Southern Empire is currently focused on the acquisition, exploration and development of gold deposits in the safe jurisdictions of North America.
In northeastern Durango State, México, Southern Empire has an option to acquire a 100-per-cent beneficial interest in the 1,750-hectare Pedro Gold Project.
At Pedro, in the spring of 2022, Southern Empire drilled gold mineralization approximately 800 metres from 2014 drilling by a subsidiary of Newmont Mining Corporation. Gold mineralization, associated with highly anomalous arsenic (orpiment and realgar common), antimony, mercury and thallium, has been identified hosted in permeable basal conglomerates deposited during Oligocene extensional deformation, the latter forming widespread Basin and Range physiography along the easter part of Sierra Madre Occidental. Gold is present in 12 of the 17 holes drilled at Pedro to date.
Please see Southern Empire’s news releases posted on SEDAR for further details.
PEDRO GOLD PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS
- Located in Durango, a mining friendly state in north-central México
- Outcropping epithermal gold targets with potential for both bulk mineable and bonanza-grade vein deposits
- 4,000 metres (“m”) by 1,000 m gold in soil anomaly coincident with gold-bearing, silica-rich breccia outcrops
- Additional gold (“Au”) targets identified beneath post-mineral cover by 2020 geochemical survey
- Historical reverse circulation and core drilling by Newmont in 2014 that confirmed the presence of gold
- In 2019, a 70 line-kilometre IP survey identified vertical, feeder vein targets that are not yet drill tested
- Nine drill holes currently planned with permits established for up to 25 drill holes
- Mineral concessions cover ~1,750 hectares (“ha”; 4,324 acres)
- Mineral concessions cover private ranch lands
- Good access to the project area, ~80 kilometres (“km”; 50 miles) west-northwest of the city of Torreón
- Local infrastructure available in the nearby town of Mapimí
In the Cargo Muchacho mountains of Imperial County, California, Southern Empire owns 100 percent of the historical gold-producing American Girl mine property and holds options to acquire a 100 percent interest in the adjacent 2,160-hectare (5,338-acre) Oro Cruz Property located approximately 22.5 kilometres (14 miles) southeast of the operating Mesquite gold mine of Equinox Gold Corp.
At Oro Cruz, extensive historical drilling and large-scale open-pit and underground mining of the American Girl, Padre y Madre, Queen, and Cross oxide gold deposits by the American Girl Mining Joint Venture (“AGMJV”) occurred between 1987 and 1996.
During that time, gold was recovered by either heap leaching of lower-grade, or milling of higher-grade ores until AGMJV operations ceased in late 1996 because of declining gold prices leaving the Oro Cruz Property with many gold exploration targets in addition to a historical inferred resource estimate, reported In 2011 by Lincoln Mining Corp., totaling 341,800 ounces gold based on 4,386,000 tonnes averaging 2.2 grams gold per tonne (g Au /t) at a cut-off grade of 0.68 g Au/t (4,835,000 tons at 0.07 ounce gold per ton; please refer to the Cautionary Notice Regarding the Oro Cruz Property Historical Resource Estimate below).
Southern Empire also holds a significant equity interest in Augusta Gold Corp., a US based gold exploration company with a commanding land package in the Bullfrog Mine area from which Barrick Gold Corp. produced more than 2 million ounces during the 1990’s.
