AuKing Mining Ltd (ASX:AKN) has confirmed multiple high-priority target zones ahead of its upcoming 2022 Koongie Park drill program.
The targets were identified during the company’s downhole electromagnetic (DHEM) survey, where it saw several strong conductive sources at its Onedin and Sandiego prospects that could be associated with significant copper and other base metals sulphide mineralisation.
AUK will now drill test these conductive sources, which will add further weight to an already-detailed drilling program expected to commence in late May.
The planned RC and diamond drilling program will target high priority areas including:
- Onedin DHEM extension;
- Sandiego DHEM extension;
- Onedin South geophysical anomalies;
- Sandiego 700 metre water bore target zone;
- Emull; and
- Magnetic anomaly identified in 2021 on E80/4960.
AuKing will spend $1.5 million on 7,500 metres of drilling.
It will also conduct an ultra-fine soil sampling program across the 12-kilometre PGE-prospective area near Pantoro Ltd (ASX:PNR)’s Lamboo PGE Deposit, where ~900-1200 samples will be taken for assay and assessment prior to a potential drilling program later in the year.
The coming weeks and months will be busy for AuKing as it looks to deliver preliminary pXRF results from RC drilling and ongoing assay results.
Reiterating the work ahead and the importance of the DHEM, AKN CEO Paul Williams said “The results of the downhole geophysics program could not have been better timed for AKN.
"The program has identified a number of high priority targets that will form the basis of our 2022 drill program, set to commence at Koongie Park in the coming weeks.
“The downhole electromagnetic (DHEM) survey has provided the company with two key zones of potential significant mineralisation which remain untested at both Onedin and Sandiego.
"Coupled with an intensive proposed drilling program, which includes the anomalous zones at Onedin South and the long-awaited drilling at Emull AKN has an excellent platform to continue to produce strong results and potentially increase the recently upgraded resource estimate at Koongie Park.”
Proposed drilling activities
Onedin DHEM anomaly
AKN will initially drill three holes of 450 metres depth for ~1,400 metres in total with a combined 600 metres of reverse circulation (RC) and 800 metres of diamond drilling at Onedin, at a target zone to the southwest of the existing Onedin deposit.
The drilling will test the strong conductive sources identified in the DHEM survey that are shown to be offset from known mineralised zones at Onedin.
Proposed Onedin drill holes (in Long Section) targeting DHEM conductor sources/plates.
Onedin South
AKN intends to drill 16 RC holes for a total of 3,200 metres to test for shallow mineralisation in the area, with exploration drilling to test a geophysical anomaly that sits along trend around 500 metres south of the existing Onedin resource.
Onedin South drill holes.
Sandiego DHEM anomaly
AKN proposes to drill an initial 3-4 holes of 450-550 metres depth for about 2,000 metres in total with a combined 800 metres of RC and 1200 metres of diamond drilling that will test the strong conductive source identified in the recent DHEM survey that is shown to be offset from the known mineralised zone at Sandiego. The target zone is to the northeast of the existing Sandiego deposit.
Plan view (looking downwards from overhead) Sandiego deposit, the N-E trending DHEM conductor source/plates and proposed drill holes.
Sandiego water bore target
AKN previously announced a potential target zone of 700 metres to the north of the Sandiego deposit up to water bore hole ASWB001. This target zone was based on the following assay results:
Hole ASWB001 - a shallow hole (102 metres) a water bore at Sandiego:
- 5 metres at 1.37% copper from 50 metres; and
- 2 metres at 1.71% copper from 85 metres.
The drill hole is more than 700 metres north of the known mineralised zone at Sandiego, where no previous drilling activities identified significant copper or other metals. In addition, as a water bore hole, drilling was terminated at 102 metres where good water flow rates were achieved, leaving open the possibility of further copper mineralisation at depth.
AKN is looking to drill seven holes for 1,050 metres of RC drilling (maximum hole depth 150 metres) and aims to test shallow mineralisation around ASWB001 and in the 700-metre target corridor.
Emull
AKN intends to drill an initial 8-11 holes to a maximum depth of 230 metres for ~1,750 metres in total of RC drilling. The drilling is targeting shallow mineralisation previously intersected by Northern Star Resources during historic drilling in the early 2000s.
E80/4960 anomaly
AKN proposes to drill an additional 2-3 holes of a total 360 metres of RC drilling to test this geophysical anomaly that was identified by AKN during activities in 2021.
PGE soil sampling near Lamboo PGE Deposit
In terms of the PGE rights at Koongie Park, AKN has been encouraged by recent drilling results reported by Pantoro at its Lamboo PGE Project, which show the location of significant PGE mineralisation in the lower and ultramafic portions of the Lamboo Igneous Complex.
This same ultramafic unit (called McIntosh) extends across a significant area of Koongie Park tenures – creating the potential of an estimated 12-kilometre strike length of the PGE mineralisation.
AKN will conduct an ultrafine soil sampling (UFSS) program over ground considered prospective for PGE mineralisation, with sampling to be completed over the coming months as time permits.
A 10-12 kilometre stretch of the McIntosh suite that is a potential continuation of PNR’s PGE mineralisation that remains largely untested is now a priority target.
900-1200 samples will be collected over two phases and the program is expected to take two to three weeks per phase.