Pyrite Emerging as a Significant By-product

At the end of October, Cerro de Pasco Resources (CSE CDPR / FRA N8HP) had already completed its 40-hole drilling program on the massive, polymetallic Quiulacocha tailings project. More than 1,000 samples were taken from a significant part of the deposit. Since then, the company has been regularly presenting drilling results that have consistently exceeded initial expectations – and now again!

At the beginning of the week, the company presented the results from eight more drill holes, which once again show higher silver grades than Cerro de Pasco had initially estimated. An originally unexpected bonus: the consistent and increasing presence of gallium!

Highlights of the Latest Drilling

• – Hole SPT10 intersected 31 meters with 47 grams per tonne silver (“Ag”), 1.30% zinc (“Zn”), 0.87% lead (“Pb”) and 58 g/t gallium (“Ga”) including a 5 m section with 0.21% copper (“Cu”) and 0.43 g/t gold (“Au”)
  – Hole SPT11 intersected 27 m with 43 g/t Ag, 1.22% Zn, 0.84% Pb and 64 g/t Ga including a 3 m section with 0.20% Cu and 0.23 g/t Au
  – Hole SPT21 intersected 27 m with 45 g/t Ag, 1.29% Zn, 0.81% Pb and 59 g/t Ga including a 2 m section with 0.21% Cu and 0.23 g/t Au
  – Hole SPT22 intersected 26 m with 46 g/t Ag, 1.26% Zn, 0.98% Pb and 69 g/t Ga including a 2 m section with 0.25% Cu and 0.19 g/t Au
  – Hole SPT23 intersected 28 m with 53 g/t Ag, 1.53% Zn, 1.12% Pb and 83 g/t Ga including a 5 m section with 0.31% Cu and 0.32 g/t Au
  – Hole SPT32 intersected 31 m with 47 g/t Ag, 1.26% Zn, 0.89% Pb and 65 g/t Ga
  – Hole SPT1_1 intersected 26 m with 52 g/t Ag, 1.54% Zn, 1.17% Pb and 84 g/t Ga including a 1 m section with 0.31% Cu and 0.12 g/t Au and
  – Hole SPT1_2 intersected 16 m with 48 g/t Ag, 1.39% Zn, 0.99% Pb and 65 g/t Ga

The results show, according to Cerro de Pasco, that the metal content continues consistently at depth and laterally over 800 meters.

Now Also Significant Copper and Gold Grades

In addition, Cerro de Pasco has repeatedly been able to demonstrate significant copper and gold grades in the most recent drilling. A highlight that CEO Guy Goulet emphasized in this regard was a drill hole with 0.53% copper, 0.45 g/t gold and 95.8 g/t silver. Moreover, it is now becoming clear that the thick mineralization layers and higher grades are located in the southern part of the area explored by drilling so far.

In particular, the lead and gallium grades increase towards the south, exceeding 1% lead and 100 g/t gallium several times! In the southern part of the drilled area, the average gallium content is between 59 and 84 g/t, about twice as high as in the northern part (21 to 41 g/t). All gallium grades drilled by Cerro de Pasco so far are considered extremely high-grade!

High Gallium Grades at the Perfect Time

The fact that gallium is so consistently found and with increasingly higher grades in the Quiulacocha deposit, in our opinion, further increases the economic potential of the project. The metal, classified as critically important, is essential for advanced electronics and technology in the field of renewable energy.

Its strategic importance has recently increased significantly after China, which controls a large part of the market for metals such as gallium, germanium, and antimony, restricted exports to the USA and other nations. This geopolitical development not only underscores that the need for secure and diversified sources of gallium is increasing, but also that Cerro de Pasco has excellent timing with its findings.

As if that weren’t enough, the proven iron values also indicate a consistent occurrence of pyrite throughout the deposit. The pyrite, which is estimated to make up 50% of the tailings, could therefore prove to be a valuable by-product for the Quiulacocha project, according to the company.

Cerro de Pasco has already announced metallurgical studies that are also intended to answer this question. These include estimating grades, by-products, and impurities.