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- Rafaella Resources (RFR) is developing a 3D model for the high-grade veins at Santa Comba tungsten project in Spain
- This work is aimed at expanding Mina Carmen’s current underground inferred resource which RFR believes has significant upside potential based on historical work
- Once the 3D vein model and the underground mineral resource estimate are available, the company will be in a position to plan more exploration drilling
- RFR shares end the day 2.41 per cent in the green and to close at 8.5 cents
Rafaella Resources (RFR) has announced its resource expansion plan including the development of a 3D model for the high-grade veins at Santa Comba project in Spain.
The 3D model’s primary goal is to expand Mina Carmen’s current JORC-compliant underground inferred resource of 234,000 tonnes at 0.95 per cent tungsten trioxide and 2797 parts per million tin for 2221 tonnes of contained tungsten and 665 tonnes of contained tin.
Underground development work at Mina Carmen in the 1980s extended for more than one kilometres south from the current open pit resources which, according to Rafaella, demonstrates significant upside potential for underground resource expansion to the south and at depth.
Once compiled, the company will incorporate vein, geological, assay, and historical data into the latest version of Leapfrog GEO software. Once the 3D vein model and the underground mineral resource estimate are available, the company will be in a position to plan further exploration drilling.
Ongoing geological mapping at the Carballeira underground development, located one kilometre south from Santa Comba’s current open pit mineral resource, showed the presence of endogranite intrusion into schists for more than 80 metres of strike.
This endogranite includes zones of disseminated ore and significantly increases the exploration potential south of the open pit resource area.
Looking forward, extensive soil geochemistry targeting non-outcropping disseminated ore has been planned for the entire Santa Comba granitic massif.
This brownfield exploration will aim to increase both the underground and open pit mineral resource at the Santa Comba mine.
Managing Director Steven Turner commented on the project’s potential.
“Work over the last two years has been focused on better defining the initial open pit project in order to confirm a sizeable base case operation,” he said.
“With the resource definition work for the feasibility study now complete, the geology team is looking at advancing the underground resource definition as part of the previously announced underground development and also seeking to reconnaissance the wider known areas of mineralisation that are evident across the granitic massif.”
RFR shares ended the day 2.41 per cent in the green to close at 8.5 cents.
