Auravelle Metals Ltd (ASX:AUV) is preparing to start its next round of reverse circulation (RC) drilling at the Nuckulla Hill Gold Project in South Australia, with work to focus on the Sheoak and Sheoak East prospects.
The program is designed to infill and extend high-grade gold mineralisation at Sheoak, while also testing early-stage targets at Sheoak East and elsewhere across the project area.
Targeting Yarlbrinda Shear Zone
Nuckulla Hill sits within the prospective Yarlbrinda Shear Zone, which also hosts Barton Gold Holdings Ltd’s neighbouring 1.6-million-ounce Tunkillia Gold Project.
Nuckulla Hill Project showing the Detailed Aerial Magnetic Survey (colour) over historical regional magnetics (black and white).
Auravelle said the upcoming RC program had been refined using a recent detailed aeromagnetic survey, which had improved its understanding of key regional structures.
Building on high-grade Sheoak hits
Previous drilling at Sheoak returned broad, high-grade gold intersections including 21 metres at 3.1 g/t gold from 54 metres, including 3 metres at 10.5 g/t; 5 metres at 5.8 g/t from 82 metres, including 1 metre at 20.2 g/t; and 9 metres at 2.4 g/t from 60 metres.
Sheoak - Drilling to date over magnetics with key structures.
“The results from Sheoak to date have been outstanding, demonstrating the fertility of the Yarlbrinda Shear outside of the large Tunkillia deposit. Importantly, there remains outstanding growth opportunities at Sheoak with mineralisation open along strike and at depth," Auravelle managing director Andrew Muir said.
"AUV’s pending RC program will test the potential of a number of targets, in addition to Sheoak for bedrock mineralisation. Work to date at Sheoak East has demonstrated the potential for similar such mineralisation given the early-stage results to date and the +400m strike of anomalism, combined with a lack of deep drilling. Further updates on additional RC drill targeting should be finalised shortly.
"Beyond the pending RC program, Auravelle will look to do a larger-scale regional discovery focused aircore program, testing multiple targets identified from the recent detailed magnetic study, structural targeting review and soil sampling.”
Gold anomalism at Sheoak has been defined over at least 600 metres and remains open along strike and at depth.
Sheoak East next in line
At Sheoak East, Auravelle has outlined a +400-metre-long gold anomaly that has had only 1 deep RC hole drilled to date.
Early aircore drilling has returned multiple results above 0.5 g/t gold, and the company believes the area has potential for similar bedrock mineralisation to Sheoak.
What comes next
Auravelle expects to finalise and announce further RC and aircore targets shortly.
Beyond the pending RC program, the company is planning a larger regional, discovery-focused aircore campaign across multiple targets generated from aeromagnetic data, structural targeting and soil sampling.
The company also expects ongoing exploration updates from Nuckulla Hill, including additional RC drill targeting, upcoming aircore targeting, infill and extensional drilling at Sheoak and other prospects, and soil sampling at the Crown Gold Project in Western Australia.