Elemental Royalty Corporation (TSX-V: ELE, NASDAQ:ELE) has announced that Bronco Creek Exploration Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Elemental, has executed an option agreement with First Quantum Minerals Limited, an Ontario, Canada, corporation (TSX: FM) for the Hachita project in order to explore for porphyry copper-gold style mineralization in southwestern New Mexico, U.S.
The Agreement provides Elemental with an execution payment, staged option payments, and required work commitments on the Project during the earn-in period. Additionally, upon earn-in for the Project, Elemental will receive a 3% net smelter return royalty interest, annual advanced royalty and milestone payments, providing the Company with a strong foundation for future upside as the Project advances.
Highlights
- Option agreement signed with First Quantum to explore for copper-gold porphyry in New Mexico
- The agreement includes execution and options payments to Elemental totalling over US$800,000 over a five-year earn-in period
- Upon earn-in, Elemental will be granted a 3% NSR royalty, as well as US$100,000 AAR and other milestone payments as the Project advances
- Demonstration of the organic royalty generation model providing long-term value through partner company funded programs paired with their technical expertise
The Project was acquired by staking of open ground after recognizing untested targets in the underexplored Sylvanite District during regional generative exploration efforts in the Laramide belt of southwestern U.S. The agreement serves as another example of generating compelling district-scale opportunities and organically growing the company’s royalty portfolio through its royalty generation efforts and technical expertise.
Commercial Terms Overview
Under the terms of the Agreements, First Quantum can earn 100% interest in the Project by providing: a) an execution payment totaling US$50,000, b) option payments totaling US$750,000, and c) cumulative exploration expenditures of US$6,000,000 over the five-year term of the option agreement.
Upon option exercise by First Quantum, Elemental will retain a 3% net smelter royalty on the Project; 1% of the royalty may be bought back for a total of US$5,000,000 on or before the fifth anniversary of a published resource. First Quantum will make Advanced Annual Royalty payments to Elemental of US$100,000 upon each anniversary of the closing date until the completion of either a Feasibility Study or a Development Decision. In addition, First Quantum will make Project milestone payments consisting of: a) US$500,000 upon completion of a Feasibility Study, and b) US$2,500,000 upon a development decision.
David M. Cole, Chief Executive Officer of Elemental Royalty, commented: “This transaction on the Hachita Project represents another excellent example of Elemental’s impressive technical expertise in identifying prospective targets in underexplored jurisdictions and thereby attracting world-class exploration partners. We look forward to working with First Quantum to advance Hachita and seeing the project progress further through a formal exploration campaign. Project generation remains a core tenet of our business model as we continue to build our portfolio of royalty interests.”
Hachita Project Overview
Hachita is located approximately 95 km SE of Lordsburg, New Mexico, in the Sylvanite Mining District. The Hachita project targets Laramide porphyry copper-gold and skarn mineralization in an underexplored district in the eastern portion of the Laramide Porphyry Belt. Multiple square kilometer overlapping alteration zones, robust geochemical anomalies, and coincident geophysical responses indicate the potential for two distinct targets on the Project: a porphyry copper-gold system at the Western Target and a copper-gold skarn system at the Copper Dick Extension (“CDE”) Target.
The Western Target is a porphyry copper-gold system exposed at surface with widespread sericite-pyrite alteration, locally abundant quartz veins, and copper oxide mineralization. Complex porphyry-style alteration zonation is exposed over a two by three square kilometer area, indicative of large-scale hydrothermal system. The system is faulted and rotated by post-mineral normal faults. The observations to-date are consistent with the shallower, upper pyrite halo portion of the porphyry system preserved in the northwest with portions of the deeper parts of the system outcropping to the southeast. The proximal, higher temperature and potentially higher-grade core of the system representing the primary target here has yet to be found. Airborne drone magnetics delineated a magnetic low which correlates well with the outcropping sericite-pyrite alteration zone. Additionally, historical induced polarization (“IP”) data displays a strong chargeability response within the target area, which may represent increasing sulfide content at depth.
The Copper Dick Extension Target is a copper-gold bearing garnet-pyroxene skarn target exposed at surface near the historical Copper Dick Mine. Mineralization at the mine is truncated to the north by a post-mineral normal fault, indicating the skarn mineralization and the Cretaceous carbonate host rocks that serve as an ideal host may be preserved at depth in the hanging wall. Historical IP data support this interpretation; a strong chargeability response over the Copper Dick Extension Target may represent the presence of sulfide mineralization at depth.
This transaction is an example of the execution of the royalty generation business model in providing turn-key and drill ready exploration projects to partner companies in exchange for royalty interests and pre-production cash flow.
David M. Cole
CEO and Director
