Nexus Minerals Ltd (ASX:NXM) has delivered further high-grade gold results from the Payns prospect at its Wallbrook Gold Project in Western Australia, strengthening the prospect’s potential contribution to an updated multi-prospect mineral resource estimate.
The final tranche of assays included a standout intersection of 21 metres at 3.26 g/t gold from 39 metres, containing 5 metres at 12.83 g/t gold and 1 metre at 34.77 g/t gold.
Results have now been received for all 79 reverse circulation holes completed at Payns, covering 6,040 metres of drilling.
High-grade core confirmed
Other notable intersections from the latest 49-hole, 3,816-metre assay batch included:
- 22 metres at 1.14 g/t gold from 28 metres, including 6 metres at 3.15 g/t and 1 metre at 10.46 g/t;
- 8 metres at 1.70 g/t gold from 37 metres, including 3 metres at 3.89 g/t;
- 6 metres at 1.66 g/t gold from 52 metres, including 1 metre at 4.68 g/t; and
- 4 metres at 1.59 g/t gold from 86 metres, including 1 metre at 5.70 g/t.
Nexus confirmed broad zones of shallow, gently dipping mineralisation with an emerging higher-grade core.
Mineralisation remains open along strike and at depth, providing scope for further lateral and vertical growth.
Managing director Andy Tudor said completion of the broader drilling program safely and on schedule was a credit to the exploration team.
“Payns assay reporting is now complete, with the program returning impressive near-surface, high-grade intercepts,” he said.
“Encouragingly, the drilling has left ongoing scope to grow the Payns prospect both along strike and at depth.”
Nexus Wallbrook regional prospects location map.
Payns positioned for maiden resource
Payns is a large, near-surface mineralised system about 4 kilometres northwest of the existing Crusader-Templar resource and south along strike from Northern Star Resources’ Porphyry and Million Dollar gold mines.
The prospect covers a mineralised footprint of about 900 metres by 750 metres and is located roughly 500 metres west of the Branches discovery.
The completed drilling was designed to infill existing intersections, test near-surface lodes along strike and down-dip, assess deeper structural targets and establish sufficient drill density for a maiden mineral resource estimate.
The current Wallbrook resource is limited to the Crusader-Templar deposit, which contains 5.67 million tonnes at 1.7 g/t gold for 304,000 ounces.
Wallbrook program complete
Nexus has now completed its wider Wallbrook RC campaign, comprising 196 holes for 21,985 metres across the Clement, Payns, Branches and Crusader-Templar prospects.
The program is intended to establish a broader resource base across multiple prospects rather than relying solely on Crusader-Templar.
Nexus controls a 192-square-kilometre land package at Wallbrook, immediately north of Northern Star’s Carosue Dam operations in the Eastern Goldfields.
What's ahead
Assay results from Branches and Crusader-Templar are expected through July and August.
Independent consultant Lily Valley International has been engaged to prepare the updated multi-prospect Wallbrook mineral resource estimate, which is targeted for completion by the end of the September quarter.