Geomechanics.io

  • Free Tools
Sign UpLog In
Built byBoxcut Studio

Geomechanics.io

Geomechanics, Streamlined.

© 2026 Geomechanics.io. All rights reserved.

Geomechanics.io

CMRR-ioGEODB-ioHYDROGEO-ioQCDB-ioFree Tools & CalculatorsBlogLatest Industry News

Industries

MiningConstructionTunnelling

Company

Terms of UsePrivacy PolicyLinkedIn
    Projects

    Royal Road underground mine potential at Guintar: drilling takeaways for engineers

    March 19, 2026|

    Reviewed by Tom Sullivan

    Royal Road underground mine potential at Guintar: drilling takeaways for engineers

    First reported on MINING.com

    30 Second Briefing

    Royal Road Minerals’ latest drilling at the Guintar-Aleman-Margaritas project in Antioquia, Colombia, points to a bulk-tonnage underground scenario, with hole GUI-DD-028 returning 76 metres at 2.1 g/t gold, 0.4% copper and 7.9 g/t silver from 45 metres depth. CEO Tim Coughlin reports a porphyry-skarn system extending from surface over more than 2 sq. km and beyond 500 metres depth, overprinted by steep, high-grade quartz-carbonate veins. The 2,500-metre 2026 campaign, following 13,700 metres in 43 prior diamond holes, targets continuous mineralisation that remains open at depth.

    Technical Brief

    • GUI-DD-031 intersected 15 m at 1 g/t Au, 0.6% Cu, 11.3 g/t Ag from 130 m.
    • Mineralisation in GUI-DD-031 is continuous from surface to end-of-hole over 193.7 m.
    • More than half of the 43 historic diamond holes (13,700 m total) terminated in mineralised intervals.
    • Guintar lies ~50 km east of Medellín within an established Antioquia gold-mining district hosting multiple producing operations.
    • Drilling was paused after 2022 to prioritise regulatory and permitting work, then restarted two months ago.
    • Royal Road acquired Guintar and Margaritas from AngloGold Ashanti in 2019 via a country-wide licence package.
    • Company-wide, Royal Road controls over 1,800 sq. km of Colombian mining concessions and applications, indicating substantial regional upside.

    Our Take

    AngloGold Ashanti’s role at Guintar-Aleman-Margaritas sits alongside its recent exploration success at the Silicon project in Nevada and its equity move into Thesis Gold, signalling that the major is keeping optionality in higher-grade gold–copper systems across the Americas rather than exiting early-stage positions outright.

    The 2 sq. km porphyry–skarn system with mineralisation traced beyond 500 metres depth at Guintar is large by Colombian standards in our database, which tends to favour underground block cave or bulk stoping concepts over open pit in similarly constrained Andean terrains.

    With Royal Road’s market value around C$53 million and only four new holes planned this year, the scale of the Guintar system implies that any move to an underground mine concept in Antioquia will likely need either a strategic partner or staged de-risking similar to other Latin American copper–gold juniors in our coverage.

    Geotechnical Software for Modern Teams

    Centralise site data, logs, and lab results with GEODB-io, CMRR-io, and HYDROGEO-io.

    No credit card required.

    • Save and export unlimited calculations
    • Advanced data visualisation
    • Generate professional PDF reports
    • Cloud storage for all your projects

    Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.

    Related Articles

    Buffalo Potash permit at Disley: design, risk and process notes for mine engineers
    Mining
    about 21 hours ago

    Buffalo Potash permit at Disley: design, risk and process notes for mine engineers

    Buffalo Potash has secured Saskatchewan approval to complete construction and operate its Disley initial production module, a 125,000 t/y soluble-grade potash facility 50 km northwest of Regina using a patented horizontal line-drive brine circulation method through parallel horizontal wells. The C$41.5 million module will test selective underground dissolution of potassium chloride with sodium-chloride-saturated brine and supply local agriculture, drilling-fluid markets and potassium-chloride brine for regional oilfields, ahead of planned 500,000 t/y Disley East and West expansions to about 1.13 Mt/y. The permit, which runs to 30 April and excludes future modules, requires groundwater characterisation, air-quality compliance and financial assurance, while the project proceeds without a feasibility study or declared reserves, elevating technical and economic risk.

    Exiro-led takeover of Vale’s Manitoba nickel complex: key points for mine planners
    Mining
    about 21 hours ago

    Exiro-led takeover of Vale’s Manitoba nickel complex: key points for mine planners

    Exiro Minerals, Orion Resource Partners and Canada Growth Fund have acquired an 81.1% stake in Vale’s Thompson nickel operations in northern Manitoba, committing up to US$200 million to sustain and develop the six-decade-old complex. The new vehicle, Exiro Nickel, takes over day-to-day control of two operating underground mines, the adjacent concentrator and exploration ground along the 135 km Thompson Nickel Belt, while Vale Base Metals retains an 18.9% interest. A multi-year offtake agreement keeps Vale buying nickel concentrate from the Thompson mill, providing a defined outlet for future production.

    Mining
    about 21 hours ago

    Moeve–Emerita 100% renewable diesel deal in Spain: decarbonisation notes for mines

    Moeve and Emerita Resources have signed Spain’s first mining-sector agreement to deploy 100% renewable diesel (HVO) at industrial scale, designating Moeve as preferred supplier of this second-generation biofuel. The HVO, derived from waste and residue feedstocks rather than food crops, is claimed to cut lifecycle CO2 emissions by up to 90% compared with conventional diesel. For mine operators, the drop-in fuel compatibility with existing diesel engines offers a near-term route to decarbonise haul trucks and auxiliary fleets without major equipment changes.

    Related Industries & Products

    Mining

    Geotechnical software solutions for mining operations including CMRR analysis, hydrogeological testing, and data management.

    Tunnelling

    Specialised solutions for tunnelling projects including grout mix design, hydrogeological analysis, and quality control.

    CMRR-io

    Streamline coal mine roof stability assessments with our cloud-based CMRR software featuring automated calculations, multi-scenario analysis, and collaborative workflows.

    HYDROGEO-io

    Comprehensive hydrogeological testing platform for managing, analysing, and reporting on packer tests, lugeon values, and hydraulic conductivity assessments.

    GEODB-io

    Centralised geotechnical data management solution for storing, accessing, and analysing all your site investigation and material testing data.

    AllGeotechnicalInfrastructureHazardsEnvironmental