© Reuters. Strickland Metals defines new primary Dusk til Dawn gold structure; potential to add ounces
Strickland Metals Ltd (ASX:STK) believes there is strong potential to grow the 109,000-ounce resource at Dusk til Dawn prospect within the Yandal Gold Project in WA after identifying a new primary mineralised structure.
Coherent bottom-of-hole intercepts returned from an aircore drilling program highlight a consistent 750-metre-long primary mineralised structure, parallel to and due west of the existing Dusk til Dawn resource.
Growing potential
The discovery of this new primary mineralised trend demonstrates the potential for multiple stacked and parallel mineralised lodes, which would significantly increase the existing resource base.
Dusk til Dawn is about 20 kilometres NNW from the Horse Well area, which has a resource of 148,000 ounces.
Chief executive officer Andrew Bray said: “Strickland expanded the aircore program last year to take in a number of other areas away from Horse Well, where the bulk of the drilling had already occurred.
“One of these areas was the ground to the west of the existing 109,000-ounce Dusk til Dawn mineral resource, located about 50 kilometres NNW of Horse Well. This area had historically been poorly understood, with drilling intersecting significant gold anomalism, however, there was little understanding of geometry or potential controls on mineralisation.”
Results include 16 metres at 0.6 g/t gold from 64 metres including 4 metres at 1.7 g/t in hole HWAC1982, 16 metres at 0.5 g/t from 52 metres and 10 metres at 0.3 g/t from 68 metres.
Topographic map highlighting the recent aircore intercepts (bright yellow) in relation to the new primary mineralised structure and the existing Dusk til Dawn inferred resource. Magnetic TMI image underlay.
“Remains entirely open”
“These aircore results have now successfully defined a coherent 750 metres target corridor,” Bray said. “No drilling was able to penetrate into fresh rock, with all anomalous gold results (except for HWAC1982 which was entirely oxide) being observed in the last metre/s of each hole.
“Given the interpreted orientation of mineralisation, the position of the primary structure is yet to be tested in fresh rock. The gold mineralisation remains entirely open down dip and down plunge.”
Both Dusk til Dawn and this newly defined mineralised structure remain open down dip and plunge, offering depth extensions and potentially thicker gold intercepts where these shear zones coalesce.
Further drilling
Follow-up drilling is required to test below holes that ended in mineralisation. Additional drilling is expected to enhance understanding of the thickness and grade distribution throughout the new structure.
This drilling will form part of the larger drill program across the Horse Well project area, with final plans to be released in due course.
Strickland’s Yandal Project, highlighting the key project areas in relation to the key gold and base metal prospects.
“A particular area of high priority for future drilling is the interpreted area where the two sub-parallel shear zones are predicted to intersect. The target area also offers potential for multiple stacked lodes,” Bray said.
“Tremendous potential”
“These results are a good reminder of the tremendous potential our Yandal Gold Project offers.
“While most of the drilling last year occurred at Horse Well (where significant new mineralisation was discovered and requires follow-up drilling), the mineralisation referred to in this announcement is over 20 kilometres away.
“The greenstone belt remains virtually unexplored for the entirety of the ground between these prospect areas, with only very patchy historic programs having occurred.
“Separately, RC drilling has recommenced on-site at Rabbit Well after significant rain throughout the project area.
“Drilling is focused on mapping the overall geological, alteration and pathfinder geochemical model to vector in on the primary source of the previously intersected oxide base metal mineralisation.
“Further assays are expected to be received and released in the coming fortnight. Further updates will be provided as they become available.”
