Argent Minerals Ltd (ASX:ARD) has secured regulatory approvals to begin maiden drilling at its 100%-owned Trunkey Creek Gold Project in New South Wales, setting up the first systematic drill test of a 4.7-kilometre gold-mineralised corridor that has returned exceptionally high-grade results at surface.
Diamond and reverse circulation (RC) drilling is scheduled to begin in early September, with the initial program comprising 10 holes for around 1,000 metres targeting interpreted gold-bearing structures beneath and adjacent to historic workings.
The company has appointed Orange-based Chief Drilling as contractor, with at least one rig secured for the campaign. Argent expects assay results could be available around six weeks after drilling begins.
High-grade surface results underpin targets
Trunkey Creek sits about 9 kilometres by road southeast of Argent’s flagship Kempfield Project and has produced rock-chip assays of up to 1,930 g/t gold, as well as a more recent result of 73.3 g/t gold. Both results came from selective sampling of historic mullock dumps and may not be representative of broader mineralisation.
Argent has progressively defined the 4.7-kilometre mineralised structural corridor through mapping of historic workings, surface geochemistry, rock-chip sampling and structural interpretation.
The maiden drilling program is designed to determine whether the high-grade gold seen at surface extends beneath the historic workings and at depth. The company has retained flexibility to expand drilling rapidly should the first results validate its geological model.
Historic goldfield moves into modern exploration
Trunkey Creek forms part of the historic Central West goldfields, with mining dating back to the 1850s.
Historical records show miners developed numerous quartz reefs along the corridor, including Wilson’s Reef, where the main shaft reached around 187 metres. Records indicate mining stopped after groundwater became a major constraint rather than because mineralisation had been exhausted, leaving much of the system largely untested using modern exploration techniques.
Argent chief executive Mike McKevitt described the program as the next step in determining what lies beneath the high-grade surface mineralisation already identified at Trunkey.
Depending on results and a better understanding of the subsurface geology, Argent has indicated that subsequent drilling could be expanded into a program of between 10,000 and 20,000 metres.
About Argent Minerals
Argent Minerals is focused primarily on its 100%-owned Kempfield Project in New South Wales, which hosts a 63.7-million-tonne resource grading 69.75 g/t silver equivalent for 142.8 million ounces of silver equivalent, including 65.8 million ounces of silver, 125,192 ounces of gold, 207,402 tonnes of lead and 420,373 tonnes of zinc.
The company’s nearby Trunkey Creek, Mt Dudley and Pine Ridge projects provide additional gold exploration exposure around Kempfield, while Argent also owns the Copperhead Polymetallic Project in Western Australia.