Sunstone Metals Ltd (ASX:STM) has expanded the zone of shallow copper-gold mineralisation at the El Palmar Gold-Copper Project in Northern Ecuador, highlighting a 600-metre by 600-metre prospective zone with trench sampling.
The company says the latest results highlight the potential for an open pit mining option at both the T5 and T2 targets, with similar potential already identified at the nearby T1 target.
Sunstone has also identified several potential porphyry targets at depth in this area, which are further supported by the widespread mineralisation close to surface.
Potential for multi-decade mining centre
“These results continue to expand the area of known shallow gold-copper mineralisation and support our strategy to establish potential pathways to develop mining operations at El Palmar,” Sunstone Metals managing director Patrick Duffy said.
“We have now established shallow gold-copper mineralisation over an area measuring 600 metres by 600 metres across T1, T2 and T5.
“We believe this represents an initial gold and copper open pit opportunity as part of a potential staged development opportunity for a multi-decade mining centre at El Palmar.
“We are now planning drilling programs to further define these areas of known mineralisation with a view to establishing a maiden resource at El Palmar that could support an open pit mining development.”
The trenching at T5 delivered 30 metres at 1.18 g/t gold, including a 2-metre interval at 10 g/t gold and 0.11% copper in a strongly stockwork veined porphyry system and a second interval of 10 metres at 1.1 g/t gold and 0.1% copper.
Results at T2 indicate an epithermal gold mineralisation system interpreted to sit above a large porphyry target, measuring 13 metres at 0.47 g/t gold in trench P7-1e and 8 metres at 0.82 g/t gold in trench P7-1f.
Sunstone says these trench results correlate with multiple gold intersections from drill hole EPDD024 some 50 to 100 metres below the trench, which intersected gold intervals including:
- 2 metres at 3.2 g/t gold from 72 metres of depth;
- 13.5 metres at 1.1 g/t from 97.5 metres;
- 7.4 metres at 0.91 g/t from 132 metres; and
- 20 metres at 0.62 g/t from 235 metres.