Tepal project

Commodity:
Gold-Copper
Location:
NW Michoacán, Mexico
Nearest City:
170 km south of Guadalajara, 18km south of the Jalisco State border
Infrastructure:
Excellent with paved roads and low topography
Utilities:
Water, power, deep sea port access at Manzanillo and Lazaro Cárdenas.
Labour:
Experienced technical Mexican geologists and local labor
Communities:
Town of Tepalcatepec, 15.5 km from the Tepal project
Size:
1,440 ha
Stage:
2017 Preliminary Economic Assessment is currently being amended

PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS:

  • The Tepal project is located in the state of Michoacán, Mexico, a short distance from the Jalisco State border, lying roughly equidistant between the two international commercial sea ports of Manzanillo and Lazaro Cárdenas and the international Airports of Manzanillo and Guadalajara, a city of 5 million people.
  • The project is a 15-minute drive via paved highways and well maintained ranch roads from the commercial centre of Tepalcatepec (municipality population 45,000).
  • The region has a history of established international scale agribusiness and has a long history of local independent mining operations, both indicative of a supportive community and social relationship.
  • The project area has excellent infrastructure and a work pool of highly trained technical talent and local labor.
  • The results from 443 holes totaling over 82,895 meters of core and reverse circulation drilling has delineated the North, South, and Tizate zones in the Measured & Indicated category.
  • The resource uses a US$5/tonne equivalent value net smelter return (NSR) cut-off and a $1,250 gold price, $2.50 copper price, $18.00 silver price.
  • Sulphide and oxide gold recoveries are estimated to be 83% and 78%, respectively, and 87% for copper in sulphide material.
  • Past exploration focused on bulk porphyry-style mineralization but recent work indicates the presence Au-Ag epithermal feeder zones that remain largely untested.
  • Mineralization follows these newly identified structural controls and feeders whose strike and depth potential remain unexplored.
  • There is potential to add ounces by drilling along strike and dip, with potential to improve grade within the existing resource by angled drilling of high angle structures.
  • Defiance owns 100% of the Tepal Project.
  • Tepal was originally acquired by Defiance through a merger with ValOro Resources in 2018; ValOro was previously known as Geologix Explorations.