Azure Minerals Ltd (ASX:AZS) has enjoyed a busy start to the new year as activity ramps up across its Barton gold play in WA’s Eastern Goldfields and the Andover nickel-copper property in the Pilbara.
The multi-element explorer has embarked on an initial 3,000-metre reverse circulation (RC) campaign at its wholly-owned Barton asset, where it’s targeting gold mineralisation at the Daisy Corner prospect.
In step with the RC program, reconnaissance aircore drilling will follow up untested, soil-covered, structurally controlled gold targets at the Leonora-Laverton project.
Meanwhile, over at Andover — which Azure is exploring in a 60/40 joint venture with the Creasy Group — diamond drilling has recommenced in a bid to define nickel-copper sulphide mineralisation at the prime VC-07 West target.
Additional drilling at Andover’s Skyline and VC-23 prospects is out to delineate nickel-copper sulphide zones and test other regional targets, such as VC-18 and VC-41.
Bringing in the rigs at Barton
Azure holds 100% of a large strategic landholding in the gold-rich Kookynie Gold District.
This sizeable land package hosts numerous prospective yet under-explored mineralised trends covering greenstone belts, adjacent granite margins and favourable structural settings that are considered highly prospective for hosting significant gold mineralisation.
Barton is adjacent to several growing gold deposits and significant gold projects, including:
- Genesis Minerals (ASX:GMD) Ltd: Ulysses Gold Project (1.6million-ounce gold resource);
- Genesis’ Puzzle North gold discovery, which adjoins Azure’s southern tenement boundary; and
- Saturn Metals Ltd (ASX:STN): Apollo Hill Gold Project (944,000ounce gold resource).
Azure’s first drill program at Barton has started with 20 holes and 3,000 metres of RC drilling, following up historical gold intersections at Daisy Corner and testing for northern extensions of the gold mineralisation drilled by Genesis Minerals (ASX:GMD) at Puzzle North.
Following the initial RC drilling at Daisy Corner, Azure will undertake an aircore drilling program on E40/393 to test under the extensive soil cover for structurally-controlled, bedrock-hosted gold mineralisation associated with cross-cutting shears and fault zones identified by the aeromagnetic survey.
Importantly, extensions of some of these structures host significant gold mineralisation on neighbouring properties, which augurs well for Azure’s exploration.
All hands on deck at Andover
As announced in December, drilling at Andover’s VC-07 West mineralised system has intersected several zones containing nickel and copper sulphide mineralisation.
Importantly, these mineralised zones coincide with the modelled locations of electromagnetic (EM) conductors identified by surface fixed-loop and downhole EM surveys.
To date, two separate zones of massive, semi-massive and matrix nickel-copper sulphides have been identified at VC-07 West, with several recent holes intersecting significant visible mineralisation.
Assays for these holes are awaited, however, an earlier hole has already returned high grades of nickel and copper mineralisation in both zones, including:
- 4.5 metres at 3.95% nickel, 0.80% copper and 0.16% cobalt from 486.6 metres downhole; and
- 3.4 metres at 2.01% nickel, 0.43% copper and 0.09% cobalt from 605.2 metres downhole.
Drilling continues at VC-07 West to define these mineralised zones and potentially move into a mineral resource drill-out phase.
Azure’s ongoing regional exploration program at Andover, which comprises geological mapping, geochemical sampling, surface EM surveying and drilling, is showing very promising results and will continue in 2022.
Numerous bedrock-hosted EM conductors representing high-priority drill targets have been identified by the regional program, including:
- Skyline, where Azure recently intersected multiple zones of nickel-copper sulphide mineralisation in all three holes drilled;
- VC23, where Azure has drilled eight diamond core holes, five of which intersected significant nickel and copper sulphide mineralisation;
- VC18, which is represented by a 3.5-kilometre-long, bedrock-hosted EM conductor; and
- VC41, which is an attractive geophysical target represented by two strong EM conductors.
Drilling of these targets, and others on the property, will continue in 2022.