press release are reasonable, there can be no assurance that they will prove to be accurate.
For information contact: Ronald J. Goguen, President, Chairperson and Director, Tel: (506) 383-4274, rongoguen@colibriresource.com
CBI:CC
What Does the GDX Index Change Mean for Gold Investors?
It’s been a long time coming, but it seems gold-mining stocks are finally responding to record gold prices.
The VanEck Gold Miners ETF (ARCA:GDX), whose holdings include the biggest global gold-mining companies, was up by 103.54 percent year-to-date as of Thursday (September 18).
The GDX has tracked the price and yield performance of the NYSE ARCA Gold Miners Index since its inception in May 2006. That came to an end on Friday (September 19) as it switched to the MarketVector Global Gold Miners index.
What does the GDX index change mean for gold investors?
It may seem counterintuitive for global investment management firm VanEck to make a change to the index for the popular US$20.5 billion GDX, but there are plenty of good reasons.
The switch was planned a few months ago in conjunction with housekeeping that’s a routine component of exchange-traded fund (ETF) management. The move to the MarketVector Global Gold Miners Index is happening at the same time that the firm would normally rebalance the weight of its positions in GDX's underlying securities.
And the move makes sense. Not only is MarketVector a subsidiary of VanEck, but it is based on free-float market-cap-weighted methodology that many major stock indexes now use.
“By focusing only on shares available for public trading, excluding those held by insiders or restricted from the market, this method offers a more accurate reflection of market dynamics than the full-market capitalization method,” explains Investopedia, noting that this approach is used by indexes like the S&P 500 (INDEXSP:.INX).
It seems VanEck is joining the rest of the global financial community, which has transitioned away from full market-cap-weighting methodologies like that used by NYSE ARCA Gold Miners Index.
So what can GDX investors expect from this change?
They probably won’t see much difference right away besides slight adjustments to how some stocks are weighted in the fund, or which stock listing is used for companies with multiple stock listings.
For example, major miner Newmont (TSX:NEM,NYSE:NEM,ASX:NEM) — which is among the ETF’s top five holdings — will be weighted at 6.95 percent from 12.99 percent.
Chart via VanEck.
Over the long term, however, GDX may see a boost in performance, including less volatility and better liquidity, as the dead weight is cut away and the largest companies are no longer concentrated at the top. This could represent a major growth opportunity for GDX investors, especially if this bull run on gold and gold-mining stocks continues.
Don't forget to follow us @INN_Resource for real-time updates!
Securities Disclosure: I, Melissa Pistilli, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
Lahontan Gold Corp.
Investor Insight
Lahontan Gold is on track to become a leading gold developer in Nevada’s Walker Lane district, presenting a compelling investment opportunity by combining a high-quality resource base with a clear path to production in Nevada’s premier mining jurisdiction — all in a rising gold price environment.
Overview
Lahontan Gold (TSXV:LG,OTCQB:LGCXF) is focused on advancing its portfolio of high-quality gold and silver projects in Nevada. The company’s flagship Santa Fe mine was a past producer that operated from 1988 to 1992, yielding 356,000 ounces of gold and 784,000 ounces of silver. Lahontan aims to unlock the mine’s full potential by expanding its resources and pushing forward on permitting.
The company recently completed a robust preliminary economic assessment (PEA) outlining a clear pathway to production. Permitting efforts are progressing with the Bureau of Land Management, and Lahontan anticipates being in a position to break ground by 2026.
Additionally, strategic drilling campaigns are planned to further expand the existing resource base.
The company's strategy to unlock shareholder value is to advance the Santa Fe mine toward production by derisking the project through permitting and feasibility studies, while optimizing heap leach processing for maximum recoveries and economic efficiency. Concurrently, it is unlocking value from satellite deposits, including West Santa Fe, which has high-grade oxide potential, and Moho, an early-stage project with promising historic gold and silver intercepts.
Positioned as a low-cost developer in a top-tier jurisdiction, the company maintains strong institutional support with minimal dilution risk, ensuring capital efficiency and sustainable growth.
Company Highlights
- Flagship Santa Fe Project: 100 percent owned, past-producing open-pit heap leach mine with an updated resource estimate of 1.54 million ounces indicated and 0.41 million ounces inferred pit constrained resource
- Strategic Nevada Location: Situated in Walker Lane, one of the world’s best mining jurisdictions, with excellent infrastructure, water access, and a mining-friendly regulatory environment.
- Strong Resource Growth Potential: The Santa Fe Mine and its satellite projects, West Santa Fe and Moho, offer exploration upside, with further drilling planned to expand resources.
- Advancing Toward Production: With a positive Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) completed in late 2024, Lahontan is aggressively moving toward permitting and development.
- Experienced Leadership: The company is led by an experienced management team with a proven track record in mine development, permitting, and value creation for investors.
Key Projects
Santa Fe Mine
The Santa Fe mine, located in Mineral County, Nevada, spans 26.4 sq km and represents Lahontan Gold’s flagship development project. With an updated mineral resource estimate of 1.95 Moz gold equivalent, the project hosts multiple oxide and sulfide zones that remain open for expansion.
Historical production from the Santa Fe mine yielded 356,000 oz gold and 784,000 oz silver from an open-pit heap leach operation. Modern exploration and metallurgical testing have identified additional high-grade mineralization that could support an expanded operation.
The recently completed PEA indicates strong economic potential, with favorable heap leach recoveries and low operating costs. Lahontan is actively working with the Bureau of Land Management to advance the permitting process, with the goal of achieving production readiness by 2026.
Lahontan has received confirmation from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) that its Santa Fe Exploration Plan of Operations (POO) is now complete, paving the way for the project to enter the full environmental assessment (EA) under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The completion marks over two years of baseline studies, including biological, cultural, and historical assessments, and covers more than 12 sq km of the Santa Fe project with provision for over 700 drill sites. With this milestone, Lahontan expects to secure final POO approval in Q4 2025, enabling an expanded and robust drilling campaign in 2026.
West Santa Fe
The West Santa Fe project, situated just 13 km from the Santa Fe mine, is a highly prospective satellite project that could serve as an extension of the main operation. Historic drill data suggest the presence of a shallow oxide deposit, with early resource modeling indicating a potential gold equivalent resource of 0.5 to 1 Moz.
West Santa Fe’s excellent resource growth potential
Lahontan is preparing for an extensive drill program in 2025 to validate and expand this resource. Geophysical surveys and geochemical sampling have identified strong structural controls on mineralization, further supporting the potential for economic extraction. Given its proximity to Santa Fe, West Santa Fe offers a compelling low-cost, high-margin opportunity for future production.
Moho Project
The Moho project is another 100 percent owned asset within the Walker Lane district in Nevada, presenting a longer-term growth opportunity for Lahontan. The project is characterized by historic high-grade gold and silver intercepts from past drilling, with reported grades exceeding 20 g/t gold and 300 g/t silver. Initial exploration has confirmed the presence of oxidized tertiary epithermal vein systems, which are ideal for conventional heap leach processing. Core drilling in 2019 further validated the high-grade nature of Moho’s mineralization, with significant intercepts occurring at relatively shallow depths. Lahontan plans to conduct additional exploration drilling to refine resource estimates and assess potential economic viability.
Management Team
Kimberly Ann – Founder, Executive Chair, President and CEO
Kimberly Ann is a seasoned mining executive who has founded multiple junior mining companies and held senior roles, including CEO, president, CFO, and board member. Over the past 12 years, she has raised more than $210 million in project financing and participated in three junior mining M&A transactions. At Prodigy Gold, she led corporate communications, equity financings, and analyst engagement, playing a key role in the company’s $340 million acquisition by Argonaut Gold. As CFO and VP corporate development at PPX Mining, she successfully advanced the high-grade Callanquitas gold-silver underground mine into production in Northern Peru. In 2017, Kimberly founded Latin America Resource Group, transforming Jasperoide from two small concessions into a 57 sq km copper-gold project in Peru’s most prolific mineralized belt. Following LARG’s 2020 merger with Carube Copper to form C3 Metals, she positioned the company for significant portfolio growth and value creation.
Brian Maher – Founder and Vice-president of Exploration
Brian Maher is an economic geologist with over 45 years of experience in the international mining and exploration industry. Prior to Lahontan, Maher was the president, CEO and director of Prodigy Gold, where he guided the company through a period of expansive growth, exploring and developing the 6.6 Moz Magino gold deposit in northern Ontario, culminating in the $341 million acquisition of Prodigy Gold by Argonaut Gold in 2012. In 1982, he began a 16-year career with ASARCO, exploring for gold and copper deposits in a variety of geologic environments throughout North and South America. From 1998 and 2004, he was project manager for Metallic Ventures Gold, supervising underground and surface exploration, mine development and operations at an underground gold mine in Nevada.
John McNeice – CFO
John McNeice is a chartered professional accountant registered in Ontario, Canada, with over 30 years of experience in public company reporting, financial management, accounting and audit. Currently McNeice is the CFO of Gold79 Mines (TSXV:AUU), C3 Metals (TSXV:CCCM) and Northern Graphite (TSXV:NGC), where he is responsible for financial and regulatory reporting as well as day-to-day financial management. He has held CFO roles in seven public resource companies over the past 17 years and has overseen IPOs, RTOs and many quarterly, annual and periodic public company filings. From 2004 to 2007, McNeice was CFO of Ur-Energy, a uranium exploration and development company now a US-based producer of uranium. During his tenure, Ur-Energy raised an aggregate of $150 million in a series of private placements, the IPO and several significant secondary financings.
Josh Serfass – Independent Director
Josh Serfass is the executive vice-president of corporate development and investor relations at Integra Resources. Previously, he was the manager of corporate communications at Integra Gold. He was a key member of the team at Integra Gold that grew, developed and sold the past producing Lamaque mine in Val-dOr, Québec to Eldorado Gold for C$590 million in 2017. Committed to thinking differently about mining, Serfass worked with the team at Integra Gold to host the 2016 Integra Gold Rush Challenge and the 2017 #DisruptMining Challenge, initiatives that encouraged innovation and technology disruption in the mining industry.
Shane Williams - Independent Director
Shane Williams is president, CEO, and director of West Red Lake Gold Mines, leading the restart of the Madsen Gold Mine. He was previously COO of Skeena Resources, advancing Eskay Creek, and VP of Operations and Capital Projects at Eldorado Gold, where he brought the Lamaque Gold Mine from PEA to production in just 18 months. As project director, he also oversaw Eldorado’s Skouries and Olympias projects with a combined US$1 billion capex, and earlier led development of Sweden’s Kaunis Iron open-pit mine from exploration to operation in 3.5 years. Williams holds a B.Eng. in Electrical Engineering and an M.Sc. in Project Management.
Evan Pelletier - Independent Director
Evan Pelletier is a mining executive with over 30 years of underground mining experience in North America, Mongolia, Argentina, and Africa. He is currently the interim general manager of the Galena Mine with Americas Gold & Silver, and previously served as VP of Mining at Kirkland Lake (2020–2022) and mine manager at the Macassa Mine (2016–2020). At Kirkland Lake, he helped grow the company from $400 million in 2016 to $13 billion in 2022, including oversight of a nearly 2,000-metre shaft with a $450 milliom budget, delivered on time and on budget.
Max Pluss - Independent Director
Max Pluss is an investment professional with experience across hedge funds, private equity, and venture capital. He is the Founder of Rhea Capital Management, backing and incubating mission-driven companies. Previously, he was an analyst at Extract Capital, a hedge fund focused on natural resource investments, and earlier advised public company CEOs on corporate development and market positioning. pluss holds a B.A. from Colorado College and M.B.A. degrees from Columbia University and London Business School.