Cornish Metals drills 1.66% tin over 2.91 metres at South Crofty, England
Cornish Metals Inc. [CUSN-TSXV, AIM] reported drill results from eight drill holes drilled in the Carn Brea South exploration area, located along the southern boundary of the 100%-owned South Crofty underground permission area in Cornwall, southwest England. The drill holes confirmed up-dip, near-surface, extensions of the historic Great Flat Lode and discovered tin mineralization in a new target called the “Wide Formation”, inferred to lie parallel to, north of, and beneath the Great Flat Lode.
Highlights: Drilling was conducted along the southern boundary of South Crofty – an area easily accessible from existing mine infrastructure.
There was a new discovery of high-grade tin mineralization in the Wide Formation; CB21_002 returned 2.77 metres grading 0.99% tin within a 12.14-metre wide zone of strong alteration and disseminated tin mineralisation. All eight drill holes intersected tin mineralization.
Multiple high-grade tin intersects were returned from the Great Flat Lode and related mineralized structures, including CB21_003 that returned 2.00 metres grading 1.44% tin; CB21_004 returned 2.91 metres grading 1.66% tin; 5.00 metres grading 0.97% tin; CB21_005 returned 3.04 metres grading 1.08% tin; 2.24 metres grading 3.93% tin; and 3.80 metres grading 1.64% tin.
Richard Williams, CEO, stated: “The Wide Formation has been interpreted to exist from exploration drilling conducted in the 1960s but has never been followed up until now. Discovering a new high-grade zone of tin mineralisation in the middle of a historic mining district is a tremendous outcome, and again demonstrates the exploration potential of the region. The Great Flat Lode, which lies above the Wide Formation, was mined historically over a 5 km) strike length, so we believe we have a very compelling target to explore within and immediately adjacent to the South Crofty Underground Permission area. We look forward to the next phase of drilling to determine the extent of this discovery.
“The shallow, high-grade tin intersects from the Great Flat Lode represent an opportunity to define nearby and near surface Mineral Resources to complement those we have already identified at South Crofty.”
The geology in the Carn Brea South exploration area is identical to that at South Crofty, comprising metasediments (locally termed “killas”) which overlie an intrusive granite body.
Cornish Metals is focused on advancing the South Crofty high-grade, underground tin project through to delivery of a Feasibility Study, as well as exploring its additional mineral rights, all located in Cornwall, South West England. The former producing South Crofty tin mine is located beneath the towns of Pool and Camborne, and closed in 1998 following over 400 years of continuous production. Since acquiring the project in 2016, Cornish Metals has completed and published maiden NI 43-101 Mineral Resources for South Crofty using the vast archive of historical production data and more recent drilling completed between 2007 and 2013.
Additionally, Cornish Metals has undertaken extensive pilot-scale water treatment trials and successfully applied for and received the necessary environmental permits to abstract, treat and discharge mine water in order to dewater the mine. Planning permissions for the operation of the mine and re-development of the surface facilities have been secured and construction of the water treatment plant is currently well underway. The dewatering pumps, variable speed drives and new high-voltage power supply have been delivered to the site and dewatering of the mine is expected to commence at the end of Q2 this year.