Alto Metals Ltd’s (ASX:AME) compilation and review of a previous explorer’s data has confirmed that shallow high-grade gold mineralisation exists at the Ladybird Prospect within its Sandstone Gold Project in Western Australia.
Significant historical reverse circulation (RC) drill intersections at Ladybird include:
• 5 metres at 29.4 g/t gold from 8 metres;
• 4 metres at 7.3 g/t gold from 42 metres; and
• 5 metres at 5.6 g/t gold from 0 metres.
Although the mineralised zone is relatively narrow and steeply dipping, the grade and continuity of mineralisation suggest that the deposit could be amenable to open pit mining in its upper reaches.
READ: Alto Metals targets 500,000 gold ounces at Sandstone in 2019 enroute to 1+ million
The Sandstone Gold Project comprises about 800 square kilometres of the prospective Archaean Sandstone Goldfield, 600 kilometres north of Perth in the East Murchison Mineral Field.
Alto’s goal is the delineation of a +1 million gold ounces resource that could become the basis for a re-establishment of standalone oxide and primary gold mining and milling operations.
Background
Western Mining Corporation initially completed 19 reverse circulation (RC) drill holes in 1988 at Ladybird which defined a 550-metre strike length of gold mineralisation.
A further ten RC drill holes were completed in the same year, and drill hole MSGC1162 reported a high-grade intersection with gold values including 1 metre at 67 g/t gold.
In 1990, a further nine RC holes were completed and in 1992 WMC reported a maiden resource estimate.
Alto has now captured and digitised the existing Ladybird drilling data and produced a 3D model of the geology and mineralisation.
3D model of geology and mineralisation
The model has assisted with interpretation of the mineralisation and the targeting of future drilling.
Alto has commissioned Dr Spero Carras of Carras Mining Pty Ltd to prepare a JORC resource estimate for the Ladybird deposit. This should be completed by February 2019.
Further RC drilling is planned to test the strike and down-dip extensions to the mineralisation and potentially expand the mineralised area.
Exploration and development pipeline for Sandstone