OAR Resources Ltd (ASX:OAR) (FRA:F1S) has started a fresh aircore drilling program at its Gibraltar Halloysite-Kaolin Project on South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula, to the north of and adjacent to Andromeda Metals Ltd’s (ASX:ADN) Mt Hope Project.
It will complete an estimated 2,500 metres of shallow drilling in around 47 holes on a 400 metres x 400 metres grid pattern.
Drilling will test an area extending 3.5 kilometres to the north of its previously completed aircore drilling, which confirmed the presence of high-grade halloysite mineralisation (20%) within a blanket of saprolitic clays developed above a gneissic granite basement.
The company has the capacity within existing approvals to extend the drilling campaign should it so wish, based on the initial in-field observations.
Understand underlying geology
OAR Resources general manager of exploration Tony Greenaway said: “We are excited to be back drilling at our Gibraltar Project to follow up on our initial success, which confirmed the presence of high-grade halloysite on the project.
“Our initial drilling highlighted multiple halloysite pods within the kaolinite clays, with our highest-grade result of 20% halloysite occurring at the end of a line of drilling.
“This current program is designed to significantly extend drilling to the north, where we are looking to both expand the known halloysite pods; and identify areas of more felsic basement material, which have a lower mafic component and should result in the development of a brighter white kaolinitic saprolite.
“With the Eyre Peninsula covered with a calcrete cap and very little to no outcropping basement, we must complete our systematic drilling to understand the underlying geology.”
The high proportion of samples containing halloysite from the initial program has given the company encouragement to expand on the initial discovery.
Drilling is also looking to identify areas of more felsic granite basement lithologies, which should result in the development of high brightness kaolinitic saprolitic material.
Additional drilling applications
The company has submitted applications for additional drilling to the south, west and east of the existing aircore drilling completed in late 2020.
It plans to undertake similar wide-spaced extensional drilling where previous results show high-grade halloysite mineralisation; and regional-scale reconnaissance drilling to better map-out the basement lithologies.
With the Eyre Peninsula covered with a layer of calcrete, the underlying geology is completely masked and shallow, inexpensive aircore drilling is the best way to identify and understand the regional geology.
The OAR geological team has been undertaking a regional-scale interpretation of the basement lithologies, based on its own and historic drilling within the Eyre Peninsula, to prioritise exploration within the company’s extensive tenement package.