Kingwest Resources Ltd (ASX:KWR) is heading back to the Menzies Gold Project for another round of drilling, kickstarting the next chapter of its exploration journey at the WA gold camp.
The precious metals explorer plans to take to the soil with an infill reverse circulation (RC) campaign, this time targeting Menzies’ Stirling and Pericles deposits.
These near-surface gold hubs are reported to host high-grade cores, weighing in around 45,000 ounces at 5.2 g/t, and were recently targets for resource estimation work.
It hasn’t been long since Kingwest had boots on the ground at Menzies: in December 2022, the explorer fielded up to 108 g/t gold during a 40-hole RC campaign.
Big-picture, the company’s latest program falls in-step with its planed merger with Brightstar Resources Ltd — a move designed to marry two complementary West Aussie gold stocks so they can leverage Brightstar’s processing infrastructure.
Magnifying Menzies
Hot on the heels of its December 2022 campaign, Kingwest has ordered another 1,000 metres of infill RC drilling at Menzies.
This time, the drill bit will seek out higher-grade material, hoping to increase confidence in the current resource estimation.
In addition, drilling will allow Kingwest to take a closer look at some conceptual targets, including parallel lodes similar to those seen at the adjacent Lady Shenton pit.
This envelope is known for its historical production record: the Lady Shenton, Falconer and Big Babe lodes generated 221,350 ounces of gold between 1896 and 19993.
Developing Pericles and Stirling
Menzies’ Pericles and Stirling deposits represent an attractive, shallow gold opportunity. On average, slightly more than half of the deposits’ inferred gold material lies within 125 metres of the surface.
However, Kingwest needs to continue infill drilling to improve confidence in the gold grade and overall resource, because mineralisation remains open at depth.
Ahead of the program, Kingwest executive chairman Greg Bittar said the company was looking forward to digging deeper at Stirling and Pericles.
“Following the shallow drilling completed late last year, we will be using a drill rig more capable of chasing lodes a little deeper in order to test for higher-grade material.
“These deposits are highly attractive for mining studies, with their near-surface and high-grade nature particularly appealing for potential processing at the Brightstar Gold Plant (currently on care & maintenance), located roughly 30 kilometres south of Laverton and wholly owned by Brightstar Resources.”