Luca Mining drills 3.8 metres of 12.54 g/t AuEq at Campo Morado, Mexico
Luca Mining Corp. [TSXV: LUCA; OTCQX: LUCMF; Frankfurt: Z68] reported drill results from the next seven underground diamond drill holes of an ongoing 5,000 metre Phase One exploration drill program at the Campo Morado Polymetallic VMS mine in Guerrero State, Mexico.
Drillhole CMUG-25-012 drilled 3.8 metres of 12.54 g/t AuEq (3.8m of 5.4 g/t Au, 288 g/t Ag, 0.8% Cu, 2.2% Pb and 6.4% Zn) within a wider 15.8 metres of 4.87 g/t AuEq (2.2 g/t Au, 109 g/t Ag, 0.3% Cu. 0.8% Pb and 2.4% Zn) representing the discovery of a new ore zone within the G9 Deposit.
Sixteen underground drillholes completed to date as part of a 5,000-metre Phase 1 program targeting near-mine resource expansion. Untapped high-grade mineral potential close to existing mine workings continues to be identified in underdrilled zones – results to inform updated mineral resource and mine plans.
Surface drilling underway to test property-wide targets including Reforma and El Rey – first exploration at these deposits since 2010.
Campo Morado hosts a large cluster of polymetallic massive sulphide deposits containing gold, silver, zinc, copper, and lead mineralization within a highly prospective land package totaling over 121 km2 within the Sierra Madre del Sur mineral belt. This year’s underground exploration campaign is the first substantive exploration the mine has seen since 2014. The objective of this initial stage of underground exploration drilling is to test under-drilled areas close to active mine workings that offer high potential for quickly adding new mineable resources that will impact mine planning.
Paul D. Gray, Luca VP Exploration, commented: “Drilling new high-grade massive sulphides straight away is a great start to our exploration program and demonstrates that previous exploration left very significant ore to be discovered, and some very close to our active mine workings.
“The 2025 drilling program at Campo Morado continues to define additional mineral potential beyond the extent of currently known mineral resources. These results have not only corroborated our interpretations that the known mineralized trends are more extensive and continuous than previously thought but have quickly defined new areas of high-grade massive sulphide mineralization that may quickly develop into brand new ore zones. Additionally, the surface drilling program now underway at Campo Morado will concentrate initially on the Reforma and El Rey VMS deposits, both of which remain unmined and which the Company believes can be expanded by the drill bit.”
To date, 16 underground diamond drillholes have been completed for over 2,700 metres with HQ sized diamond drill core. This is part of the current exploration campaign whose primary objective is to define mineable resources in close proximity to existing mine workings, as well as within zones interpreted to host extensions of the mineralization, based on the extensive historic drilling database this property offers. It is anticipated that these drillholes will inform a planned, updated Mineral Resource at Campo Morado and will contribute to add new ore into the near-term and medium-term Campo Morado Mine Plan.
Luca’s inaugural surface exploration drill program is now underway and will be run in parallel with the on-going underground exploration program at Campo Morado. A Phase 12,500-metre diamond drilling program is planned, focused on definition and expansion of the Reforma and El Rey Deposits that are located approximately one kilometer north and east of the main Campo Morado Mine. These deposits host Mineral Resources which have not been assessed in any way in over 14 years.
Thirty-eight priority targets have been identified, based on assessment of the substantive historic exploration database, and ranked by coincident geological, geochemical and geophysical anomalies. Several of these targets, including Reforma and El Rey, have seen historic exploration including diamond drilling; however, the majority of these identified targets are completely undrilled. Considering the fertile and prolific geology of the large Campo Morado concessions, each of these targets has the potential for significant new massive sulphide discoveries. Luca intends to prioritize and systematically explore the larger Campo Morado concession package in the coming months.
The current Campo Morado drill campaign represents the first meaningful exploration program carried out on the property since 2014 and is designed to target the addition of new mineral resources that will impact the near- and medium-term mine plan at Campo Morado.
The Company plans up to 5,000 metres of underground diamond drilling in approximately 25 holes during this first phase of exploration activities. This program’s primary objective is to define new mineable resources from under-drilled zones near to existing underground production areas, as well as to identify new massive sulphide mineralization within previously untested areas that offer high potential for the development of new mineral resources.
The Campo Morado Mine hosts VMS-style, polymetallic mineralization within a large land package comprising 121 km2. It is an underground operation, producing zinc, copper, gold, silver and lead.
The Tahuehueto Mine is a large property of over 75 km2 in Durango State. The project hosts epithermal gold and silver vein-style mineralization. Tahuehueto is a newly constructed underground mining operation producing primarily gold and silver. The company has successfully commissioned its mill and is now in commercial production.