Location Map

Photo Gallery

Technical and Other Reports

Form 43-101F1 12/07
(2.9Mb)

NI 43-101 06/07
(2.7Mb)

Hitzman Report 08/06
(13Mb)

La Trinidad Consejo 07/81
(12Mb)

San Javier Copper Project: Sonora, Mexico –

The San Javier project is located in east-central Sonora State, Mexico, about 150 km east of the capital city of Hermosillo, and adjacent to the village of San Javier. The project is located within 3 km of a major paved highway and power line.

The project is comprised of at least three partly defined deposits which are from southwest to northeast: Cerro Verde, Mesa Grande, and La Trinidad. To date, the most significant mineralization is known at Cerro Verde. There has been only minor underground artisanal mining in the past. Previous exploration for copper in the project area was done by Peñoles, Orcana-Outukumpu, and Phelps Dodge. Mineralization at San Javier is largely oxidized, is hosted in a andesitic breccia with abundant specularite, and appears to be of the iron oxide copper-gold (IOCG) type.

Fifty six core holes and 21 reverse circulation holes were drilled at San Javier in 2006. During the year 2007 the Company continued drilling and related activities at the San Javier project in Sonora, Mexico. In-fill drilling of the Cerro Verde deposit of the project was partially completed prior to the suspension of drilling activities in October 2007 to conserve cash. Boundary definition drilling was completed at Cerro Verde earlier in 2007. Results from column leach tests started during the second quarter of 2007 to examine the leaching characteristics of different ore types and crush sizes have been encouraging, and indicate rapid leaching and low acid consumption of the bulk samples.
A preliminary economic assessment (“PEA”) was completed in December 2007, as scheduled. The PEA concludes the project is both technically and economically feasible and recommends advancement of a Feasibility Study. The San Javier project is currently envisioned as an open pit, heap leach mine with a conventional SX-EW processing facility with a nominal processing rate of 30,000 tonnes of ore per day and average annual production of 49.3 million pounds of copper over the first five years at an average operating cost of $1.14 per pound. The initial capital cost is estimated to be $238.9 million, including all mining equipment and an overall 20 % contingency.

Geology & Drilling –

- San Javier Project Overview Map
- Cerro Verde Drill Hole Map
- Trinidad/Mesa Grande Drill Hole Map
- Cross Section through Cerro Verde Deposit