Revitalizing the Bathurst Mining Camp in New Brunswick · 11-Year Case Study of TSX Venture...

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Fall 2012 Base and Precious Metals Exploration and Development Revitalizing the Bathurst Mining Camp in New Brunswick

Transcript of Revitalizing the Bathurst Mining Camp in New Brunswick · 11-Year Case Study of TSX Venture...

Page 1: Revitalizing the Bathurst Mining Camp in New Brunswick · 11-Year Case Study of TSX Venture Exchange 3 • TSX Venture has gone through 7 bear markets of its own (market turndowns

Fall 2012

Base and Precious Metals Exploration and Development

Revitalizing the Bathurst Mining Camp in New Brunswick

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International Metals Group

• Over 200 years combined experience in the mining industry

• Shared Resources, costs and expertise

• Brain bank: technical teams, investor relations, corporate finance, administration, management

• Extensive exploration, development, and fund raising experience

Dedicated to Resource Development

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A Crisis is a Terrible Thing to Waste

11-Year Case Study of TSX Venture Exchange

• TSX Venture has gone through 7 bear markets of its own (market turndowns of 20% or more) since its inception 11 years ago.

• Last rally 27-months, TSX Venture hit: 2,439.83 in March 24th, 2011 a 255% gain just over two years

• Average duration of a bull market in TSX Venture: 11.83 months

- Pinnacle Digest

• Average loss (in percentage terms) during a correction (peak-to-trough): 36.25%

• Average gain after a correction (trough-to-peak): 98.08%

• Average duration of a bear market in the TSX Venture: 5.78 months

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4 Private Placement Term Sheet - October 2012

• Up to $3,000,000 Flow Through and non-Flow Through Units

• Non-brokered placement for up to 33,333,333 units

• Non-Flow Through units at a purchase price of $0.09 with a half warrant at $0.15 per share for 18 months

• Flow Through units at a purchase price of $0.10 per unit with a half warrant at $0.16 per share for 18 months

• The proceeds from the private placement will be used to fund the 2012-2013 exploration budget at the Murray Brook base metals project in Bathurst, New Brunswick, and for general working capital

El Nino Ventures (First Tranche Closed $1.39M)

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Harry Barr Jay Oness Robert Guanzon Cori Hansen Bill Stone, PhD, MSc, P.Geo. Ali H. Alizadeh, MSc, MBA, P.Geo. Scott Donaldson, BA, MBA, CMA Linda Holmes Gary Moore, MBA, BComm Michael Neumann, P.Eng

Management & Directors

Chairman, CEO and Director Chief Operations Officer and Director Chief Financial Officer Corporate Secretary Executive Vice President VP Exploration VP Business Development Director Director Director

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Share Price 0.090$

Shares Outstanding 73,447,238

Warrants 19,710,846

Options 1,730,000

Treasury 650,000

Fully Diluted 94,888,084

Share Structure Share Performance Share Holders*

Dundee Group 15% Management 13% Pinetree 8% Desjardins 5.4% Sheridan Group 2.5% Creststreet 2.3% Stone Asset Mgmt 2.0% High Net Worth Individuals 20% 2,000 Shareholders 31.8% *Approximation

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6 6 Growth in Global Zinc Demand

• Zinc supply is constrained in the near-term by a depletion of large mines: Brunswick and Perseverance (340,000 T/y - Canada) Century (500,000 T/y – Australia) Lisheen (170,000 T/y – Ireland) • Zinc Market projected to go into deficit 2014/15 • Quality mines in top jurisdictions are hard to replace. • 50% of zinc now used in galvanizing/85% of demand derived from

construction, infrastructure and transportation. • The Murray Brook project has five major metals: zinc, silver, copper, gold

and lead.

Zn

Ag

Cu Au

Pb

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7 7 Zinc Demand

“In the second half of this decade, zinc demand will be boosted by a recovery in G7 construction activity, particularly in the USA." Scotia McLeod March 2012

(image source: www.crugroup.com)

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Exploration and Development Projects

1. Murray Brook Polymetallic Project - Bathurst , New Brunswick - Development

2. Bathurst Option-Joint Venture (BOJV) – Bathurst, New Brunswick - Exploration

3. Kasala Copper Project, DRC, Africa New Discovery - Exploration

Kasala Project

(Copper, Cobalt)

Bathurst Option JV

(BOJV)

(Zinc, Silver, Base

Metals)

Murray Brook

Polymetallic Project

(Zinc, Copper, Silver,

Gold and Lead )

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New Brunswick - One of Canada’s most important and productive mining districts

• In 2001, Bathurst produced: 30% of Canada`s zinc - 53% of the lead - 17% of the silver

• In 2012, the Fraser Institute named New Brunswick as the #1 mining jurisdiction in the world,

moving up from #9.

• Our Murray Brook VMS project has become one of the largest undeveloped massive sulphide

deposits in the Bathurst Mining district with our recently completed NI43-101 in February 2012.

• The world’s largest underground zinc mine, Xstrata’s Brunswick #12, is scheduled to cease

production in mid 2013.

Bathurst Mining Camp – Facts & Figures 9

Xstrata’s Brunswick #12 Mine & Mill

• Xstrata Zinc is investigating other sources of concentrates for its Belledune smelter operation

Beldune Smelter

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Votorantim Metais

10,000 employees

Integrated

production

Production

costs

Self -

generation

of energy

Competitive

Advantages

Among the most competitive producers of

aluminum, nickel and zinc with 20 productive units

2nd largest mining company in Brazil

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Net revenues of $ 17.5 billion

Productive assets in 20 countries

10 In Canada, Votorantim operates under its wholly owned subsidiary, Votorantim Metals Canada

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Bathurst Option JV Agreement - BOJV 11

BOJV Agreement with

Xstrata Zinc Canada

& Votorantim Metals Canada

• Votorantim can earn 50% interest in the BOJV by spending $10 million over 5 years

• Votorantim can increase interest to 70% by spending additional $10 million over 2 more years

• The BOJV project initially comprised of 4,712 claims owned 50% ELN, 50% Xstrata, 2907 claims owned 100% by Xstrata Zinc, together with an Area of Interest in which ELN and Xstrata Zinc hold equal interest.

• The BOJV project, due to the Area of Interest clause, will continue to generate new projects for ELN at no initial cost.

El Nino Ventures

Xstrata El Nino Ventures

Murray Brook

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12 12 Bathurst Option JV Agreement - BOJV

Project Status

• Approximately $6.25 million spent to date

• September 18, 2012 - Votorantim Canada contracted Diagnos Inc. of Brossard,

Quebec to complete a comprehensive study utilizing their proprietary software.

o Objective: to identify targets (projects) within the Area of Interest with high

probability of containing mineralization.

o To date, the Government of New Brunswick has granted this project $1.6

million to utilize new exploration technology.

o The BOJV agreement has provided ELN the option to participate in the

Murray Brook Project and any new acquisitions in the area of interest.

2012 Exploration Program

• Approximately 6,000 metres drilled to date

• Up to 12,000 metres to be drilled in total

• Drill testing airborne and ground geophysical targets

• Project status report expected in Q1 2013

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Bathurst Projects: Location & Infrastructure 13

• Billion dollar infrastructure: includes 2 mills, smelter, roads and rail

• New Brunswick ranked No. 1 mining jurisdiction in the world by Fraser

Institute, Murray Brook is districts largest NI43-101 VMS deposit

Brunswick #12 Mine & Mill: Xstrata

Belledune

Caribou Mine & Mill (Trevali)

Conveyor

Headframe

Water Treatment

Smelter

Camel Back

Exploration Project

Murray Brook Development

Project

Halfmile Mine (Trevali)

N

Stratmat Project (Trevali)

EL Nino/Votorantim

EL Nino/Votorantim

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14 Murray Brook Option-JV Project

Exploration Agreement • Votorantim Metals Canada is the operator

• Option-JV: El Nino Ventures and Votorantim Metals Canada currently hold 35%

each

• In Fall 2012 El Nino/Votorantim optioned the additional 30% of the Murray

Brook Project which will result in a 50/50 joint venture.

Project Status • 2011 drill program resulted in a positive Feb 2012 NI43-101 resource

calculation

• 2012 approved exploration budget $3 million

o $2.5 million on Murray Brook deposit, 97 holes drilled for 18,500 metres

o $500,000 on Murray Brook Property and adjacent Camel Back Property

• Update Feb 2012 NI 43-101 resource calculation is slated for by Jan/Feb 2013

• Metallurgical Study in progress

• Preliminary Economic Assessment to be completed by Q1 2013

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Murray Brook Drill 2012 Program 15

• 2012 program drilled 97 holes for 18,500 metres • Mainly in-fill holes to advance Indicated to Measured • Some delineation holes drilled to define boundaries of the individual massive

sulphide zones

Good Road Access Power Line to Caribou – 11km

Massive Sulphide projected to surface

Murray Brook is the Bathurst Mining districts largest NI43-101 VMS deposit

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16 Murray Brook Resource Estimation

Mineral Resource Estimation Summary – February 2012 Update currently underway will include 2012 drill results

Mineral resources which are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. The estimate of mineral resources may be materially affected by environmental, permitting, legal, title, taxation, socio-political, marketing, or other relevant issues. (1) The quantity and grade of reported Inferred resources in this estimation are uncertain in nature and there has been insufficient exploration to define these Inferred resources as an Indicated or Measured mineral resource and it is uncertain if further exploration will result in upgrading them to an Indicated or Measured mineral resource category. (2) The mineral resources in this news release were estimated using the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM), CIM Standards on Mineral Resources and Reserves, Definitions and Guidelines prepared by the CIM Standard Committee on Reserve Definitions and adopted by CIM Council (3) The Dec 31, 2011 two year trailing average US metal prices used in this estimate were $3.71/lb Cu, $1.03/lb Pb, $0.98/lb Zn, $1,397/oz Au, $27.63/oz Ag. The C$/US$ Exchange rate was 0.99. (4) Overall payable metal in the NSR calculation were 81% Cu, 72% Pb, 64% Zn, 71% Au and 56% Ag. (5) Mineral resources were determined within a Whittle pit shell with 45 degree slopes utilizing mining costs of C$2.50/tonne for mineralized material and waste rock, and C$1.75/tonne for overburden. (6) Costs used to determine the C$20/tonne NSR resource cut-off value were processing at C$15/tonne and G&A C$5/tonne. (7) The Murray Brook Mineral Resource Estimate was undertaken by Eugene Puritch, P.Eng. of P&E Mining Consultants Inc

See www.elninoventures.com for more information

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Contained Metal Content

(1) The contained metal contents were calculated by Dr. William Stone, Ph.D., P.Geo. Executive Vice President of Exploration (2) The contained metal contents were calculated using the $20/t NSR cut-off (3) The total metal content can be recalculated as a zinc equivalent (ZnEq), which would equate to 8.17% ZnEq for the

Measured plus Indicated and 8.47% for the Inferred resources, based on calculating the total NSR value of the constituent metals in the table on slide 17 plus the smelting and shipping charges all divided by $14.05, which is the recovered value of 1% Zn.

Murray Brook Contained Metal Content 17

Zn

Ag

Cu Au

Pb

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Significant Murray Brook Drill Results 18

Hole ID From m To m Interval Cu % Pb % Zn % Au gpt Ag gpt

MB-2012-132 89.0 201.0 112.0 0.10 1.92 6.15 0.636 70.6

Including 167.0 200.0 33.0 0.10 3.60 10.50 1.370 126.7

MB-2012-117 100.4 185.0 84.6 0.15 1.82 4.62 0.521 69.8

Including 170.0 183.0 13.0 0.29 4.11 10.34 1.396 126.0

MB-2012-102 68.0 118.2 50.2 0.83 1.05 4.15 0.324 42.5

Including 83.0 104.0 21.0 1.07 1.56 6.12 0.269 60.8

And 122.5 174.0 51.5 0.09 0.89 3.39 0.199 34.7

MB-2011-13 27 126 99.3 0.22 1.16 3.4 0.62 40.6

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Optimized Pit Shell

• Results to date could support an open pit mining scenario • The Murray Brook deposit is almost entirely included in the pit shell

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View looking east along the horizontal at the optimized open pit shell (grey) and 3D model of the Murray Brook deposit (not to scale).

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20 Murray Brook Cross Section

• Drill intercepts up to 112 m thick grading: 6.2% Zn, 1.9% Pb, 0.1% Cu, 71 g/t Ag,

0.6 g/t Au

• Cross section showing the Western Zone as delineated in 2012 drill program

• Western Zone appears to be thicker and more Zn-Pb-Ag rich than Eastern Zone

Western Zone

Eastern Zone

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21 Murray Brook Metallurgy Study

Metallurgical Study – Phase 1

• Three metallurgical holes drilled in the Murray Brook deposit with 3 tonnes

of core shipped for testing at RPC Science & Engineering, Bathurst

• $300,000 Budget for Phase 1 - Test results available Q4 2012

• Results to be incorporated into PEA study planned for Q1 2013

Zn

Ag

Cu

Au

Pb

Metal content of Murray Brook Deposit

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Murray Brook Property Scale Exploration 22

• Exploration underway on the Murray Brook and Camel Back properties

for additional VMS deposits

• Ground gravity surveys to identify targets for drilling in 2012-2013

Caribou Mine, Mill &

Tailings (Trevali)

Camel Back -

Exploration Permit

Murray Brook Project –

Development (Mining Lease)

N

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Murray Brook Milestones 23

2012 - $3 million Exploration & Development Budget

Announced initial NI43-101 Resource Calculation on Feb. 28, 2012

18,500 metre in-fill and delineation drill program completed Q2 2012

Property scale exploration at adjacent Camel Back project in progress

70% earn-in completed Q3 2012/arranged option to earn additional 30%

• Phase 1 Metallurgical study to be completed Q4 2012

• NI 43-101 Resource Calculation update to be released Jan/Feb 2013, to include results from 18,500 2012 drill program

2013 - Provisional

• Phase 2 Metallurgical study (Pilot Plant)

• Preliminary Economic Assessment (Scoping) Study – Q1 2013

• Geotechnical drilling/Environmental assessment/Detailed delineation drilling

2014/2015 – Provisional

• Subject to continued positive results:

o Pre - feasibility and Feasibility

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Kasala Project Highlights

• Completed 12,000 m RC and 5,500 m DD programs on three of the Company’s exploration permits in DRC

• A significant new copper discovery made on the Kasala project with a mineralized strike length of 2,500 m

• Identification of two major parallel zones east of the Kasala which have a combined strike length of over 3 km

High grade mineralization over mineable widths:

22 m @ 3.28% Cu

29 m @ 2.82% Cu

31 m @ 2.19% Cu

11 m @ 3.68% Cu

Minmetals

ELN

Tiger

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25 Kasala Project Geochemistry

Block A Block B Block C

+2500 meter strike length along blocks ( A,B,C)

10,000 meters of drilling to be completed

PR 5214

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26 26 Synopsis

Murray Brook Polymetallic Project - Development

• Largest NI43-101 resource in the Bathurst Camp

• Development potential as open pit mine

• Excellent infrastructure support in safe, stable mining friendly jurisdiction

• Fast track development project partnered with Votorantim Metals, Brazil`s

2nd largest mining company

Bathurst Option-JV project (BOJV) – Exploration

• Exploration project funded 100% by Votorantim

• Government-funded leading edge exploration technologies to identify new

deposits. Project generator for El Nino Ventures.

Kasala - New Discovery/Exploration

• New copper-cobalt discovery in Central African Copper Belt in the DRC

• Future Development Plan: Option/JV or Potential Spin out

• The project is currently under Force Majeure pending outcome of

arbitration in British Columbia and litigation in the DRC

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27 Private Placement Term Sheet - October 2012

• Up to $3,000,000 Flow Through and non-Flow Through Units

• Non-brokered placement for up to 33,333,333 units

• Non-Flow Through units at a purchase price of $0.09 with a half warrant at $0.15 per share for 18 months

• Flow Through units at a purchase price of $0.10 per unit with a half warrant at $0.16 per share for 18 months

• The proceeds from the private placement will be used to fund the 2012-2013 exploration budget at the Murray Brook base metals project in Bathurst, New Brunswick, and for general working capital

El Nino Ventures (First Tranche Closed $1.39M)

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28 28 Disclaimers

Forward Looking Statements

Certain information presented, including discussions of future plans and operations, contains forward-looking statements involving substantial known and

unknown risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements are subject to risk and uncertainty, many of which are beyond control of company

management. These may include, but are not limited to the influence of general economic conditions, industry conditions, fluctuations of commodity

prices and foreign exchange rate conditions, prices, rates, environmental risk, industry competition, availability of qualified staff and management, stock

market volatility, timely and cost effective access to sufficient working capital or financing from internal and external sources. Actual results,

performance, or achievements may differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward looking statements.

Qualified Person’s Statement

The information in this presentation that relates to Exploration Results or Mineral Resources is based on information compiled, reviewed or prepared by

Dr. Bill Stone and Mr. Ali Hassanalizadeh, the Executive VP Exploration and the Vice President of Exploration, El Nino Ventures, Mr. Hassanalizadeh is the

Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, and has reviewed and approved the technical content of this presentation.

EL NINO VENTURES INC. #650 – 555 12th Avenue

Vancouver, B.C., Canada V5Z 3X7 Phone: +1 (604) 685-1870 [email protected]

Safe Harbor Statement

This report includes forward-looking statements covered by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Because such statements deal with

future events, they are subject to various risks and uncertainties and actual results for fiscal year 2010 and beyond could differ materially from the

Company’s current expectations.

Forward-looking statements are identified by words such as "anticipates," "projects," "expects," "plans," "intends," "believes," "estimates," "targets,"

and other similar expressions that indicate trends and future events.