Soma Gold Corp. (TSX-V:SOMA, OTCQX:SMAGF) has reported promising initial high-grade gold intercepts from its 2024 diamond drill program at the Cordero Mine in central Colombia, which could add ounces to its mine plan.
Highlights from the assays include 3.7 meters at 31.4g/t Au, including 0.6 meters at 189.2g/t Au.
Of the 19 drill holes, seven intersected mineralized quartz veins, with five containing bonanza grades of gold.
Two drill holes in particular contained visible gold in the high-grade intervals.
The Cordero Deposit, hosted in the El Carmen Stock, features quartz veins formed as laminated fault-fill veins within a sinistral brittle-ductile shear zone. These veins, which have been repeatedly reactivated, exhibit three phases of development, with gold mineralization associated with the latter two phases.
The potential for mineralized quartz veins west of the dyke, which previously halted stope development on Level 2 of the Cordero Mine, had not been tested until now, Soma’s vice president of exploration, Chris Buchanan told investors.
“The initial high-grade intercepts west of the dyke are exciting and represent an opportunity to add additional ounces to the mine plan that can be accessed from current underground developments,” Buchanan said in a statement.
Soma previously mined Level 2 of the Cordero Vein for a combined strike length of approximately 355 meters, which remains open on strike. The Q1 drill program intersected high-grade quartz veins over a strike length of 237 meters on the west side of the dyke system. Additional surface drilling is planned to better evaluate the distribution of gold grade within the vein segments.
In addition to supporting mining operations at Cordero Mine, Soma's exploration team continues to evaluate small-scale mines near Machuca. Soil grids designed to determine the continuity of gold mineralization along the Otú Fault have delineated three soil anomalies up to 900 meters along strike, with follow-up prospecting underway. Drilling on these soil anomalies is expected to begin in Q3 2024.
Soma is also actively engaged with local communities on the Machuca property as part of its ongoing ESG program.