Luca Mining has kicked off an exploration drilling campaign at the Tahuehueto gold mine located in Durango State, Mexico. The initiative involves up to 5,000 meters of diamond core drilling across 26 holes from underground, scheduled over the next four to six months.
Covering 7,492 hectares, the Tahuehueto property features an extensive epithermal gold/silver vein system with at least 12 mineralized zones traced over 6 kilometers. The current drilling campaign aims to explore newly identified areas for potential resource expansion along the projected veins.
Focusing on both infill and step-out drilling, the campaign will assess the vertical and lateral extent of mineralization while seeking out brecciated zones within the vein system. Recent operations on Level 23 have revealed high-grade mineralization, with gold concentrations averaging 3.30 grams per tonne (g/t) across vein widths of up to 20 meters, including peak values of 65.04 g/t in ore shoots from the main Creston vein.
In addition to the four veins constituting the mineralized resource, the property encompasses at least 14 additional prospective veins or splays, which could extend the existing resource and host low-sulphidation epithermal mineralization.
Luca Mining CEO Dan Barnholden expressed optimism, stating, “Tahuehueto is a brand new mine, poised for commercial production. There are significant indicators of resource expansion potential at this project, and our recent financing will enable us to explore this potential swiftly.”
The company has invested over $30 million (C$41.45 million) in exploration, prefeasibility studies, and mine development at Tahuehueto. Currently, a 1,000-tonnes-per-day processing plant is under construction, with commercial production anticipated in 2024.
