Fortuna Mining is assessing whether gold mineralisation beneath the planned floor of its Lindero open pit in Argentina can support a deeper mine design and revised production schedule. The Northern Miner reported that the company intends to complete its geological model and pit design updates by year-end, ahead of publishing revised resource and reserve estimates in the first quarter of next year.
Hole LDH-272 intersected 350 metres averaging 0.96 gram of gold per tonne from surface, including 98 metres at 0.91 gram beneath the current pit design, according to company results cited by the outlet. Hole LDH-259 returned 236 metres at 0.85 gram from surface, with a below-pit section of 94 metres grading 0.66 gram. Both deeper sections grade above Lindero’s existing reserve average of 0.54 gram per tonne, but the drilling does not establish their economic mineability. The intersections are downhole lengths; true widths remain undefined because the mineralisation forms a roughly circular body associated with a porphyry intrusion.
Encouraging initial results prompted Fortuna to increase this year’s diamond drilling programme from 6,000 metres to 8,534 metres across 31 holes. Work concentrated on improving confidence in inferred resources below the southern part of the planned pit, where previous drilling had found higher-grade gold. Crews also collected samples to assess expected recoveries from material due to be mined over the next two years.
National Bank analyst Mohamed Sidibé said the broad intersections supported the case for bringing below-pit material into an updated pit and reserve estimate, The Northern Miner reported. Lindero represents 32% of the bank’s forecast Fortuna production this year and 28% of its estimated net asset value. Its operating model uses existing reserves only, while its valuation gives some credit to resources outside the mine plan.
At 31 December 2025, Lindero had 64.4 million tonnes of proven and probable reserves containing about 1.1 million ounces of gold, with a remaining reserve life of nine years, according to Fortuna documentation cited in the report. The heap-leach mine produced 26,024 ounces in the three months to September, up 25% from the preceding quarter as better equipment availability increased crushing and stacking rates. Nine-month production totalled 68,398 ounces, and Fortuna retained annual guidance of 92,000–102,000 ounces.