Tabar Project | Mapimi Project | Monakoff Project | Mandilla Project | Red Dam Project
MEXICO - MAPIMI
Allied through its subsidiary company Nord Pacific de Mexico S.A de C.V. holds an exploitation licence covering 3,938ha in the Mapimi mining district of the Sierra Madre Occidental in the northeast part of the state of Durango, Mexico.
The project area is situated about 45 kilometres north-northwest of the major cities of Gomez Palacio and Torreon.
Allied’s project area surrounds the historic Mapimi mining district (or Ojuela district) which historically produced high-grade silver, lead and zinc ore for Penoles at their smelter located at the nearby town of Mapimi during the period from about 1890 to 1920. Between 1920 and 1931 Mapimi ore was transported to smelters located at Torreon or Monterrey.
Hayward and Triplett (1931) report production from Penoles mining activities at Mapimi between 1893 to 1931 to be 3.8 million tonnes at 3.7g/t Au, 462g/t Ag and 14.9%Pb. Although production figures for the pre- and post Penoles production period (from 1892 to the early 1930’s) are less reliable, Megaw and others (1988) estimate overall production from the Mapimi mining centre (including Spanish production after discovery in 1598), principally from oxides of;
| 6 million tonnes: in chimneys or pipes - averaging 10% Pb, 15% Zn, 500g/t Ag, 3g/t Au in mantos - averaging 8.5% Pb, 11% Zn, 200g/t Ag |
To better understand and assess the prospectivity of Allied’s property and to plan future exploration programmes, field reconnaissance work was carried out during the year. As a result of this work, Allied considers that the Mapimi property holds excellent potential for the discovery of oxide/sulphide bearing polymetallic carbonate-hosted replacement deposits with excellent existing road access, favourable topography, a nearby rail line and supportive local community for mining activities.
Importantly, although the interpreted mineralised trend continues north into Allied’s concession under transported cover material, apart from historic workings which crop out in the western and eastern parts of the area, the majority of the prospective trend has never been drilled or subjected to modern exploration other than limited CSAMT orientation geophysical surveys. Accordingly, Allied considers that future work programmes should predominantly focus on geophysical prospecting and drilling.
