THE DRILL SERGEANT: Azure Minerals’ (ASX: AZS) third hole at the company’s recently acquired Andover project (60% Azure / 40% Creasy Group) has intersected substantial shallow nickel and copper sulphide mineralisation.

Azure Minerals reported the result follows on from similar strong intersections encountered in the first two holes.

Drill hole ANDD0003 intersected generous quantities of massive, semi-massive, matrix, blebby and disseminated nickel and copper sulphide mineralisation in three shallow intervals of:

2.5 metres interval from 41.20m – includes 0.75m of massive and semi-massive sulphides;
9.25m interval from 62.8m – mostly blebby and disseminated sulphides; and
7.65m interval from 78.30m – includes 1.9m of massive and semi-massive sulphides.

“Drilling at Andover continues to deliver very exciting visual mineralisation with our third hole intersecting strong, near-surface nickel and copper sulphide mineralisation,” Azure Minerals managing director Tony Rovira said in the company’s announcement to the Australian Securities Exchange.

“Our fourth hole has now started, and it is targeting along-strike and down-dip mineralised extensions to the northwest.

“This is early stage drilling but with each of our first three drill holes successfully intersecting substantial widths of nickel and copper sulphides and the presence of strong electromagnetic conductors associated with this mineralisation, we are confident this mineralised system has the potential to be extensive.

“Importantly, spectral scanning of drill core from the first two holes has verified the presence of significant quantities of pentlandite (nickel sulphide) and chalcopyrite (copper sulphide) mineralisation, confirming the Company’s geological logging and visual estimations.”

Azure Minerals indicated it is continuing with surface fixed loop (FLTEM) and down-hole (DHTEM) electromagnetic surveys, along with modelling of this geophysical data to identify numerous EM conductor plates, providing additional targets for follow-up drilling.

The fourth diamond drill hole, ANDD0004, is in progress and it is targeting a strong and extensive conductor plate which is interpreted to represent the west/northwest down-dip extensions of the sulphide mineralisation intersected in the first three holes.

Web: www.azureminerals.com.au

THE DRILL SERGEANT: Azure Minerals (ASX: AZS) reported new intersects of wide intervals of gold and silver mineralisation on the company’s 100 per cent-owned Alacrán project in Sonora, Mexico.

Azure Minerals’ previous exploration at Alacrán resulted in the discovery of the Mesa de Plata silver deposit and the adjacent Loma Bonita gold-silver deposit where the current drilling has been focused.

These two deposits contain total mineral resources of:

Mesa de Plata: 10.5 million tonnes at 82 grams per tonne silver for 27.4 million ounces of silver, including an at-surface high-grade resource of 1.8 million tonnes at 275g/t silver for 15.5 million ounces of silver; and

Loma Bonita: 5.4 million tonnes at 0.9g/t gold and 28g/t silver for 150,000 ounces of gold and 4.8 million ounces of silver.

Azure is conducting a Reverse Circulation (RC) drilling program at the Loma Bonita gold-silver deposit for resource infill and extension, and to collect additional samples for advanced metallurgical testwork.

Drilling is also targeting several greenfields exploration targets.

Azure Minerals’ recent drilling encountered gold intersections at southern Loma Bonita, including:

MDPC-153
58.5 metres at 0.7 grams per tonne gold from 15m, including 19.5m at 1g/t gold;

MDPC-154
73.5m at 0.7g/t gold from 0m, including 12m at 1.3g/t gold;

MDPC-155
31.5m at 1.7g/t gold from 0m (entire hole);

MDPC-160
37.5m at 1.8g/t gold from 1.5m, including 19.5m at 2.4g/t gold;

MDPC-161
28.5m at 1.3g/t gold from 0m; and

MDPC-162
34.5m at 1.2g/t gold from 87m, including 6m at 3.3g/t gold.

“Drilling confirms that gold mineralisation extends for a further 100 metres to 150 metres south of the southern boundary of the current Loma Bonita mineral resource,” Azure Minerals said in its ASX announcement.

“Resource expansion drilling is stepping out from the southern resource boundary to increase the resource size.

“Resource infill drilling is being undertaken to improve definition of internal high-grade zones, confirm internal continuity and obtain samples for additional metallurgical testwork.”

Three drill holes (MDPC-150 to 152) were completed within the Mesa de Plata silver deposit with each hole intersecting wide intervals of high-grade silver mineralisation, including:

MDPC-150
10.5m at 805g/t silver from 12m, including 6m at 1,284g/t silver;

MDPC-151
24m at 474g/t silver from 36m, including 15m at 677g/t silver; and

MDPC-152
40.5m at 344g/t silver from 0m, including 10.5m at 774g/t silver.

The company indicated samples from these holes will be used for advanced stage metallurgical testwork for the purpose of optimising the process flowsheet for a Mesa de Plata mining and processing operation.

Two further RC holes (MDPC-148 and 149) were drilled at the Cerro San Simon prospect to follow up previous drill intersections.

Both new holes intersected gold mineralisation at the expected depths, including:

MDPC-148
31.5m at 0.4g/t gold from 12m; and

MDPC-149
16.5m at 0.8g/t gold from 61.5m.

Web: www.azureminerals.com.au