Carnavale Resources Ltd (ASX:CAV) has completed an extensional drilling program at the high-grade gold Swiftsure deposit within the Kookynie Gold Project in Western Australia, testing down dip extensions to bonanza gold grade shoots containing zones of more than 30g/t of gold.
Testing Swiftsure at depth
Carnavale has defined indicated and inferred resources at the Swiftsure deposit to around 200 metres to 250 metres below surface.
The current extensional exploration drilling program tested below the current resource zone from 200 metres to 400 metres below surface for repeats and extensions of the high-grade structures at Swiftsure.
The primary goal of the program was to test the down dip extensions to the Swiftsure bonanza gold grade shoots that contain zones of +30g/t within the resource.
Drilling consisted of 21 holes that included 4,798 metres of reverse circulation (RC) drilling and eight diamond tails for 545 metres of diamond drilling.
Swiftsure RC and diamond drilling down dip target zone below plunging high grade shoots.
“The extensional program went well at Kookynie drilling deeper at Swiftsure,” Carnavale CEO Humphrey Hale said.
“We added some extra metres of diamond drilling due to visual areas of interest encountered in the new drilling.
“CAV looks forward to the results of this drilling which will help inform the next drill program expected to commence in January.”
RC samples have been submitted to the laboratory. The diamond core was logged and photographed onsite and is currently being cut and sampled prior to being submitted to the lab. The company expects to receive all assays in January 2025.
The company also notes that the bonanza grade gold zones at Swiftsure have associated bismuth and tungsten anomalism that is characteristic of and are interpreted to be indicative of deeper mineralisation in the fresh rock, this is also found at the project’s Tiptoe and Valiant prospects.
Carnavale is targeting high-grade gold mineralisation associated with steeply dipping gold shoots with this program of exploration.
Other Kookynie prospects tested along strike
The major mineralising structure at the project strikes northeast southwest and hosts mineralisation at Swiftsure with the new prospects of Tiptoe and Valiant, including Champion South, along strike.
Previous drilling has confirmed the prospectivity of the major shear structure that hosts the bonanza grades at Swiftsure for over 2 kilometres within the tenement package.
Carnavale identified new gold zones at Tiptoe and at Valiant and extended structural targets under alluvial cover.
Kookynie Gold Project with prospect locations over aeromagnetics.
Carnavale has also drill tested Tiptoe — the newly discovered prospect along strike from Swiftsure and southern extensions of the Swiftsure mineralisation.
The current program drilled six shallow RC holes for 756 metres into the Tiptoe prospect chasing high grade mineralisation in fresh rock below strong regolith anomalies.
Encouraged at having intersected the mineralising structure as predicted, CAV says it eagerly awaits laboratory results.
The Valiant prospect will be tested in the next exploration program, which is expected to commence in January 2025.