Max Resource begins LiDAR survey at Mora gold property in Colombia to define first drill targets

Max Resource has started a high-resolution LiDAR survey at its 700 ha Mora gold property in Colombia to refine drill targets and build a 3D model ahead of first drilling.

Max Resource (TSXV: MAX) has begun a high-resolution airborne LiDAR survey over its 700-hectare Mora gold property in Colombia’s Middle Cauca gold belt, as the company advances toward first-ever drilling on the KK6-08031 mining concession.

The survey forms part of Max Resource’s exclusive right to acquire 100% of the KK6-08031 concession and is designed to fast-track exploration by accurately mapping surface and structural features in an area covered by dense vegetation.

Located about 85 km south of Medellín, Mora sits within one of Colombia’s most prospective gold belts, home to several major deposits and mines.

High-resolution LiDAR to define BQ, BX and NAN drill targets

The airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR) survey will simultaneously capture detailed imagery and generate digital terrain models (DTMs) and digital surface models (DSMs) using precision remote sensing equipment.

Max Resource said the survey is a first step to delineate high-priority drill locations across three main targets on the property: BQ, BX and NAN.

The resulting datasets will be used to:

• Map topography and man-made features obscured by vegetation.
• Identify structural trends and lineaments associated with mineralised zones.
• Support the construction of a 3D geological model of the Mora property.

This 3D model will underpin the design of Max’s inaugural drill programme at Mora, which will also be the first known drilling campaign on the KK6-08031 concession.

33 historic artisanal mines and new targets under cover

Historic technical reports document 33 artisanal underground mines on the Mora property, with nine inactive workings mapped so far by the company. These small-scale operations range in depth from 5 m to 90.5 m, highlighting the vertical extent of mineralised structures tested by local miners.

The LiDAR survey is also expected to:

• Detect additional hidden artisanal workings masked by thick vegetation.
• Improve understanding of historical mine layouts and access points.

Max Resource considers channel sampling within artisanal underground mines a crucial component of its exploration strategy. The company notes that this work is comparable to drilling, because it exposes fresh rock and allows geologists to log:

• Lithology and rock types.
• Hydrothermal alteration patterns.
• Styles of sulphide and gold mineralisation.
• Structures such as faults, veins and veinlets, and uplift zones.

These observations will feed into the geological model and help prioritise drilling along the most prospective structures.

“Unprecedented ground detail” for drill design

Max’s head geologist Sergio Cocunubo said the new LiDAR datasets will be central to planning the next phase of work.

“The LiDAR datasets will be used to delineate drill design on the BX, BQ and NAN targets, providing unprecedented ground details to be observed for the first time,” he said.

Cocunubo added that sampling of artisanal mines and workings had been “significant steps” in past Colombian projects such as Collective Mining’s Guayabales and Continental Gold’s Buriticá, helping teams identify key geological characteristics and confirm actively mineralised galleries in gold and silver production.

Max Resource aims to replicate that success at Mora by combining modern remote sensing, underground channel sampling and targeted drilling.

Part of broader Colombian portfolio with Freeport tie-up

Beyond gold at Mora, Max Resource is also active in copper-silver exploration in Colombia. In May last year, the company signed an earn-in agreement with Freeport-McMoRan Exploration, an affiliate of Freeport-McMoRan, for its CESAR copper-silver project in northwestern Colombia.

Taken together, Mora and CESAR position Max Resource with exposure to both precious metals and copper-silver systems in two of Colombia’s most prospective mineral belts.

The company expects that data from the LiDAR survey, combined with ongoing mapping and sampling of artisanal workings, will allow it to finalise drill collar locations and launch the first round of drilling at Mora once permits and logistics are in place.