Alta Zinc Ltd’s (ASX:AZI) (FRA:8EE) drill holes PBD36 and PBD37 have returned multiple intersections of zinc, lead and silver mineralisation from either side of a new drill area, Pian Bracca South, at the flagship Gorno Zinc Project in northern Italy.
This represents both a step-out into a new prospective area where no historical exploration has taken place and a link between the mineralised Pian Bracca Central corridor and the Zorzone mineral resource, demonstrating strong continuity of mineralisation.
These results are indicative of the significant potential of this new and largely untested southern area of mineralisation.
Expanding Gorno metal inventory
Alta Zinc managing director Geraint Harris said: “It is very rewarding to continue to hit such high-grade and thick intercepts of mineralisation in a completely new area, which is close to existing development, yet historically unexplored.
“This demonstrates the exciting potential for the discovery of new structural corridors of mineralisation that are highly significant in expanding the metal inventory at Gorno through cost-effective exploration.
“These new results have extended our drilling campaign at Pian Bracca South whilst we have rehabilitated the access to our new exploration area some 800 metres away at Ponente, where drilling will commence when our rigs become available.”
PBD36 drill results
Drill hole PBD36 has intersected thick and high-grade Pian Bracca style mineralisation a further 160 metres south from the central Pian Bracca corridor, returning the following stand-out grades:
- 10.5 metres at 14.3% zinc and 3.3% lead (17.6% zinc+lead) and 39 g/t silver from 60 metres (PBD36), including 4.4 metres at 31.0% zinc and 6.3% lead (37.4% zinc+lead) and 62 g/t silver from 61.7 metres.
PBD37 results
Drill hole PBD37 intersected two intervals of significant mineralisation with the 18.3 metres upper interval now the longest mineralised interval yet drilled at Pian Bracca.
The drill hole also links the Pian Bracca South area with the Zorzone Mineral Resource, returning the following intervals:
- 1.6 metres at 10.8% zinc and 2.4% lead (13.2% zinc+lead) and 22 g/t silver from 124.6 metres; and
- 18.3 metres at 3.5% zinc and 1.0% lead (4.5% zinc+lead) and 13 g/t silver from 148.5 metres, including 6.6 metres at 7.0% zinc and 1.6% lead (8.6% zinc+lead) and 15 g/t silver from 148.5 metres.
Updating structural modelling
Recent drilling has succeeded in linking the Pian Bracca mineralised corridor in the southwest to the Zorzone mineral resource and extending the distinctive high-grade Pian Bracca mineralisation a further 160 metres to the south of the nearest previously mineralised drill hole in Pian Bracca Central.
As in Pian Bracca Central, the zone appears to be structurally controlled and the team is updating the structural modelling to understand how that affects the occurrence of mineralisation.
Drilling at Ponente and Pian Bracca
Alta’s drilling and mining contractor, Edilmac, has successfully rehabilitated the access, installed services and established drilling pads in the Ponente area.
However, given the successful results at Pian Bracca South, the company has delayed the move of the smaller drill rig, to commence the Ponente drilling campaign.
Plans are now being made to operate both areas simultaneously, with the addition of a second small drill rig.
It is hoped that by the end of February, the company will be conducting exploration drilling at both the Ponente and Pian Bracca areas simultaneously.
