MEDUSA Mining’s (LON:MML, ASX:MML, TSX-MLL) latest drilling campaign at the Co-O Mine in the Philippines has yielded some impressive results as well as uncovering a new vein set.
Named the North Tinago Veins and located to the north of the Royal Vein set, the company is currently mapping out this new system.
Initial drill intersections of up to 2.90 metres revealed gold grades of up to 8.08 grams per tonne gold. A one metre section on another vein produced a reading of 29.53 grams per tonne.
The drilling results of the Royal Vein itself were particularly impressive. The highlight of the 16,700 metre drill campaign was a one metre section where the gold grade was measured at 321.17 ounces per tonne.
The company has drilled a total of eight holes in the latest campaign of varying depths from 33 metres down to almost 700 metres.
Grades varied from 10.99 grams per tonne to the 321.17 gram figure cited earlier, although there were sections of 121 grams and 115 grams.
It is worth remembering that drilling of narrow epithermal veins generally provides only an indication of the presence of the gold mineralised vein.
It may not always provide good quantitative data or accurate grade and volume estimations.
This is because veins commonly pinch and swell and may be brecciated or displaced by faults, while gold distribution may be erratic.
Even so Medusa’s managing director Geoff Davis is heartened by the latest drilling results.
"The Co-O Vein system continues to grow, as evidenced by the recognition and delineation of the North Tinago Vein set,” he said.
“Drilling of the Royal Vein set indicates they start at shallow depths and extend the full distance along the north side of the mine resource model from east of the Saga Shaft westward to the Tinago Shaft area, although infill drilling and development is on-going to confirm this interpretation.
“In addition, surface work is delineating new veins at West Tinago and the vein system at Gamuton is shaping up to be more extensive than previously thought. These will be systematically drilled to determine their potential.
“These new discoveries have the potential to significantly increase the mining area."