Elementos Ltd (ASX:ELT) (OTCMKTS:ELTLF) (FRA:9EM) has completed 14 diamond drill holes for a total of 1,025.7 metres at its flagship Oropesa Tin Project in Spain, as part of a wider optimisation program to increase the project’s overall resource, annual production rate and mine life.
The initial drilling program for 42 diamond drill holes has been subsequently extended to include an additional five shallow diamond drill holes for a total of 47 drill holes in zones identified as having potential to contain unconfirmed shallow tin resources.
Sampling underway
Sampling of the drill core is underway with samples to be sent for analysis at a commercial laboratory.
The drill core is being sampled as half core and is being carried out by experienced personnel in a series of campaigns.
Three principal objectives
The current drilling program has three principal objectives. They are:
➢ To convert existing inferred resources into indicated resources to improve the overall waste-to-ore stripping ratio;
➢ Confirmation of near-surface, possibly fault-controlled mineralisation that is currently excluded from the 2017 geological resource model; and
➢ Testing for additional near-surface resources from exploration targets identified from induced polarisation (IP) geophysical survey anomalies.
Sondeos & Perforaciones Industriales Del Bierzo, SA has been contracted to complete the program of work under a contract that has been signed with Elementos’ Spanish subsidiary Minas De Estano de Espana.
Observations in keeping with data
Observations made from transitional and fresh drill core from the current drilling program are in keeping with historical observations as indicators of potential cassiterite mineralisation zones (± sulphides) at Oropesa.
These include silicification of the host sandstones with finely disseminated to semi-massive sulphides (pyrite ± arsenopyrite) with late-stage infill colloform or vuggy quartz.
Cassiterite mineralisation at Oropesa has also been observed to be associated with intense silicification, leaching and chlorite alteration of the host rocks.
Physical or chemical weathering of the fine-grained sulphides has been observed as small voids (pitting) in the host rocks.