Aldebaran Resources Inc. report results for the final holes from the 2023/2024 field campaign at the Altar copper-gold project in San Juan, Argentina. All holes intercepted significant mineralization, expanded the mineralized footprint, and will provide valuable information for the upcoming mineral resource estimate scheduled for H2 2024. Highlights: ALD-24-150EXT: 1,229.50 m of 0.55% CuEq from 10.00 m depth: Including 742.90 m of 0.69% CuEq from 377.10 m depth; Including 345.00 m of 0.85% CuEq from 470.00 m depth.
Hole ended in mineralization; Extension of historic hole. ALD-24-245: 735.00 m of 0.50% CuEq from 244.00 m depth: Including 202.55 m of 0.66% CuEq from 577.25 m depth. Hole ended (prematurely due to winter weather conditions) in mineralization.
ALD-24-062EXT: 1,043.00 m of 0.37% CuEq from 118.00 m depth: Including 729.00 m of 0.43% CuEq from 122.00 m depth. Hole ended in mineralization; Extension of historic hole. ALD-24-244: 592.00 m of 0.27% CuEq from 469.00 m depth; Hole ended in mineralization.
Discussion of Results: ALD-24-062EXT: ALD-24-062EXT is a vertical drill hole collared on the western side of the Altar Central zone. It was drilled in 2008 to a depth of 470 m and was extended during the current campaign to a final depth of 1,161 m. The objective of the hole was to extend the mineralization further to the west, especially at depth. Lithology: ALD-24-062EXT was drilled entirely into wall rocks, encountering a rhyolite unit from surface to 635 m depth, followed underneath by a massive andesite until the bottom of the hole.
Alteration & Mineralization: ALD-24-062EXT encountered strongly oxidized and leached rocks from surface to 122 m depth, followed by a well-developed secondary copper enriched zone until 230 m depth. Hypogene copper mineralization in ALD-24-062EXT consists mainly of chalcopyrite related to the occurrence of moderate to strong ?green sericite-chlorite-chalcopyrite-pyrite? alteration which overprints earlier biotite-k-feldspar-magnetite-chalcopyrite alteration assemblages.
In addition, moderate quartz-pyrite-chalcopyrite-molybdenite veining occurs along the entire hole. Scattered and discrete pyrite-enargite-quartz-clay high-sulphidation structures occur as well. ALD-24-150EXT: ALD-24-150EXT is a vertical hole collared in the Altar East zone.
It was drilled originally in 2012 to a depth of 545 m and was extended during the current campaign to a final depth of 1,239.5 m. The main purpose of ALD-24-150EXT was to fill in a gap in information at depth for the upcoming mineral resource update. Lithology: ALD-24-150EXT cut through a quartz diorite porphyry from surface and until the bottom of the hole. Alteration & Mineralization: ALD-24-150EXT encountered only 22 m of partially oxidized rock near the surface, entering underneath into very coherent rock.
Mineralization consists of chalcopyrite and lesser amounts of bornite and hypogene chalcocite, which are intimately related with the occurrence of moderate to strong quartz veins stockworks regularly distributed along the entire hole, and to moderate to strong green sericite(-chlorite)-chalcopyrite alteration overprinting earlier biotite-k-feldspar-magnetite-chalcopyrite-(bornite) alteration assemblages. Weaker mineralization in some portions of ALD-24-150EXT is a consequence of the overprinting of moderate to strong intensity ?white sericite-pyrite-tourmaline? alteration increasing to the bottom of the hole.
Discrete structures with high-sulphidation and intermediate-sulphidation assemblages also occur along the drillhole. ALD-24-244: ALD-24-244 is collared in the eastern margin of the Altar East Zone. It was drilled at -79 degrees dip and 310 degrees azimuth to the northeast and a final depth of 1,061 m. The purpose of this hole was to test the extension of the mineralization toward the east and along the main ?NWSE?
favorable trend defined by drilling along the Altar United and Altar East zones. Lithology: From surface to the bottom of the hole, ALD-24-244 encountered a dacitic volcaniclastic wall rock unit. Alteration & Mineralization: ALD-24-244 cut through 29 m of partially oxidized and fractured rock in the upper portion of the hole, before entering weakly altered rock underneath.
Weak clay alteration accompanied by moderate ?clay-chlorite-pyrite-hematite-(epidote)? propylitic assemblages are the dominant alteration from surface to 450 m depth. Copper-molybdenum-(gold) mineralization in ALD-24-244 is associated with the occurrence of weak ?green sericite-chlorite-pyrite-(chalcopyrite)?
starting at 315 m depth and increasing its intensity to moderate/strong towards the bottom of the hole. This alteration is spatially related to the occurrence of ?quartz-molybdenite-pyrite? veining increasing towards the bottom of the hole.
Weak to moderate ?K feldspar-biotite-magnetite? occurs below 625 m depth in the hole. Additionally, weak ?white sericite-pyrite-tourmaline?
alteration overprints all the other assemblages starting from the surface until the bottom of the hole. ALD-24-245: Drillhole ALD-24-245 is collared at the southern edge of the Altar United Zone. It was drilled to a final depth of 979 m at -80 degrees dip and 170 degrees azimuth.
This drillhole was stopped prematurely within mineralization due to a heavy snowfall that led to the end of the 2023/2024 field season. Lithology: ALD-24-245 was drilled entirely within volcanic wall rock units, cutting through a long interval of rhyolite unit from surface until 656 m depth before entering an intercalation of andesitic and rhyolitic units until 780 m depth. The sequence is crosscut at that depth by a diorite porphyry dyke and then by 35 m of a polymictic breccia unit until 872 m depth.
After the breccia, the hole remains in andesite until the end of the hole. Alteration & Mineralization: ALD-24-245 drilled through strongly oxidized and fractured rocks from surface and until 242 m depth. Even though copper mineralization was completely leached out from this upper portion of the hole, strongly anomalous molybdenum mineralization is encountered.
Below 242 m and until 367 m depth, a zone of secondary copper enrichment, characterized by chalcocite, pyrite and chalcopyrite, occurs. Hypogene copper mineralization in this hole relates to chalcopyrite and lesser amounts of bornite associated primarily to ?k feldspar-biotite-magnetite-quartz-chalcopyrite-bornite? potassic alteration assemblages, which are overprinted locally by week to moderate ?green sericite-chlorite-chalcopyrite?
alteration. Anomalous gold mineralization encountered from 570 m to 915 m depth is spatially associated with the occurrence of increasing ?quartz-biotite-k feldspar-anhydrite? veining.
Moderate ?quartz-molybdenite-pyrite-chalcopyrite? veining is frequently distributed along the hole increasing its intensity from 280 m to 780 m depth. Additionally, weak ?white sericite-pyrite-tourmaline?
is encountered from surface and until 640 m depth.