Altamira Gold has reported the discovery of a new mineralised porphyry body at the Maria Bonita West prospect, part of the Cajueiro gold district in Mato Grosso, Brazil.
The company released results from four additional drill-holes, MBA-040 through MBA-043, which targeted the western extension of the Maria Bonita gold porphyry system.
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Two of these holes, MBA-042 and MBA-043, intersected broad intervals of gold mineralisation, supporting earlier indications of a distinct mineralised zone.
Drill-hole MBA-042 returned three gold-bearing intervals totalling 282m downhole, including 36.2m at 0.4 grams per tonne (g/t) gold from surface, 45.4m at 0.3g/t from 61.9m depth and 200.4m at 0.3g/t from 113.2m.
MBA-043 intersected 231.5m at 0.4g/t gold from a depth of 93m.
Both holes encountered quartz-veined porphyritic rocks in a western intrusive body, interpreted as a separate phase from the eastern porphyry at Maria Bonita.
The recent holes were positioned 100m apart, indicating continuity of mineralisation.
Both holes concluded in mineralisation, indicating that the Maria Bonita West porphyry body remains open both to the west and at greater depths.
These mineralised zones are believed to be linked with the deeper interval identified in MBA-036, which recorded 70.6m at 0.5g/t gold.
Drill-holes MBA-040 and MBA-041, positioned in tuff wall rock on the northern margin, intersected weakly mineralised and locally veined tuff, suggesting the end of the more strongly mineralised zones in these rocks at the surface.
Relationships between host rocks and mineralised intrusions at depth remain unclear and will require further drilling.
The company plans to use soil sampling, geophysical surveys and further drilling to map the extent of the porphyry and identify new targets west of the current prospect.
Altamira Gold president and CEO Michael Bennett said: “Our continued exploration drilling programme over the western part of the Maria Bonita mineralised porphyry system is delivering highly encouraging results.
“We have now confirmed a new mineralised porphyry body at Maria Bonita West, with drill-holes MBA-042 and MBA-043 delivering two of the widest coherent mineralised intersections encountered in our drilling to date.”
The Cajueiro district, around 75km from Alta Floresta, contains independently estimated resources at Cajueiro Central and Maria Bonita.
Cajueiro Central’s open-pit resource includes 5.66 million tonnes (mt) at 1.02g/t gold for 185,000oz in the indicated category, and 12.66mt at 1.26g/t gold (515,000oz) in the inferred category.
Maria Bonita’s resource stands at 24.19mt at 0.46g/t gold (357,800oz) indicated and 25.64mt at 0.44g/t gold (362,400oz) inferred, based on a cut-off grade of 0.2g/t gold.
