Aripuanã

The Aripuanã project is located in the northwest corner of the Mato Grosso State in western Brazil, approximately 2,529 km by railroad and road to the Três Marias smelter, 2,831 km to the Juiz de Fora smelter or 2,660 km to the port of Santos. The project is accessible from the town of Aripuanã via a 25 km unpaved road, which is well maintained in the dry season. Aripuanã can be accessed from the state capital, Cuiabá, via a 16-hour drive (935 km) on paved and unpaved roads.

Aripuanã is a world-class underground polymetallic project containing zinc, lead and copper, as well as small amounts of gold and silver, present in the form of massive mantles and veins, located in volcano sedimentary sequences belonging to the Roosevelt Group of Proterozoic age.

The Aripuanã polymetallic deposits are typical VMS (volcanogenic massive sulfide) deposits associated with felsic bimodal volcanism. The individual mineralized bodies have complex shapes due to intense tectonic activity. Stratabound mineralized bodies tend to follow the local folds, however, local-scale, tight isoclinal folds are frequently observed, usually with axes parallel to major reverse faults, causing rapid variations in the dips.
In 2022, the strategy is to drill 9 km at Babaçu including extension and infill holes looking to expand Mineral Resources on this target. An additional 25 km of infill drilling is planned for the Ambrex and Link orebodies for Mineral Resources expansion and reclassification.