Vango Mining Ltd (ASX:VAN) has secured the final drill results from an exploration campaign at its flagship Marymia Gold Project’s Pigeon open pit.
The latest assays from the WA gold play build on results from the first four holes at Pigeon, which were unveiled to the ASX about a month ago.
Promisingly, the remaining assays have generated further high-grade gold from the open pit, intersecting as much as 8.7 g/t in the final hole.
Overall, the latest results seem to land on the western flank of a fault structure at Pigeon, interpreted to lie on the edge of an offset zone linked to the main mineralisation.
Combined with previous assays, fielding up to 7.9 g/t, and historical intersections below the open pit’s mined level, returning as much as 9.3 g/t, Vango is a step closer to realising Pigeon’s mineralised potential.
The results are in
The Pigeon open pit was targeted with five drill holes in Vango’s ongoing open pit-focused resource extension program.
Results from the final hole have now been received, intersecting five gold zones greater than 1 g/t within broader mineralised structures.
Highlights include:
- 2 metres at 1.2 g/t gold from 94 metres, including 1-metre at 1.9 g/t from 94 metres;
- 3 metres at 3.2 g/t from 133 metres, including 1-metre at 8.31 g/t from 134 metres;
- 1-metre at 2.5 g/t from 159 metres (representing a repeat of 8.84 g/t);
- 2 metres at 4.9 g/t from 166 metres, including 1-metre at 8.7 g/t from 166 metres; and
- 1-metre at 1.2 g/t from 190 metres.
These build on the results from the first four holes, which were reported in December.
Ultimately, all five holes from the program have returned substantial gold intercepts, including:
- 9 metres at 3 g/t gold from 111 metres, including 3 metres at 7.9 g/t from 114 metres;
- 2 metres at 1 g/t from 157 metres;
- 4 metres at 1.1 g/t from 134 metres;
- 2 metres at 2.2 g/t from 115 metres;
- 7 metres at 0.8 g/t from 124 metres; and
- 12 metres at 1 g/t from 121 metres.
The results from the first four holes showed the continuity of a strong gold zone that broadly follows an interpreted mineralised structure, following the contact between sediments and mafic packages.
However, assays from the latest hole suggest this structure is still important but has been offset somewhat by a later structure.
This structure appears to have offset this mineralised zone and opens up the potential at Pigeon significantly to the west, which is also supported by historical intercepts in holes that were further north than those on the eastern side of the pit.
Historical assays include:
- 4 metres at 8.2 g/t gold from 71 metres;
- 7 metres at 1.7 g/t from 51 metres;
- 9 metres at 2.1 g/t from 90 metres;
- 16 metres at 1.5 g/t from 77 metres;
- 13 metres at 1.2 g/t from 86 metres;
- 8 metres at 2.6 g/t from 52 metres, including 1-metre at 5.8 g/t from 52 metres;
- 12 metres at 1 g/t from 83 metres, including 2 metres at 3.4 g/t from 83 metres;
- 1 metre at 9.3 g/t from 101 metres;
- 14 metres at 1.6 g/t from 106 metres; and
- 12 metres at 1.5 g/t from 94 metres, including 3 metres at 4.6 g/t from 99 metres.
Next on the agenda
Vango is targeting 11 priority open-pits in its ongoing open-pit focused drilling campaign.
Drilling is designed to add tonnage to the existing Marymia resource base, delivering ‘critical mass’ to the project to support a proposed stand-alone mining operation.
The first phase of drilling in all 11 open pits has now been completed and consisted of 8,914 metres of reverse circulation drilling across 56 holes.
All results have now been reported from first-phase drilling at the Skyhawk, Parrot, Apollo, Prickleys, Ibis, Exocet, Rosella and Pigeon open pits.
Results from drilling at the remaining three open-pits will be progressively released as they become available.
Vango plans to conduct a follow-up, second phase of drilling at all targets that delivered positive results from the completed first round of drilling, to test for further extensions of gold mineralisation to add to the Marymia resource base.
