Tesoro Gold (ASX:TSO) has received the final assays from an 80-hole infill program at the Ternera gold deposit in Chile ahead of a planned resource upgrade.
The final 17 holes included 10m at 6.14 grams per tonne gold (Au) from 14m, including 3.25m @ 15.96g/t Au from 16.49m, and 101m @ 1.12g/t Au from 320m.
Further results include 96.4m @ 0.86g/t Au from 351m, including 37.54m @ 1.50g/t Au from 409.06m, and 60.5m @ 1.01g/t Au from 197m, including 18.22m @ 2.55g/t Au from 209.8m.
The 27,162m program was designed to upgrade parts of the existing mineral resource to the indicated category, supporting an updated mineral resource estimate, maiden ore reserve, and Definitive Feasibility Study-level mine planning.
Tesoro reports that every hole intersected gold mineralisation at its predicted downhole position, which the company says supports its block model and geological interpretation.
Managing Director Zeff Reeves says the completion of the infill campaign allows Tesoro to redirect its drilling towards resource expansion.
“All assays have now been received from the more than 27,000m program of infill drilling. Once processed, the data will enable an upgrade of the existing resource to the indicated classification, qualifying for use in the calculation of the maiden ore reserve for Ternera,” Reeves says.
“Our drilling focus is now firmly shifting from resource definition to growth.”
Three diamond rigs are now testing extensions within 1km of the current pit shell. At Ternera East, drilling is targeting shallow mineralisation in the hanging wall of the main deposit, as well as deeper extensions of the orebody and host intrusions.
Additional near-deposit targets include Drone Hill and extensions north and south of Ternera. Tesoro says it is also establishing access to La Brea and Pena Blanca, with district-scale drilling scheduled to begin at La Brea in the coming weeks before progressing along the broader 40km El Zorro gold corridor.
Ternera has an open-pit mineral resource of 51.2 million tonnes @ 1.1g/t Au for 1.82 million ounces of gold. Tesoro’s 95%-owned Chilean subsidiary, Tesoro Mining Chile, holds 95.4% of the El Zorro Gold Project concessions.
Write to France Pinzon at Mining.com.au
Images: Tesoro Gold
