ASX-listed, multi-metals exploration company, Conico Limited is working hard on data acquisition and interrogation and logistics after wrapping up the field season at its Ryberg base and precious metals project on the east coast of Greenland. All drill core samples for assay are due to arrive at the lab in Spain later this week and all core trays, totalling 3480 metres of core, will land this week in Portugal where further analysis will be conducted by Longland, Conico’s wholly owned subsidiary company.
Longland CEO Thomas Abraham-James, a Lisbon resident, has leased a warehouse facility for the drill-core that will be subject to further analysis not possible onboard the field vessel in Greenland, including the final logging and sampling of two drill-holes. Samples from each of the holes are due to be delivered to the assay laboratory in Spain in due course.
Longland geologists will also be re-logging zones of interest and taking magnetic susceptibility and specific gravity measurements to complement the logging data. Technical experts for magmatic sulphides, orogenic gold and volcanogenic massive sulphide deposit style mineralisation will visit the core shed to advise management and take samples for detailed analysis. Longland has also appointed a new full time Spanish geologist to help with the data collection and to aid with all projects.
Ryberg is a multi-element base and precious metal project spanning 4,500 square kilometres on the east coast of Greenland, 430km NW of Iceland. Access to site is via aircraft on an existing airstrip located 2km from the licence area, or by ship. Internal movements on site are via helicopter.
The area is a particularly under-explored mineral province with significant magmatic rocks which have intruded the highly prospective sulphur-rich sediments of the Kangerlussuaq Basin. Previous geochemical analysis has identified samples rich in copper, palladium, gold and nickel, cobalt and platinum. Surface grab samples in the area grade up to 2.2 per cent copper, 3.3 grams per tonne palladium and 0.2 g/t gold. Regional sediment/stream sampling within the licence area has yielded multiple samples anomalous for chromium, nickel, copper and cobalt.
Conico says the data from its appointed geophysical contractor, New Resolution Geophysics, is now being interpreted. Amazingly, the geophysical survey represents the first ever regional geophysical data collection to occur at Ryberg and is anticipated to yield targets of interest. The final interpretation report is due by late November. Assay results from Australia and Spain are also anticipated to be released at this time.
The company has completed field de-mobilisation and stored all equipment ready for the next field season, with items of value stored in Iceland, while the drill rigs and fuel remain on site allowing for a speedy start to the 2022 field season. The company says that all drill holes have now been properly rehabilitated, with all necessary reports submitted to the Greenland government.
Management has now begun planning for the 2022 field season, focusing on options to allow activities to commence as early as April. Its efforts will also focus on advancing the precious metal, base metal and rare earth element potential of Conico’s Mestersvig project, with fuel having been imported there this year in anticipation of an early start to operations. Mestersvig is located in the fiords of eastern of Greenland, south of the Ryberg project area.
Interestingly, Mestersvig hosts the historical Blyklippen mine which churned out 545,000 tonnes of ore at 9.9 per cent zinc and 9.3 per cent lead between 1956 and 1962. Conico has identified a 13km strike stretching from Blyklippen that remains untested by drilling. Previous surface grab sampling at the tenure returned a whopping 7.0 per cent copper, more than 10 per cent lead, 0.8 per cent zinc and 273 g/t silver.
Conico will no doubt be sweating on the results from its maiden drilling campaign after striking sulphides in most holes at three different prospects at Ryberg. Xmas may even come early for the frontier explorer.
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