Nieves: World Class Silver Opportunity
“Once you find ore, stay in it.”
Increase Nieves’ reported and assessed resource that can be mined using an open pit to plus 200,000,000 ounces of silver
With an average reported silver ore grade of 85.05 g/t;
With a reported and assessed resource capable of hosting a open pit mine producing 5,000,000 -10,000,000 ounces of silver a year for 10-20 years
Systematic drilling laterally along and within the 10km strike length of the three major braided vein systems and at depth in targeted veins with known mineralization: San Gregorio; California; Dolores; Orion; Nino and Santa Rita Veins.
Drill 300 core holes averaging 270 meters in depth on 100-meter centers, up to 100 drill holes west along the 10km California Vein System, up to 100 drill holes west along and within the 10km Concordia Vein System and up to 100 drill holes west along and within the 10km Santa Rita Vein System.
The number of holes in each vein system is to be determined by drilling results.
Secure an updated Form 43-101 PEA upon assessing the results of the Pit
Optimization Drilling Program.
$5,000,000 fully burdened.
12 months
January 1, 2020 – December 31, 2020
A detailed analysis of the geophysics data acquired to date has resulted in the identification of 21 interpreted vein targets (conductors) within the three known braided veins systems located within the eastern portion of the Property with an estimated cumulative length east to west of 185 km. To date, 10.7 km — less than 6% — have been tested with a drill.
The primary focus of the resource delineation work to date has been on two veins within the Central Vein System, the San Gregorio and La Quinta Veins, which remain open to the east, west and at depth.
The 10.7 km of silver mineralized veins drilled to date have yielded a reported 91,064,721 tonnes of silver ore with an average grade of 40.1 g/t with 109,899,818 ounces of silver and 116,007 ounces of gold.
With a reported 110 million ounces of silver, 116 thousand ounces of gold and approximately 6% of the known mineralized veins drill-tested, one can assume that the resource potential for the known vein systems could approach 1 billion or more ounces of silver.
However, we first plan to configure a viable open pit resource with an minimized stripping ratio, maximize ore grade using deposits in close geographical proximity to assure viability and economic feasibility at today’s silver prices to de-risk future delineation and exploration.
The 2005 Inman Deposition Model on Nieves and his 2015-2016 Geophysical Mapping of Nieves indicates drill locations for higher grade silver and gold resources. We believe that these will expand the pit resource to 200 million ounces silver while increasing the ore grade, and maintaining geographical proximity to the starter pit, the central braided vein system, the Concordia-San Gregorio-Delores.
The Central Vein System has been tested 2.7km along its indicated 10km strike and only two of its veins, the Concordia and La Quinta, have been extensively drilled along a small segment of their 2.7 km strike length. The system remains open to the east and west and at depth. Geophysical mapping shows the system extending up to 8 km to the west. Ore grades have generally improved westward and at depth. The Delores Vein, Gregorio Vein, Nino Vein, and Orion Vein, with its high-grade shows have remained generally unexplored with the drill.
The northern vein system, the California, and the southern-most vein system, the Santa Rita, remain largely unexplored with the drill.
This image shows the eastern region of the Nieves property. The 2012 proposed pit is outlined in dark red.
Funding Required for Pit Resource Expansion
$ 10,000,000
Pit Valuation Pre-Pit Resource Expansion
$ 103,500,000
Pit Valuation Post-Resource Expansion
$ 300,000,000
Uplift
$ 186,500,000
18 months / 30 months cumulative
Increase the size of the open pit’s silver ore body tonnage from 23,000,000 tonnes to 66,666,667 tonnes.
Maintain the average silver ore grade at > 85.05 g/t
Increase the size of the reported silver resource contained within the expanded pit < 3-fold from 69,000,000 ounces to 200,000,000 ounces.
Increase the resource classifications/categories from indicated and inferred to measured, indicated, and inferred.
Equal or exceed the reported resource, resource classification, and average ore grade of the La Preciosa at the time of its sale to Coeur D’ Alenes Mining for $373,000,000.
Maintain pit development economic feasibility at current silver prices.
Increase marketability and desirability of Nieves’ silver and gold resource to silver miners by delineating a resource capable of hosting a 10-20 year LOM producing 5,000,000 -10,000,000 ounces silver equivalent per year.
De-risk further exploration of the Nieves Silver Property.
To drill 300, core holes averaging 270 meters
$ 9,000,000
To sustain BBV and Nieves through Pit Expansion Phase
$ 500,000
To update Form 43-101 PEA post-pit resource expansion
$ 250,000
Contingency
$ 250,000
Assuming a found, reported, and assessed resource of 200,000,000 ounces of silver equivalent, a $15 average silver price over the life of mine, $2.50 estimated value of an ounce of mineable silver resource in the ground, we get a fair value of $500,000,000 for the Nieves Expanded Pit Resource.
Estimated End of 2021
Actual unless otherwise noted (July 2013)
Timeframe to Execute
≤ 12 months
Mine
Open Pit
Open Pit
Stripping Ratio
5.4:1
10.6:1
Tonnes silver ore
66,666,667
69,421,638
Grade
85.05 g/t
75.1 g/t
Ounces of Silver
200,000,000
183,900,000
Category
Measured, indicated, and inferred
Measured, indicated, and inferred
Cumulative finding costs
$33,000,000
$31,891,000
Holes Drilled
608
741
Cost per hole
$54,276
$43,038
Ounces of silver per hole
328,947
248,178
Finding costs per ounce silver
$0.165
$0.173
Meters drilled
134,770
238,082
Ounces silver per meter drilled
1,484
772
Annual silver production Life of mine
10M oz.
9.1M oz. for first 14 years
Life of Mine
20 years
17 years
Value per ounce of silver in situ
$2.50
$2.03
Resource Fair Value
$500,000,000
$373,317,000
Cash
$97.2M Cash
Common Shares
11,572,918 Common shares of Coeur
Warrants
1,588,768 Warrants to purchase common shares of Coeur
Percent Ownership
Percent of Coeur/Orko owned
by Orko investors: 11%