drilling in Mexico

Mexican Exploration (100% owned by Xtierra)

All of Minco's Mexican interests are held indirectly through its investment (60%) in Xtierra Inc. which achieved a listing on the TSX Venture Exchange in Toronto on September 3, 2008..

Including the Bilbao project, Orca Minerals holds a total of approximately 18,000 hectares of mining licences in the Panfilo Natera district of Zacatecas state.(See map page 35)  The area, which forms part of the 500 kilometre long north west trending “Faja de Plata” or Silver Belt, has a prolific mining history dating from before the Spanish colonial period to the present day.

Drilling in MexicoPriority targets include the San Francisco silver-gold epithermal vein systems and potential VMS massive sulphide targets, the Piero y Gia silver lead zinc vein system, the Margarita Dos precious metal vein and the Rancho Nueva silver copper vein.

Orca Minerals’ exploration methodology includes geological mapping, geochemical and geophysical prospecting with reconnaissance drilling of the most promising targets.

The Mexican Silver Belt hosts the majority of the major producing silver mines of the world’s second largest silver producer.  As well as the geologically favourable setting, Minco’s, licences host a number of known small mineral occurrences and nearby there are several discoveries by other explorers.

Orca Minerals' exploration in Mexico is directed at three main types of deposits

Mine Production of Silver (Tonnes of contained metal)
  2003 2004 2005
Mexico 2,569 2,569 2,894
World 18,857 19,654 20,411
Source: British Geological Survey “World Mineral Production 2001-2005”