Azure applies for Mexican mining concession

West Perth-based metals explorer Azure Minerals Ltd has applied for a mining concession covering an extensive area of surface mineralisation in Sonora, Mexico.

The full text of a company announcement is pasted below

Azure Minerals Limited (ASX: AZS) is pleased to announce that it has applied for a 100%-owned mining concession covering an extensive area of surface mineralisation and historical workings located in Sonora, Mexico.

First pass surface sampling has returned excellent results, with grades up to 17.55% zinc, 11.45% lead, 419g/t silver, 4.29% copper, 0.28% molybdenum and 0.39g/t gold.

The El Carnero property, which covers approximately 90km2, is located only 60 kilometres northwest of Hermosillo, the capital of the State of Sonora and Azure's local base.

El Carnero lies in the heart of Sonora's prolific skarn mineralisation belt (see Figure 1). Based upon the extensive historical and current mining and exploration activity within this district, Azure identified the El Carnero property as highly prospective with potential to host economic zinc, copper, lead and silver mineralisation.

Azure Minerals' Executive Chairman, Mr Tony Rovira, said the significance of this particular acquisition is that access to this area has been denied to the exploration and mining industry for the past 80 years.

"The family which owns the cattle ranch and associated surface rights has previously refused all access to mineral explorers and Government geologists for more than eight decades. Azure is particularly pleased that our team in Mexico has managed to successfully negotiate with the landowner to allow us full access to this highly prospective district," said Mr Rovira.

"Staking this project has shown the benefit of having an exploration team based in Mexico full time, engaging with the local exploration community. It gives us a natural advantage over other explorers using fly in fly out geology teams."

El Carnero contains extensive evidence of well mineralised zones which have been exploited by numerous historical mine workings dating back more than a century. No exploration has been undertaken in the area for at least 80 years and as a result modern exploration techniques have not been applied to the area.

Azure has completed a preliminary program of reconnaissance mapping and sampling at El Carnero. The historical mining activity exploited replacement-style mineralisation at the contacts between limestone and intrusive felsic dykes. Individual mine workings selectively mined high grade zones, some with widths in excess of three metres.

Workings extend for over 200 metres along strike and continue to depths of at least 30 metres below surface.

Surrounding these old workings are wide zones of strong alteration, indicating potential for substantial mineralisation.

A total of 18 rock chip and dump samples were collected from around the extensive old mine workings. This sampling returned numerous high grade results, with 15 out of the 18 samples assaying greater than 1% lead and 1% zinc, and seven samples assaying greater than 1% copper and 30g/t silver. Details of the sampling results are attached as Table 1.

El Carnero is considered to be an excellent acquisition in a strongly mineralised district. With the initial exploration returning very positive results Azure has commenced planning, including making application for environmental approvals, for the first drilling program on this property.