Great Panther announces Tucano Gold Mine results

“One of the primary objectives of our exploration programme at Tucano this year is to extend the opencast mine life, and I am pleased to report that our intention is to bring TAP C back into production in 2022 as the drilling has demonstrated continuity of mineralisation at depth below the current pit floor,” commented Rob Henderson, Great Panther’s President and CEO.

“The other main objectives at Tucano this year include extending the high-grade zones underground and defining the regional potential of our district-scale land package,” continued Henderson. “Initial results from our regional exploration programme are very promising as they confirm the potential surrounding Tucano and our ability to generate new quality targets through focused, systematic exploration. Drilling of new targets is planned for 4Q21. Our immediate focus is making new discoveries within a 20 km radius of the mine. However, we believe that the greenstone belt has significant exploration upside, and our long-term objective is to make a major new discovery within our extensive tenement package.”

Resource replacement and expansion drilling

The company continues to focus on resource definition along the 7-km-long mine sequence. Last year, the focus was on the Taperaba (TAP AB) pit where the company successfully upgraded inferred resources to measured and indicated (M&I) status and, as a result, significantly increased the opencast reserves at TAP AB. This year the focus has been on TAP C, situated between the TAP AB and Urucum pits that are the current focus of production at Tucano. The definition of new resources at TAP C will give Tucano additional operational flexibility with new production fronts from shallow pits close to the plant.

Highlights from the 2021 TAP C drill programme include

• 21TACDD001: 4 m at 13.7 g/t from 130 m.
• 21TACDD002: 6.3 m at 4 g/t from 145.7 m.
• 21TACDD003: 11.95 m at 1.4 g/t from 104.25 m.
• 21TACDD023: 8.55 m at 4.9 g/t from 25.95 m.
• 21TACDD028: 12.7 m at 2.9 g/t from 186.3 m.
• 21TACDD029: 24.6 m at 1.6 g/t from 100 m.
• 21TACDD029: 38 m at 2.5 g/t from 167 m, including 3 m at 8.7 g/t from 167 m.
• 21TACDD030: 9 m at 7.8 g/t from 45 m.

The drilling focused on defining M&I resources down to 70 m below the pit surface. Wireframes for the mineralisation have been prepared and block models are being generated for resource estimation and categorisation.

Regional exploration

This year, the company initiated an extensive regional soil sampling and mapping programme over high priority exploration corridors defined last year. The regional exploration programme ties into the current resource definition drilling along the mine sequence by focusing on the identification and fast-tracking of gold targets within a 20 km radius of the mine that may be exploited by opencast mining and processed by the Tucano plant. The company’s goal is to define new resources that may be mined to complement the current ore reserves along the mine sequence. This ambitious programme includes over 500-line km of soil sampling followed by drill testing starting in the 4Q21.

Multi-element soil geochemistry received for the first regional grid, Mutum, indicates a continuous 3.8-km-long elevated gold trend. The structural and lithologic setting together with indications of intrusive activity, interpreted from the multi-element geochemistry and aerogeophysics, increase the priority of this trend. They reflect positive features commonly found associated with gold deposits. The Mutum trend is the first of eight high-priority exploration corridors being evaluated with multi-element soil geochemistry this year and is situated just 15 km northeast of the Tucano mine. The gold trend is being mapped in detail and will be covered by ground magnetics and prioritised for drilling in 4Q21.

To date, in addition to Mutum, the following prospective, regional exploration corridors have been covered by regional multi-element soil sampling grids: Mutum-Joseph, Lona Amarela, Eastern Mine Sequence, Janaina, Timbo and Jornal. Sampling has been initiated on the Village Antonio grid. Sample results from these grids will be received over the next four to six months. Results will be integrated and anomalies prioritised for inclusion in the regional fast-track drilling budget for 2022.

Read the article online at: https://www.globalminingreview.com/exploration-development/08092021/great-panther-announces-tucano-gold-mine-results/