White Cliff Minerals (ASX:WCN) has drilled out shallow high grade gold in its recently completed 733 metre aircore program at the Merolia Gold Project near Laverton in Western Australia.
The significant gold mineralisation was identified at the East Burtville Gold Prospect and features intersections such as 8 metres at 6.7 g/t gold from surface.
Todd Hibberd, managing director, commented: “The East Burtville prospect has great potential to host a high grade gold deposit that is amenable to open pit mining.
“The quartz vein has been identified over 100 metres of strike and 80 metres depth with some very attractive grades.
“The Laverton region has several mills that are within haulage distance so a small open pit-toll treatment operation is a distinct possibility.”
Drill details
White Cliff recently completed a 733 metre aircore drilling program targeting significant gold mineralisation identified in historical exploration and mine workings at the East Burtville Gold Prospect.
The current drilling identified high grade gold mineralisation including:
- 8 metres at 6.7 g/t gold from surface;
- 4 metres at 5.1 g/t gold from surface;
- 4 metres at 3.4 g/t gold from 40 metres within quartz veining; and
- 8 metres at 0.68 g/t gold from 72 metres within quartz veining.
The gold mineralisation is associated with a quartz vein, which is exposed at surface and has been intersected in drilling over a strike length of 100 metres and is open along strike and at depth.
Single metre sample intervals have been collected for analysis and will plan further drilling once these assays have been received and released.
Background
White Cliff is advancing its 90% 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 1.8 million tonnes grading 5.2 g/t gold for 302,000 ounces of contained gold.
The 2017 exploration program recently commenced at Aucu which is working towards a phase one drill program of 1,200 metres of reverse circulation drilling at the Quartz Zone.
White Cliff has three other projects including:
- Bremer Range Nickel Project (100%);
- Lake Percy Lithium Project (100% reducing to 30% in joint venture); and
- Laverton Gold Project (100%).
Analysis
Gold mineralisation has been intersected in grades of up to 6.7 g/t and at surface, which bodes well for a potential open pit mine.
The gold is thought to be associated with a quartz vein structure which is exposed at surface but its size and potential underground is yet to be realised.
Further drilling to better understand the size of this quartz vein and if it continues to be mineralised with gold will support White Cliff in understanding the value of this prospect.
Given the prospect’s location in the well-known mining region of Laverton, sufficient infrastructure is in place in the region to service an open pit gold mine.
Further assays which are expected and details on the follow-up exploration program at East Burtville will provide short term news flow for investors.