Zinc zone grows, adds to Tambo Grande potential

The Tambo Grande polymetallic project in northwestern Peru continues to provide pleasant surprises for Manhattan Minerals (MAN-T).

On the heels of outlining a sizable gold resource overlying the existing TG-1 massive sulphide deposit, the company is expanding a zinc-rich area in the northern part of the nearby TG-3 copper-zinc-gold-silver deposit.

The Vancouver-based company discovered TG-3 earlier this summer, not long after receiving permits to begin exploring a large land package covering 86,900 ha in the Tambo Grande area. Since then, 50 holes totalling 19,077 metres have been drilled to test the TG-3 deposit, which remains open to the northwest and east.

TG-3 lies 500 metres south of the advanced TG-1 deposit, which hosts a copper-zinc-gold-silver resource minable by open-pit methods and overlain by an oxide cap hosting more than 1.2 million oz. gold and significant silver (TNM, Sept. 13-19/99). Together, the two deposits form one of the largest undeveloped volcanogenic massive sulphide deposits in the world.

Based on positive results from recent drilling, Manhattan now views TG-3 as having the potential to be a low-cost, bulk-tonnage, open-pit deposit or a more selective, underground operation — or a combination of both.

Manhattan can earn a 75% interest in the project in return for completing a feasibility study and financing plan within three years. The company must also meet two qualifying conditions before exercising the option: it must be the operator of a 10,000-tonne-per-day mine and have net assets of more than US$100 million. These terms will be waived if another company meeting these conditions owns at least 25% of Manhattan.

The Tambo Grande project lies 865 km north of Lima and is accessible by a paved highway that connects it to a port of Paita, 107 km to the west. In addition to TG-1 and 3, the property hosts numerous anomalies that have yet to be drill-tested.

The most recent drill results from the TG-3 deposit are as follows:

Hole	Area	Interval	Width	Copper	Zinc	Lead	Gold	Silver
		(m)	(m)	(%)	(%)	(%)	(g/t)	(g/t)
33	North	156-294.1	138.1	0.9	0.26	0.03	0.42	6.3
including		156-182	26	2.17	0.57	0.05	1.05	19.3
including		277-294.1	17.1	2.78	0.01	—	0.05	1.9
34	North	217.4-291.6	74.2	0.69	3.32	0.20	0.92	44.5
including		217.4-253	35.6	0.5	5.02	0.29	1.41	65.8
35	North	173.9-198.6	24.7	0.57	4.76	0.32	1.47	69.1
	lower	234-285	51	1.34	0.03	—	0.06	4.7
37	North	168.9-227	58.1	0.6	5.82	0.5	1.61	83
including		210-221	11	0.84	10.09	0.79	2.41	128.1
39	North	172.8-176.4	3.6	0.51	2.76	0.05	0.63	25.3
41	North	262.9-278.4	15.5	1.16	0.7	0.02	0.28	11.6
46	North	151.7-169.5	17.8	1.69	2.78	0.17	1.15	65.3
29	South	160.4-217.7	57.3	0.43	0.64	0.06	0.92	15
	lower	283.2-345.7	62.5	0.87	1.16	0.09	0.82	30.4
36	South	168.8-215.5	46.7	1.4	2.2	0.13	1.22	46.2
including		190-209	19	2.03	3.1	0.14	1.37	62.1
	lower	308-311	3	1.21	5.8	0.47	1.37	82.7
38	South	181.1-195	13.9	1.46	2.08	0.24	1.36	59.3
	mid	287.1-296	8.9	1.24	1.23	0.2	0.95	41.2
	lower	307.3-311.1	3.8	0.19	4.07	0.03	0.48	14.3
40	South	167.3-213.6	46.3	1.57	1.97	0.15	1.21	45.8
	mid	279.8-300.2	20.4	1.24	1.3	0.13	0.92	38.7
42	South	181.2-184	2.8	1.08	1.11	0.09	0.59	36.2