Infill drilling from the underground portion of the El Domo volcanogenic large sulphide deposit in central Ecuador returned 9.46 metres of seven.49% copper, 2.37 grams gold per tonne, 2.93% zinc, 75.4 grams silver and 0.01% for a copper-equivalent grade of 8.83%, homeowners Adventus Mining (TSXV: ADZN; US-OTC: ADVZF) and Salazar Assets (TSXV: SRL; US-OTC: SRLZF) reported Wednesday.
The deposit, a part of the 215-sq.-km Curipamba challenge, 150 km northeast of the port metropolis of Guayaquil, is owned by Curimining SA. Adventus has earned a 75% stake in Curimining and Salazar retains a 25% carried curiosity.
Mineralization at El Domo, a flat-lying tabular VMS deposit, begins at 30 metres from floor with dimensions of about 800 by 400 metres.
Highlights from the most recent drill outcomes embody 4.88 metres of two.29% copper, 0.88 gram gold, 0.99% zinc, 50.4 grams silver and 0.09% lead (2.96% copper-equivalent) from 245.2 metres in drill gap CURI-404, and 4.74 metres grading 2.84% copper, 0.75 gram gold, 0.06% zinc, 7.8 grams silver, and 0.01% lead (2.37% copper-equivalent) from 201.6 metres in drill gap CURI-402.
Outcomes from the infill drill program shall be used to replace the underground portion of the useful resource estimate for El Domo in 2023, the businesses say. The up to date useful resource will then be a part of a future feasibility examine that can combine the event of a possible underground operation along with the deliberate open pit mine.
In mid-November, Adventus introduced that it had awarded the open-pit mining contract for Curipamba to a three way partnership between Stracon S.A., a Peruvian mining contractor, and Ripconciv, an Ecuadorian infrastructure development contractor.
A feasibility examine on an open-pit operation at El Domo accomplished in late October 2021 included an replace of El Domo’s whole assets (open pit and underground). The pit-constrained useful resource comprises 7.1 million measured and indicated tonnes grading 1.95% copper, 0.27% lead, 2.64% zinc, 2.63 grams gold, and 49 grams silver with an extra 0.3 million tonnes of 0.34% copper, 0.20% lead, 1.01% zinc, 1.34 grams gold and 39 grams silver within the inferred class.
The underground portion of El Domo comprises indicated assets of 1.9 million tonnes grading 2.72% copper, 0.14% lead, 2.38% zinc, 1.37 grams gold and 31 grams silver, and inferred assets of 0.8 million tonnes grading 2.31% copper, 0.11% lead, 2.68% zinc, 1.74 grams gold and 29 grams silver.
The 2021 feasibility examine was primarily based on El Domo’s open pit confirmed and possible reserves of 6.48 million tonnes grading 1.93% copper, 0.2% lead, 2.49% zinc, 2.52 grams gold and 46 grams silver, and estimated a 10-year mine life with common annual manufacturing of 10,463 tonnes copper and 21,390 tonnes copper equal over the lifetime of the mine at C1 money prices of US$1.14 per lb. copper-equivalent and all-in sustaining prices of US$1.26 per lb. copper-equivalent.
The examine forecast an after-tax web current worth (8% low cost price) of US$259 million and an inner price of return of 32%.
