CUSI
[Overview]
Dia Bras acquired in May-June 2006 the Cusihuiriachic (Cusi)silver district in Chihuahua State, 40 km from the Malpaso mill. The acquired properties cover more than 7,500 hectares, including 12 former mines that historically produced high-grade silver. This region is very promising and the potential of these former mines at depth has never been explored.
The acquisitions includes around 70 mining lots that were acquired through different transactions with Mexican families, one Mexican private company, one Canadian public company and also by claiming open ground.
The property covers the silver district of Cusi, in the central western part of the State of Chihuahua, approximately 125 km west of the city of Chihuahua. The property covers 75 square kilometers in the Sierra Madre.
Silver mineralization occurs in vertical quartz-veined breccia zones of epithermal origin, and silver and base metal sulphides enrichment are found at depth.
At least nine mineralized structures of vein/stockwork and breccia types, each ranging from 500 m to 2,000 m in length and from place to place, up to 50 m in width, were exploited by previous operators.
These structures were mined historically starting about 300 years ago but have been left untouched since the 1930s. At least 8.5 million ounces of silver were extracted by the Cusi Mining Company alone, between 1927 and 1932 from its five small underground mines. Few mines were exploited into the sulphide zones due to lack of infrastructure, technology and expertise.