Altoro Metals (ASX:ARO) reports zinc grades of up to 21.1% from systematic channel sampling at the historic Emilia Mine, strengthening its targets ahead of planned drilling at the Novales Zinc Project in northern Spain.
The company collected 28 channel samples from 23 locations, including 25 from underground workings and three from an adjacent open pit.
Results include 2.65m @ 21.1% zinc (Zn) and 0.14% lead (Pb), 2.60m @ 18.55% Zn and 0.18% Pb, and 1.70m @ 15.40% Zn and 3.24% Pb.
Altoro also reports broader composite intervals of 4.5m @ 13.71% Zn and 0.11% Pb, and 3.9m @ 9.44% Zn and 1.51% Pb. The composites combine adjacent channel samples into wider sampled intervals.
The new results provide modern exploration data from Emilia and complement historical drilling results released in May. Altoro says it has not directly compared the two datasets because different sampling methods were used.
Emilia is located about 2.3km northeast of the San José Mine and outside Altoro’s existing mineral resource. It forms part of the San José-Udías zinc trend, which extends for more than 12km across Novales and hosts several historical mining centres.
Altoro says it plans to integrate the results with historical drilling, underground sampling, and geological mapping to refine targets for its forthcoming surface drilling program.
The first phase will test the area between Novales village and the Emilia and Margarita mines for continuity, geometry, and depth extensions of known zinc mineralisation.
Altoro says it expects drilling to begin after Altoro completes its maiden diamond drilling program at the Guajaraz Zinc-Lead-Silver-Copper Project.
Novales’ mineral resource, covering the San José mine and northeastern Udías, totals 3.38 million tonnes at 7.61% Zn and 0.88% Pb. It contains 257,187 tonnes Zn and 29,794 tonnes Pb at a 2% Zn-Pb cut-off grade.
Altoro Metals is a Perth-based exploration and development company focused on zinc, copper, lead, gold, and polymetallic projects in Spain and Australia.
Write to France Pinzon at Mining.com.au
Images: Altoro Metals
