American West Metals Limited (ASX: AW1) has escalated its exploration activities at the West Desert Project in Utah with a strategic expansion of the land position around the West Desert deposit.
The new land package has been staked over unexplored ground to the north and east of the historical project claims and covers areas of additional prospective stratigraphy and intrusive rocks.
Managing Director, Dave O’Neill, said the 148 new Bureau of Land Management (BLM) claims are contiguous to the to the existing 100% owned land holding, adding approximately 12km2 to the Project area.
“We strongly believe that the West Desert deposit is only one part of a very large mineral system, and therefore it was important for us to immediately secure the additional ground adjacent to the current tenure,” Mr O’Neill said.
“We now control 100% of the prospective ground around the West Desert deposit, giving us further upside for regional exploration. “We are pleased to be ramping up our on-ground exploration work and infrastructure upgrades at the Project in preparation for the start of our maiden 7,500m drilling campaign in January 2022.”
new ground lies directly along strike of the West Desert deposit, as well as an area outside the resource envelope where high-grade zinc and copper mineralisation has been intersected by exploration drilling. It is also along strike from the historical Utah, Galena and Emma zinc-lead-silver mines (20,303 tonnes mined from 1890 to 1953).
The additional ground has been staked to cover the eastern extent of the Juab Fault, and the northern end of the Fish Springs Range. The Juab Fault is one of the major controls on the emplacement and geometry of the quartz-monzonite porphyry, and associated skarn and carbonate replacement (CRD) styles of mineralisation in the area. Th
e northern end of the Fish Spring Range is interpreted to contain the northern contact of the porphyry intrusive, and therefore is also considered as highly prospective. Sparse historical drilling has intersected zinc skarns along this boundary, and the area is largely unexplored.
Exploration acceleration
On-ground exploration work and infrastructure upgrades continue to gather pace at West Desert in preparation for the expansion of activities during 2022. Initial work has consisted of a high-resolution ground gravity survey, and the reprocessing and interpretation of historical geophysical data sets.
The gravity survey is the first of its type at the Project and was completed over the existing claims and other areas of interest, including the newly staked land.
The historical geophysical work has included magnetics, Induced Polarization (IP) and Controlled-source Audiofrequency Magnetotellurics (CSAMT). This data is being reprocessed where possible to maximise the advances in processing capability since the completion of the surveys.
The results of the new gravity survey completed by American West are currently being finalised and integrated with the historical geophysical data. Other work that has commenced includes key project de-risking and scoping level activities including environmental and hydrological studies. Detailed mine design work is also underway focused on a range of development scenarios that would involve both open-pit and underground mining of the high-grade mineralisation.
Drilling contract
Major Drilling International Group Inc. has been contracted for our inaugural diamond drilling program which is scheduled to begin during early January 2022. Phase 1 of the programme will consist of approximately 7,500m of drilling and will be focused on confirming the continuity of the high-grade mineralisation in key areas within the resource (zinc and copper), and oxide/transitional metallurgical test work.
Drill site preparation and camp upgrades to support the drilling have begun, including the construction of an allseason core logging facility. Phase 2 of the program will focus on exploration and further resource drilling and is expected to commence in March/April 2022. An archeological survey is to begin immediately over the areas to be drilled in Phase 2 in order to finalise permitting for that drilling.
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