Fortuna Silver Mines provides update on its Sunbird drilling programme
Published by Isabelle Keltie,
Editorial Assistant
Global Mining Review,
Paul Weedon, Senior Vice President of Exploration at Fortuna, commented: "Infill drilling at Sunbird to upgrade resource confidence has commenced, with the first batch of results returning shallow high grade intersections from modelled low grade areas from within the pit optimisation shell, including highlights such as 10.6 g/t Au over a true width of 21.7 m in drill hole SGRC1572 and 14.9 g/t Au over a true width of 14 m from drill hole SGRC1570." Mr. Weedon continued, "In addition to the initial infill results, extension drilling to test the northern strike beyond the pit shell has been successful in intersecting additional high grade results such as 12.0 g/t Au over a true width of 5.6 m in drill hole SGRC1566 and 6.6 g/t Au over a true width of 6.3 m in drill hole SGRC1567." Mr. Weedon added, "The focus at Sunbird is currently on upgrading its resource confidence with the ultimate intention of conversion to mineral reserves to expand Séguéla's current 1.1 million ounces of gold reserves and nine-year life-of-mine1. The Company is looking forward to the positive outcome of the programme and the resumption of testing the high grade depth potential beyond the current optimisation shell limit."
Sunbird Deposit infill drilling highlights:
- SGRC1572: 10.6 g/t Au over an estimated true width of 21.7 m from 60 m.
- SGRC1570: 14.9 g/t Au over an estimated true width of 14.0 m from 65 m and 5.4 g/t Au over an estimated true width of 4.2 m from 38 m.
- SGRC1566: 12.0 g/t Au over an estimated true width of 5.6 m from 28 m.
- SGRC1576: 9.9 g/t Au over an estimated true width of 9.8 m from 163 m.
- SGRC1568: 4.1 g/t Au over an estimated true width of 14.7 m from surface.
- SGRC1573: 6.6 g/t Au over an estimated true width of 9.1 m from 126 m.
- SGRC1564: 2.5 g/t Au over an estimated true width of 19.6 m from surface.
Infill drilling for increased resource confidence at Sunbird is underway, with 30 holes drilled in the first 4560 m completed of a 9500 m programme. Drilling has continued to intersect shallow high-grade mineralisation in areas previously modelled as lower grade based on earlier wider spaced drilling. Drill hole SGRC1572 intersects several zones of mineralisation including 10.6 g/t Au over a true width of 21.7 m and SGRC1570 intersects 14.9 g/t Au over a true width of 14.0 m in the north of the pit optimisation shell.
Drilling to test continuity beyond the pit optimisation shell to the north has also intersected broad shallow zones of mineralisation including 2.5 g/t Au over a true width of 19.6 m from surface in drill hole SGRC1564 and 2.4 g/t Au over a true width of 17.5 m from surface in drill hole SGRC1581. Additional drilling is planned to further define the extent of these zones.
Drilling is scheduled to be completed in the 2Q23 ahead of further optimisation work and integration into the life of mine plan. Further drilling to test the depth potential of the high-grade shoots previously identified plunging to the south is planned for the second half of 2023.
Sunbird's mineralisation consists of a series of near vertical quartz dominant veins demonstrating good continuity down-dip and along strike. This reflects the strong structural control present; consistent with the majority of the deposits drilled at Séguéla to date.
Read the article online at: https://www.globalminingreview.com/mining/16032023/fortuna-silver-mines-provides-update-on-its-sunbird-drilling-programme/
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