District Metals Corp. (TSX-V:DMX) has identified four new high-priority targets on its polymetallic Gruvberget property located in the Bergslagen mining district of south-central Sweden, the company announced.
The four target zones were identified through a combination of recent SkyTEM geophysical survey results along with geological and historical exploration data on the property. Detailed soil sampling grids have been completed over the new target areas, and ionic leach (IL) geochemical results are expected back by the end of the year.
"Following our successful maiden drill program at the North Gruvberget zone during the spring-summer of 2022, we thoroughly reviewed all publicly available data sets along with our recently interpreted SkyTEM magnetic and conductive anomalies,” CEO Garrett Ainsworth said in a statement. “We believe that these targets have high potential to extend known polymetallic mineralized bodies or to host new bodies of polymetallic mineralization, and we look forward to testing them in the next phase of drilling.”
READ: District Metals kicks off substantial soil sampling at Gruvberget project using ionic leach analysis
The first target, known as Backen, was the site of the discovery of two high-grade polymetallic boulders (up to 15% zinc, 4.8% copper and 23 grams per ton of silver) in the 1980s. The joint venture between LKAB and BP Minerals that discovered them was unable to locate the bedrock source for these boulders, which looks to be potentially sourced further to the north-northwest from the JV's area of work, the company said.
The LKAB-BP Minerals JV also conducted exploration work north of the Gruvberget North zone, which included drilling geophysical anomalies with 918 meters (m) in six holes in 1984. Historical drilling extended polymetallic mineralization to the north of the North zone with a plunge to the north, the company said. Drill hole 84-GRU-03 returned 1m of 1.1% zinc and 47 g/t silver that was within a larger interval of lower-grade mineralization.
Mining company Boliden AB drilled seven short holes into "sphalerite mineralization" (zinc sulphide) in the mid-1980s at what District Metals calls the Gyllingen target.
Three drill hole collars were located in the field where the drilling direction was observed as parallel to the geological trend. No detailed information is available on these historical mineralized drill holes, the company noted, but the Gyllingen zone coincides with a high-priority magnetic and conductive anomaly from its SkyTEM survey.
Lastly, a magnetic high anomaly located about 300m south-southwest from the Gruvberget South zone was drilled with 363.5m in three holes by the exploration division of the Geological Survey of Sweden in 1982. All three drill holes encountered a 6m-to-7m-wide zone with weak polymetallic mineralization that returned up to 0.1% copper, 0.08% lead and 0.09% zinc that is interpreted as a potential aureole around a mineralized zone.
"To further optimize our drill target prioritization, we have conducted a detailed soil sampling grid over each of the four target areas that include Backen, Gyllingen, North zone extension, and the South zone extension,” Ainsworth said.
"Any soil geochemical anomalies identified at the four target areas that are coincident with existing geophysical anomalies and historical mineral occurrences will assist with drill target prioritization."
Contact Andrew Kessel at andrew.kessel@proactiveinvestors.com
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