Maximus Resources Ltd (ASX:MXR) (FRA:M5F) has started an initial 2,500-metre diamond drilling program at Redback Gold Deposit within its 100%-owned Spargoville tenements in Western Australia.
The program will comprise 11 holes at an average depth of around 230 metres and is aimed at testing resource extensions as well as infilling the current 42,900-ounce resource.
Drilling will target incremental plunge extensions of the higher-grade domains and is also expected to provide validation of a new geological interpretation of Redback.
The diamond drill program is expected to be completed by February 2021, with results to be provided as the program progresses.
Testing link structure
In addition to the Redback program, around 850 metres of diamond drill tails will be completed testing a potential linking structure between Redback and the Wattle Dam Gold Mine.
The company has completed nine reverse circulation (RC) drill holes at the Redback linking structure.
Working through datasets
Maximus managing director Tim Wither said: “The newly appointed geology team has been working diligently through the existing datasets and revising geological modelling to systematically design these diamond drill programs.
“We are excited about the start of the larger project scale diamond drill program and are eagerly awaiting the results from the recently completed S5 prospect RC drilling which will become available over the coming weeks.”
Redback Gold Project
The Redback Gold Deposit with a JORC-compliant resource of 440,000 tonnes at 3.0 g/t gold for 42,900 ounces is about 600 metres southeast of the previously mined high-grade Wattle Dam Gold Mine.
Local geology at Redback is similar to the high-grade Wattle Dam mine with a high component of visible gold mineralisation hosted within deformed ultramafic lithologies.
The high-grade mineralisation often occurs proximal to the contacts between both felsic intrusive the ultramafic intrusive and interflow metasediments.
Gold mineralisation at Redback deposit has been modelled as three subparallel and near-vertical domains with recent reinterpretations comprising of well-developed eastern and western structures which are connected by linking shears/mineralised domains.
Redback drilling
The start of diamond drilling programs at Redback and the linking structure is the start of a larger project-scale diamond drill campaign within the immediate Wattle Dam Gold Mine area.
Following the Redback programs, the diamond drill rig is scheduled to move to test the Wattle Dam South domain, where areas of high-grade mineralisation have previously not been followed up and then to Golden Orb to test new geological interpretations.
This drilling campaign will be providing newsflow through the first half of 2021.
Forward plan
A second phase diamond drill program is proposed following an assessment of the initial phase of the Redback infill/extension program.
A revised mineral resource estimate is expected to be undertaken on the completion of the second phase diamond drill program.
DMIRS requires that spring and autumn flora and fauna surveys accompany mining proposals.
The company has completed spring field surveys with autumn field surveys scheduled in the greater Redback area, in preparation for potential submission of a mining proposal.