Aripuana stepout confirms sulphides

Drilling by Anglo American (AAUK-Q) on an electromagnetic (EM) anomaly at the Aripuana property in Brazil’s Mato Grosso state has confirmed massive sulphides 500 metres along strike from the previous limit of drilling.

Anglo, which is exploring the property in joint venture with Karmin Exploration (YKA-V), was testing a 1,960-metre-long conductor detected in an earlier survey with the Spectrem airborne-EM system. The anomaly extends just over 1 km west from the Valley massive sulphide deposit, where a resource of 11.7 million tonnes grading 6.3% zinc, 2.3% lead and 65 grams silver per tonne has already been outlined.

Anglo drilled one hole, then wedged a second hole from it, and both primary and wedged holes intersected two zones of massive sulphide material. The main hole cut 5.7 metres grading 5.26% zinc, 1.92% lead and 56 grams silver per tonne, followed by 2.3 metres grading 8.88% zinc, 3.43% lead and 52 grams silver.

The wedged hole, which tested about 10 metres updip from the primary intersections, cut a 1.8-metre core length grading 4.4% zinc, 1.19% lead and 31 grams silver, followed by a 5.9-metre interval that ran 8.52% zinc, 2.99% lead and 92 grams silver.

Last October, a hole 160 metres west of the drilled limit of the Valley deposit intersected a 9-metre zone of massive sulphides. Subsequent drilling 150 metres to the west did not intersect any massive sulphides, but down-hole EM surveys showed that the hole had missed the conductor. Two drill holes on the conductor east of the Valley deposit intersected low-grade massive sulphides.

To date, all massive sulphide intersections west of Valley have returned higher grades than Valley’s average. Valley itself represents only a 300-metre strike length of the EM anomaly.

The long conductor extends westward to the Arex deposit, which holds an inferred resource of 7 million tonnes grading 4.6% zinc, 1.8% lead, 0.9% copper, 1.2 grams gold and 59 grams silver.

Anglo owns 70% of the Aripuana joint venture, and Karmin, 28.5%; the remainder is held indirectly by unlisted St. Genevieve Resources.