Alto Metals Ltd (ASX:AME) is going in with a 3,500-metre reverse circulation (RC) drill program at its 100%-owned Sandstone Gold Project in Western Australia, with the rig on site and drilling underway.
The campaign will test extensional targets at the Vanguard, Ladybird and Bull Oak deposits, while also conducting a first-pass drill program at the newly identified Lightning prospect.
Lightning prospect showing area of infill soil sampling and proposed drilling.
Lightning prospect looks promising
The Lightning prospect is a key focus of this campaign, having shown a coherent gold anomaly from recent infill soil sampling, with peak results reaching 927 parts per billion (ppb).
Despite being situated just 3 kilometres west of the Vanguard Camp – which holds a resource of 2.3 million tonnes at 2.0 g/t gold for 150,000 ounces – the prospect has not previously been subject to RC drilling.
Alto’s Sandstone Gold Project spans more than 740 square kilometres of the Sandstone Greenstone Belt in WA and currently holds a defined open-pit resource of 17.6 million tonnes at 1.5 g/t gold for 832,000 ounces.
The resource is constrained within a A$2,500/oz optimised pit shell, capturing more than 80% of the unconstrained resource of 1.05 million ounces.
This drilling program is part of Alto’s broader exploration strategy to expand its existing resources and uncover new opportunities within the Sandstone Greenstone Belt, a historically significant gold mining region.
Results from the drill program are expected to be shared with shareholders once available.
Looking forward to results
Alto managing director and CEO Matthew Bowles said: “We are pleased to have a rig back on site and drilling underway at our Sandstone Gold Project.
“This program is designed to test extensional targets outside the current resources at our Vanguard, Ladybird and Bull Oak gold deposits, and also includes first-pass drilling at the new Lightning prospect.
“We continue to focus on advancing our Sandstone Gold Project and look forward to updating shareholders on the results of this drilling program when they are received.”