Luca logs high-grade gold, silver at Campo Morado

Drilling by Luca Mining (TSXV: LUCA; US-OTC: LUCMF) has returned results as high as 15.1 metres grading 5.35 grams gold per tonne, 187.5 grams silver, 0.31% copper, 8.39% zinc and 2.75% lead in the Reforma deposit at the company’s Campo Morado mine in southwest Mexico. Shares increased.

That result, from 254.8 metres depth in hole CM-RF-25-001 also cut 21.5 metres grading 4.24 grams gold, 158.5 grams silver, 0.38% copper, 2.05% lead and 6.24% zinc; as well as 7.1 metres at 7.1 grams gold, 238.2 grams silver, 0.29% copper, 4.02% lead and 9.55% zinc. Campo Morado, a polymetallic underground operation, is located in Guerrero state, about 160 km southwest of Mexico City.

“Intersecting thick, high-grade, gold-rich massive sulphides in Luca’s first drillhole at the Reforma deposit clearly demonstrates how quickly the company’s exploration efforts can have a transformative impact on the mine and also our ability to realize the untapped metal endowment of Campo Morado,” Luca vice-president exploration Paul D. Gray said in a release. “Luca is uniquely positioned to target [the Reforma and El Rey] deposits during record gold prices while continuing to build out the resources in the G9 deposit.”

Exploration is taking place at the El Rey and Reforma targets, about 1 km northeast of production sites at the G9 and El Largo deposits. Campo Morado produced about 175,334 tonnes in the first quarter for 7,677 oz. gold. G9, part of the same underground mining complex as Reforma, was previously mined by other operators.   

Luca shares gained 9% to $1.57 apiece on Monday morning in Toronto, for a market capitalization of $407.5 million. The stock has traded in a 12-month range of 41¢ to $1.61.

5,000-metre program

Another highlight hole, CMUG-25-015, returned 11 metres grading 0.32 gram gold, 99.14 grams silver, 4.2% copper, 0.19% lead and 1.63% zinc from surface. Hole CMUG-25-016, meanwhile, cut 30.8 metres at 0.19 gram gold, 22.45 grams silver, 0.18% copper, 0.14% lead and 2.34% zinc from 104.5 metres depth.

Luca is conducting 5,000 metres of drilling at the 121-sq.-km Camp Morado deposit this year as it targets near-mine resource expansion. A total of 22 underground holes have been drilled so far. Five surface holes have also been drilled at the Reforma deposit, Luca said – the first exploration there and at El Rey since 2010.

Campo Morado hosts 16.6 million measured and indicated tons grading 1.7 grams gold, 123 grams silver, 0.8% copper, 0.93% lead and 4.01% zinc for 700,000 oz. gold, 62 million oz. silver, 200 million lb. copper, 300 million lb. lead and 1.2 billion lb. zinc.