Westar Resources Ltd (ASX:WSR) has started its ground campaign for VMS-style copper and zinc sulphides at the Gidgee North Project, one of the two Sandstone Projects in WA, with a fixed loop electromagnetic survey (FLEM).
The survey will investigate geophysical and geochemical anomalies already picked out for potential volcanogenic massive sulphides (VMS) in at least six separate prospects.
"Boots-on-ground"
“We are thrilled to be conducting additional boots-on-ground exploration at Gidgee North, which is planned to verify and model many of the previously identified SkyTEM conductors," Westar managing director Karl Jupp said.
“The data from this program will be instrumental in immediately progressing to plan proof of concept drilling to validate the potential for VMS-style copper-zinc mineralisation in this enormously under-explored part of the Gum Creek Greenstone Belt.”
Newexco Exploration Pty Ltd is managing the survey, and will also interpret the processed data and model any significant conductors identified for Westar to target with follow-up drilling.
The FLEM survey will capture data over previously identified SkyTEM conductor anomalies – SkyTEM refers to the airborne technology used to capture the information.
The survey will also cover several prospects in the recently acquired and contiguous Geoff Well tenement.
Together, these prospects and interpreted SkyTEM anomalies form an approximately 7-kilometre strike length of potential VMS stratigraphy immediately west and southwest of Horizon Gold’s drilled Altair zinc-copper prospect.
Next steps
Once the FLEM field survey work is done, Newexco will process the data and model significant conductors that are identified.
Westar will then plan, prepare and execute a first pass reverse circulation (RC) drill program, targeting the modelled conductors, to verify the VMS model and the presence of sulphide mineralisation.
About the project
The Gidgee North Project is around 640 kilometres northeast of Perth in Western Australia. Gidgee North forms one of the two Sandstone Projects, which include Gidgee North (held by Shumwari Pty Ltd) and Gidgee South, covering about 325 square kilometres.
The projects lie within the Gum Creek Greenstone Belt of the Youami Terrane, which has historically produced more than one million ounces of gold and hosts in excess of 1.35 million ounces of gold mineral resource.
Previous exploration at Gidgee North focused on near mine environs or known shear zones and structures, with regional exploration comprising limited, shallow rotary air blast (RAB) and soil geochemical sampling programs.
Various targets have been defined within the current project tenures by former explorers, many of which Westar believes remain untested. Large areas remain essentially unexplored despite the favourable geological and structural settings.