JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – ASX-listed Energia has been awarded an exploration licence covering the historic Salafossa mine area, in northern Italy near the border of Austria, the company reported on Monday.
Salafossa, which was operational between 1964 and 1986, comprised a single sub-horizontal Mississippi Valley Style deposit that supported production from a single, mineralised body. The company believes that potential exists for structural repeats of the mineralisation – both vertically and horizontally.
Chairperson and CEO Alexander Burns explained that Energia, which is also advancing the Gorno project in Italy, will now focus on identifying nearby exploration targets, with the aim of discovering and establishing a resource at the operation.
“Salafossa has similar advantages to Gorno with its location in the heart of Western Europe, access to modern infrastructure, extensive historical archived data, as well as the unique feature of having produced high-quality concentrates over many decades for consumption by Europe’s major refineries,” he added.
During the 22 years that Salafossa was mined, 11-million tons of sulphide ore grading 5% zinc and 1% lead was produced, at an average production rate of about 500 000 t/y.