Strickland Metals Ltd (ASX:STK) has secured heritage clearance to conduct a survey at its cornerstone Yandal gold camp in WA as it prepares for a major drilling campaign in 2022.
Tarlka Matuwa Piarku Aboriginal Corporation (TMPAC) gave Strickland’s program the all-clear, meaning it has heritage clearance for almost all planned exploration through the new year.
The upcoming survey will provide additional information across Yandal’s Millrose deposit and other gold targets, spread across the Dusk til Dawn and Big Daddy trends.
Strickland hopes to complete further surveillance work in 2022 as it doubles down on other high-priority areas, while the explorer’s drilling program will kick off this week.
2022 shapes as “major milestone”
Speaking to the development, Strickland CEO Andrew Bray said: “Obtaining heritage clearance was the final step needed prior to commencing the major drilling campaigns we’ve previously flagged to the market.
“We are now set to commence as originally scheduled, with an RC rig and a diamond rig arriving this week.
“A further RC rig will be added in March 2022. All three rigs will remain at our Yandal Project for the entirety of 2022.
“The main priorities of the program are to complete the Millrose resource extensional drilling (and subsequent mineral resource upgrade), as well as focusing on the ‘look-a-like’ targets surrounding Dusk til Dawn and within the Big Daddy trend.
“Given the large amount of drilling we’re undertaking, the company expects reasonably constant news flow and reporting of results throughout the year.
“Now that Strickland is fully funded with all approvals and clearances in place, 2022 is shaping up as a major milestone year in the company’s development and growth.”
Turning the soil at Yandal
A reverse circulation (RC) drill rig is arriving on site in the coming days and will begin the planned resource extensional drilling at Millrose.
A diamond rig will arrive soon after, with a second RC rig scheduled to arrive in March 2022.
All rigs will remain at the project for the entirety of 2022.
As previously announced, the Millrose resource expansion program will comprise 20,000 metres of RC drilling and 8,000 metres of diamond drilling.
The priority for drilling at Millrose is as follows:
- Infill drilling of the ‘gap’ between the southern and northern resource domains with RC drilling. The position is prospective for both supergene and primary gold;
- Along strike extensions to the north and south as identified in the geophysical and geochemical datasets;
- Depth extensions, with a focus on the high grade domains to understand underground mining potential;
- Further definition of extensive, near-surface laterite mineralisation; and
- Parallel trends to the west of the main defined shear zone.
The program will be complemented with a mineral resource upgrade, which is likely to comprise a significant addition to the current resource.
After the resource upgrade, the company will consider commencing a scoping study to further develop the gold resource.