Solitario cuts high-grade zinc

Initial drilling at two zinc-lead prospects held by Solitario Resources (SLR-T) in northern Peru has intersected high-grade mineralization.

The drilling is being performed by the Peruvian subsidiary of Cominco (clt-t), which is earning a 60% interest in the Bongara property. Comprising 960 sq. km, the property lies in central Amazonas province.

Mineralization at the two prospects, Florida Canyon and Florcita, is held in carbonate rocks and is believed to represent a stratabound deposit.

Seven holes at Florida Canyon intersected zinc and lead sulphides over core lengths of 1 to 19.4 metres, with grades as high as 16.28% zinc and 6.24% lead over 6.6 metres. True thickness of the intersections is estimated to be 75% to 95% of the core lengths. The dolomite host unit has an average thickness of 100 metres.

At Florcita, four holes were drilled in a fan pattern to determine the width of mineralization in a collapse breccia in carbonate rocks. Three of the holes intersected zinc sulphide bodies over core lengths ranging from 4.7 to 42.1 metres. Grades were typically 4% to 6%, but some intervals ran as high as 11.23% zinc.

Another hole tested the structure along strike to the northwest, intersecting 4.5 metres grading 4.8%, 37.8 metres grading 5.21%, and 10.3 metres grading 6.47% zinc. The collapse zone is now believed to be 100 metres wide and 100 metres thick, with a minimum strike length of 150 metres that is still open to the northwest.

Cominco, which has fulfilled an obligation under the earn-in agreement to drill 4,000 metres this year, has notified Solitario that it intends to renew its option. The major has also performed stream-sediment sampling in the area, and followed up several geochemical anomalies with surface prospecting.

One area of apparent zinc enrichment, measuring 18 km long by 8 km wide, has been marked out for further work.