Atico Mining Exercises El Roble Option Agreement
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - Sep 25, 2013) - Atico Mining Corp. (TSX VENTURE:ATY)(PINKSHEETS:ATCMF) is pleased to announce that it has formally advised Minera El Roble S.A (MINER) that it will be exercising the El Roble option agreement. The event triggers a 60 day period as of September 23th, 2013 after which Atico will pay US$14 million in order to acquire 90% of Minera El Roble S.A (MINER) shares and take full control of the producing mine and 6,679 hectares of surrounding claims.
"We are extremely pleased that with the exercise of the option agreement Atico will transition from exploring to operating El Roble Mine," commented Fernando E. Ganoza, CEO. "This is a significant milestone for the company as we progress with our plans at El Roble to quickly bring newly discovered resources into production using the existing operating mine and mill infrastructure, and explore for additional VMS deposits within the larger land package."
El Roble Mine
The El Roble property is the site of an operating underground copper and gold mine with a nominal capacity of 400 tonnes per day. Over the past 22 years the mine has processed 1.5 million tonnes of ore at an average head grade of 2.5% copper and an estimated 2.5 g/t gold. Copper and gold mineralization at El Roble occurs as volcanogenic massive sulfide ("VMS") lenses.
In January 28, 2011 Atico signed an option agreement to acquire 90% of the shares of MINER and has since been aggressively exploring the El Roble mine and surrounding claims. To date, Atico has completed 11,740 meters of diamond drilling on the property and has identified 15 prospective targets for VMS deposits in the 6,679 hectares surrounding the mine.
As a result of this exploration program the Company has discovered high grade copper and gold mineralization below the 2000 level, the lowest production level at the El Roble mine, and has established a 43-101 compliant inferred mineral resource of 1.58 million tonnes at 4.45 % Cu and 3.17 g/t Au using a cut-off grade of 0.72 % Cu Eq. Mineralization is open at depth and along strike and the company will further test the limits of the resource.
On the larger land package the Company has identified a prospective stratigraphic contact between volcanic rocks and black and grey cherts that has been traced by Atico geologists for ten kilometers across the El Roble Project area. This contact has been determined to be an important control on VMS mineralization on which Atico has identified 15 prospective target areas for VMS type mineralization occurrence, which is the focus of the surface drill program at El Roble.
About Atico Mining Corporation
Atico is a growth oriented, copper and gold exploration and development company focused on mining opportunities in Latin America. The company's primary property is the El Roble project. The company is selectively pursuing additional acquisition opportunities. For more information, please visit our website at www.aticomining.com.
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD
Fernando E. Ganoza, CEO
Trading symbols: TSX.V: ATY | OTC: ATCMF
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No securities regulatory authority has either approved or disapproved of the contents of this news release. The securities being offered have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or any state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold in the United States, or to, or for the account or benefit of, a "U.S. person" (as defined in Regulation S of the U.S. Securities Act) unless pursuant to an exemption therefrom. This press release is for information purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities of the Company in any jurisdiction.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements
This announcement includes certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein, without limitation the use of net proceeds, are forward-looking statements. Forward- looking statements involve various risks and uncertainties and are based on certain factors and assumptions. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations include uncertainties relating to interpretation of drill results and the geology, continuity and grade of mineral deposits; uncertainty of estimates of capital and operating costs; the need to obtain additional financing to maintain its interest in and/or explore and develop the Company's mineral projects; uncertainty of meeting anticipated program milestones for the Company's mineral projects; and other risks and uncertainties disclosed under the heading "Risk Factors" in the prospectus of the Company dated March 2, 2012 filed with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities on the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com.