Galantas Gold Corporation has provided an update on the Omagh Project in Northern Ireland.
Image Credit: RHJPhtotos/Shutterstock.com
By the end of Q2 2023, Galantas plans to update its NI 43-101 compliant mineral resource estimate to include 7,800 m of new drilling, several of which have revealed higher gold grades and wider dilation zone widths. Internal modeling suggests that inside the dilatation zones at the Kearney and Joshua veins, the grades and widths of mineralization increase.
Drill holes FR-DD-22-UG-181, which intersected 7 m of 31.7 grams per ton (g/t) gold at a vertical depth of 150 m, and FR-DD-22-UG-186, which intersected 4.4 m of 31.8 g/t gold at a vertical depth of 143 m, are two examples of drill holes that are located within dilation zones at Kearney.
Given the potentially high grade and thicker widths within dilation zones below the current underground development, the Company is proceeding with a sustainable mine plan targeted by the end of Q2 2023 that will allow the Company to develop at these lower levels to optimize production.
The mine plan will determine the suitability of targeting initially 10,000 gold ounces a year, with the potential for this to increase to 20,000 ounces a year, followed by staged expansions. The proposal is anticipated to include alternatives for mining development in the Kearney Vein’s lower levels along with the north and south expansions of the vein’s current workings.
The company has also finished drilling its first hole underground aimed at the Kerr Vein, about 200 m north of the known surface exposure and about 200 m south of a historic base-of-till gold anomaly.
The management’s belief that Kerr could continue northward between the high-grade Joshua and Kearney veins is supported by quartz veinlets found in the target zone that is linked to the sulfide minerals pyrite and galena.
Historical Pionjar drilling (base-of-till sampling) by RioFinex in the 1980s found 8 g/t gold between the Kearney and Joshua veins, approximately 100 m north of the development drift. With the crosscut development, the company plans to drill further underground holes at Kerr.
An extensive geotechnical evaluation of the Joshua Vein is planned to determine the best site for the raisebore hole that will be utilized as a secondary egress. Management is also reviewing the location for a portal at Joshua to optimize access to the north and south extensions for future production.
The recruitment and retention of underground mining crews at the Omagh Project has continued to be a challenge due to the consequences of only being able to recruit miners from the UK and Ireland, which has significantly impacted productivity.
As the company looks to transition to contract mining with Q.M.E. Mining Services (NI) Ltd. as a potential manpower, mining, and development solution, a core group of experienced miners is now concentrated on plans for the mine and waste development, prioritizing access to the high-grade dilation zones beneath the current underground workings.
To increase productivity, the company will build a new mine optimization strategy that targets the deep high-grade dilation zones.
Source: https://galantas.com/