-Operations
Starcore’s operations are a direct extension of management’s commitment to build sustainable, shareholder value for the present and future of the company. Starcore has focused on the fundamental aspects of our proven exploration and production model to build a portfolio that will act as our platform to growth. With strategic operations across the North American continent, our operations range from grass roots exploration to production and processing. Our unwavering commitment to remain a leader in operational excellence is tied closely with our commitment to social and environmental stewardship.
-San Martin Project:
The flagship property of Starcore International Mines is the San Martin gold and silver mine. The mine has been in operation since 1993 at 350tpd and currently operates at 850tpd. The mine was acquired by Starcore in February of 2008 from Goldcorp who had acquired the asset through the takeover of Wheaton River. The mine is an underground epithermal deposit with gold quartz based limestone and has an average gold grade of 2.31 grams and 18 grams of silver ( NI 43-101 2014 Dave Gunning, Joe Campbell). The historical production of the mine is over half a million ounces and the mine sits on 100% owned claim package of 12,992 hectares, which offers the upside of exploration and the possibility of discovering the source of the current mineralization.
-Location
The San Martin project is located 50 km east of the City of Querétaro in Querétaro State, and about 250km northwest of Mexico City. The city of Queretaro boasts a population of over 1 million people and is one of the safest states in Mexico. Major companies such as Bombardier Aerospace, Safran, Eurocopter, and Canada’s Héroux-Dvetek all have operations in Queretaro.
In 1982, the area of San Martin was declared a National Reserve; however, by 1986, Luismin (previous owner) had reached an agreement to conduct exploration/exploitation in the area. Mining began in 1993 at 300 tpd and the production increased on a yearly basis to the present rate of 747 tpd with the capacity of 900 tpd.
-Geology
High grade mineralization was discovered at San Martin in the 18th Century, and is reported to have been mined over a period of 40 years; however, no production records exist. Between 1900 and 1924, an estimated 250,000 tonnes grading 15 g Au/t and 100 g Ag/t was reportedly mined. Mineralization occurs in Upper Cretaceous black limestone and calcareous shales of the Soyatal Mexcala Formation as electrum, and silver selenide minerals principally associated with quartz and to a lesser degree with calcite. The deposit is an epithermal, probably high sulphidation precious metal (Ag-Au) type (metal ratio Au:Ag at 1:10), related to a Tertiary dacitic/andesitic intrusive dome.
Mineralization is generally made up of breccia that commonly is concordant with a limestone/shale contact (in the San Martin and San Jose areas) which forms the relatively steeply dipping tronco deposits, these troncos contact the younger volcanic flows (dacite and ignimbrite) where they have formed the more horizontal manto portions of the deposit. The mineralized economic breccia grades from 30 g Ag/t to 250 g Ag/t. Exploration has been concentrated along the NE trending breccia zone however evidence of a northerly trend in area 30 leads us to suspect possible other structures together with 2.0 g Au/t to 30 g Au/t over widths that vary from 1.0 to 17.0 m but average 4.0 m.
-Exploration and Development
At depth in the San Martin area the Guadalupe vein was found in late 2007. This vein is sub parallel with the San Martin segment is narrower, more vein like and somewhat higher grade than the San Martin structure at the same elevation. Drilling and lateral development are being used to prove reserves in this vein which indicates the potential for other similar structures.
Guadalupe Vein
Discovered in late 2007, this vein is a sub-parallel vein to San Martin located below level 8. Drilling and lateral development are being used to prove reserves in this area which indicates the potential for other similar structures.
Sam Vein
Discovered in 2009, the SAM Vein was encountered on level 5 & 6 in Area 29. This vein is further west than previous ore bodies and may have been deposited along an unconformity in limestone, it strikes north where it has now been found in contact with the area 30 fault and dips up to the west.
Pilotos West
Discovered in 2011 the western fault offset of Pilotos ore body and mined for a year at 3,000-5,000 tons per month with grades of 5-20 g/t. This area is limited in a real extent by faulted volcanic rocks and mining has now extracted most of these deposits with only small pillars remaining.
San Martin Footwall
Discovered in 2012 this area has been found to host several veins 1 - 5m thick generally dipping 20 degrees to the east and striking north/south. It has been found within 50 meters of main in the footwall of San Martin structure in the footwall which was previously thought to be exclusively shales. To date at least 4 veins have been found above level 4 in the northeast of San Martin and possibly 2 veins above level 2 further south. Some of the veins are vertical and some are dipping around 40 degrees. In general most are striking parallel to San Martin breccia.
-El Creston project.
Large Molybdenum Project in Sonora, Mexico
In February 2015, Starcore International Mining, through its acquisition of Creston Moly Corp, acquired a 100% interest in the El Creston Property. The El Creston Property hosts a 5.5 km long x up to 1.5km wide trend of hydrothermal alteration in which several zones of molybdenum +/- copper +/- silver mineralization occur. At the El Creston Main/Red Hill Zone a significant resource of molybdenum and copper has been outlined. In addition, there are five other zones, Alejandra, A-37, Red Hill West, Red Hill Deep and the West Copper with potential to host significant resources of molybdenum and/or copper.
Location, Topography, Vegetation and Access
The Creston Property is centered 95 kilometers northeast of Hermosillo, north central Sonora State, Mexico. Access to the property from Hermosillo is by 145 km of paved highway and all season gravel roads. Travel time is approximately 2 hours. The 230KV power grid is 42 km to the west.
The Property occurs within the Sonoran Desert along the western foothills of the Sierra Madre Occidental Mountain Range. The eastern portion of the property overlies the San Miguel River Valley. Local elevations range from 650 metres at the valley floor to in excess of 1100 metres at some of the higher mountain peaks. Vegetation consists primarily of cactus and scrub timber.
The Creston property is located within the Basin and Range Province. The Province, extending from northern Mexico to southwestern United States hosts several porphyry copper and/or molybdenum mines and deposit including Creston that are related to a Laramide (~90-40 Ma) magmatic-orogenic event.
Mapping and Astar Imaging of the Creston Property has outlined a 5.5 km x up to 1.5 km wide, east-west, trend (Creston) of hydrothermal alteration related to Laramide aged quartz monzonite intrusions. The trend is elongated east-west due to subsequent displacement by low angle faulting. Within the Creston Trend several zones of low fluorine porphyry style, molybdenum and/or copper mineralization including the El Creston Main/RedHill (Creston Deposit) occur. Most of the molybdenum mineralization within the Creston Trend is associated with potassic and phyllic (quartz-sericite) alteration, often accompanied by various degrees of silicification.
The Creston Deposit is largely underlain by foliated Proterozoic Creston Granite and Laramide granitic porphyry and hydrothermal breccia. At the deposit molybdenum +/- copper mineralization are hosted in both hydrothermal breccias and the surrounding quartz vein stockwork. In addition, a supergene copper blanket consisting largely of chalcocite has been identified occurring primarily on the west and south sides of the deposit. The alteration pattern within the deposit is complex resulting from multiple intrusions and overlapping alteration. Low-angle normal faults divide the El Creston deposit in to three main tectonic slices causing sliding towards N-NNE In profile the El Creston deposit can be imaged as a series of tectonic slices, having their root in the footwall of the Creston Fault.
The Creston property is located within the Basin and Range Province. The Province, extending from northern Mexico to southwestern United States hosts several porphyry copper and/or molybdenum mines and deposit including Creston that are related to a Laramide (~90-40 Ma) magmatic-orogenic event.
Mapping and Astar Imaging of the Creston Property has outlined a 5.5 km x up to 1.5 km wide, east-west, trend (Creston) of hydrothermal alteration related to Laramide aged quartz monzonite intrusions. The trend is elongated east-west due to subsequent displacement by low angle faulting. Within the Creston Trend several zones of low fluorine porphyry style, molybdenum and/or copper mineralization including the El Creston Main/RedHill (Creston Deposit) occur. Most of the molybdenum mineralization within the Creston Trend is associated with potassic and phyllic (quartz-sericite) alteration, often accompanied by various degrees of silicification.
-Toiyabe
Previous Work and Drilling 2009 Exploration Technical Reports
Elephant Hunting in Nevada
Starcore International Mines owns 100% of 165 claims on the Toiyabe property in Southwest Elko, Nevada. The Toiyabe property boasts some demonstrated similar structural characteristics to the Cortez, Cortez Hills and Pipeline deposits. The 2009 NI 43-101 report prepared by Paul D. Noland, P. Geo, highlights an indicated resource at 0.01 opt (ounce per ton) gold cutoff that is 173,562 contained ounces of gold. This equates to 4,975,000 tons at an average grade of 0.0349 ounces per ton. This resource estimation utilized drill results from ACM drilling as well as historic drilling.
-Toiyabe Project is located approximately 78 miles south-southwest of Elko, Nevada and is located only six miles south from one of Barrick Gold’s 5 core mines, Cortez Hills, which hosts over 9.9 million oz1. Other recent nearby discoveries include the ET Blue project 6 miles east and Red Hill about 10 miles east. Each of the discoveries is currently under development by Barrick, and is similar in genesis and host rocks to Toiyabe.
-Geology
Lower plate carbonate rich sediments are exposed below the Roberts Mountain Thrust within an area called the Cortez window. These lower plate sediments host over 90% of the gold found within the Carlin and Battle Mountain- Eureka trends. In the Toiyabe project area gold mineralization is hosted within a similar geologic setting. The stratigraphy, structure and alteration are analogous to that found at nearby Cortez, Cortez Hills, Pediment, Horse Canyon and Pipeline deposits.
Restricted areas of close-spaced drilling of the near surface (less than 400 ft) have been conducted on the property starting in 1979 and extending to the present. Available records suggest that approximately 243 holes have been completed on the subject property, of which 159 have detailed records and assays available. This drilling indicates potential for additional gold mineralization at relatively shallow depths.
Toiyabe contains at least two strongly mineralized fault zones with strong gold values on surface and in drilling. This evidence demonstrates the potential for gold-mineralizing fluids to travel from a deeper source through reactive, lower plate, carbonate rocks to the shallow mineralization encountered to date at Toiyabe. Several deeper drill holes have encountered low to moderate gold mineralization erratically distributed through comparable stratigraphy in nearby producing mines. Although the necessary structural complexities and traps required to host a large economic gold occurrence have yet to be encountered, a recent re-interpretation of stratigraphy and structure by Paul D. Noland indicates that this environment likely exists within the Toiyabe project boundary and may be responsible for at least some of the mineralization encountered within less favorable, upper plate lithologies.
-Previous Work and Drilling 2009
Since 2006, Golden Oasis (later ACM) has conducted an intensive program of geologic mapping, geophysical surveys, compilation and drilling. This work has increased the knowledge of the mineralized system, identified a drill defined resource, and helped define at least five viable targets for further exploration. ACM had anticipated continuing exploration of the Courtney target. To date ACM’s work has identified the favorable stratigraphy and potential feeder faults sufficiently that deeper drilling of Pipeline style targets is recommended. A single 1,500 feet long angle core hole is recommended in order to test favorable host rocks adjacent to one of the more favorable north-northwest feeder faults.
-Starcore International Mines Ltd. has a 100% interest in the Ajax Property (“the property”). The property, approximately 1,718 hectares in size, hosts the Ajax Porphyry Molybdenum Deposit.
-Location and Access
The property is located on the eastern flank of Mount McGuire, 60 km south of Stewart, B.C., 15 km northeast of Alice Arm. Alice Arm, a summer hamlet, is located on the north side of the east arm of Observatory Inlet. Kitsault, a semi-abandoned townsite located on the south side of the arm is on the B.C. Power Grid. There is good road access between Kitsault and Terrace 100 km to the south. In the 1960’s, there was a tote road from Alice Arm to the property that is no longer usable. Access is presently by helicopter.
-History
Molybdenite was discovered on the property in 1965 by Newmont Mining Corp. (Newmont). Between 1965 and 1967 Newmont completed limited mapping, sampling, trenching and drilled 26 holes totalling 8100 m (26,578 feet) in length. From 1967 to 1990 minor exploration consisting of thin section and alteration studies and limited drill core sampling was completed. Starcore acquired the property through acquisition of Creston Moly from Bankruptcy in 2015.
-The Ajax Property occurs along the western margin of the Stikinia Terrane of the North America Cordillera, immediately adjacent to the eastern margin of the Coast Plutonic Complex. The property is underlain by Jurassic Hazelton Group rocks consisting primarily of argillaceous sediments and minor interbedded andesite tuffs that locally has been intruded by four closely spaced stocks of quartz monzonite porphyry. The Ajax deposit occupies a rectangular area approximately 650 m x 600 m that ranges in elevation from 425 masl to 1050 masl. The mineralization is predominantly pyrrhotite and lesser molybdenite that typically comprises less than 2% of the rock by volume. Molybdenite is typically associated with quartz and occurs in pyrrhotite-bearing veinlets, in thin stringers and on fracture and shear surfaces. Areas of elevated molybdenite grades (>0.060% Mo) are characterized by a high fracture density where quartz vein stockwork is well developed. Lower grade material (0.030 to 0.060 % Mo), is found in areas of weaker fracturing and forms a broad halo around the higher grade zones, especially below the 762 m elevation contour.
Exploration at Ajax was concentrated in two drilling programs completed by Newmont Mines in 1967-68 (26 holes-8100.9 metres) and Tenajon Resources Corp 2005-2007 (22 holes-7258.6 metres).
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