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Organization and Business
9 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2013
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]  
Organization and Business
Organization and Business
Contango ORE, Inc. (“CORE” or the “Company”) is a Houston-based, exploration stage company. The Company was formed on September 1, 2010 as a Delaware corporation for the purpose of engaging in the exploration for (i) gold ore and associated minerals and (ii) rare earth elements in the state of Alaska.

On April 19, 2013, the Company's founder and former Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Kenneth R. Peak, passed away at the age of 67. Mr. Peak was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor in August 2012 that he was no longer able to battle.
On November 29, 2010, Contango Mining Company ("Contango Mining"), a wholly owned subsidiary of Contango Oil & Gas Company (“Contango”), assigned the Original Properties (defined below) and certain other assets and liabilities to Contango. Contango contributed the Original Properties and $3.5 million of cash to the Company, in exchange for approximately 1.6 million shares of the Company’s common stock. The above transactions occurred between companies under common control. Contango subsequently distributed the Company’s common stock to Contango’s stockholders. The Company had no operating history prior to the contribution of assets and liabilities by Contango. The financial statements of the Company include the financial position, results of operations, and cash flows of Contango Mining since Contango Mining’s inception on October 15, 2009 (the “Inception date” or the “Inception”). The equity structure (i.e. the number and type of equity interests issued) for periods prior to November 29, 2010, however, was retroactively adjusted to reflect the capital structure of the Company after November 29, 2010.
The Company is an exploration stage company as defined by Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 915, “Development Stage Entities.” An investment in the Company involves a high degree of risk. Our fiscal year end is June 30.
The Original Properties contributed by Contango included: i) a 100% leasehold interest in approximately 675,000 acres (the “Tetlin Lease”) from the Tetlin Village Council, the council formed by the governing body for the Native Village of Tetlin, an Alaska Native Tribe (the "Tetlin Village Council"); ii) approximately 18,021 acres in unpatented mining claims from the state of Alaska for the exploration of gold ore and associated minerals and iii) approximately 3,440 acres in unpatented Federal mining claims for the exploration of rare earth elements (collectively, the "Original Properties”). If any of the Original Properties are placed into commercial production, the Company would be obligated to pay a 3.0% production royalty to Juneau Exploration LLC (“JEX”).
Effective December 1, 2012, the Company abandoned 97,280 acres in unpatented mining claims from the state of Alaska for the exploration of rare earth elements. These abandoned acres were also originally contributed by Contango.
In September 2012, the Company and JEX entered into an Advisory Agreement in which JEX will continue to provide assistance in acquiring additional properties in Alaska in exchange for a 2.0% production royalty on properties acquired after July 1, 2012 (any such properties, the "Additional Properties"). In August 2012, the Company staked an additional 31,736 acres consisting of 223 unpatented state of Alaska mining claims. In March 2013, the Company staked an additional 15,360 acres consisting of 96 unpatented state of Alaska mining claims, and in April 2013 the Company staked an additional 24,800 acres consisting of 155 unpatented State of Alaska mining claims, all in Eastern Alaska for the exploration of gold ore and associated minerals. If any of the Additional Properties are placed into commercial production, the Company would be obligated to pay JEX a 2.0% production royalty under the Advisory Agreement.
We have completed our fourth year of exploration efforts on the Original Properties, which has resulted in identifying one mineral prospect (Chief Danny) and five other gold and copper leads (Taixtsalda, MM, Copper Hill, Chisana and W), as well as an exploration lead on our Triple Z prospect which is located 10 miles north of, and outside the boundaries of, our Tetlin Lease.