Surefire Resources NL (ASX:SRN) is on its way to restart drilling at the Yidby Gold Deposit, testing a 400-metre-wide mineralised shear corridor within Western Australia’s southern Murchison District.
Although poor weather conditions, drill rig and labour shortages have hampered exploration in recent months, as much as 2,000 metres of reverse circulation drilling is scheduled to kick off from September 1 to test and extend the Yidby Road prospect’s gold mineralisation.
The restart comes after a soil geochemical survey, comprising 528 samples, took place over Yidby Road’s southeast portion, with assays expected in the coming weeks.
Meanwhile, an Arvista aerial drone survey has been commissioned to analyse the deposit and its surrounding regions to advance the 3D modelling of a maiden, JORC 2012-compliant resource.
Moving towards JORC 2012 compliance
Surefire Resources managing director Vladimir Nikolaenko said: “We are very excited to re-commence the drilling program at the Yidby Gold Deposit with an aim towards progressing the mineralisation to JORC 2012 compliant status.
“We will be testing the gold-bearing structures within this wide 400-metre corridor with an east-west reverse circulation fence line.
“This may identify new mineralisation along strike to the NW of the main ore body in a network of parallel shears.”
Exploration underway
Surefire’s upcoming drilling campaign will incorporate around 15 holes, for 2,000 metres designed to continue testing the along-strike and down-dip extensions of the Yidby Gold Deposit.
The follow-up drilling will include an east-west line that intersects a mobile metal ions (MMI) soil geochemical anomaly coincident with a series of interpreted cross faults and splays off the main Yidby Cryptic Fault.
Arvista Aerial & Terrestrial Surveying Services is expected to complete an aerial drone Survey by September 15 over the Yidby deposit and its surrounding targets.
The survey will collect photogrammetry and digital terrain model data that will be used to progress a JORC 2012 maiden resource at Yidby.
In tandem, Surefire has also reported that an approximate 528-sample soil geochemical survey has been completed along strike from the Yidby deposit to test the fertility of a sheared banded iron formation/ultramafic contact.
Assay results are pending and slated for release over the next six to eight weeks, depending on laboratory backlogs.
The Yidby Gold Project
Surefire’s Yidby asset is within the southern portion of the Yalgoo-Singleton Greenstone Belt near Ninghan Station Homestead.
To the south of the project lies the Extension Hill iron ore mine and the 900,000-ounce Mount Gibson Gold Mine.
In addition, the more than 1.1-million-ounce Minjar Gold Project is about 65 kilometres to the northwest and the million-ounce Kirkalocka Gold Project around 70 kilometres to the northeast.
The three exploration licences cover 114 square kilometres and include three gold prospects that host significant gold mineralisation: the Yidby Road, Delaney Well and Cashens Find targets.
The project lies within 1 kilometre of the Great Northern Highway, a major arterial road that services the various mining centres and is the state’s main link to the northwest and is 400 kilometres from Perth.