Aripuana stepout hole confirms sulphides for Anglo, Karmin

Drilling by Anglo American (AAUK-Q) on an electromagnetic anomaly at the Valley deposit in northern Mato Grosso state, Brazil, 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-electromagnetic 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 up-dip 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 per tonne.

Last October, a hole collared 160 metres west of the drilled limit of the Valley deposit intersected a 9-metre zone of massive sulphides. Subsequent drilling another 150 metres to the west did not intersect any massive sulphides but down-hole electromagnetic surveys showed the hole had missed the conductor.