Project Setting
The Bramaderos property is centred approximately 69km west-southwest of the provincial capital city of Loja, 213km south-southeast of the coastal city of Guayaquil and 460km south-southwest of Quito. Geographic coordinates at the centre of the property are approximately 79°48'20'' west longitude and 4°04'25'' south latitude. Elevations on the property range from 697m above sea level (MASL) in the south to 1804 MASL in the northwest along the Cordillera Celica. Local relief is generally moderate, although the terrain steepens as elevations rise toward the property's northwest side.
The Bramaderos property is accessible from the west coast by bitumen road. The journey by road from Ecuador’s largest city, Guayaquil, to the port city of Machala is approximately 187km, then approximately 195km from Machala to the village of Bramaderos via Alamor and Celica. The journey from Guayaquil to Baramaderos takes approximately six hours, while from Machala is approximately 2.5 hours.
Guayaquil is serviced by international flights from Santiago (Chile) and Lima (Peru) and multiple domestic flights from Quito. The provincial capital, Loja, is also serviced by numerous daily flights from Quito to Catamayo, located 94km east of the Bramaderos property.
The Ecuadorian segment of the Pan American Highway (known as Highway 35) extends from Tulcan on the Colombian border south to the capital, Quito. It then goes south to Loja and passes through the Bramaderos Property on its way to the southern border with Peru.
The nearest village is Bramaderos, which lies around 400m west of the Pan American Highway within the property and comprises a small cluster of approximately 50 houses. The various mineral prospects on the Bramaderos property are accessed by well-maintained dirt roads and/or paths of the Pan American Highway.
The climate is dry equatorial, hot, and semi-arid, with a moderate wet season that extends from December to May and a pronounced dry season from June to November. Casanga's range of average monthly minimum and maximum temperatures (located just 9km northeast of the project at similar elevations) is 13-18.0C and 27-32C, respectively. The average annual rainfall at Casanga is 1127mm. The climate is amenable to year-round exploration and mining activity.
The land use is dominantly pastoral, with local areas of agriculture on the property involving maise and peanut crops; however, this is relatively minimal due to the region's arid climate. Parts of the property are sparsely stocked with cattle and locally overgrazed. Vegetation is stunted and open in most areas, being generally sparsely wooded with an understory of shrubby vegetation and only local areas of dense undergrowth.
Local resources and infrastructure are minimal in the immediate Bramaderos area, although substantial resources and infrastructure exist in nearby centres.
The nearest domestic airport is Catamayo, with additional airports at Santa Rosa and Cuenca. The nearest international airport is Guayaquil. Both Machala and Guayaquil have major port facilities. A small regional health centre lies near the northeast margin of the Bramaderos property, while a major hospital with substantial facilities exists in Catacocha, 35km east of Bramaderos.
A hydropower line passes through the Bramaderos property area near the Brama prospect and could potentially be tapped to provide electrical power.
The Bramaderos property lies entirely on the western side of the Playas river valley, with the main Rio Playas drainage running just outside the eastern margin of the property. The Rio Playas drains into the Rio Catamayo, which drains southwestward into northern Peru, where it becomes the Rio Chira, which flows westward to the Pacific. The Bramaderos Property area is characterised by gentle to moderately steep topography and typically comprises small conical hills and ridges separated by broad, flat-bottomed valleys.
Several regularly spaced and southeast-draining tributaries to the Rio Playas transect the property. These tributaries dissect the landscape into a series of northwest-southeast aligned ridges with vertical reliefs of 50 to 250m. Water supply is good in the wet season near significant rivers such as the Rio Playas and Rio Catamayo, but it is variable to poor elsewhere. During the dry season, the most reliable water supply can be obtained from the Rio Catamayo.
