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Mariana Resources Ltd (AIM, PLUS: MARL) is a Guernsey incorporated investment holding company established to acquire potentially large or high value gold and copper-gold prospects in Argentina, Chile and Ecuador other selected parts of South America.
The Group's strategy is to seek underexplored areas with potential for high grade gold-silver epithermal/skarn mineralization and IOCG (Iron Oxide Copper Gold) deposits. Mariana brings to bear considerable field experience in this regard and early recognition of critical geological features is an important aspect.
To provide the funding necessary to pursue this strategy, Mariana raised in 2006 £3.6 million before expenses by way of the Placing and Admission to the AIM board of the London Stock Exchange with a secondary raising of GBP1 million in November 2007.
Since 2004, Mariana's Exploration's efforts have focussed on selected prospective mineral belts of Chile, Argentina and Ecuador. A quality portfolio has been assembled backed by an experienced team of minefinders.
The prospects are mostly advanced exploration projects with either mineralized drill intersections, shallow small-scale mine workings or bonanza gold/silver grades in surface channel/trenches. The Directors believe the portfolio has excellent potential for the discovery of various styles of gold/silver and copper-gold deposits.
The main projects are briefly summarized as follows:
Sierra Blanca/Cañadon Largo (Argentina) – exciting low-sulphidation epithermal silver-gold project with a number of new high priority drill-ready targets and scope for more along 35km of prospective vein trends. Bonanza silver-gold grades at Veta Chala with a best diamond saw channel sample of 9.4m @ 2,362 g/t Ag including a 1m sample of 7 kg/t Ag.
Perro Chico (Chile) – untested copper-gold skarn targets, IOCG potential in gravel-covered areas.
La Borita (Argentina) – concealed porphyry copper target on Alumbrera Porphyry Copper Trend.
Macara JV (S Ecuador) – narrow high grade gold mineralization hosted by skarns adjacent to diorite intrusives, recent drill intercepts of 1.7m @ 33.2 g/t Au and 1.1m @ 27.7 g/t Au.
Fierro Urcu (S Ecuador) – large alteration system, high sulphidation gold-silver, vein gold-silver and porphyry copper potential. Partially tested by Newmont – 147m @ 0.5 g/t Au and 62m @ 0.3% Cu. Apex farming in, veins in old workings have assayed 20-30 g/t Au over 1-2m.
ECUADOR
Ecuador has a number of projects at feasibility or at resource drilling stage: Rio Blanco (IMC) with a resource of 2.1Mt @ 8.9 g/t Au, 68 g/t Ag, Quimsacocha (IAMGOLD), a major discovery with a 2.8Moz gold resource of 22.5Mt @ 3.9g/t Au and Mirador (Corriente Resources Inc), a copper-gold porphyry with a resource of 320Mt @ 0.62% Cu 0.2g/t Au.
ARGENTINA
Mariana has gained access to some drill-ready low-sulphidation gold prospects in the well-mineralised Deseado Massif, Santa Cruz Province in Patagonia by way of a joint venture with IAMGOLD Argentina. The joint venture covers the Sierra Blanca and Caòadon Largo concessions. The prospects which all have good access, were discovered by IAMGOLD using ASTER satellite imagery and have not been drilled.
CHILE
Chile forms an important part of Mariana's strategic plan. The country consistently ranks as a top global exploration/mining destination and hosts some of the world's most important copper and copper-gold mines. Mariana's has negotiated the terms of a farmin joint venture with Empresa Minera de Mantos Blancos ("EMMB"), part of the American group of companies and is currently proceeding to document the farmin joint venture in a form that can be enforced in Chile. EMMB is a major player in Chile with major copper mines at Collahuasi, Disputada, El Soldado, Los Bronces, Mantos Blancos and Mantoverde. Moreover, the discovery of the 4Moz El Peñon sulphidation epithermal gold deposit by Meridian in the mid-90s highlights the great potential of the Palaeocene volcanic belt of Chile
| John Horsburgh | Executive Director, Chairman |
| John Sutcliffe | Executive Director, Managing Director |
| Grahame Hamilton | Executive Director |
| Roger Thomson | Non-Executive Director |
| Raymond Angus | Non Executive Director |
Company AddressGranite House
|
Additional Address/Key ContactIn Australia |
CapitalIssued capital 45,810,568
|
Year End30 June |
Nominated BrokersHaywood Securities (UK) Ltd | Nominated AdvisorsRFC Corporate Finance Ltd |
| Credit Suisse Client Services (UK) Ltd | 4,950,000 |
| Roy Nominees Limited | 3,805,000 |
| Chase Nominees Limited | 3,400,000 |
| Apex silver Mines Limited | 3,117,500 |
| R J Angus* | 2,854,300 |
| Morgan Stanley Nominee Companies | 2,500,000 |