Emmerson Resources Limited's (ASX:ERM) (FRA:42E) drilling at the high-grade Mauretania gold discovery has confirmed that depth extensions are possible at the project.
The Western Australian company said findings from the first diamond drill hole in a campaign at the project had further enhanced the project’s future development potential.
Results received from the upper oxide zone diamond hole included: 10 metres at 3.01 g/t gold from 62 metres; 6 metres at 2.43 g/t from 82 metres; 4 metres at 4.64 g/t from 94 metres, including 2 metres at 7.92 g/t; 1-metre grading 7.19 g/t from 101 metres; and 1-metre at 5.11 g/t from 113 metres.
The deeper primary zone of the hole featured 1-metre at 1.47 g/t gold from 188 metres.
Managing director Rob Bills said, “This is the second diamond drill hole at Mauretania and provides another profile of the geology and grade distribution in the upper oxide and lower primary gold zones.
“The variance in the gold grade of this hole compared to the previous diamond drill hole - 20 metres at 38.5 g/t gold from 92 metres, including 4 metres at 158 g/t gold - reflects the coarse nature of the gold.
“(It is) a very similar scenario at our Edna Beryl mine where bulk sampling and underground mining provided a statistically more robust representation of the true mining grade, which at Edna Beryl translated into a mining head grade of about 30 g/t gold.”
‘Positive’ geology
The company, which is fond of developing assets to spin on for trailing profits, reported reverse circulation (RC) drilling in three holes had “very positive visual geology”.
Bills said, “Reverse circulation drilling is completed and continues to provide further insights into the geology, grade distribution and size extent.”
Assay samples are expected back in late November 2019.
Emmerson’s leader said, “The visual geology from the shallow RC holes provides encouragement to proceed with a further round of deeper diamond drilling which will use the RC holes as pre collars.”
The follow-up RC effort is tipped to take place from mid-November 2019, with results then likely in December 2019.
A ‘flagship’ discovery
Bills previously called Mauretania “one of our flagship discoveries”, in a December 2018 interview with Proactive.
He said last year, “We drilled some really exciting looking rocks there, and some very thick intersections of what we think potentially could the host of the gold.”
Bills indicated Mauretania could end up another small mine for the company that could follow up the Edna Beryl mine which Emmerson on-sold for a trailing 12% of gold produced out of a mill.