Max Resource (TSXV: MAX, FSE: M1D2) reports an operational milestone at its Mora gold and silver project in Colombia: The on-site team has completed a systematic underground channel sampling program in the El Oso Mine area. The objective of the work is to better understand the continuity of mineralization in an extensive Marmato-type vein system and to establish the foundation for the next steps—particularly permits for drilling and potential small-scale production.
The work took place in the so-called NAN target area, which is among a series of historical and active mining sites on the concession. In total, meter-by-meter rock chip channel samples were taken along the entire 47.5 meters of tunnel advance in the El Oso underground mine. According to Max Resource, not only mineralized vein structures were sampled, but also the host rock and hanging wall areas along the veins.
Max Resource: 87 Samples and 42 Channels from Two Levels of the El Oso Mine
For Max Resource, the scope of the sampling is particularly important because the work was completed comprehensively across both levels of the mine. The 37.5 meters of the Main Level and the 10.0 meters of the Upper Level were sampled. In total, the team collected 87 rock samples (83 originals and 4 duplicates). 46 samples came from mineralized veins, 41 samples from host rock and hanging wall. From these, a total of 42 channels were established, each perpendicular to the mineralized structures.
The El Oso Mine is described by Max Resource as part of a larger northwest-trending mineralized corridor. The gently inclined underground drifts have an average height of 2.0 meters and a width of 1.6 meters; the company cites a horizontal depth of 37.0 meters.
Noteworthy in the context of geological interpretation is the location: According to the announcement, El Oso is situated in the “lowest southern” section of an approximately 5,000-meter-long mineralized corridor that is expected to continue toward additional target areas on the Mora project. These additional target areas are reportedly located approximately 700 meters higher in elevation. Over the past three months, Max Resource has additionally conducted topographic and geological mapping at historical workings, adit portals, and outcrops. The objective: to trace the continuity and widths of the corridor from the NAN area toward the northwest-located target zones.
Permitting Track: “Mining Technical Work Plan” and LiDAR as Basis for Drilling
Parallel to the field and underground work, Max Resource highlights progress on a Mining Technical Work Plan (PTO). According to the company, this work plan includes elements of a mining plan as well as environmental baseline data collection. The PTO serves to make drilling and small-scale production permittable.
As a technical component, Max Resource has also completed a LiDAR aerial survey to obtain a high-resolution topographic foundation. On this basis, orthophotos are to be created, which in turn should assist in identifying structures such as folds, faults, fractures, and adit portals. The result is intended to sharpen the structural interpretation along the mineralized corridor—a point that plays a central role in deriving drill targets and planning underground access.
The regional context is also important: The Mora project is located in the Marmato gold district, approximately 70 kilometers south of Medellín. However, Max Resource explicitly notes that information on mineralization in the neighboring Marmato area is not necessarily transferable to Mora.
Next Step: El Cielo in the Program—Channel Assay Results Expected
The underground campaign does not end at El Oso. Max Resource reports that channel sampling in the El Cielo underground mine is already underway. El Cielo is located approximately 100 meters to the northwest along the trend and was also active from 2012 to 2015. For this adit, the company cites a length of 60.3 meters, with a cross-sectional size of approximately 2 meters in height and 1.3 meters in width. The drift runs subparallel to El Oso, according to Max Resource.
From Max’s perspective, this yields a three-dimensional picture of a system: Along the approximately 5,000-meter-long corridor, 19 historical and five active mines or adits have been identified, and several polymetallic structures are exposed in the field. Company management notes that the El Oso channels support the continuity of gold and silver mineralization and structure along the trend and could provide indications that the corridor may also host bulk-size targets. Additionally, the aspect is emphasized that underground channel sampling should help reduce the risk of drill targets—that is, to better define them geologically before the first drill meters are initiated.
Specific assay results for El Oso are not yet available at the time of the announcement. However, Max Resource indicates that the results of the initial underground channel samples are expected in the near term. Thus, the operational message remains clear: With the completion of systematic sampling at El Oso and the start at El Cielo, Max Resource is expanding the data foundation to technically substantiate the Mora corridor—and simultaneously advancing permitting and planning work through the PTO toward a drill program and potential small-scale production.
