A regional ground gravity survey by Yandal Resources Ltd (ASX:YRL) across its Ironstone Well-Barwidgee (IWB) Gold Project in Western Australia has highlighted new large-scale gold targets.
The company completed a 200-metre by 200-metre ground gravity survey in April 2024 across the northeast portion of the project, which is around 50 kilometres south of the Jundee Gold Mine in the northern Yandal Belt.
This survey covered an area where regional aerial magnetics couldn’t provide adequate resolution to interpret underlying stratigraphy and structural architecture.
Several targets
Yandal received the processed ground gravity images in late May, with preliminary interpretations highlighting several compelling conceptual gold targets and target areas.
The survey highlighted a much more complex structural setting across the northeast portion of the IWB Gold Project compared to previous regional interpretations.
Importantly, the gravity data presents several new and highly encouraging conceptual exploration target areas, some of which show similarities to several world glass gold camps
One key feature observed is an interpreted large-scale north plunging fold structure truncated to the southwest by a northwest striking shear zone.
This structural architecture is comparable to other world-class gold camps, including the Golden Mile deposit and the folded mafic sequence of the Timmins-Porcupine gold district in Canada.
The dataset also highlighted the poorly tested Irulan dolerite within a similar lithostructural setting to the Jundee Gold Mine further north in the Yandal Greenstone Belt.
Potentially two new structures
Yandal Resources technical director Chris Oorschot said: “We completed this ground gravity survey to provide more detail around a regional gravity high and to supplement the aerial magnetic data across the northeast portion of the IWB Project.
“The features coming out of the preliminary interpretation of the ground gravity dataset are highly encouraging, revealing potentially two new regional structures linking the Ockerburry and Barwidgee Shear Zones and a large-scale fold truncated to the south by one of these structures. We quickly began to draw comparisons to some well-known gold deposit analogues.
“This is a real example of the benefits of acquiring high-quality regional datasets, enabling the generation of new targets and advancing geological knowledge within the region. We hope the regional soil sampling results, due in mid-June, will have a similar result.”
Newsflow ahead
The early-stage target areas will be reviewed in the coming months, and a project-wide targets and target ranking review is scheduled for July.
Preliminary work will include a detailed review of historical exploration and field reconnaissance. The regional soil sampling results, due in mid-June, may also provide a first-pass assessment of several of these targets.
Yandal remains well-funded to maintain a high level of exploration throughout 2024. It has outlined priority exploration activities and upcoming news:
- Results for the recently completed RC drilling at Oblique, which are expected in the coming weeks, followed by the Quarter Moon RC results later this month.
- Results from the regional soil sampling program are expected in mid-June.
- Diamond drilling is underway at Oblique, with the rig to move to Quarter Moon by mid-June and then onto the New England Granite Prospect in late June.
- Initial diamond drilling results are expected in the second half of July.