Alvo Minerals Strikes Massive Sulphides in First Touro Drillhole – What’s Next?

A Strong Start at Touro

Alvo Minerals Limited (ASX, ALV) has announced a significant early success at its Touro Prospect within the Palma Copper-Zinc Project in Brazil. The company’s maiden diamond drillhole, PDT-117, has intersected a 13-meter interval of massive sulphide mineralisation just 40 meters below surface. This includes copper-bearing chalcopyrite and zinc-bearing sphalerite, alongside iron sulphides, marking a promising discovery in a region already known for its base metal potential.

The mineralised zone aligns with surface trenching that revealed gossans over a strike length exceeding 1 kilometer, underscoring the scale of the target. Importantly, this initial drilling did not reach the deeper fixed loop electromagnetic (FLEM) conductor plates, which start approximately 100 meters below the massive sulphides encountered. These deeper conductors represent an exciting, yet untested, exploration target that could significantly enhance the prospect’s potential.

Context within the Palma Project

The Touro Prospect is part of Alvo’s 100% owned Palma Project, a district-scale Volcanogenic Massive Sulphide (VMS) copper-zinc system with a current Mineral Resource Estimate of 7.6 million tonnes at 2.02% copper equivalent. The project hosts multiple deposits and numerous exploration targets across more than 1,000 square kilometers of tenure, making it one of the more substantial VMS districts in Brazil.

Alvo’s Managing Director, Rob Smakman, highlighted the significance of the discovery, "Intersecting such wide, shallow and potentially high-grade mineralisation in the very first drillhole is an exciting result. The scale of the Touro prospect is impressive, and with the deeper electromagnetic plates yet to be tested, we anticipate a sustained drilling campaign to delineate the full extent of this mineralisation."

Ongoing Exploration and Next Steps

Drilling continues with the second hole, PDT-118, targeting down-dip extensions approximately 500 meters north of the initial intercept. Assay results from PDT-117 and PDT-118 are expected within 6 to 8 weeks, which will provide definitive grades to complement the encouraging visual estimates.

In addition to drilling, Alvo is conducting downhole electromagnetic surveys (DHEM) to detect conductive zones near the drillholes, aiming to refine targets for subsequent drilling. The company is also advancing geochemical sampling, geophysical surveys, and mapping across other prospects within Palma, maintaining a robust pipeline of exploration activities.

Alvo’s integrated approach, leveraging in-house geophysical equipment and an experienced exploration team, positions it well to efficiently advance multiple targets within this prolific copper-zinc district.

Balancing Optimism with Caution

While the visual identification of massive sulphides is encouraging, Alvo cautions that these observations are preliminary and subject to confirmation by laboratory assays. The true economic significance of the mineralisation will depend on assay results, metallurgical characteristics, and ultimately, resource modelling. Furthermore, the true width of the mineralised zone remains uncertain, pending further drilling and geological interpretation.

Nonetheless, this initial drillhole at Touro marks a pivotal milestone in Alvo’s exploration campaign, potentially adding a new high-quality target to its growing portfolio in Brazil.