Tempus Resources Ltd (ASX:TMR) has defined a high-priority gold target at its Rio Zarza Project in southern Ecuador after assessing geophysical data from a recent airborne survey.
A helicopter-borne geophysical survey was flown at 200-metre line spacing for a total of approximately 600 line-kilometres in late December 2019 over all of the Zamora Project concessions.
The survey indicated the continuation of the Fruta del Norte host rocks into the Rio Zarza licence area.
Managing director Brendan Borg said: “The results of the geophysical survey interpretation are very encouraging in their own right, with the acquisition of previously unreported assay results showing anomalous gold and silver close to the interpreted geophysical target further enhancing the case for drilling at Rio Zarza.”
This project is directly adjacent to the world-class producing Fruta del Norte gold mine, operated by Lundin Gold (TSE:LUG).
Previous drilling results
The last drilling to be completed on the Rio Zarza Project was in 2011 and the assays from the final three holes from this program have been received.
Geophysical data suggests that one of the holes, RZDDH-11-07, may have stopped short of the targeted stratigraphy, with new proposed drill holes planned to intercept the target at depth.
Assays showed that RZDDH-11-07 exhibits a zone anomalous in gold, silver, copper, manganese, lead and zinc over the final 19.1 metres of the hole and two intervals of highly anomalous gold and silver have been identified within this broader interval.
The company considers these results to be significant in the context of the overall prospectivity of the project.
In combination with the results of the geophysical survey, the case for deep drill testing at Rio Zarza for Fruta del Norte style mineralisation is enhanced.
Resistivity with past drilling and relationship to Fruta del Norte
Next steps
Based on the interpreted geophysical data and new assay information, three proposed new drill holes have been designed to explore the potential of a gold mineralised body underneath and beyond the current drilling at Rio Zarza.
First and highest priority of these holes will be a direct extension of drill hole RZDDH11-07, with a planned total depth of 1,375 metres.
The two additional holes are proposed to be along strike of, and/or deeper into the prospective interpreted geological unit and will be adjusted based on the results of the first hole.
Drilling is planned for quarter four of 2020 once current international and domestic travel restrictions are eased.
In the meantime, the company plans to undertake further modelling of the data from the geophysical survey, including 2D inversion of the gravity data, to better define the location and inclination of the potential ore-bearing structures.