Alta Zinc Limited (ASX: AZI) has revealed that results from the latest hole at the Gorno Project in Italy have extended the known mineralisation a further 35m to the west of our previous drilling.
Managing Director, Geraint Harris, said the hole also returned the highest grade and longest sample interval drilled to date (true thickness approximately 10m) and highlights the quality of the mineralisation that has been recently intersected from our drilling at the Gorno Project.
Mr Harris said the drill holes are also continuing to intersect mineralisation within the underlying ‘Breno’ lens. The Pian Bracca and Breno lenses form closely-stacked layers of mineralisation which are accessible from existing underground development.
“Hole 13A has continued to demonstrate the consistency and high-grade quality of the Pian Bracca Zone,” Mr Harris said.
“As we experience enforced operational delays to the drilling programme we continue our activities. Our team are now analysing the relationships and potential continuity between the mineralisation discovered at Pian Bracca and that previously mined or intersected in the historical drilling over a large exploration area of 1.5km x 1km.
“This vital analysis will be used to effectively target low cost future exploration with the intent of continuing to grow a robust Mineral Resource inventory at Gorno.”
Mr Harris said the drilling has been stepped out to the west and the Pian Bracca mineralisation is consistently being intersected directly underneath the Pian Bracca thrust structure, which is serving as an effective marker horizon.
Following the mapping of underground development and reviewing the historical data, the =company has conducted channel sampling in the Ponente area, 850m to the north-west of Pian Bracca.
The stratabound mineralisation in the Ponente area was partially mined with stopes of 8-10m average height.
Mr Harris said that while the company awaits the assay results from this sampling our reinterpretation of the area has identified that the Pian Bracca thrust sits above the stratabound horizon, and now represents a new exploration horizon.
“Due to the Coronavirus Pandemic, the drilling and physical project work have been suspended, however, the drilling equipment remains mobilised at site and Edilmac, our Italian contractors, are committed to re- starting the drilling program as soon as is safe and practical,” Mr Harris said.