Astro Resources NL (ASX:ARO) is ready to begin the second phase of its exploration program at the Needles Gold Project in Nevada, USA, to test for the presence of mineralisation similar to the nearby Round Mountain deposit.
DC/IP electric and shallow seismic surveys over the western prospective area will start this month with results expected in late quarter one which will be used as a basis for target generation for the upcoming drill program.
“Testing for gold mineralisation”
Astro chairman Jacob Khouri said: “We are excited by the commencement of the DC/IP and seismic work.
“Needles is a high-quality gold project and this program has been designed to test for buried, flat-lying gold mineralisation akin to that found at the nearby Round Mountain deposit, considered to be one of the world’s largest epithermal, low-sulphidation volcanic-hosted gold deposits.
“Should the geophysical work generate positive results, Astro plans to commence a drill program mid-year, subject to rig availability.”
DC/IP electrical survey
Astro company has entered a contract with Zonge International Inc to carry out an electrical DC/IP survey is designed to infill the 2018 survey to 200 metres line-spacing and extend it to the west - to close off the southwest chargeability anomaly discovered in 2018.
The results of this work will provide higher resolution of the chargeability anomaly and allow the creation of a robust inversion model, providing better understanding of the distribution of sulphides at depth, which may be associated with a Round Mountain style deposit of gold mineralisation.
Modelling results will be used to constrain the location of drill holes in upcoming drilling programs.
The electrical DC/IP survey consists of 11 lines for a total of 27.3-line kilometres.
Seismic survey
Additionally, Astro has entered a contract with Bird Seismic Services Inc to carry out a seismic survey to test the central and western parts of the property that the company considers to be the most prospective.
The results of the survey will provide a depth profile of the shallow dipping volcanics and their relative compactions, which affects porosity, a critical component of the Round Mountain gold deposit model that Astro is using for Needles.
The survey will also help locate sub-vertical faults that may have disrupted the volcanic sequence, including hidden faults with no surface expression, which may host epithermal, bonanza-style gold mineralisation.
The results will be used in planning 2021 drilling programs.