TNT Mines Ltd (ASX:TIN) has extended mineralisation to the north and south of the existing pit area following a maiden reverse circulation (RC) program testing four separate target areas at the Eureka Gold Project near Kalgoorlie in Western Australia.
A total of 65 holes for 7,480 metres had been drilled to the end of January 2021 with assays returning 34 metres at 1.75 g/t gold from 103 metres, including 9 metres at 2.78 g/t and 3 metres at 7.89 g/t.
The primary objective of the RC program at Eureka is to drill extents of known mineralisation trending north and south from the existing pit, the northern laterite area and down dip of the Eureka pit resource area.
TNT expects to complete the remaining 28 holes in the program by mid to late February.
Holes have "meaningfully grown footprint"
Chairman Alex Hewlett said: “While early on in the program, with less than 30% of the entire program’s assay results returned, so far we have been surprised with the width of mineralisation encountered south of the pit in holes WRRC0081and WRRC0001.
“Both holes have meaningfully grown the footprint of the mineralisation at Eureka to the south and we hope to further drill test this zone because of these intervals.
“Additionally, the arrival of a more powerful RC drill rig late last week will enable testing for any high-grade down dip potential of the Eureka gold system.”
Historic workings and previously drilled high-grade results intersected 600 metres to the north of the existing pit area have also been tested.
Next steps
The current Eureka drill program will run until late February 2021 with final design metreage estimated to reach 11,400 metres, an increase of 1,200 metres on the initial design.
A larger capacity rig was mobilised to site late last week to begin drilling deeper targets under the Eureka pit and on the southern down-dip extensions below the mineralisation intersected in WRRC0001 and WRRC0081.
Follow-up deeper drilling
A follow-up, deeper RC drilling program is planned to test the potential extensions of high-grade mineralisation down dip beneath the existing pit.
An improved understanding of the overall controls of mineralisation at Eureka is being compiled as the program advances, with areas of main interest being defined by a sheared package of mafic units bounded by two large NW-SE trending faults coincident with shale units located at each contact.
Future exploration will be focused within these limits.
Upon completion of the first round of drilling at Eureka, drill crews will be mobilised to the Warriedar Project site to carry out an initial program including Mt Laws resource definition drilling and testing the current known extents of the high-grade Reid’s Ridge mine lode.