Sunstone Metals Ltd (ASX:STM) has discovered gold-copper porphyry mineralisation in follow-up drilling below the recent Alba gold discovery at Bramaderos Project in southern Ecuador, with broad zones revealed in drill samples.
The company says its drilling has shown Alba comprises a gold zone sitting above a well mineralised gold-copper porphyry that remains open and largely untested, while Alba itself remains open along strike.
Highlight assays from drilling at the Alba discovery included:
- 264.7 metres at 0.49 g/t gold and 0.13% copper from 95 metres to end of hole, including 20 metres at 0.91 g/t gold from 119 metres in the gold zone that in turn included 7.0 metres at 1.77 g/t gold from 126 metres; and,
- 193.7 metres at 0.5 g/t gold and 0.16% copper from 164 metres in the porphyry zone), including 9.1 metres at 0.91 g/t gold and 0.16% copper from 173 metres, 7.8 metres at 0.81 g/t gold and 0.15% copper from 185 metres and 21.0 metres at 0.91 g/t gold and 0.17% copper from 203 metres.
“Target area is wide open.”
Sunstone Metals managing director Malcolm Norris said the latest results provided more firm evidence that Alba was emerging as a major discovery.
“The results so far demonstrate the presence of an Upper Gold Zone above a well-mineralised porphyry,” he said.
“These are some of the best porphyry gold-copper results we have seen in the broader Bramaderos Project.
“We are also seeing local visible gold within the porphyry system, which is extremely encouraging.
“The Upper Gold Zone at Alba will be further defined as we undertake additional drilling. It is likely to be structurally controlled and we are testing NE and N-S oriented structures from interpretation of magnetics.
“We are also undertaking detailed electrical geophysics to help map the distribution of the Upper Gold Zone and the porphyry mineralisation.
“We are getting indications that there is lateral continuity and the target area is wide open.”
Assays are still pending for three drill holes, with further follow-up drilling underway.
Additionally, deep drilling at the El Palmar Project in northern Ecuador has returned visible copper and significant alteration from the margin of a large magnetic target zone.
About Sunstone Metals
Sunstone Metals holds a portfolio of gold and copper assets in Ecuador.
The Bramaderos Gold-Copper Project is prospective for the discovery of porphyry and epithermal gold-copper deposits.
The El Palmar Copper-Gold Project is in northern Ecuador and is the subject of a Staged Acquisition Agreement with Ecuadorian company Golden Exploration Ecuador.