Small mining companies in Arizona The following

Small mining companies in Arizona

The following list is a sampling of exploration companies in Arizona. Many also have projects outside of the state not listed here.

Name: Silver Horn Mining Ltd.

Based: Apache Junction.

Market/stock ticker: SILV.

Exploring: Reports it has mining claims near Kingman; the C.O.D. mine near Chloride, where its claims are being challenged by another miner; and the 76 and Tip Top mines in Yavapai County, about 50 miles northwest of Phoenix.

Notes: CEO Daniel Bleak is the son of longtime Arizona miner Floyd Bleak. Son Joshua is CEO of Passport Potash, which is trying to develop a potash mine near Holbrook. The companies share a corporate address.

Name: Passport Potash Inc.

Based: Apache Junction and Canada.

Market/stock ticker: Toronto Exchange/PPI.V.

Exploring: Exploring potash mine near Holbrook.

Notes: Stock price was as high as $1.47 in February, and in March CEO Joshua Bleak was on Bloomberg television, talking about the market potential of the region. He said it would take $750 million to $1 billion and five years to get his mine going. But the stock price has sunk to about 23 cents a share after issuing a report in November regarding its mining potential.

Name: Liberty Gold Corp.

Based: Phoenix.

Market/stock ticker: LBGO.

Exploring: The Domestic Portfolio 15 miles outside Kingman.

Notes: The company reports that some of its claims in Arizona have been measured to contain about 0.71 ounces of gold per ton of ore. That would be more gold per ton than any mine in North America, South America, Asia or Africa run by Newmont Mining Corp., the largest gold-mining company in the world. Liberty CEO Lynn Harrison declined an interview request with  The Arizona Republic , citing scheduling conflicts.

Name: Western Sierra Mining Corp.

Based: Lake Havasu City.

Market/stock ticker: Pink sheets/WSRA.

Exploring: Several interests in Arizona including Gold Basin Mine, Table Mesa, Gold Crown and Gold Star.

Notes: The company lists about $9.4 million in assets in its latest financial report, mostly in property and equipment.

Name: Source Gold Corp.

Based: Toronto.

Market/stock ticker: SRGL.

Exploring: Vulture Mountains near Wickenburg.

Notes: One of its financial reports says officials estimated the depth of water in one of its gold claims by tossing a rock into the mine shaft. Otherwise, the company has not conducted any exploration at its claims as of October.

Name: Sagebrush Gold Ltd.

Based: Walnut Creek, Calif.

Market/stock ticker: SAGE.

Exploring: This company has three projects in Nevada and recently acquired Continental Resources Group Inc., a uranium-exploration company run by Joshua Bleak, the CEO of Passport Potash. Continental had various exploration properties, including Artillery Peak in Arizona.

Notes: Sagebrush has not made any announcements about the uranium properties since announcing the deal in October. Like many of the Stage I companies, the Sagebrush corporate address is a residence.

Name: American Bonanza Gold Corp.

Based: Vancouver, British Columbia.

Market/stock ticker: Toronto/BZA; U.S./ABGFF.

Mining: Recently restarted the Copperstone gold mine between Quartzsite and Parker. The company earlier this year reported a $17.5 million equity offering and an additional $6 million in financing, and shortly after, reported purchasing several large pieces of equipment. In November it began commissioning its facility.

Notes: Also is exploring a project near Oatman.

Name: Hondo Minerals Corp.

Based: Addison, Texas, with Scottsdale office.

Market/stock ticker: HMNC.

Mining: Reopening the historical Tennessee gold mine near Chloride, which operated from the 1800s to 1947. Hondo began work in late 2010 and went public in early 2011. In November it reported it was completing its processing facility.

Notes: Lists $12 million in assets, including about $5 million in mining equipment as of Oct. 31. Received 3 NOVs in May and June. Stock price has dropped from $1.20 to .18.

Name: Patriot Gold Corp.

Based: Las Vegas.

Market/stock ticker: PGOL.

Exploring: Moss Mine 10 miles east of Bullhead City. It formed a joint venture with Northern Vertex in March and reports it has completed 59 drill holes.

Notes: The company got a letter in April from regulators indicating that it was using inappropriate language to describe its mineral resources and was directed to restate its report using SEC-approved terms.

Name: El Capitan Precious Metals Inc.

Based: Scottsdale.

Market/stock ticker: ECPN.

Exploring: A gold, silver and platinum property in central New Mexico. The company plans to sell the property. It claims the ore has grades as high as 1.2 ounces per ton of "gold equivalent," a common industry phrase that combines the value of gold and other metals in an ore.

Notes: Its stock price has fallen to about 33 cents per share, and the company's CEO, Chuck Mottley, sent a letter to shareholders in early December. "The decision to hold your stock, sell it, or buy more is completely yours. Regardless, we will do our best to move the process as efficiently as possible," he said in the letter.

Name: Mojave Desert Minerals, formerly Addwest Minerals Inc.

Based: Carson City, Nev.

Market/stock ticker: Private.

Mining: In 2010 it reopened the Gold Road mine in Oatman, which closed in 1998.

Notes: The company could operate its mill for other mines should they begin operating in the vicinity.

Name: Sierra Resource Group, Inc.

Based: Carson City, Nev.

Market/stock ticker: SIRG its stock price has risen from .0015 to .008.

Mining: In 2010 it purchased the Chloride Copper Mine near Kingman. It is moving through the permitting process and is on schedule to begin production in 2013.

Notes: The company is accepting applications for positions at the mine.

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