Westward, MacMillan test target in Peru

A drill program funded by Westward Explorations (WWE-V) will test MacMillan Gold‘s (MMG-T) Armonia gold property in central Peru.

Westward can earn a 50% interest in the project from MacMillan. This year’s US$400,000 drill program will comprise 18-20 holes totalling 2,600 metres. The property hosts a low-sulphidation epithermal system in Tertiary-age rocks of the Calipuy volcanics, the host rocks for the producing Yanacocha and Pierina gold deposits.

The program will test existing targets identified during geochemical, geophysical and trenching programs. At the same time, mapping and sampling will continue in an effort to identify additional drill targets.

In northern Peru, Rio Tinto Mining and Exploration has resumed drilling at MacMillan’s Aquila Pit porphyry copper project. The major holds rights to earn a 51% interest in the project, which is situated within the same belt hosting the huge Antamina copper-zinc deposit. The latter is being developed by a consortium of Canadian mining companies.

Last fall, Rio Tinto’s first hole returned 399.7 metres of 0.63% copper, 0.04% molybdenum, 0.04 gram gold and 1.9 grams silver per tonne. The next phase of drilling will follow up this hole and test other areas within the system. The four holes planned will be collared northeast, north, south and west of the discovery hole.