White Cliff Minerals (ASX:WCN) has identified gold mineralisation in aircore drilling at the Ironstone gold prospect within the Merolia gold project located near Laverton in Western Australia.
The recently completed 2,000 metre drill program was targeting a substantial gold in soil anomaly 200 metres west of previous drilling.
Multiple mineralised zones were intersected from shallow depths that remain open at depth and along strike.
Results include 4 metres at 1.8 g/t gold within 12 metres at 1.1 g/t gold.
Additional drilling is planned in January 2017, which will test both the Ironstone and Comet Well prospects.
Todd Hibberd, managing director, commented: “The first phase of drilling at Ironstone has revealed some intriguing geology, quartz veining and more importantly significant gold mineralisation.”
Drill results details
The drilling identified multiple broad mineralised zones from shallow depths that remain open at depth and along strike.
Results include:
- 4 metres at 1.8 g/t gold within 12 metres at 1.1 g/t gold;
- 4 metres at 1.3 g/t gold and 5 metres at 0.6 g/t gold; and
- 4 metres at 0.79 g/t gold and 4 metres at 0.77 g/t gold within 12 metres at 0.66 g/t gold.
In addition to the main mineralised intersections there are wide zones of +0.2 g/t gold mineralisation that indicates the presence of a large mineralised system and alteration halo.
White Cliff has planned additional air core drilling to test the target further in January 2017 and drilling will be carried out in conjunction with drilling testing the adjacent Comet Well gold in soil anomalies.
Background
White Cliff is advancing its 89% owned Aucu gold deposit located in the Kyrgyz Republic and its 100% owned Merolia gold project located near Laverton, Western Australia.
Merolia hosts the Ironstone, Comet Well and Burtville East gold anomalies.
Historical drilling intersected substantial mineralisation including 5 metres at 33 g/t gold, 2 metres at 6.65 g/t gold and 3 metres at 5.3 g/t gold.
Aucu hosts a resource of 1.15 million tonnes grading 4.2 g/t gold for 156,000 ounces of contained gold at a 1.0 g/t cut-off grade.
Drilling has discovered significant surface expressions of visible gold along strike from this resource including 8 metres at 55.2 g/t gold and 4 metres at 59.9 g/t gold.
Analysis
Drill results at Ironstone have identified broad zones of gold mineralisation open along strike and at depth.
Importantly, drilling at the adjacent prospect identified substantially higher grades in the fresh rock below similar gold results in the weathered shallow zone.
Follow up drilling will test the mineralisation at depth and along strike and help to clarify the relationship between the new gold mineralisation and the high grade gold mineralisation identified 200 metres west of the current drilling.
The Merolia gold project continues to show potential for a major gold discovery and the ongoing drill programs are the first phase of a broader exploration strategy aimed at exploring that potential.
White Cliff is still awaiting assays results from 15 completed reverse circulation drill holes at the Aucu gold deposit.