SURREY - Condor Gold (AIM: CNR; TSX: COG) is pleased to announce that it has received the final assay results from the Southern Start Pit whereby all assay results have now been received for forty five diamond core drill holes for 2345.95 m in and just beneath the La India Starter Pits.
The two planned high-grade Starter Pits (up to 35 m deep), the Northern and Southern Starter Pits, have now been drill tested at 25 m by 25 m spacing. These results will be used to estimate an updated mineral resource and reserve. In summary, the infill drilling programme has confirmed that the La India Starter Pits, which sit within the fully permitted La India Open Pit Mineral Reserve Estimate of 6.9Mt at 3.1 g/t gold for 675,000 oz gold, contain approximately 447Kt at 4.17g/t gold for 59,672 oz contained gold within 35m of surface will be targeted early for extraction. The drill assay results further derisk the project ahead of production.
Highlights of New Drill Assay Results
6.26g/t gold over 8.1m true width from 38.0m drill depth (LIDC442) just beneath the Starter Pit indicate the pit could push deeper.
6.05g/t gold over 5.8m true width from 10.2m drill depth (LIDC448)
2.36g/t gold over 11.9m true width from 7.1m drill depth (LIDC436)
Results received for 45 diamond core drill holes for a combined 2345.95 m of infill and RC replacement drilling completed within and just beneath the La India Starter Pits.
10 drill holes for 827.40 m replacing previous RC holes outside the Starter Pits area of influence, but within the main La India open pit have been completed.
Drill results support strategy that approximately 447 Kt at 4.17 g/t gold for 59,672 oz contained gold with 35m of surface will be targeted early for extraction.
Mark Child, Chairman and CEO commented: 'Final drill assay results from the La India Starter Pits infill drilling programme include 6.26g/t gold over 8.1m true width from 38.0m drill depth (LIDC442) just beneath the Starter Pit, which indicates the pit could push deeper and 6.05g/t gold over 5.8m true width from 10.2m drill depth (LIDC448). Both drill assay results are excellent and add considerable confidence to the geological model, the mineral resource and mineral reserve calculations and the mine plan. The drill results strengthen the case for the Starter Pits, which are within 35 m of the surface and contain approximately 455Kt at 4.17g/t gold for 59,674 oz gold using a 2.00g/t cut off grade, to be mined early to quicken the payback period and enhance the Project's economics. The starter pits sit within the main fully permitted La India open pit, which has a Mineral Reserve Estimate of 6.9Mt at 3.1 g/t gold for 675,000 oz gold'.
Background
On 25 January 2019, SRK Consulting (UK) Limited completed an updated Mineral Resource Estimate, which includes the La India Starter Pits based on a grid of 50 m spaced drilling intercepts, including RC drilling. The infill drilling has increased the number of drill intercepts within the pit shell from eleven to thirty-nine diamond core intercepts. The results to date have improved confidence in the existing geological model and returned widths and grades of gold mineralisation in line with expectations. Importantly, the drill-holes located near-surface, in the upper 30-40 m where there has been some artisanal mining activity in recent years, have demonstrated that artisanal mining has been very localised and that there has not been any material undocumented shallow mine depletion.
Within the Northern Starter Pit twenty-one infill holes were drilled for a combined 1036.05 m of drilling which included twinning two RC drill holes. Two RC drill holes were also twinned adjacent and just beneath the Starter pit for an additional 141.30 m of drill core. The assay results are detailed in RNS announcements dated 9 March, 30 March and 29 April 2021. Condor is encouraged that the best infill diamond core drill intercepts are significantly better than the existing diamond core intercepts and that a high-grade RC drilling result has been verified with a similar diamond core intercept. The best pre-existing diamond core intercept in the Northern Starter Pit was 7.62 m (7.4 m true width) at 3.62 g/t gold from 7.62 m (in drill hole LIDC134). This has been supported by a significantly greater width and grade of 22.05 m (21.6 m true width) at 6.48 g/t gold from 29.35m in infill drill hole LIDC413. This infill drill hole also compares well with a high grade intercept returned from previous RC drilling of 26.00 m (25.1 m true width) at 7.73 g/t gold in drill hole LIRC105.
Drilling within the Southern Starter Pit shell comprised eighteen additional infill drill holes for 917.00 m, twinning two of the historical RC drill holes, and provides 25 m drill spacing throughout the starter pit shell. Drilling just beneath the Southern Starter Pit included four drill holes for 251.60 m. The assay results of the first six drill holes were reported in an RNS announcement dated 29 April 2021.
New Drill Assay Results
The infill drilling in and just beneath the Southern Starter Pit has returned 6.26g/t gold over 8.1m true width from 38.0m drill depth (LIDC442) and 6.05g/t gold over 5.8m true width from 10.2m drill depth (LIDC448). These results compliment the best previous in-pit diamond core drilling intercepts of up to 6.80 m (6.5 m true width) at 13.99 g/t gold from 20.7 m in drill hole LIDC193.
About the Starter Pits
On 25 January 2019, SRK Consulting (UK) Limited completed an updated Mineral Resource Estimate on Condor's 100% owned La India Project in Nicaragua comprising 9.85 million tonnes ('M tonnes' or 'Mt') at 3.6 g/t gold for 1,140,000 oz gold in the Indicated category and 8.48M tonnes at 4.3g/t gold for 1,179,000 oz gold in the Inferred category.
The La India Vein Set hosts an open pit Mineral Resource of 8,377 kt at 3.1 g/t gold for 837 Koz gold in the Indicated category and 887kt at 2.4 g/t gold for 69,000oz gold in the Inferred category. Beneath the La India open pit is an underground Mineral Resource estimate of 678 kt at 4.9 g/t gold for 107 Koz gold in the Indicated category and 1,718 kt at 5.6 g/t gold for 309,000 oz gold in the Inferred category.
The 25 January 2019 MRE update did not materially change the La India open pit Mineral Resource estimate and consequently the 2014 Pre-Feasibility Study ('PFS') remained unchanged. La India open pit has an existing Probable Mineral Reserve of 6.9 million tonnes ('Mt') at 3.01 g/t gold for 675,000 oz gold.
As announced on 4 March 2020, Condor completed internal studies on readily accessible high-grade material within the permitted La India open pit. The starter pits within La India open pit contain a diluted tonnage of 387 Kt at 4.29 g/t gold for 53,000 oz gold. Condor has subsequently further advanced these studies. Within a designed pit shell, the starter pits have two scenarios. At 0.75 g/t gold cut-off grade, 635Kt at 3.32g/t gold for 67,800 oz gold with a 4.5 to 1 strip ratio.
About the Drilling Techniques
Drilling was undertaken using heavy duty track-mounted drilling rigs. All of the drilling was undertaken using diamond core drilling techniques employing large diameter PQ core barrels and triple tube in the mineralised zones to ensure good sample recovery. Drilling close to surface and in proximity to historical and artisanal mine workings can present challenges to the driller, however, the drilling programme benefitted from employment of local geologists, field support staff and experienced drill contractors, all with a decade of experience of drilling at la India. Consequently, all target depths were met and good sample recovery was achieved.
About the Assaying
Drill core was cut, and half core samples collected and bagged by Condor staff on-site. Samples were transported to Bureau Veritas accredited sample preparation laboratory in Managua every week in batches of two or three drill holes, generally being submitted to the lab within 5-10 days of completing the drill hole. Sub-samples of the pulverised rock samples were forwarded for assay to Bureau Veritas accredited analytical laboratory in Vancouver, Canada.
Contact:
Mark Child
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7493 2784
About Condor Gold plc
Condor Gold plc was admitted to AIM in May 2006 and dual listed on the TSX in January 2018. The Company is a gold exploration and development company with a focus on Nicaragua.
In August 2018, the Company announced that the Ministry of the Environment in Nicaragua had granted the Environmental Permit ('EP') for the development, construction and operation of a processing plant with capacity to process up to 2,800 tonnes per day at its wholly-owned La India gold project ('La India Project'). The EP is considered the master permit for mining operations in Nicaragua. Condor Gold published a Pre-Feasibility Study ('PFS') on the project in December 2014, summarised in the Technical Report, as defined below. The PFS details an open pit gold Mineral Reserve in the Probable category of 6.9 Mt at 3.0 g/t gold for 675,000 oz gold, producing 80,000 oz gold per annum for 7 years. La India Project contains a Mineral Resource of 9,850 Kt at 3.6 g/t gold for 1.14 Moz gold in the Indicated category and 8,479 Kt at 4.3 g/t gold for 1.18 Moz gold in the Inferred category. The Indicated Mineral Resource is inclusive of the Mineral Reserve. A gold price of $1,500/oz and a cut-off grade of 0.5 g/t and 2.0 g/t gold were assumed for open pit and underground resources, respectively. A cut-off grade of 1.5 g/t gold was furthermore applied within a part of the Inferred Resource. Mineral Resources are not Mineral Reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability. There is no certainty that any part of the Mineral Resources will be converted to Mineral Reserves.
Environmental Permits were granted in April and May 2020 for the Mestiza and America open pits respectively, both located close to La India. The Mestiza open pit hosts 92 Kt at a grade of 12.1 g/t gold (36,000 oz contained gold) in the Indicated Mineral Resource category and 341 Kt at a grade of 7.7 g/t gold (85,000 oz contained gold) in the Inferred Mineral Resource category. The America open pit hosts 114 Kt at a grade of 8.1 g/t gold (30,000 oz) in the Indicated Mineral Resource category and 677 Kt at a grade of 3.1 g/t gold (67,000 oz) in the Inferred Mineral Resource category. Following the permitting of the Mestiza and America open pits, together with the La India open pit Condor has 1.12 Moz gold open pit Mineral Resources permitted for extraction, inclusive of a Mineral Reserve of 6.9 Mt at 3.0 g/t gold for 675,000 oz gold.
Technical Information
Certain disclosure contained in this news release of a scientific or technical nature has been summarised or extracted from the technical report entitled 'Technical Report on the La India Gold Project, Nicaragua, December 2014', dated November 13, 2017 with an effective date of December 21, 2014 (the 'Technical Report'), prepared in accordance with NI 43-101.
Forward Looking Statements
All statements in this press release, other than statements of historical fact, are 'forward-looking information' with respect to the Company within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including statements with respect to: the ongoing mining dilution and pit optimisation studies, and the incorporation of same into any mining production schedule, future development and production plans at La India Project. Forward-looking information is often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as: 'seek', 'anticipate', 'plan', 'continue', 'strategies', 'estimate', 'expect', 'project', 'predict', 'potential', 'targeting', 'intends', 'believe', 'potential', 'could', 'might', 'will' and similar expressions. Forward-looking information is not a guarantee of future performance and is based upon a number of estimates and assumptions of management at the date the statements are made including, among others, assumptions regarding: future commodity prices and royalty regimes; availability of skilled labour; timing and amount of capital expenditures; future currency exchange and interest rates; the impact of increasing competition; general conditions in economic and financial markets; availability of drilling and related equipment; effects of regulation by governmental agencies; the receipt of required permits; royalty rates; future tax rates; future operating costs; availability of future sources of funding; ability to obtain financing and assumptions underlying estimates related to adjusted funds from operations. Many assumptions are based on factors and events that are not within the control of the Company and there is no assurance they will prove to be correct.
Such forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, which may cause the actual results to be materially different from any future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including, risks related to: mineral exploration, development and operating risks; estimation of mineralisation, resources and reserves; environmental, health and safety regulations of the resource industry; competitive conditions; operational risks; liquidity and financing risks; funding risk; exploration costs; uninsurable risks; conflicts of interest; risks of operating in Nicaragua; government policy changes; ownership risks; permitting and licencing risks; artisanal miners and community relations; difficulty in enforcement of judgments; market conditions; stress in the global economy; current global financial condition; exchange rate and currency risks; commodity prices; reliance on key personnel; dilution risk; payment of dividends; as well as those factors discussed under the heading 'Risk Factors' in the Company's annual information form for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020 dated March 31, 2021 and available under the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com.
Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise unless required by law.
CONDOR GOLD PLC 
