Astra Exploration Extends High-Grade Mineralization at La Manchuria Project
News related to:Astra Exploration Inc · 2 min read
Astra Exploration Inc. has extended high-grade mineralization at its La Manchuria Gold and Silver Project in Santa Cruz, Argentina, and has outlined plans for a follow-up 10,000 to 20,000-meter drill program to define the regional potential of the Manchuria Hill Target.
The company announced the results of the second batch of assays from the Phase III drill program, which included eight drill holes. These holes extended the mineralization at the Basalto Zone, where a 3-meter intercept grading 4.34 grams per tonne (g/t) gold and 363.7 g/t silver was reported. The mineralization remains open in all four cardinal directions.
Additionally, an 8-meter intercept grading 3.12 g/t gold and 10.3 g/t silver was reported in the Manchuria Hill Eastern Zone, 200 meters to the northwest. This intercept also remains open to the northwest.
The company is planning a significant 10,000 to 20,000-meter drill program to expand the near-surface footprint of the system and test regional targets. The program will focus on defining the full extent of the Manchuria Hill Target and unlocking the size potential of the Manchuria District. Beyond the Manchuria Hill Target, the company has identified five priority drill targets over a 4 by 4-kilometer footprint, which are part of a larger epithermal system. These targets include the La Pampa Zone, located 3 kilometers northeast of the Manchuria Hill Target, which has returned 1.8 g/t gold in vein float samples.
Astra Exploration Inc. has also expanded the La Manchuria claim group from approximately 5,600 hectares to 39,000 hectares by staking open adjacent claim blocks. This expansion is part of the company's strategy to advance regional targets and increase the exploration potential of the project.
The company's CEO, Brian Miller, emphasized the importance of the ongoing exploration efforts, stating, "Stepping out to define the full extent of the Manchuria Hill Target will be a focus of our follow-up drill program planned for Q4, 2026. Beyond Manchuria Hill, a compilation of geological and geophysical datasets have defined five priority drill targets over a 4 by 4-kilometer footprint that shows the Manchuria Hill Target to be a piece of a much larger epithermal system."
The drill program, which was completed between April and June 2026, focused on testing the depth extension of the Main and Eastern Zones and expanding the near-surface footprint of the system with shallow drill holes. Deeper drilling has not returned favorable vein widths due to poor host lithology, but step-out holes continue to deliver strong grades and widths, which remain open in all four cardinal directions.
Astra Exploration Inc. is actively building a portfolio of high-quality projects in Latin America, with the La Manchuria project being a high-grade gold and silver low-sulfidation epithermal deposit located in the prolific Deseado Massif. The company also owns the Pampa Paciencia project in northern Chile and the Don Mario project in the Maricunga belt, which shares similarities with other high-sulfidation epithermal deposits in the region.