The century of Durango

The century of Durango

Durango has one of the largest and underexploited gold and silver deposits in the country, although a Canadian company has already been working on this project since 2020.

It is known as the Metates Project and is located in the state of Durango, 175 kilometers northeast of Mazatlán. The property includes 12 mining concessions, totaling 14,727 hectares, according to the project description.

According to Mining México, the digital platform specializing in the mining sector, this deposit is sheltered in Mesozoic sedimentary rocks. Gold and silver mineralization occurs as veins and disseminations of sulfides in intrusive and sedimentary host rocks.

According to this digital platform, the project envisages an investment of more than three million dollars. It is estimated that there are proven and probable reserves of 18.5 million ounces of gold in the region.

The company that owns 100 percent of the rights to the project is the Canadian company Chesapeake Gold Corp, whose interim CEO Jean-Paul Tsotsos confirmed on Thursday (October 24) that it had achieved high gold recovery rates through metallurgical testing. in Metates.

“We are pleased to announce that metallurgical testing has achieved gold recovery rates in excess of 70 percent, verifying that our proprietary oxidative leaching technology is working as intended,” he said .

“These test results will serve as the basis for a pre-feasibility study (PFS) of Metates,” Jean-Paul emphasized on the company’s website.

In May this year, the Canadian company acquired technology patents and other intellectual property rights for leaching technology that it will use in the Metates project.

Durango's mineral deposits are located in 23 mining regions. According to the Mexican Mining Chamber (Caimex), the Cuencamé region is one of the most important in the country in terms of zinc production. Among precious metals, the municipalities of San Dimas and Santiago Papasquiaro occupy important places nationally in the production of gold and silver, respectively, alongside San Juan del Río.

In recent years, companies such as Grupo Acerero del Norte, Minera Mexicana La Ciénega de Nuestra Señora, Peñoles, Bacís, El Rosario, Fresnillo, and First Majestic have led mining operations in the state.

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Hectares includes this project already in progress.