Gold Exploration Commences In Pilbara
Anax Metals Limited (ASX: ANX) has commenced exploration at the Whim Creek Project Joint Venture following the handover of site operations from Venturex Resources Limited.
The company has entered the initial Earn In phase of the Whim Creek transaction to acquire up to an 80% interest in the Project from Venturex Resources. In parallel with Anax’s volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS) copper-zinc resource development, gold exploration is a core priority for the Company at Whim Creek.
The Project encompasses the width of the Whim Creek Greenstone Belt and is located adjacent to De Grey Mining Limited’s Mallina Project, in the West Pilbara mineral district.
The initial phase of gold-focused exploration will target multiple, regionally significant, northeast- trending structures over a total strike length of more than 51km within the Whim Creek tenure.
The programme will include the re-interpretation of existing geophysical data which will commence immediately, along with geological and structural reconnaissance and a surface geophysics programme, designed to define initial drill targets.
Detailed soil sampling programmes will also be undertaken, which will target geophysical and structural anomalies along the western boundary of the Project – accessible directly from the North West Coastal Highway – and other priority targets including historical gold-in-soil anomalies at the Rushalls and Ridgeback Prospects in the east of the tenure
Standard soil sampling will be carried out to enable a comparison with historical records, and UltraFine+TM soil sampling will be used to optimise the definition of gold and base metals anomalism where geology is obscured by alluvial cover. This newly proven soil sampling method targets gold and other metals adhering to clay particles (<2μm), thereby avoiding the common problem of spikey gold- in-soil results (known as the “nugget” effect). This sampling method is being applied by gold explorers across the region, contributing to a region-wide study, in which Anax will take part.
The target areas for this exploration programme have been defined from the interpretation of results from multiple, historical geochemical soil sampling programs, which have generated numerous gold anomalies, and a detailed aeromagnetic survey (conducted by Straits Resources in 2007), which generated magnetic anomalies associated with major structures.
The structural complexity of the Mons Cupri and Whim Creek copper-zinc deposits is not yet fully understood and structural mapping is proposed to determine potential extensions to the known VMS mineralisation. Copper and zinc soil anomalies across the tenure also await further investigation and reinterpretation of historical geophysical data will inform this work.
In addition, the extensive historical exploration and mining records at Whim Creek contain a wealth of data and information that is currently undergoing review, and this ongoing process will contribute significantly to the geological understanding of the well mineralised Whim Creek Greenstone Belt and assist with further targeting work.
