Cervantes Corporation Limited (ASX:CVS) has started drilling its flagship Primrose Gold Project in the Yalgoo district of WA following a successful recapitalisation and re-quotation on the ASX.
A campaign of around 3,000 metres of reverse circulation (RC) drilling will focus on Blue Heaven exploration target, an untested primary gold mineralisation target, and a number of as yet untested historic gold lodes.
The drilling will progress the conceptual exploration target of 170,000 to 520,000 tonnes at 2.2 to 4.5 g/t gold and follow-up previous intercepts that include:
- 12 metres at 6.62 g/t from 10 metres;
- 3 metres at 9.28 g/t from 47 metres; and
- 7 metres at 2.43 g/t from 26 metres.
Drilling will also be undertaken on the periphery of the exploration target to pursue gold mineralisation in areas not yet closed off by the previous drilling.
"An important step"
Cervantes chairman Robert Downey said: “This drilling campaign is an important step in advancing the Blue Heaven exploration target.
“While drilling is focused on better defining and expanding the known gold mineralisation, it will also test important new areas that have the potential to significantly increase the area’s gold endowment.”
Exploration drilling
Many of the known lines of lode, major quartz veins along which shallow mines have been developed, have never been tested by drilling and the company has started verification and infill drilling in support of converting the exploration target to a JORC resource.
The current drilling campaign is designed to undertake initial testing of these to gauge their potential and the drilling is expected to take about 15 days to complete.
Blue Heaven target
The Blue Heaven area covers the core of the historic Paynes Find goldfield and was the major focus of the previous explorer’s drilling activities.
In 2020, Cervantes reviewed this data and announced the exploration target. The potential quantity and grade of an exploration target estimate are conceptual in nature as there has been insufficient reliable exploration data to estimate a mineral resource.
Among the areas not yet closed off are an untested potentially large tonnage primary gold mineralisation target identified by CSA Global that have its first drill test.
Data reviewed
Prior to the previous explorer exiting the field, CSA Global was commissioned to undertake a review of the geological data to improve understanding of the structural and lithostratigraphic controls on mineralisation in this goldfield.
More than 37 historic mines occur within the area and these mines are developed on secondary structures associated with the Primrose Shear.