Alto Metals Limited (ASX: AME) has commenced the first phase of a 5000m of RC drilling programme at its Sandstone Gold Project in Western Australia.
Managing Director, Matthew Bowles, said the primary focus of this programme is to test multiple repeat gold targets identified along the 3km Lords’ Corridor and extensions to oxide and primary mineralisation of the recently discovered Orion Lode, located 200m south of the Lord Nelson open pit.
We are very excited to have commenced drilling the first of a number of targets to test for potential repeat lodes along the Lords’ Corridor, that extends for over three kilometres,” Mr Bowles said.
“Our exploration success to date has already confirmed high-grade gold mineralisation beneath the Lord Nelson open pit and has discovered the Orion Lode to the south.
“Both remain open along strike and down plunge and have given indications of the presence of a much larger mineralised gold system.
“With a strong cash balance and a 30,000 metre drill programme underway, Alto is in an excellent position to start to see just how big this system could be.
RC drill results from the Orion Lode to date show the presence of high-grade gold mineralisation within a much broader mineralised envelope. The consistency of these results in the oxide, transitional and primary zone suggests that the oxide and transitional zones at the Orion Lode are hypogene (not supergene) in nature, highlighting the significant potential immediately below the weathering profile (30-70m below surface).
The Orion Lode strikes NNW-SSE and dips moderately to the west, with the majority of the mineralisation defined to date in the oxide and transitional zone. The geology and mineralisation observed at the Orion Lode are identical to the mined oxide portion of the Lord Nelson deposit.
The geological model further predicts the significant potential for multiple Lord Nelson style repeat lodes, coincident with splays (Trafalgar splay) and cross-cut structures existing along the +3km Lords’ Corridor.
The current drilling programme intends to test a number of potential repeat targets located ~400m and ~800m south of the Orion Lode, with drilling on a wide-spaced 80m by 80m basis to an average of 200m vertical depth.