Vancouver-based Francisco Gold (FGX-V) has released results from the final holes of a third phase of drilling at El Sauzal, an epithermal gold project in Mexico’s Chihuahua state.
Southeast of the West zone, eight stepout holes joined that zone with the South zone. All holes intersected one near-surface zone of mineralization, with five hitting greater than 117 metres and four bottoming out in mineralization. The lowest grade returned was 0.42 gram gold per tonne over 32.4 metres (from 2.1 to 34.5 metres) in hole 77.
Highlights include: hole 71, which hit 193 metres averaging 2.35 grams, including 76.4 metres of 4.86 grams; hole 72, which intersected 145.3 metres (starting from surface) averaging 3.26 grams, including 22.3 metres of 9.54 grams; hole 73, which yielded 2.19 grams over 163.5 metres, the first 53.8 metres of which graded 3.6 grams; and hole 78, which returned 3.93 grams over 126.6 metres, including 56.4 metres of 7.94 grams.
The West zone now measures 600 by 250 metres and remains open. To date, 26 drill holes have tested the structure.
Drilling on the East zone extended the strike length to 450 metres, with hole 61 intersecting 48.2 metres (from 2.7 to 50.9 metres) averaging 1.35 grams, including 23.8 metres of 2.61 grams.
Two other holes, 85 and 70, were drilled 50 and 100 metres, respectively, east of the current grid-drilled area. According to Francisco, results from the two holes confirm that mineralization continues east under overlying younger volcanic rocks.
Results from the two include: 5.04 grams over 47.8 metres (from 42.5 to 94.3 metres), including 22 grams over 9.1 metres, in hole 85; and 2.16 grams over 35.6 metres (from 88.5 to 124.1 metres), the first 12.2 metres of which graded 5.44 grams, in hole 70.
The East zone has now been tested by 28 drill holes, with mineralization outlined along a width of 250 metres. The zone remains open.
In the West Lip zone, seven exploration holes were drilled along a 650-metre length. Results ranged from 0.42 gram over 18.3 metres between a depth of 41 and 60 metres in hole 76 to 2.23 grams over 16.3 metres (contained in a 36.6-metre, low-grade zone averaging 1.12 grams) in hole 65.
Francisco believes the zone is structurally controlled and may represent the sulphide-root feeder system to the Sauzal mineralization. The company notes that in the lower sulphide portion of the epithermal system, 150 metres west of hole 67 (the most westerly hole drilled), channel samples returned 1.4 grams over 35 metres.
The company is compiling and interpreting the recent results and, over the next year, will spend $8 million on further exploration, metallurgical testing and development at El Sauzal and other targets.
Francisco has so far drilled 86 holes at El Sauzal, comprising 14,950 metres.
Sixty-three of these holes have intersected mineralization
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