Astra Exploration (TSXV:ASTR) releases results from the first 11 of 30 completed drill holes at the Pampa Paciencia gold-silver project in northern Chile, with intercepts as high as 14.48 g/t gold over 3 metres in maiden drill program. The flagship 3,840 hectare, road-accessible, low sulphidation epithermal gold-silver project is located within an active mining district less than 15 kilometers from two major mines, Sierra Gorda and Spence, and 5 kilometers from the Faride mine, in the Antofagasta Region in northern Chile.
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Astra Exploration (TSXV:ASTR) has released results from the first 11 of 30 completed drill holes at the Pampa Paciencia gold-silver project in northern Chile.
The flagship 3,840 hectare, road-accessible, low sulphidation epithermal gold-silver project is located within an active mining district less than 15 kilometers from two major mines, Sierra Gorda and Spence, and 5 kilometers from the Faride mine, in the Antofagasta Region in northern Chile.
Astra has completed property wide mapping and sampling, geophysical surveys, and localized trenching and in doing so, has defined a vein boulder field over approximately 75% of the project area.
The veins do not outcrop as the majority of the project area is covered by a thin layer of gravels and caliche but the vein float can be used to identify areas of high prospectivity.
Reverse circulation drilling commenced on veins within the interpreted five km long North Zone vein corridor.
A total of 2,981 metres were completed in thirty holes between February and March 2022, which mostly concentrated on defining the strike and depth continuity of the Paciencia Vein system.
Three holes tested veins at depth in the Central Zone (inset) and two holes tested geophysical targets in the North Zone.
The 11 holes reported today targeted the Paciencia Vein within that corridor along a strike length of 400 metres.
All holes intercepted the vein, with several intercepting a sub parallel footwall splay.
Eleven historical holes had been drilled previously on the property and Astra's geologists continued with the numbering system, with hole PPRC-22-12 being the first of the current holes.
Historical drill holes were widely spaced leaving significant strike and dip length to expand the historical drill intercepts into larger bodies of mineralization.
These first results strongly support this interpretation with holes PPRC-22-12, PPRC-22-13 and PPRC22-14 expanding mineralization to the east where it remains open along strike and at depth.
The geochemical results in this table confirm the gold-rich nature of the Paciencia Vein, with an average silver to gold ratio of 16 in the higher-grade portions of the vein, increasing to 48 when in the wider low-grade zones.
Highlights include hole PPRC-22-12 with 14.48 g/t Au and 39.7 g/t Ag over 3m downhole, within a broader zone of 2.71 g/t Au and 10.8 g/t Ag over 21m downhole.
Hole PPRC-22-13 with 3.28 g/t Au and 58.3 g/t Ag over 6m downhole within a broader zone of 1.6 g/t Au and 21.3 g/t Ag over 22m downhole.
Hole PPRC-22-14, with 4.09 g/t Au and 45.22 g/t Ag over 4m downhole within a broader zone of 1.39 g/t Au and 17.1 g/t Ag over 17m downhole.
Drill assays for the remaining 18 holes are expected before the end of May.
The shares, which began trading on the TSX Venture Exchange on January 26th, are currently trading at $0.23.
For more information on the company, please visit the company’s website www.astra-exploration.com, contact Brian Miller, CEO, at 208-830-0869 or by email brian.miller@astra-exploration.com.
