Forte Minerals’ ‘phenomenal team’ poised for exploration success in Peru, CEO says

TL;DR

Forte Minerals sees exploration potential in Peru because the country is rich in metal deposits yet remained underexplored until the early 2000s. Its portfolio comprises three projects, two porphyry copper projects and one high-sulfidation epithermal gold project, supported by an experienced local team and a strategic partnership with Globetrotters Resources. Read on for details about Don Gregorio, project selection, remote sensing, and the company’s exploration strategy.

Transcript

in this edition of In CEO talks I'm joined by Patrick Elliott the president and CEO of forte minerals and today we're talking about copper and gold Peruvian copper and gold Patrick welcome hi thanks for having me so why copper and gold in Peru what uh why now in Peru and why in particular both copper and gold which have not been high on the uh you ... Read More

Key Insights

• 🤘 Peru offers a vast potential for copper and gold exploration, with underexplored metal deposits due to political factors in the past.
• 🖕 Forte Minerals focuses on developing pipeline projects for mid-tier and major mining companies.
• 🧡 The company's strategic partnership with Globetrotters Resources gives it access to a diverse range of projects for acquisition and development.
• 😤 Forte Minerals' experienced team, including geologists and geophysicists, plays a crucial role in identifying and advancing projects.
• 🆘 The permitting and social processes in Peru can pose challenges, but Forte Minerals has streamlined its operations with the help of former government officials.
• ⌛ The current market conditions, with increasing demand and diminishing production, make it an opportune time for copper exploration.
• ✋ Forte Minerals' portfolio includes porphyry coppers and high-sulfidation gold projects, offering diversification in mineral commodities.

Questions & Answers

Q: Why is Forte Minerals exploring for copper and gold in Peru?

Forte Minerals views Peru as exceptionally rich in metal deposits but underexplored because significant exploration did not begin until the early 2000s due to the country’s political history. Its team moved from Chile to establish a Peruvian exploration office around 2005 and remains bullish on both copper and gold.

Q: What projects are in Forte Minerals’ portfolio?

Forte Minerals has three projects: two porphyry copper projects and one high-sulfidation epithermal gold project. Don Gregorio is its flagship porphyry copper-gold project, while Esperanza is a porphyry copper-molybdenum project and Pukarini is a high-sulfidation gold project.

Q: What is the Don Gregorio project?

Don Gregorio is Forte Minerals’ flagship porphyry copper-gold project. Historical drilling found economic grades of copper and gold in every drill hole, but the project needs substantially more drilling to expand its tonnage and establish a compliant resource.

Q: What is Forte Minerals’ current priority at Don Gregorio?

The company is working with communities and other stakeholders to secure drilling permits. It then plans to resume drilling and advance the project, where management says much of the early discovery and exploration risk has already been mitigated.

Q: How did Forte Minerals obtain the Don Gregorio project?

Don Gregorio went through a government tender process around 2008, which Candente Copper won. After roughly seven years of discussions, the team persuaded Candente to grant an option on the property around 2015.

Q: How does Globetrotters Resources support Forte Minerals?

Globetrotters Resources is a private project generator with management and shareholders connected to Forte Minerals. The partnership gives Forte first pick of projects emerging from Globetrotters’ acquisition and discovery pipeline, and some assets have been spun out from Globetrotters into Forte.

Q: How does Forte Minerals identify potential exploration targets?

Its team processes ASTER imagery and government remote-sensing data to locate pronounced argillic and phyllic alteration anomalies. Geologists then investigate those anomalies on the ground to determine whether they are positive before staking the ground.

Q: What is Forte Minerals’ broader exploration strategy?

The company aims to develop a pipeline of projects for mid-tier and major mining companies. Its specialists, geologists, country managers, and geophysicists have extensive experience with South American porphyry copper and high-sulfidation gold systems.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Forte Minerals has been exploring for copper and gold in Peru since 2005, with a focus on developing pipeline projects for mid-tier and major mining companies.

• The company currently has three projects in its portfolio, including two porphyry coppers and one high-sulfidation gold project.

• Forte Minerals' flagship project, Don Gregorio, is a poor free copper gold system in northern Peru that requires further drilling to expand the tonnage and achieve a compliant resource.