PERTH (miningweekly.com) - Copper developer Avanco Resources has tripled the Joint Ore Reserves Committee- (Jorc-) compliant resource of its Rio Verde project, in Brazil, to some 17.77-million tons, at 1.17% copper and 0.3 g/t gold for 209 000 t of contained copper and 171 000 oz of gold.

The upgrade included a maiden Jorc mineral resource for the Antas North deposit of 7.69-million tons, at 1.6% copper and 0.43 g/t gold, for 124 000 t of contained copper and 106 000 oz of gold.

MD Tony Polglase said that the new mineral resource at the Antas North deposit represented a significant step towards the company’s goal of building a large, long-life copper mine.

There also remained the potential to identify additional resources at the Antas North deposit, he added.

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