Okapi Resources Ltd (ASX:OKR) will kick off its diamond drilling program at its 100%-owned Enmore Gold Project in northern New South Wales in the June quarter of 2022.
The program was to have started in late March 2022 but unseasonal heavy rain in the north-eastern region of NSW has delayed work.
Okapi is working with landowners and contractors to complete repairs as soon as possible on damage to existing access routes to the proposed drilling sites.
The appointed drilling contractor will provide a tracked drilling rig and support truck to facilitate access to the sites.
Proposed program
Okapi completed 10 reverse circulation (RC) drill holes for 1,257 metres during 2021 across three prospects at Sunnyside East, Sunnyside West and Bora.
Assay results returned significant results from all 10 of the holes.
The proposed program will follow up on these results by testing for down plunge mineralisation at Sunnyside and Sherwood prospects.
Enmore Gold Project
There is significant exploration potential at the Enmore Project in the New England Fold Belt, about 30 kilometres south of the regional centre of Armidale.
The operating Hillgrove Gold Mine is about 20 kilometres north of Enmore and has produced more than 730,000 ounces of gold.
Gold was first discovered in the Enmore area in 1876 and intermittently mined till 1940, with mining continuing today at Hillgrove.
Most previous exploration has targeted very shallow mineralisation, with around 233 holes completed prior to Okapi’s involvement.
Of these, 153 holes are less than 50 metres in depth and only 41 holes are greater than 100 metres in depth, with 36 identified mineral occurrences – the majority of which are untested by deep drilling, modern geophysics or other targeting methods applied across the project.
The mineralisation at Enmore generally comprises structurally controlled orogenic style gold (± antimony) mineralisation.