Zinc of Ireland NL (ASX: ZMI) has received positive results from the final two holes or its 2019 diamond drilling campaign at its Kildare Zinc Project, located 40km south-west of Dublin in Ireland.
Drill hole HZDD012 was drilled in the western portion of Fault Compartment 3 (FC-3) and returned:
- 0m @ 6.0% Zn+Pb (5.72% Zn, 0.28% Pb) from 407m – 409m;
- 0m @ 6.39% Zn+Pb (4.03% Zn, 2.36% Pb) from 447m to 452m;
- 0m @ 11.03% Zn+Pb (9.21% Zn, 1.82% Pb) from 464m to 468m;
- 0m @ 5.63% Zn+Pb (4.97% Zn, 0.66% Pb) from 496m to 502m; within a wider mineralised intersection of 55m @ 2.78% Zn+Pb (2.26% Zn, 0.52% Pb) from 447m to 502m.
Executive director Patrick Corr said drill hole HZDD011 is the southernmost ZMI drill hole in FC-3 and returned multiple intersections including two upper zone intersections, including:
- 0m @ 4.71% Zn+Pb (4.64% Zn, 0.07% Pb) from 215m to 218m;
- 0m @ 4.24% Zn + Pb (4.06% Zn, 0.18% Pb) from 225m to 233m;
- 0m @ 8.3% Zn + Pb (5.66% Zn, 2.64% Pb) from 396m to 398m. Shallower mineralisation within FC-3 has been observed elsewhere in the Company’s FC-3 drilling campaign.
This upper Waulsortian Reef zinc mineralisation represents an additional exploration target, as significant zinc-lead mineralisation occurs in this stratigraphic position at McGregor and Shamrock.
The FC-3 drilling campaign consistently intersected broad zones of zinc-lead mineralisation within which occurred a number of higher grade zones and has confirmed the presence of a significant mineralised system with the potential for significant additional resources.
The results of HZDD011 and HZDD012 and the five previously reported FC-3 drill holes have expanded the areal extent of the newly discovered FC-3 mineralisation to a surface area of approximately 250m by 500m. The FC-3 drilling has been undertaken at a nominal spacing of approximately 80m.
Mr Corr said that within FC-3, the presence of multiple zones of higher-grade mineralisation, as well as significant widths of lower-grade mineralisation, over a significant surface area augurs well for future resource growth.
He said the 2019 drilling programme had a number of major implications for the Kildare Zinc Project (which already hosts a JORC Resource of 9Mt @ 9.5% Zn + Pb, based on a 5.5% ZnEq cut off):
- FC-3 has the potential to make a significant contribution to the current resource inventory.
- The FC-3 mineralisation connects with the Shamrock Resource, and demonstrates the potential for continuous mineralisation connecting the currently defined McGregor and Shamrock Resources (See Figures 1 & 4).
- The fault compartments adjacent to McGregor, Shamrock and FC-3 (known as FC-7 and FC-31) all have considerable potential for additional zinc and lead mineralisation. Future drilling in these priority areas has the potential to make a further contribution to the resource inventory, and to potentially connect these mineralised zones (See Figures 1, 4 and 5).
- A regionally extensive zone of zinc-lead mineralisation has been confirmed within a fault complex that is over 1,400m long and 400m wide and up to 200m thick and is open in several directions (See Figures 1 and 5).
- The existence of a major zinc-lead mineralised system has been confirmed with the mineralised sequence occurring over vertical thicknesses ranging from 50m to over 160m (See Figure 4).
The company’s drilling success in FC-3 has confirmed the presence of an additional and significant zone of mineralisation, which has the potential to make an important contribution to the current resource inventory in any future upgrade.
In addition, the fault compartments which are adjacent to McGregor, Shamrock and FC-3 (FC-7 and FC- 31) all have considerable potential for additional zinc and lead mineralisation. As such, future drilling in these priority areas has the potential to make a further contribution to the resource inventory, and to potentially connect these mineralised zones.
This latest drilling success, together with the Company’s establishment of the JORC resource of 9Mt @ 9.5% Zn+Pb in July 2019, provides the platform for initial scoping studies with respect to developing the Kildare Zinc Project and undertaking project level de-risking activities.
