Westar Resources Ltd (ASX:WSR) continues to progress its exploration strategy for the Gidjee North Project after honing in on a series of gold and base metal targets at its wholly-owned WA asset.
The ASX-listed explorer recently conducted fieldwork over the tenement, reviewing historical geochemical and survey data in the process.
That program led to eight precious and nine base metal targets, meaning there could be gold, copper and zinc mineralisation across Gidjee North’s acreage.
To capitalise on the newfound targets, Westar will fast-track its follow-up exploration campaign ahead of its maiden drilling expedition next year.
Outside of Gidgee, Westar is exploring along some of WA’s most prolific goldfields, including Nullagine, Mount Magnet, Southern Cross and the Sandstones.
Its exploration prospects rub shoulder with gold discoveries and operating mines that are linked to more than half a million gold ounces.
“Robust and data-driven”
Speaking to the target discoveries, Westar managing director Karl Jupp said: ” The recent field programs including mapping, rock chip sampling and soil geochemistry, combined with the technical outputs from the PGN Geoscience litho-structural and geochemical review has greatly assisted in driving our robust and data-driven targeting at our Gidgee North project.
“There is substantial potential for the project to host both gold and copper-zinc mineralisation and we’re excited to rapidly progress exploration on these targets within this underexplored region of the Gum Creek greenstone belt”.
Uncovering targets
To better determine Gidjee’s prospectivity, Westar collated datasets across the region, a technical review from PGN Geoscience and findings from the field.
Litho-structurally, it seems there’s possible volcanic-hosted massive sulphide (VHMS) or stratiform mineralisation, as well as copper-zinc anomalies.
There’s also gold occurrences, linked to a late-stage faulting event across the Gidjee tenement.
The ASX-lister also contracted a specialist to get a better sense of the lay of the land.
This team conducted mapping, rock chip and soil sampling over Gidjee’s ground as part of the maiden fieldwork campaign.
Nineteen rock chip samples were submitted for multi-element analysis, returning silver, arsenic, copper, zinc and barium.
There was also generally low nickel, cobalt and manages findings in the project’s ironstone samples, although Westar maintains even low-level anomalism in targeted elements could hold great significance.
In addition, 326 soil samples made their way back from the Gidjee camp, focused on the area where a SkyTEM anomaly was identified.
The soil samples point to distinct arsenic, copper and barium anomalies over the SkyTEM area, which could imply metal zonation — a common occurrence in VMS base metal targets.
After its fieldwork campaign, Westar ranked each target in terms of priority and mapped out a forward work plan.
Hunting for base metals
There are nine base metal targets — prospective for copper and zinc — that warrant follow-up exploration.
These are listed below, with V, T and S representing the most important targets.
Westar intends to conduct more soil sampling over the anomalies, as well as aerial electromagnetic surveying.
Interestingly, the highly anomalous zinc data is also associated with banded iron formation (BIF) units to Gidjee’s northwest.
This may reflect an ‘Algoma-type BIF’, which could be proximal to VMS mineralisation.
The targets are spread across Gidjee North’s acreage, although the three high-priority anomalies are clustered in the centre.
Prospecting for gold
Aside from the base metal targets, Westar is also honing in on gold mineralisation at its wholly-owned project.
There are eight targets to follow up, three of which — D, E and F — represent high-priority opportunities.
The ASX-lister will get a better sense of their prospectivity through field reconnaissance, mapping and soil sampling.
As part of its target definition program, Westar looked at historical geochem datasets from the region, which indicate there’s anomalous gold throughout the Gum Creek Greenstone Belt.
This is a big part of the geology behind Horizon Gold Ltd (ASX:HRN)’s Gum Creek Gold Project, a 1.36-million ounce gold play averaging 2.3 g/t gold.
As with the base metal anomalies, Gidjee’s gold targets are rather spread out, but the most important prospects are clustered in the centre.
What now?
Westar believes it’s important to follow up on the newfound targets as soon as possible.
That’s why the precious and base metal explorer is preparing to head back to the field for another round of soil sampling and surveying.
Once complete, the airborne electromagnetic data will help Westar generate plate models across the targets.
This will help the company draw closer to Gidjee’s anomalies and assist in drill planning.
All of this leads up to Westar’s first-ever drill program at the wholly-owned project, which is set to kick off in the first half of next year.
As work progresses, the ASX-lister will continue to keep the market informed.