AuKing Mining Ltd (ASX:AKN) has reported exceptional results from its November/December Onedin drilling program at Koongie Park in Western Australia.
The Koongie Park project, in which AKN has a 75% interest, comprises 15 licences (two mining, eight exploration and five prospecting), covering an area of over 500 square kilometres.
A major highlight of the Onedin program is the high-grade, near surface copper and silver, and other mineral intersections identified at drill hole AORD004 including:
➢105.3 metres at 1.94% copper, 0.76% zinc, 0.70% lead, 55g/t silver and 106ppm molybdenum from 46 metres including 16.6 metres at 10.20% copper, 1.03% zinc, 0.46% lead and 316 g/t silver from 130 metres.
A further highlight is AORD004 provides strong confirmation of high-grade mineralisation to the north of drill hole AOWB003, which reported 124 metres at1.03% copper, 1.08% zinc, 1.54% lead and 50 g/t silver from 8 metres.
Hole AORD004 is one of seven diamond drill holes drilled at Onedin as part of AUK’s proposed metallurgical test work program.
The remaining assays from the Onedin drilling program are expected to be received and reported within the next week.
Outstanding intersections
“We are excited to report these outstanding intersections from the drilling undertaken at Onedin late last year. The results from drill hole AORD004 are phenomenal – especially the very high-grade zone of more than 10% copper from 130 metres depth,” AKN chief executive officer Paul Williams said.
“Following the excellent results from AKN’s first drilling program reported last year, the company has now clearly identified a significant copper deposit at its Koongie Park project, which we now have a 75% interest in.
“Results such as these from AORD004 set the scene for the commencement of AKN’s metallurgical test work program on the near-surface Onedin ores. In addition, these results should be highly complementary to AKN’s Koongie Park resource upgrade work that has already commenced and with a report likely to be available later this quarter.”
Williams spoke with Proactive earlier about the results:
The program in more detail
AKN completed a total of 1,433 metres of drilling across seven holes, with a maximum depth of 243 metres at hole AORD006.
Onedin drillhole locations.
The full list of assays from drill hole AORD004:
105.3 metres at 1.94% copper, 0.76% zinc, 0.70% lead, 50 g/t silver and 106ppm molybdenum from 46 metres including:
➢ 11 metres at 1.19% copper, 1.28% zinc, 2.69% lead, 4 g/t silver and 269ppm molybdenum from 99.6 metres;
➢ 18.3 metres at 9.32% copper, 0.96% zinc, 0.48% lead, 288 g/t silver and 89ppm molybdenum from 128.3 metres;
➢ 16.6 metres at 10.20% copper, 1.03% zinc, 0.46% lead, 316 g/t silver and 76ppm molybdenum from 130 metres and
➢ 2 metres at 0.25% copper, 2.55% zinc, 0.05% lead, 2 g/t silver and 7ppm molybdenum from 76 metres.
The significant features of the assay results from drill hole AORD004 include the following:
➢ A high-grade zone of >100 metres of 1.96% copper from 46 metres below surface, including a very high-grade zone of copper and silver from 130 metres;
➢ Promising confirmation of mineralisation to the north of drill holes AOWB003 and AORC004 which previously reported substantial intersections; and
➢ Further evidence of a zone of molybdenum mineralisation, extending the significant results in AOWB003 and AORC004.
Drill hole AORD004 is about 40-50 metres north of previous AKN drill holes AOWB003 and AORC004, which reported the following intersections:
AOWB003
124 metres at 1.03% copper, 1.08% zinc, 1.54% lead & 50 g/t silver from 8 metres including:
➢ 23 metres at 0.72% copper, 1.24% zinc, 0.96% lead & 1 g/t silver from 25 metres;
➢ 28 metres at 1.12% copper, 1.17% zinc, 1.50% lead & 1 g/t silver from 56 metres;
➢ 22 metres at 2.02% copper, 0.44% zinc, 0.27% lead & 63 g/t silver from 92 metres and
➢ 12 metres at 1.87% copper, 3.54% zinc, 8.58% lead 387g/t silver & 0.27% molybdenum from 120 metres.
AORC004
123 metres at 0.39% copper, 0.59% zinc, 0.96% lead & 11g/t silver from 16 metres including:
➢ 5 metres at 0.85% copper, 0.99% zinc, 0.81% lead & 21g/t silver from 73 netres;
➢ 5 metres at 0.82% copper, 0.38% zinc, 0.90% lead & 17g/t silver from 83 metres;
➢ 15 metres at 0.72% copper, 0.51% zinc, 3.21% lead, 8g/t silver & 0.17% molybdenum from 118 metres;
➢ 12 metres at 0.75% copper, 0.53% zinc, 3.43% lead, 9g/t silver & 0.19% molybdenum from 119 metres and
➢ 4 metres at 0.12% copper, 4.14% zinc, 0.11% lead & 1g/t silver from 136 metres.
Metallurgical test work to begin shortly
Once AUK has all assays, the drill core samples will be formed into composite samples for the purposes of the proposed Onedin metallurgical test work program, which is due to start in the coming days.
Stage 1 of the test work program will be conducted in conjunction with Perth-based Simulus Laboratories and involves:
➢ demonstration of economic metal recoveries;
➢ comparison with conventional process treatments;
➢ optimisation of reagent usage and doses;
➢ initial processing kinetics; and
➢ likely product options.
It is expected that the program will take approximately 6-8 weeks to complete, allowing AKN to report results from the Stage 1 program in late March/ early April 2022.
Resource update
CSA Global will prepare an update of the Koongie Park resource estimate based on greater information and resource definition from the 2021 drilling program, along with information identified by AKN from existing historic data.
Resource update work is expected to be completed in late March 2022.
The current resource stands at 6.8 million tonnes at 1.3% copper, 4.1% zinc, 0.3g/t gold and 26g/t silver.
Koongie Park remains significantly underexplored at depth and along strike and highly prospective for further VMS base metal mineralisation discoveries in the tenement package.
AUK has identified multiple drill targets to expand on the existing known resources at both the Sandiego and Onedin deposits. Both deposits remain open at depth and to the south.