Indonesian-focused explorer, Sihayo Gold has delivered more solid gold hits from regional exploration drilling at its namesake project in North Sumatra. New intercepts at its Hutabargot Julu target area include 10.2 metres at 2.5 grams per tonne gold from 153m at the Penatapan epithermal vein gold and silver prospect. The company is seeking to unearth more ounces to add to an already impressive 1.5-million-ounce gold resource base.
The 10.2m hit also includes a richer 2.5m intercept grading 7.8 g/t gold.
Another hole at Penatapan returned 9.2 m at 1.80 g/t gold from 88m, including a high-grade 0.7m interval going 8.52 g/t gold from 92.7m.
The new results come on the back of five holes from an ongoing 10-hole campaign where 2,500m of drilling has been slated. The drilling is targeting mineralisation beneath several artisanal mine workings coinciding with strong gold soil anomalies at the prospect.
Management says all five holes returned elevated gold and silver mineralisation.
Grab samples taken from muck piles of artisanal workings at Penatapan have previously returned some head-turning grades peaking at 76 g/t gold and 515 g/t silver.
Sihayo believes the distribution of artisanal gold workings at Penatapan suggests potential for a large mineralised system at the prospect.
Earlier in the year drilling at Penatapan also delivered a cracking 9m hit going 8.36 g/t gold from just 8m.
According to the company, results from the latest five holes at Penatapan adds further weight to potential for multiple gold and silver zones to be lurking down to 300m below surface at Penatapan.
Sihayo Gold’s Executive Chairman, Colin Moorhead said: "The latest results from Penatapan continue to show encouraging signs, with promising high-grade intercepts in HUTDD095 and HUTDD096. The most recent drilling, combined with previous exploration and the distribution of local gold workings, indicate the presence of multiple zones of gold-silver mineralisation at Penatapan and confirm our view of the exploration potential of the broader Hutabargot Julu target area.”
The company aspires to bring to production its Sihayo “starter” gold project where the hefty 1.5-million-ounce resource base has been defined from the main Sihayo-1 deposit and nearby Sambung deposit.
Proved and probable ore reserves within the broader resource tip the scales at 12.5 million tonnes going 2.1 g/t for 840,000 ounces of the precious yellow metal.
The company is on the hunt for more Indonesian gold some 7km south with exploration drilling at Hutabargot Julu targeting Pentapan and the nearby Sihorbo South epithermal vein prospect.
Management believes the underexplored Sihorbo South prospects host potential for high-grade gold and silver mineralisation beneath and along strike from small-scale mine workings at the prospect.
Previous drilling at Sihorbo South coughed up some impressive gold strikes including 3.7m at 15.45 g/t gold from 55.4m and 7.55m at 6.02 g/t gold from 56.45m.
The company has now launched a follow-up drilling campaign at the prospect with a total of 565m from five holes completed to date.
Initial results from the Sihorbo South drilling are projected for release in the next few weeks. Further results from drilling at Penatapan also remain pending.
Sihayo looks set for a busy end to the year as the rigs continue to smash out the metres in Indonesia at Penatapan and Sihorbo South - two prospects already known to host high-grade gold and silver.
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