Strickland Metals Ltd (ASX:STK) has encountered multiple high-grade gold intersections in its first drilling campaign at Dusk til Dawn, which it believes will allow for rapid remodelling of the mineral resource at the deposit within the company’s consolidated tenements in the northeast flank of Yandal Greenstone Belt.
A total of 14 reverse circulation (RC) holes were drilled for 3,980 metres. Assay results of note include:
- 33 metres at 3.6 g/t gold from 61 metres;
- 12 metres at 2.5 g/t within 24 metres at 1.6 g/t from 196 metres;
- 10 metres at 1.9 g/t within 32 metres at 1.2 g/t from 120 metres;
- 11 metres at 2.0 g/t from 157 metres;
- 6 metres at 2.4 g/t within 9 metres at 1.8 g/t from 179 metres;
- 7 metres at 2.2 g/t from 212 metres;
- 10 metres at 1.6 g/t from 117 metres; and
- 7 metres at 1.6 g/t from 218 metres.
In addition to these results, drilling also intersected shallower ‘hangingwall’ potassic alteration in holes DTDR006, DTDR011 and DTDR013. The results from DTDR011 and DTDR013 are still pending, but DTDR006 returned 7 metres at 1.2 g/t gold from 65 metres.
“Likely increase in grade and tonnage”
“We are thrilled with the results from our first drilling at Dusk til Dawn. As mentioned in numerous previous announcements, we always had a view that the Dusk til Dawn mineral resource was incorrectly modelled, and these results confirm our new interpretation is correct,” Strickland Metals CEO Andrew Bray said.
“This is the first time the mineralisation has been drilled with the rig correctly orientated. Almost all historic drilling has been completed oblique to the main plunge, meaning that historic drilling has not effectively tested or intersected the prospect.
“This new understanding means that we can likely increase both the grade and tonnage of the resource, but more excitingly, it opens up two large 10-kilometre alteration corridors where we are growing increasingly confident of finding repeats of this style of gold mineralisation.
“We now have a really good handle on the geology and mineralisation, and resource remodelling will commence once the remaining four holes are received.”
Updating mineral resource
Strickland has engaged consultants to begin work on remodelling the Dusk til Dawn mineral resource, pending results for holes 11 to 14.
The information from these results will feed into the new geological interpretation and the company will release an updated mineral resource, expected to be announced early in 2022.
Strickland believes correctly orientating to the mineralised plunge will potentially lead to a material increase in both grade and tonnage.
Additionally, pending assays from holes 11 to 14 may extend the mineralisation down dip, adding further upside to the resource remodelling work.
Next steps
Strickland Metals is a mineral exploration company with projects in Australia. The company aims to deliver shareholder returns through the discovery of world-class mineralised systems, with a focus on gold and copper.
Within the newly identified alteration corridors, there are up to 10 ‘look-a-like’ gravity features which the company now believes could be suggestive of areas of more intense alteration.
Several holes will be drilled on targets proximal to Dusk til Dawn (within the alteration corridor) in the coming fortnight.
Rigs will return in January 2022 to continue this systematic regional target testing, and assays from this drilling are expected to be received early in the new year.