Astra Exploration drills 0.6 metres of 199.3 g/t gold at La Manchuria Project, Argentina
Astra Exploration Inc. [TSXV: ASTR; OTCQB: AETPF; FSE: S31] reported additional results from the company’s maiden drill program at the La Manchuria Project, located in the prolific Deseado massif of Santa Cruz, Argentina.
Highlights: LM-107A: 1.6 metres grading 75.09 g/t gold and 86.79 g/t silver, including 0.6 metres grading 199.3 g/t gold and 228 g/t silver. LM-112 returned 4.0 m grading 7.57 g/t gold and 0.5 g/t silver. LM-113 returned 1.3 m grading 17.3 g/t gold and 61 g/t silver.
Estimated true widths are 85% of widths reported in this news release. The company is fully financed for the second phase of drilling at La Manchuria.
Brian Miller, CEO, commented: “Astra’s first drilling program at La Manchuria indicates a much larger vein system than previously recognized. Significantly, it has many intervals of high gold and silver grades with exceptional grades of up to 199.3 g/t gold (LM-107A) and 8,356 g/t silver. The drill program also confirmed the company’s geologic model, and that mineralization extends to depth and to the southeast, northwest and southwest. Particularly noteworthy is the extension of high-grade veins of the Main zone to the southeast beneath the post-mineral cover. We are currently finalizing plans for a fully funded follow-up drill program that will look to continue growing the La Manchuria district.”
A total of 11 diamond drill holes totalling 2,468 metres were completed in the phase I drill program at La Manchuria. The drilling tested four different target zones identified by the Astra exploration team. The results reported herein are from seven drill holes completed to the southeast and northwest of the Main zone and from the Eastern zone.
Southeast of Main zone: Drill holes LMD-107A, LMD-110, LMD-111 and LMD-115 were designed to test the southeastern extension of the Main zone. Previous drilling had intercepted mostly post-mineral cover rocks without intersecting any epithermal veining. The Astra geologic model correctly predicted that the post-mineral cover required deeper drilling. Drill hole LMD-107A successfully intersected the Main zone high-grade veins approximately 75 metres southeast of any previous intersections and hole LMD-110 indicates that the postmineral cover thins to the southeast.
Drill hole LMD-107A tested the strike extension of previously intersected epithermal veins below 110 metres of the post-mineral breccia cover unit. The hole returned one of the highest gold grade intercepts to date on the project, with 0.6 m of a banded quartz and black sulphides vein grading 199.3 g/t Au and 228 g/t Ag at a downhole depth of 189.5 metres. This vein is part of a wider zone of precious-metal-rich veins and veinlets within a 7.5-metre-wide zone of subparallel veins and veinlets.
Drill holes LMD-110 and LMD-115 intersected veining in the andesitic rocks, which returned no significant assay results. Hole LMD-111 returned two intervals (3.0 metres grading 0.9 g/t Au and 11 g/t Ag at 106 metres downhole and 3.0 metres grading 0.37 g/t Au and 59 g/t Ag at 185 metres downhole).
The current drilling demonstrates the structural complexity of the southeastern extension and the control of lithology on grade distribution. Additional drilling is planned for this area to better define the distribution and variation of high-grade mineralization.
Northwest of Main zone: Drill hole LMD-113 was designed to explore for new veins to the northwest of the Main zone. The hole successfully intersected a group of four mineralized structures that could represent either the northwestern projection of the Main zone or new parallel veins to the west of the Main zone. The drilling intersected shallow veins with several high-grade mineralized intervals that remain open at depth and along strike: 12 m with 0.78 g/t Au and 97 g/t Ag at eight m downhole depth that represents the upper flaring portion of a continuous veinlet structure previously defined by four earlier drill holes and open at depth; 1.0 m with 6.2 g/t Au and 11 g/t Ag at 35 m downhole; depth; 1.4 m with 1.1 g/t Au and 306 g/t Ag at 57 m downhole depth and 1.3 m with 17.3 g/t Au and 61 g/t Ag at 63.8 m downhole depth.
The style of veining in the last two intercepts suggest they may represent two branches of a single, continuous structure, which remains open along strike and to depth. The branches may merge into a thicker, more cohesive zone that will be followed up by future drilling.
Eastern zone: Drill holes LMD-112 and LMD-114 tested the Eastern zone.
LMD-112 was drilled 40 m to the west of LM-099-D (which returned 3.95 m at 16.0 g/t Au and 42 g/t Ag) with the objective of testing the depth extent of this mineralization. LMD-112 intersected several new mineralized veins, breccias and veinlets that together returned 4.0 m of 7.6 g/t Au and 0.5 g/t Ag at 30 m downhole and also intersected (in the andesitic rocks the downdip extension of mineralization intersected in LM-099-D) 3.0 m of 3.8 g/t Au and 25 g/t Ag at a drill depth of 99.0 m.
LMD-114 intersected some veining in andesitic rocks with no significant assay results. The Eastern zone has been tested with only five holes and has returned intervals of greater than five g/t gold equivalent in four of these. The Eastern zone requires significant additional drilling to fully define the limits and extents of mineralization.
With the success of the initial drill program that extended known high-grade mineralization and discovered new subparallel high-grade veins, the company is finalizing plans to follow up with a phase II drill program. With a current treasury of approximately $2 million, Astra is well-financed to continue to grow the La Manchuria epithermal vein system.
The La Manchuria gold-silver project in Santa Cruz, Argentina, over which Astra has an option to acquire a 90% interest, is a high-grade gold and silver low-sulphidation epithermal (LSE) deposit located in the prolific Deseado massif, which hosts multiple world-class LSE precious metals deposits, including Cerro Vanguardia and Cerro Negro, Santa Cruz, Argentina.