Los Cerros Limited (ASX: LCL) has obtained promising surface rock chip and trench assay results from Kusi, part of the wholly-owned Ono Project in Papua New Guinea.
The objective of the surface sampling and mapping programme is to gauge the potential scale of the skarn style mineralization both within the Southern area, the subject of the current 3,000m drilling programme, and in surrounding areas of minimal outcrop, steep topography and dense vegetation.
The field campaign is active at four locations within gold in soil anomalies interpreted to represent the Upper Limestone skarn target.
1. Northern area flank of a topographical high, coincident with elevated gold in soils and ~1km north of current drilling.
2. Western area 400m to 1km west of, and along strike of, current drilling where the target Upper Limestone skarn is expected to ‘daylight’ or outcrop and coincident with elevated gold in historical soil samples.
3. Eastern area building upon the success of the 2022 Leah’s Lode discovery, which has delivered trench results of 8.0m @11.5g/t Au and 2.6% Cu (trench 4) and 22m @4.68g/t Au and 0.15% Cu (trench 5).
The Southern area programme, mapping and sampling exposures of Upper Limestone skarn, delivered very encouraging trench results including 4.0m @16.7g/t Au in trench 24 and 2.4m @4.7g/t Au in trench 19, which remains open in all directions.
Both of these trenches were excavated in steeply dipping terrane which prevented completion of trenching across the entire thickness of the target Upper Limestone. In trench 24 the highest sampled interval of 1.0m grading 59g/t Au was from the southern end of the trench. Additional individual rock chip from limited outcrops in this region delivered: 47.8g/t Au, 6.7% Cu and 1.3% Zn; 74g/t Au; 13.8g/t Au; and 33g/t Au. The nearby trench T1 delivered 20m @3.84g/t Au.
These trench and rock chip results are interpreted to represent the surface expression of mineralization intersected in recently completed drill hole KU23DD003 (assays pending) and historical hole KSDD004 (49m @1.26g/t Au including 20m @2.89g/t Au) which extends the interpreted strike of mineralized Upper Limestone to over 350m in this area. The company believes it is possible for additional skarn units to occur stratigraphically below the Upper Limestone target, as evidenced by a deeper gold + base metal rich skarn unit mapped in a river valley one km to the west.
Limited scout trenching targeting the Northern area intersected phyllite with associated silicification returning 13m @0.7g/t Au in trench 18 and 10m @0.45g/t Au in trench 6. The mineralization in both trenches remains open in all directions. Of particular interest is the association of gold with elevated arsenic, antinomy, and zinc which is a typical geochemical signature of mineralization developed within sediments distal to porphyry-related systems and signifies a large well developed hydrothermal system.
Results at this first Northern area field campaign have confirmed the modelled widespread distribution of gold anomalism. It is anticipated that further work in the heavily vegetated and scree covered region might expose additional mineralized units such as the host Upper Limestone or phyllite, as encountered at Leah’s Lode.
Results from sampling the Western area and Eastern area campaigns remain pending, however both campaigns have logged altered limestone and phyllite units of interest.
The Kusi drilling programme remains on schedule and budget.
The company recently announced the results of the first completed drillhole (KU23DD001) which included 15.2m @4.45g/t Au (from 138.2m) within 76.4m @1.34g/t Au (from 106.9m), An additional three drillholes have been completed with one in progress, with all holes intercepting the target Upper Limestone skarn. Assays remain pending.
“We continue to be rewarded with very encouraging results across our Kusi campaigns. All drill holes have intercepted the target unit and field campaigns are revealing mineralization up to 1km beyond the area of current drilling,” Managing Director, Jason Stirbinskis, said.
“This signifies a large and well developed system, with a currently modelled area of approximately 3km x 1.5km, and therefore potential for a substantial scale of mineralization.”
For further information please visit: https://www.loscerros.com.au/
