Meeka Gold Ltd (ASX:MEK) is kicking off an ambitious 2022 drilling program at the Circle Valley Gold Project in WA following successful reconnaissance aircore drilling last year, during which it intersected broad gold mineralisation.
The 2021 drilling results and surface gold sampling indicate a 1.2-kilometre by 400-metre anomaly zone, which the company is excited to explore given past successes in the area.
Productive gold region
The highly productive 7.01-million-ounce Tropicana gold mine - an AngloGold Ashanti (ASX:AGG)Limited and Regis Resources Limited joint venture - also sits along the western edge of the Albany-Fraser Mobile Belt, where Meeka is prospecting.
“We are very excited to be back drilling at Circle Valley after the excellent results we received in 2021,” CEO Tim Davidson said.
“Initially we will target Anomaly A where we intercepted broad zones of gold mineralisation during 2021, as well as the Fenceline prospect 8 kilometres to the northeast where thick gold mineralisation has also previously been intercepted.”
Promising gold intersections were found during the 2021 reconnaissance, including:
- 12 metres at 1.05 g/t gold within 23 metres at 0.64 g/t from 12 metres (CVAC061); and
- 4 metres at 1.49 g/t within 24 metres at 0.38 g/t from 12 metres (CVAC062).
Larger mineralised system
Even more promising than the discovered mineralisation is an end-of-hole multi-element analysis pointing to a larger mineralised system, which may be indicative of Tropicana-style pathfinder geochemistry.
The mineralisation is tucked beneath shallow transported cover within gently folded east-west trending magnetic fabrics in the core of a more magnetic fold closure.
At this stage, the company is looking for extensions to this mineralised system, with step-out lines of aircore drilling to the west of Anomaly A, which remains open to the north, east and west.
What’s next
“Further to the drilling that is now underway, we have engaged specialist geophysics and geochemistry professionals who are reviewing the available data and providing insight into the style of mineralisation and controls on this mineralisation, which is assisting in guiding our approach to exploration on this tenure,” Davidson said.
“We look forward to updating our shareholders with results from this program of drilling at Circle Valley as they are received over the coming months.”
As part of an initial 7,000-metre aircore and RC drilling program for 2022, Meeka plans to drill deeper reverse circulation (RC) holes to test the tenor of mineralisation in the fresh rock below the shallow area where mineralisation was intersected during the 2021 program.