Consolidated Zinc Limited (ASX: CZL) has announced a highly encouraging update from the regional exploration at the Plomosas concessions in Mexico.
The company reported that the regional exploration identified high-grade gold in a mineralised system in the north west of Plomosas concessions areas.
CZL said that the samples returned assay values up to 61.0g/t Au, 27.5g/t Au and 7.42g/t Au.
The company announced that the exploration on the gold targets will be prioritized. CZL said that the regional exploration will continue definition of additional targets for both gold and zinc.
Plomosas project
CZL’s 100%-owned high-grade Plomosas Zinc Project covers more than 3,000 hectares in the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua, approximately 350km from Mexico’s border with Texas.
Historic assays had returned values of 14.65g/t Au, (sample 100126), 16.0g/t Au (sample 100120) 8.20g/t Au (sample 177059), 2.47g/t Au (sample 100119), 1.56g/t Au (sample 100118) and 1.24g/t Au (sample 177055).
The Plomosas concessions is located to the north-west of the current zinc-lead-silver mining operations at Plomosas, operated by CZL’s wholly owned subsidiary, Minera Latin American Zinc S.A.P.I de C.V. (MLAZ).
Positive results from regional exploration
The company reported highly encouraging results from the regional exploration at the Plomosas concessions.
Gold mineralised system
The company said that the geological mapping of the sequence trending to the north-west of the Plomosas zinc-lead-silver mine has identified what appears to be an additional gold mineralised system.
Rock chip sampling
CZL said that the first pass rock chip results of outcrops and old workings returned exciting results, with grades up to 61.0g/t Au, 27.5g/t Au and 7.42g/t Au.
Results of the rock chip samples as shown below
The company said that the rock chip results indicate identification of a potential gold system over an area of at least one kilometre (1km) within the Plomosas concessions.
Results indicate potential
CZL noted that the system is defined by complex, kilometre-scale geological structures associated with several geophysical anomalies and mineralised outcrops and workings.
Although historical small-scale mining of high-grade gold and copper quartz veins was undertaken, there have been no previous modern gold exploration methods completed within the Plomosas concessions to assess the implication or potential of these occurrences. Consequently, these results are very encouraging.
Chona, Enrique Vein Systems
The Don Lucas prospect is defined by large coincident ASTER and K-radiometric anomalies, coupled with magnetic signatures in the north-eastern corner of the concession.
The TMI 1VD air magnetics in the Don Lucas area shows several linear blocks defined by strong northwest structures. Along one of these northwest lineaments occur the mineralisation that is Chona and Enrique veins.
Located approximately 5km to the west-northwest of Plomosas zinc-lead-silver mine and within the Don Lucas concession, the Chona and Enrique mineralisation occur as thin veins developing to wider zones of mineralisation, interpreted to be mesothermal in origin.
Chona vein system
Veins in the immediate Chona area are typically around 20-30cm in thickness, however previous reports have noted veins up to 1.2 metres thick, with a visual strike extent of around 100 metres with a dip of 80 degree and strike of 330 degree.
The Chona veins have previously been worked by locals, creating a strike drive from which around 1,200 tonnes was removed.
Historical assay values from Chona include 8.37g/t Au, 2.45% Cu (Schultz, 2006), 10.4g/t Au, 5.18% Cu (Goodell 2009), 11.23g/t Au, 6.0% Cu (Secretaria de Desarrollo Industrial, 2008) and 0.877g/t Au, 17.1% Cu, (Laforest 2010).
Enrique vein system
The Enrique veins are interpreted to be the continuation of the Chona veins system and are located 420 metres further to the northwest.
Enrique is a thicker vein system, can be traced on surface for around 60 metres, varies from 1.5 to 3 metres in thickness and is similar mineralogy to the Chona vein. The veins dip 65 degree to the north east with a strike of around 345 degree.
The company said that MLAZ samples collected from Chona returned values of 61.0g/t Au, 6.9g/t Ag, 2.88% Cu (sample 38161); 27.5g/t Au, 4.1g/t Ag, 2.19% Cu (sample 38160); 7.42g/t Au, 4.2g/t Ag, 2.91% Cu (sample 38162); and 4.77g/t Au, 3.8g/t Ag, 4.06% Cu (sample 38158).
Next steps
The company said that the rock chip sampling will be followed up with an aggressive exploration program to define targets.
CZL said that the mapping and sampling are currently ongoing, and results will be made announced as received.
The company also noted that Chona and Enrique areas are considered highly prospective and will be assessed further during the 2020 exploration year.