en.Wedoany.com Reported - Lundin Gold Inc., a Canadian company, announced continued progress in its copper-gold porphyry exploration program at the wholly-owned Fruta del Norte mine in southeastern Ecuador, with plans to release the first mineral resource estimate for the Sandia copper-gold porphyry in early 2027. Located approximately two kilometers from Fruta del Norte, Sandia is the company's most advanced porphyry discovery, with drilling delineating a mineralized zone approximately 1,600 meters in strike length, 700 meters in width, and 1,000 meters in vertical extent, remaining open to the north, east, and at depth. Recent drilling continues to expand the deposit's scale while discovering two new mineralized porphyry systems, Sandia Northeast and Sandia Southeast, increasing the number of identified porphyry centers in the mine area from five to seven.
President and CEO Jamie Beck stated that this initial resource estimate marks a significant milestone in advancing the company's copper-gold porphyry exploration program at the Fruta del Norte mine. Sandia has become the largest and highest-grade porphyry system within the mineral rights area, with ongoing drilling expanding the deposit in multiple directions and providing growth potential beyond the boundaries of the initial resource estimate plan. The discoveries of Sandia Northeast and Sandia Southeast indicate that Sandia is part of a broader mineralized porphyry cluster. With seven porphyry systems now identified in the mine area, the potential for a large copper-gold district near Fruta del Norte and known epithermal gold deposits is increasingly evident.
In terms of drilling data, 24 holes totaling 16,920 meters have been completed at the Sandia deposit, with geological modeling underway. Hole SND-2026-502 extended the high-grade zone, while SND-2026-510 expanded mineralization to the east and at depth, with four rigs currently operating at Sandia. Sandia Northeast, located approximately 500 meters northeast of Sandia, encountered broad mineralized intervals associated with porphyry-type potassic alteration and A-type quartz veins in hole SND-2026-498. Sandia Southeast, situated in a previously undrilled area between the Sandia and Trancaloma deposits, intercepted copper-gold mineralization associated with porphyry-type hydrothermal alteration.
Regarding technical information, the company's Vice President of Exploration, Andre Oliveira, reviewed the technical content of this news release. Sample analysis was completed by ALS Laboratories using 50-gram fire assay and multi-element analysis. The copper equivalent formula used for reporting purposes is: CuEq % = Cu % + (0.6562 * Au g/t) + (0.0109 * Ag g/t) + (0.0006 * Mo ppm), assuming copper at $4.00/lb, gold at $1,800/oz, silver at $30/oz, and molybdenum at $25/oz, with 80% metallurgical recovery for each metal. Headquartered in Vancouver, Lundin Gold owns Fruta del Norte, one of the highest-grade operating gold mines globally, and is committed to continued exploration to identify and develop new resource opportunities.
