Indonesian-focused explorer, Sihayo Gold is off to a flyer from regional exploration drilling at its Sihorbo South epithermal vein gold and silver prospect on the island of North Sumatra. Results from the first three holes sunk into the prospect have returned bumper grade gold and silver, including a tasty one metre strike going 198 grams per tonne gold from 89 metres.
The same hole also returned a broad 14.8m interval going 0.91 g/t gold and 21.6 g/t silver from 71.8m.
Other assays received from the labs so far include 2.4m at 6.37 g/t gold and a jaw dropping 811 g/t silver from just 25m, with 2.8m at 1.04 g/t gold and 195.5 g/t silver from 96.3m in a third hole.
To date, Sihayo has drilled a total of 12 holes for 1,337m in an ongoing campaign at Sihorbo South. Results from the remaining nine holes are pending.
Sihayo aspires to bring to production its namesake “Starter” gold project where an imposing 1.5-million-ounce resource base has been defined from the main Sihayo-1 deposit and nearby Sambung deposit.
The company has embarked on a regional exploration push looking to grow its resource base with current drilling targeting Sihorbo South and the nearby Pentapan epithermal vein prospect – both located in the Hutabargot Julu area some seven kilometres south of existing resources.
Sihayo believes the underexplored Sihorbo South hosts potential for high-grade gold and silver mineralisation beneath and along strike from small-scale mine workings at the prospect.
It says a strike stretching for at least 400m has been identified at Sihorbo South.
Sihayo’s past limited drilling by at the prospect delivered multiple high-grade gold strikes including 3.7m at 15.45 g/t gold from 55.4m and 7.55m at 6.02 g/t gold from 56.45m. Previous sampling by the company also returned some eye-catching results with grades reaching as high as 61 g/t gold and a stunning 3,720 g/t silver.
At Penatapan, 11 holes were recently completed with results received from the labs so far returning 10.2m at 2.5 g/t gold from 153m and 9.2m at 1.8 g/t gold from 88m. Assays from the remaining three holes are due soon.
Sihayo Gold Executive Chairman, Colin Moorhead said:“Assay results from Penatapan and Sihorbo South are beginning to flow with results for most holes expected in the coming weeks. One drill rig continues on follow up holes at Sihorbo South which is beginning to emerge as a possible higher grade silver rich epithermal vein structure, as compared with Penatapan which appears to be several zones of shallow mineralised stockwork. Both targets are located in the Hutabargot Julu area within trucking distance of the planned Sihayo processing plant, therefore having potential to add significant value.”
Meanwhile, the company is also looking to generate further targets for drill testing at a separate tenement area some 30km south-west.
Reconnaissance rock chip sampling at Sihayo’s Tambang Tinggi project has returned elevated gold and copper values from numerous samples collected at the target area.
Sihayo says 25 of 33 samples returned gold values going more than 1 g/t, with nine of the samples grading between 10.2 g/t and 102 g/t gold.
The project also appears to be prospective for copper mineralisation with 14 samples delivering grades of more than 0.1 per cent copper, including eight samples assaying between 0.3 per cent and 2.31 per cent copper.
The sampling also returned silver grading up to 725 g/t and zinc as high as 4.82 per cent.
Curiously, Sihayo says past sediment sampling at Tambang Tingii lit up widespread gold anomalies. It believes a mineral belt covering at least 6km in length and 2km in width could be present at the project.
The project area hosts a historical gold and copper mine where in the 1930s some 100,000 tonnes of ore at an impressive 6.2 g/t gold and 0.24 per cent copper was produced.
Sihayo believes the presence of widely spaced artisanal workings at the project, in conjunction with gold and copper anomalies identified via sampling, bodes well for discovery of significant copper and gold deposits in the Tambang Tinggi area.
Further sampling at Tambang Tinggi and its vicinity is ongoing.
Sihayo already lays claim to a serious 1.5 million ounce gold resource at its namesake project. If the company’s ongoing regional exploration endeavours are anything to go by, its Indonesian venture may hold many more mineral riches yet to be unearthed.
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