Vainilla Concession | Santo Tomás Porphyry Copper Belt
Location: Choix District, Sinaloa, Mexico
Oroco has secured an option to acquire a 100 % interest in the Vainilla Concession, expanding our land position within the Santo Tomás copper porphyry belt and enhancing near-term exploration upside.
Vainilla Concession location and mineralized zones
The Vainilla area hosts multiple zones of historical and recent mining activities exploiting polymetallic mineralization, interpreted as both distal and proximal expressions of a concealed porphyry system. This system is believed to be associated with mapped monzonitic intrusions and is likely related to Laramide porphyritic intrusions comparable to that which Oroco is currently advancing at Santo Tomás.
Strategic Expansion in a Proven Copper District
The Vainilla Concession option represents a strategic opportunity to expand Oroco’s exposure to the Santo Tomás Belt within the prolific copper-producing Laramide copper province. Located on trend with the known Bahuerachi - Santo Tomás resource occurrences, Vainilla offers early-stage exploration potential and strengthens the Company’s long-term development strategy.
This acquisition adds to Oroco’s district-scale vision and reflects a disciplined approach to organic growth in highly prospective terrain whilst simultaneously rewarding the area communities for their deep and abiding support.
Investment Highlights
Location: Directly south-southwest of the Santo Tomás Core Concessions
Area: 2,825 hectares
Potential: Porphyry copper-gold system consistent with regional trend: adjacent skarn and hydrothermal copper-precious metals breccia targets
Strategic Fit: Complements existing assets and supports long-term development planning
Terms: Low-cost staged option agreement, fully aligned with value-creation goals
Geological Context and Location
The Vainilla Concession lies within the Laramide Copper Belt, the same tectonic and geological setting that hosts Santo Tomás and Bahuerachi and large historical and current producers in NW Mexico (e.g. Buenavista / Cananea) and the SW USA (e.g. Morenci).
Technical Rationale
Historical geological mapping, surface sampling, stream sediment sampling, and airborne magnetic surveys indicate a potentially similar mineralizing system found as that found at Santo Tomás. The concession area exhibits favorable lithology and alteration patterns, structural alignment with known mineralized zones, and arcuate faults consistent with a possible caldera suggesting major intrusive volcanism centered on Vainilla. Evidence of small-scale artisanal activity, exploiting surface mineralization.
Strategic Fit with Santo Tomás
The addition of Vainilla enhances the scale and optionality of the Santo Tomás Project. Its position adjacent to existing concessions offers opportunities for future resource expansion that could utilize planned infrastructure at Santo Tomas. The acquisition secures Oroco’s position of control of district-wide resources with strong development potential.
As Oroco advances toward pre-feasibility and permitting at Santo Tomás, Vainilla adds potential long-term value through organic growth potential.
Community Commitment and Economic Development
Oroco maintains strong relationships in the municipality of Choix, Sinaloa, where its operations are located. This acquisition aligns with the Company’s commitment to responsible development, transparency, and local engagement. The Company will continue to follow its environmental and community commitments as it evaluates Vainilla’s potential through early exploration work.
Option Agreement Summary
| Option Payment: |
US$75,000 + 100,000 shares (paid) |
| Staged Payments: |
US$25,000 + 100,000 shares every six months |
| Option Exercise: |
US$500,000 + 2,000,000 shares |
| Royalty: |
1.5% NSR |
This agreement reflects Oroco’s disciplined approach to growth and its focus on long-term, accretive acquisitions.
Santo Tomás and Vainilla Project Metrics Comparison
| |
Santo Tomás |
Vainilla Concession |
| Location |
~9,034 ha total |
~2,974 ha |
| Geological Context |
Copper Porphyry deposit |
Multiple Zones of Historical & Active Polymetallic Mineralizations; porphyritic intrusion mapped |
| Exploration Stage |
PEA completed, advancing to PFS |
Early-stage targeting and scouting |
| Strategic Role |
Flagship development focus |
Near-term expansion project |
Oroco continues to build on our strong property position and our expanding technical understanding of the area based upon our strategic knowledge foundation at Santo Tomás. The addition of Vainilla advances our mission to explore responsibly and deliver long-term value through de-risking copper and base and precious-metal resources.
Recent Mapping and Sampling
Oroco has conducted first pass mapping and surface sampling (sample submission pending). The Platano Breccia has significant artisanal drifts that exploited the copper bearing andesitic breccia in extensively altered andesitic volcanic host rocks. The main breccia extends more than 250m EW with additional mineralized outcrops to the west. The alteration extends for over 750m in an ENE direction suggesting an active mineralizing event associated with the emplacement of the mineralized breccia. The postulated causative intrusive is not exposed in outcrop nor in heavily altered breccia clasts within the breccia pipe.
El Platano Breccia and Alteration Zone: Copper and silver mineralization has been intersected in surface samples and short underground adit developments.
Mapping in the copper magnetite skarn to the east of El Platano on the western edge of the Mazomique magnetite operation has traced high-grade Copper-Gold Silver skarn mineralization extending northeast and southwest of the exposure shown below in the top left. Detailed, drone acquired magnetics are planned to define and extend the mineralization mapped on surface.
