White Cliff Minerals (ASX:WCN) has received the final gold assays from its 2016 drilling at the Aucu gold project located in central Asia.
Gold mineralisation was intersected in each of the last three holes at the Quartz Zone extending the identified mineralisation a further 50 metres along strike.
Results include 3 metres at 11.9 g/t gold.
The extent of mineralisation at the Quartz Zone remains open along strike and at depth.
Following the successful completion of the 2016 drilling campaign, a new JORC compliant resource estimate is being compiled with results expected in March.
Todd Hibberd, managing director, commented: “The final 2016 drill results continue to extend the high grade Quartz Zone with mapping and rock chip sampling indicating further strike extension for at least another 100 metres to the southeast.”
Final Aucu drill results
Highlights from the final assays include:
- 3 metres at 11.9 g/t gold;
- 3 metres at 11.2 g/t gold; and
- 5 metres at 7.6 g/t gold.
In addition, 50 metres southeast, channel sampling identified gold mineralisation in outcrop that returned assay results of 3 metres at 3.8 g/t gold.
A total of 4,045 metres were drilled consisting of 16 diamond holes and 17 reverse circulations holes.
Next steps at Aucu
White Cliff is currently compiling all drilling, mapping, rock chip sampling and trenching data in preparation for the calculation of a new JORC compliant resource estimate expected in March.
On completion of the resource estimate the company will conduct a preliminary open pit mining optimisation study to establish the base line economics of the project.
The optimisation work will assist with the preparation and lodgement of a formal mining license application.
White Cliff is also conducting further metallurgical test work to establish the most likely gold processing method. Results are expected in March.
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.
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.
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.
Analysis
The 2016 drill program at Aucu has been successful in discovering new high grade, near surface gold zones containing substantial visible gold.
The results from the 2016 drill program will now be used to calculate a new JORC resource which will help realise the value of the gold mineralisation drilled out.
The Quartz Zone remains open along strike and at depth and will be the focus of further drilling in 2017.
White Cliff remains leveraged to exploration news flow through planned drilling at the Merolia gold project and field work being conducted at its Lake Percy tenement in Western Australia.