Mining

Tesoro Resources intercepts more wide higher-grade gold zones at Ternera

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By Lorna Nicholas - 
Tesoro Resources ASX TSO gold mineralisation Ternera deposit El Zorro project Chile

A highlight intercept from infill drilling at Ternera was 52m at 1.61g/t gold from 353m, including 7.15m at 4.85g/t gold.

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Tesoro Resources (ASX: TSO) has unearthed more higher-grade gold mineralisation at the flagship Ternera deposit within its 660,000 ounce El Zorro project in Chile.

The company has received assays from nine diamond drill holes undertaken as part of the infill program at the deposit.

All holes hit gold mineralisation, with Tesoro noting the wide gold zones increased in continuity and extent.

Highlight intercepts were 52m at 1.61 grams per tonne gold from 353m, including 30m at 2.57g/t gold from 353m and 7.15m at 4.85g/t gold from 375.85m; 85.58m at 0.82g/t gold from 305.42m, including 13m at 2.2g/t gold from 339m; and 18.5m at 4.55g/t gold from 138.5m, including 9.3m at 8.79g/t gold from 138.5m.

“Ternera continues to deliver strong results with each drill hole adding to our confidence,” Tesoro managing director Zeff Reeves said.

“These results demonstrate that the high-grade gold zones associated with the north-to-south faults are predictable and continuous.”

Mr Reeves noted four of the fault zones had been drilled with each over 700m long and mineralised from surface to depths exceeding 300m.

Resource upgrade

Tesoro is awaiting assays from 44 diamond drill holes with drilling continuing at the deposit.

The company plans to complete a further 15,000m of drilling, with the results from this to be included in a resource update due before the end of the year.

Mr Reeves said the company looked forward to receiving further assays in the coming weeks with rigs onsite at Toro Blanco, Drone Hill and Ternera East targets as well as Ternera.

High gold recoveries

The consistent flow of gold hits is continuing while metallurgical test work has shown gold recoveries up to 98% using gravity and cyanide leaching on Ternera ore.

Tesoro said the latest metallurgical results were similar to previously announced test work in June, which firm up the potential of using a conventional crush, grind, gravity recovery and leach flow sheet.