Northwire Canada EditionTuesday, September 1, 2026
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Technical Study

Tocvan Ventures begins trenching material at Gran Pilar

By The Northwire Desk — AI Analysis Dec 22, 2025 · 10:13 TOC · 0.98 Tocvan Ventures Corp
TOC · Price

Executive Summary

  • Tocvan Ventures began trenching material for pilot‑mine feed at the Gran Pilar South block and secured local community council approval for pilot‑mine development.
  • Site preparation is underway, including clearing and leveling for a 50,000‑tonne heap‑leach pad, containment ponds, access roads and processing equipment.
  • The release provides extensive historic and recent drilling intercepts (gold Au and silver Ag) across the North and South blocks, plus bulk‑sample and metallurgical test results showing high gold recovery (up to 99 %) and strong silver recovery (up to 97 %).

Key Details

  • Pilot‑Mine Advancement
  • Trenching of material for pilot‑mine feed commenced at Gran Pilar South block.
  • Local community council approved the pilot‑mine development plan, satisfying Mexican regulations that require active community involvement.

  • Clearing and leveling activities started for heap‑leach pad, containment ponds, access roads and processing equipment to support a fully permitted 50,000‑tonne per year pilot facility.

  • Infrastructure & Exploration Progress

  • Dozer cuts opened across key target areas for channel sampling and bulk‑sampling preparation.
  • Ground levelling underway for future infrastructure (leach pad, containment ponds, roads, processing plant).

  • Ongoing surface sampling on North and South blocks; maiden drilling in the North block continues with results expected early 2025.

  • Drilling Intercepts – Highlights

  • South Block – historic drill success (2025):
    • 19.4 g/t Au over 3.1 m within 106.6 m of 0.6 g/t Au (25 Feb 2025).
    • 5.4 g/t Au over 6.1 m within 41.2 m of 1.0 g/t Au (7 May 2025).
    • 136 g/t Ag over 10.7 m within 42.7 m of 41 g/t Ag (25 Jun 2025).
  • South Block – soil/rock samples (Nov 12 2024):
    • Soil up to 21.2 g/t Au and >2,000 g/t Ag in placer corridor; rock up to 7.3 g/t Au and 389 g/t Ag in placer source area.

  • North Block – alteration zone:

    • Chip sample: 5.6 g/t Au & 106 g/t Ag (19 Oct 2023).
    • Historic mine working sample: 3.2 g/t Au & 1,225 g/t Ag (8 Mar 2024).

  • Diamond & RC Drilling Highlights (2025‑2020)

  • 83.5 m @ 1.3 g/t Au (incl. 9.7 m @ 10.3 g/t Au) – 11 Mar 2025.
  • 97.4 m @ 0.7 g/t Au (incl. 36.3 m @ 1.6 g/t Au) – 19 Mar 2025.
  • 64.9 m @ 1.2 g/t Au (incl. 3.0 m @ 21.6 g/t Au & 209 g/t Ag) – 26 Mar 2025.
  • 46.9 m @ 0.5 g/t Au (incl. 2.6 m @ 7.2 g/t Au & 80 g/t Ag) – 16 Apr 2025.
  • RC 2025: 106.8 m @ 0.6 g/t Au (incl. 3.1 m @ 19.4 g/t Au) – 25 Feb 2025; 41.2 m @ 1.0 g/t Au (incl. 6.1 m @ 5.4 g/t Au) – 7 May 2025.

  • RC 2024: multiple intervals ≥1.0 g/t Au with notable Ag grades (e.g., 42.7 m @ 1.0 g/t Au incl. 3.1 m @ 10.9 g/t Au).

  • Bulk Sample & Metallurgical Results

  • Bulk sample leaching: 62 % gold recovery over 46‑day period; head grade 1.9 g/t Au & 7 g/t Ag; extracted grade 1.2 g/t Au & 3 g/t Ag.
  • Fine fraction agitated bottle‑roll test: 80 % Au and 94 % Ag recovery after 24 h.

  • Gravity‑leach composite tests (5 samples): 95‑99 % Au recovery; 73‑97 % Ag recovery, including 99 % Au & 73 % Ag from a drill core at 120 m depth.

  • Future Plans

  • Additional geophysical surveys, expanded surface sampling and further drilling slated for the coming months.
  • Continued focus on safety, environmental stewardship and community benefits throughout development activities.

Notable Quotes

“We are thrilled to have solidified this partnership with our neighbouring communities… This engagement not only strengthens our social licence to operate but also positions us for efficient progress toward near‑term production at Gran Pilar.” – Brodie Sutherland, CEO, Tocvan Ventures Corp.

Read the original news release →

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