White Cliff Minerals (ASX:WCN) has commenced its 2017 field exploration program at the 302,000 ounce Aucu gold project located in the Kyrgyz Republic of central Asia.
Initial work will see access tracks cleared for drill pads at the Quartz Zone where a successful drill campaign in 2016 identified 244,000 tonnes at 9.5 g/t gold.
The current 75,000 ounces of gold at the Quartz Zone is from surface to 100 metres depth but it appears to extend to at least 200 metres depth and to the southeast along strike.
The 2017 Phase one drill program will consist of 1,200 metres of reverse circulation drilling between 70 and 130 metres deep, at the Quartz Zone.
Furthermore, the metallurgical test work is nearing completion and the mining optimisation study is currently underway.
Recent resource upgrade
White Cliff recently posted a 93% increase to its JORC resource at its 90% owned Aucu gold project.
The high grade Aucu gold deposit now stands at 1.8 million tonnes grading 5.2 g/t gold for 302,000 ounces of gold.
The new resource estimate represented a 23% increase in gold grade and also included a Inferred copper resource of 608,000 tonnes grading 0.64% copper for 3,870 tonnes of copper.
Test-work and studies
The current mining optimisation study aims to establish how much of the current resource could potentially be extracted via an open pit mining operation.
This study will consider the relevant capital expenditure required to build an economic mining operation.
The substantial gold and copper metallurgical test work program aims to better outline potential processing options for the deposit.
Additional drill plans
Subsequent drill programs will be conducted at the north western end of the Lower Gold Zone where drilling identified 6 metres at 38 g/t gold.
Also during the 2017 field season White Cliff is planning drilling to test extensions of the remaining resource zones - Sandstone, Upper Gold Zone, Camp Gold Zone and Eastern Gold Zone.
Details of these drilling programs will be released later in the field season.
Analysis
The 2017 drilling program has strong potential to expand the high grade Quartz Zone, which has a high average gold grade of 9.5 g/t gold.
Mineralisation at Aucu outcrops at surface and has only been drilled to 100 metres vertical depth with the current resource open at depth and along strike.
Significantly, the current resource represents less than 5% of identified mineralised faults with the remaining 95% yet to be drilled.
The quality of the current resource combined with the rock chip sampling of the extensive mineralised systems signals the growth potential of Aucu.