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Endeavour Silver Corp. (TSX: EDR, NYSE: EXK) reports updated NI 43-101 Mineral Reserve and Resource Estimates for its operating mines and exploration and development projects in Mexico. Endeavour owns and operates three silver mines in Mexico, the Guanacevi mine in Durango state and the Bolanitos and El Cubo mines in Guanajuato state.
Last year, the Company developed and is now commissioning a fourth mine, El Compas in Zacatecas state. Endeavour plans to commence development of the Terronera project in Jalisco state and continue with exploration, economic assessment and permitting of the Parral Project in Chihuahua state in 2019.
2018 Mineral Reserve and Resource Highlights (Compared to December 31, 2017)
Bradford Cooke, CEO of Endeavour, stated, "We continued to enjoy exploration success in 2018, primarily at Guanacevi, Terronera and Parral. Mineral Reserves increased at Terronera due to infill drilling at depth and the inclusion of the high-grade La Luz vein. Mineral Reserves also increased at Guanacevi, as Milache was incorporated into the mine plan, partly offset by reduced Mineral Reserves at El Cubo. Mineral Resources increased sharply at Parral thanks to drilling of the San Patricio vein system, partly offset by reduced Mineral Resources at El Cubo."
"In 2019, we will once again focus our exploration efforts on growing Mineral Resources and replacing Mineral Reserves at each mine-site as well as expanding Mineral Resources at Parral and other greenfields projects. At Terronera, we will turn our attention from Mineral Resource expansion to mine development as it has the potential to become our largest and lowest cost mine."
Mineral Reserve and Resource Discussion
Proven and Probable silver and gold Mineral Reserves increased year on year by 38% and 35% respectively to 46.3 million oz silver and 426,700 oz gold. On a silver equivalent basis, Mineral Reserves now total 80.4 million oz (at a silver to gold ratio of 80:1). The increased Mineral Reserves are mainly due to in-fill drilling and a robust economic assessment at Terronera, which expanded the Indicated Mineral Resources and converted them to Probable Mineral Reserves, and development of the Milache orebody at Guanacevi, where Indicated Mineral Resources were converted to Probable Mineral Reserves. Excluding the Terronera Mineral Reserves, silver and gold Mineral Reserves at the operating mines increased by 46% and decreased by 2% respectively, notwithstanding significantly reduced Mineral Reserves at El Cubo.
Measured and Indicated silver and gold Mineral Resources declined by 25% and 23% respectively to 27.3 million oz silver and 290,400 oz gold. The decrease in Measured and Indicated Mineral Resources was mainly the result of conversion to Mineral Reserves at the existing operations. Total Inferred silver Mineral Resources increased by 9% due to the success of the 2018 drilling at Parral, where Inferred Mineral Resource Estimates for silver and gold increased 55% and 49% respectively.
Mineral Reserve and Resource Estimates at December 31, 2018
Silver-Gold Proven and Probable Mineral Reserves
Tonnes Ag g/tAu g/tAg oz Au oz
Guanacevi 74,000 244 0.53 580,000 1,300
Bolanitos 186,000 109 1.90 653,000 11,400
El Cubo 98,000 182 1.95 572,000 6,100
El Compas 38,000 90 3.99 109,000 4,800
Total Proven 396,000 150 1.86 1,914,000 23,600
Guanacevi 687,000 283 0.73 6,248,000 16,100
Bolanitos 146,000 97 1.96 454,000 9,200
El Cubo 136,000 157 1.40 687,000 6,100
El Compas 29,000 94 4.31 88,000 4,000
Terronera 5,587,000 206 2.05 37,003,000368,200
Total Probable 6,443,000 214 1.95 44,415,000403,100
Total P&P 6,838,000 211 1.94 46,330,000426,700
Silver-Gold Measured and Indicated Mineral Resources
Tonnes Ag g/tAu g/tAg oz Au oz
Guanacevi 29,000 383 0.54 361,000 500
Bolanitos 136,000 136 1.86 595,000 8,200
El Cubo 69,000 184 2.12 412,000 4,700
El Compas 3,000 33 3.94 3,000 400
Total Measured 238,000 179 1.80 1,371,000 13,800
Guanacevi 999,000 287 0.77 9,230,000 24,900
Bolanitos 551,000 163 1.95 2,880,000 34,500
El Cubo 251,000 161 1.54 1,298,000 12,500
El Compas 77,000 80 4.75 197,000 11,700
Guadalupe y Calvo 1,861,000 119 2.38 7,120,000 142,400
Parral (new) 37,000 184 0.27 216,000 300
Total Indicated 3,775,000 173 1.86 20,942,000226,300
Total M&I 4,013,000 173 1.86 22,312,000240,100
Silver-Gold Inferred Mineral Resources
Tonnes Ag g/tAu g/tAg oz Au oz
Guanacevi 653,000 387 0.90 8,133,000 18,900
Bolanitos 783,000 133 2.12 3,352,000 53,300
El Cubo 845,000 149 2.20 4,042,000 59,700
El Compas 212,000 74 5.37 503,000 36,500
Terronera 1,080,000 208 2.26 7,239,000 79,000
Guadalupe y Calvo 154,000 94 2.14 465,000 10,600
Parral (new) 3,138,000 296 0.27 29,812,00026,900
Total Inferred 6,864,000 241 1.19 53,273,000261,900
Silver-Gold-Lead-Zinc Mineral Resources
Resources Tonnes Ag g/t Au g/t Ag oz Au oz Pb% Zn%
Indicated
Guanacevi 363,000 208 0.26 2,420,500 3,100 0.78 1.32
Parral (Cometa) 1,631,000 49 0.90 2,589,900 47,200 2.87 2.86
Total Indicated 1,994,000 78 0.78 5,010,400 50,300 2.49 2.58
Guanacevi 488,000 132 0.16 2,076,000 2,500 1.36 2.54
Parral (Cometa) 1,303,000 63 0.88 2,658,900 36,900 2.55 2.28
Total Inferred 1,791,000 82 0.68 4,734,900 39,400 2.23 2.35
Notes:
Godfrey Walton, M.Sc., P.Geo., President and COO of Endeavour, is the Qualified Person who reviewed and approved the technical information contained in these Mineral Reserve and Resource Estimates. A Quality Control sampling program of reference standards, blanks and duplicates has been instituted to monitor the integrity of all assay results. All samples are split at the local field office and shipped to ALS-Chemex Labs, where they are dried, crushed, split and 50 gram pulp samples are prepared for analysis. Gold and silver are determined by fire assay with an atomic absorption (AA) finish.
The Mineral Resource Estimates for Terronera, and Parral were undertaken by Independent Qualified Persons Eugene Puritch, P.Eng., FEC, CET, Yungang Wu, P.Geo., and David Burga, P.Geo of P&E Mining Consultants Inc. Mr. Puritch has reviewed and approved the technical content of this press release with respect to the Terronera and new Parral.
The Cometa property in Parral which is part of the Lead-Zinc portion of the table is based on a Technical report titled NI 43-101 Technical Report audit of the Mineral Resource Estimate for the Parral Project, Chuhuahua State, Mexico and filed Dec 15, 2010 and authored by William Lewis, B.Sc., Charley Z. Murahwi M.Sc. MAusIMM and Dibya Kanti Mukhopadhyay M.Sc. MAusIMM. This report is separate from the Parral Properties described by P&E Mining Consultants Inc.
About Endeavour Silver - Endeavour Silver Corp. is a mid-tier precious metals mining company that owns and operates three high-grade, underground, silver-gold mines in Mexico. Endeavour is currently commissioning its fourth mine at El Compas, advancing a possible fifth mine at the Terronera mine project and exploring its portfolio of exploration and development projects in Mexico and Chile to facilitate its goal to become a premier senior silver producer. Our philosophy of corporate social integrity creates value for all stakeholders.
SOURCE Endeavour Silver Corp.
Contact Information - For more information, please contact:
Galina Meleger, Director Investor Relations
Toll free: (877) 685-9775
Tel: (604) 640-4804
Fax: (604) 685-9744
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.edrsilver.com
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Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States private securities litigation reform act of 1995 and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Such forwardâ?'looking statements and information herein include but are not limited to statements regarding Endeavour's reserves and resources and its anticipated performance in 2019, Mineral Resource and Reserve Estimates, and the timing and results of various future activities. The Company does not intend to and does not assume any obligation to update such forward-looking statements or information, other than as required by applicable law.
Forward-looking statements or information involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of Endeavour and its operations to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such statements. Such factors include but are not limited to changes in national and local governments, legislation, taxation, controls, regulations and political or economic developments in Canada and Mexico; operating or technical difficulties in mineral exploration, development and mining activities; the reliability of Mineral Resource and Reserve Estimates risks and hazards of mineral exploration, development and mining; the speculative nature of mineral exploration and development, risks in obtaining necessary licenses and permits, and challenges to the Company's title to properties; as well as those factors described in the section "risk factors" contained in the Company's most recent form 40F /Annual Information Form filed with the S.E.C. and Canadian securities regulatory authorities.
Forward-looking statements are based on assumptions management believes to be reasonable, including but not limited to the continued operation of the Company's mining operations, no material adverse change in the market price of commodities, the reliability of Mineral Resource and Reserve Estimates, mining operations will operate and the mining products will be completed in accordance with management's expectations and achieve their stated production outcomes, and such other assumptions and factors as set out herein. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements or information, there may be other factors that cause results to be materially different from those anticipated, described, estimated, assessed or intended. There can be no assurance that any forward-looking statements or information will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events cou ld differ materially from those anticipated in such statements or information. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information.
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