Lode Resources restarts drilling at Tangoa West lode
Lode Resources (ASX: LDR) has restarted diamond drilling at the Tangoa West Lode within the Webbs Consol silver-base metals project in northern New South Wales.
A total 26 holes have been planned for 5,000 metres to test down-dip extensions of existing holes as well as new targets at Main Shaft and Copycat.
Tangoa West will account for the majority of the work, with 11 holes for approximately 3,000m planned to a vertical depth of 450m.
Drilling at Tangoa West in January returned the highest silver grades to date with significant results of 54m at 304 grams per tonne silver equivalent from 48.3m, including 11.3m at 497g/t silver equivalent from 54m, and 7m at 506g/t silver equivalent from 81m, including 2m at 1,005g/t silver equivalent from 86m.
The company was able to extend mineralisation at the target to 90m vertical depth.
More extensive system
Drilling to date at Webbs Consol has discovered six mineralised lodes and revealed the mineral system to be more extensive than previously recognised.
A recent hole returned best results of 116.1m grading 1,003g/t silver equivalent from 90.9m, including 15.3m at 1,489g/t silver equivalent from 126m, 9m at 1,552g/t silver equivalent from 172m, 9m at 1,592g/t silver equivalent from 185m, and 8.1m at 2,200g/t silver equivalent from 196m including 3.1m at 3,325g/t silver equivalent from 201m.
Lode said the decision to continue drilling at Webbs Consol reflects a “strong belief” in the prospectivity and expansive size of the mineral system.
Historic deposit
Located along NSW’s New England Fold Belt, the historic Webbs Consol deposit was discovered in 1890 and was subject to intermittent mining up to the mid-1950s.
Several mine shafts were worked over that time for Webbs’ high-grade galena and silver content, discarding the high-grade zinc mineralisation.
Mineral concentration was achieved using basic Chilean milling techniques and sluicing, with limited rough flotation of galena and no recorded attempts to recover sphalerite.