Rumble Resources Ltd (ASX:RTR) has added further exploration upside to the Earaheedy Project in Western Australia after identifying a new zone of flat-lying zinc-lead-silver sulphide mineralisation with scoping drilling.
The new mineralised zone stretches over 1.7 kilometres of strike, extending a further kilometre down dip and remaining open in all directions.
Only 8 kilometres south of the Chinook discovery – a 4.1-kilometre by 1.9-kilometre target – the newly discovered Tonka sulphide system appears to have similar geological characteristics, indicating it may extend far beyond the current known target.
A scoping drill program with broad spacing intended to discover further regional mineralisation defined three broad lines of zinc-lead-silver mineralisation at Tonka, 500 metres and 750 metres apart. The assays of note returned:
- 22 metres at 4.27% zinc and lead, 5.4 g/t silver from 110 metres including 11 metres at 5.82% zinc and lead, 4.35 g/t silver from 121 metres;
- 10 metres at 3.93% zinc and lead, 4.34 g/t silver from 84 metres;
- 5 metres at 5.03% zinc and lead, 9.74 g/t silver from 101 metres;
- 5 metres at 4.47% zinc and lead, 13.00 g/t silver from 66 metres;
- 9 metres at 3.38% zinc and lead, 1.29 g/t silver from 88 metres; and
- 8 metres at 3.13% zinc and lead, 2.94 g/t silver from 130 metres.
“Very fertile district”
“As predicted, our expanding broad spaced regional scoping drilling is uncovering further mineralisation and potential new large-scale zinc-lead deposits within this very fertile district,” Rumble Resources managing director Shane Sikora said.
“Like the Chinook Discovery, the exciting new Tonka Discovery has the potential to significantly increase in size from its current 1.7-kilometre x 1-kilometre footprint, due to its open shallow flat lying orientation, association with a regionally extensive unconformity and is open in all directions.
“To date Rumble’s drilling has intersected and targeted zinc-lead mineralisation in the shallow unconformity unit.
“The new developments of intersecting broad (up to 100 metres) zones of structurally controlled low-grade zinc-lead-silver mineralisation in the purple shale unit below the unconformity and the recent reporting of high-grade zinc-lead mineralisation in the underlying Iroquois Carbonate Member by Strickland Metals, has highlighted the potential for large scale high-grade zinc-lead deposits below in the lower formations, yet to be drill tested by Rumble.
“The ongoing regional scoping drilling success has emphasised the potential for more discoveries in multiple host units throughout the 45 kilometres’ of strike, highlighting we have only started to scratch the surface of unlocking the world-class potential of the Earaheedy Project.
“We look forward to announcing further assay results from the drilling program as they are received over the coming weeks.”
Potential for large-scale deposits
Aside from the new target at Tonka, wide zones of lower grade zinc-lead mineralisation have been intersected in a fractured and faulted purple shale zone below the unconformity unit (the Navajoh Unconformity Unit) mineralisation that hosts the Chinook and Tonka discoveries, toward the southwestern end of Tonka.
Results from this area include 102 metres at 0.5% zinc and lead from 77 metres and 121 metres at 0.54% zinc-lead from 8 metres.
Rumble Resources believe these results provide further evidence of the potential for the area to host large-scale deposits in the Purple Shale and Iroquois Carbonate Units below the unconformity, which remains untested.
In response to the Tonka discovery, Rumble has expanded its 2021 drill program to over 50,000 metres to include further scoping for the new discovery zone.
Ongoing Exploration
- RC drill scoping of Chinook, Tonka, Magazine and Navajoh - minimum 50,000 metres of drilling to be completed in 2021, with significant additional drilling planned in 2022 to define the limits of mineralisation and infill within the discovery areas.
- Diamond core drilling - Clastic and Carbonate hosted zinc-lead-silver and footwall shale hosted sulphide mineralisation to be targeted
- Sonic drilling - recoveries at EHS001 and EHS002 compared to diamond core drilling has given Rumble confidence to restart the Sonic drill testing to test the Navajoh Unconformity Unit mineralisation. Sonic drilling of different mineralisation styles, including oxide.
- Metallurgy - diamond and sonic drilling is being used for initial metallurgical sighter programs
- Geophysics - Airborne magnetics planned over Applications and analysis of gravity and passive seismic ongoing.
About Rumble Resources
Rumble Resources is an exploration company with a strategy to generate and drill test a pipeline of Western Australian projects, with the capability to make multiple discoveries.
The highly prospective Western Queen Gold Project is around 110 kilometres northwest of Mt Magnet within the Yalgoo Mineral Field and comprises two mining leases and two exploration tenements with three nearby operating gold processing mills.
Rumble also has a considerable landholding in the Albany Fraser Range region with 1,126 square kilometres of highly prospective tenure.