Alto Metals Ltd (ASX:AME) continues to grow the scale and prospectivity of the Indomitable Gold Camp in WA as drilling at Cessna prospect confirms high-grade mineralisation with hits up to 16 metres at 7.2 g/t gold, including 4 metres at 24.2 g/t.
Results from first-pass reverse circulation (RC) drilling at Cessna, which is 1 kilometre south of Indomitable within the company’s Sandstone Project in the East Murchison Gold Field, have provided great encouragement for the company.
This drilling tested historical drill results and extensions of mineralised banded iron formation (BIF).
Cessna flies high
As well as the 16-metre result from just 65 metres, hole SRC928 also returned 6 metres at 1.6 g/t gold from 56 metres, including 4 metres at 2.0 g/t from 58 metres.
The 16-metre intersection also contained:
- 1-metre at 28.8 g/t gold from 74 metres;
- 1-metre at 21.7 g/t from 75 metres;
- 1-metre at 23.1 g/t from 76 metres; and
- 1-metre at 23.4 g/t from 77 metres.
"Our planned and systematic approach to exploration at Indomitable continues to deliver and further supports our view of Indomitable being part of a much larger system,” Alto’s managing director Matthew Bowles said.
"These latest results from our first pass drilling at Cessna, have confirmed the high-grade mineralisation, including 16 metres at 7.2 g/t gold within the BIF and extended the overall mineralised footprint to over 3 kilometres.”
Open in all directions
While the footprint has been extended, Cessna remains open in all directions and Alto believes the extent of shallow oxide mineralisation at Indomitable Camp is an indication of a potentially much larger gold system at depth.
Location of mineral resources for Sandstone Gold Project within the company’s priority Alpha domain target area.
"Planning for the next phase of drilling at Indomitable is well underway and intends to target the orientation of these interpreted high-grade structures within the fresh rock, including the recently announced 16 metres at 13.1 g/t gold from 19 metres intersected in SRC918,” Bowles said.
"The final assays from this first phase of drilling are pending and we look forward to updating shareholders with our ongoing exploration activities in the coming weeks."
First RC drilling
While there were some positive early indications of prospectivity from former holders of the property, no RC drilling has been undertaken previously at Cessna.
Alto has completed two first-pass RC holes to verify the previous work, which included RAB and aircore drilling.
This intersected significant gold mineralisation below the historical drilling but still within the oxide zone.
Further drilling is warranted to determine the nature and extent of the mineralisation.
Potential for growth
Alto is confident that the latest results provide the potential for resource growth.
A recent update saw the overall project’s optimised and pit-constrained mineral resource increase to 17.6 million tonnes at 1.5 g/t gold for 832,000 ounces within A$2,500 per ounce pit shells.
This included resource growth at Indomitable Camp which almost tripled to 5.4 million tonnes at 1.2 g/t for 210,000 ounces.
As well as awaiting assays from around 2,000 metres of the first phase RC program of 5,000 metres at Indomitable, the company is planning further RC drilling to test deeper high-grade targets.
Meanwhile, Alto is continuing with low-cost regional exploration at the 100%-owned Sandstone Project, including areas recently identified as prospective for pegmatites.