Americas’ Cosalá hits: mine planning and throughput takeaways for engineers
Reviewed by Tom Sullivan
First reported on MINING.com
30 Second Briefing
Americas Gold and Silver’s latest Cosalá infill drilling at the San Rafael Upper and 120 zones is returning silver grades up to five times above the current resource model, including 14 metres at 599.8 g/t Ag and 0.83% Cu from 38.2 metres and 45 metres at 342.9 g/t Ag and 0.85% Cu from 106 metres, feeding directly into H2 mine plans. At Idaho’s Galena Complex, narrow-vein hits such as 0.21 metre at 24,913 g/t Ag and 16.9% Cu on the 149 Vein and new 43L-TJ vein mineralisation sit close to existing infrastructure. The company is backing a 64,000‑metre, US$20 million drilling campaign with processing upgrades including a paste backfill plant, No. 3 shaft hoist to ~105 short tons/hour and a mill expansion from 750 to 1,200 tons/day, supporting guidance of 3.2–3.6 Moz Ag in 2026.
Technical Brief
- March resource update lifted company-wide measured and indicated resources 10% to 15 Mt at 240 g/t Ag.
- Inferred resources increased 15% to 15.7 Mt at 264 g/t Ag, totalling 133.3 Moz contained silver.
- Cosalá measured and indicated now 4.87 Mt at 119 g/t Ag for 18.7 Moz contained.
- Galena Complex measured and indicated rose 19% to 5.46 Mt at 501 g/t Ag for 87.9 Moz.
- Hole 43-317 on the 149 Vein cut 0.21 m at 24,913 g/t Ag and 16.9% Cu.
- Follow-up hole 43-357 intersected 1.9 m at 1,392 g/t Ag, 1.5% Cu and 1.5% Sb from 25.8 m.
- New 43L-TJ vein complex at Galena lies ~150 m southwest of 149 Vein and within 25 m of workings.
- At Coeur’s 520 Vein, hole CO34-166 intersected 1.1 m at 619 g/t Ag, 1.1% Cu and 0.65% Sb from 325.2 m.
- Galena–Crescent consolidation included Crescent mine acquisition for US$36 million and a 51–49 hydromet JV with United States Antimony.
Our Take
The 51/49 JV split with United States Antimony at Galena dovetails with their 18‑month hydrometallurgical plant plan in Idaho’s Silver Valley (10 Feb 2026 piece), signalling that these high‑grade antimony and copper intercepts are likely to be backed by a dedicated downstream route rather than relying on generic smelter terms.
The recent deal to cancel the Galena silver stream with Sprott Mining (22 May 2026 item) removes a $45‑million delivery overhang just as Cosalá and Galena resources step up, meaning more of the 3.2–3.6‑million‑ounce silver guidance can flow directly into Americas Gold and Silver’s own cash flow profile rather than to a streaming counterparty.
Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.
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